The families feud

Will the feuding families be forced to take sides now that the ''Victator'' has at last been dethroned, thanks to Marco's plan? Will Jack wake up in time to send Victor to the slammer and out Gabe before Marissa does? Can Neil's revenge sabotage the recent reconciliation between Lily, and Devon and Hilary? Will Adam find happiness after besting Victor? Find out in this week's Two Scoops!

At last, what we've all been waiting for, Darth Victor, the Victator, has finally been dethroned -- at least temporarily -- and by his own son, no less, with an assist from Marco and Victor's own arrogance. How did it come to this, and what does that mean for the feuding families? In my opinion, it was Victor's greed and blind arrogance that brought this about. Victor was the one who found Marco in prison and abducted Jack so that he could steal Jabot. Victor expected Marco to be under his thumb, but Marco, Jack's wily look-alike, turned the tables and went one up on Victor. Victor is spending Independence Day in jail while Jack hovers in a coma, from which, I have no doubt he will awaken and verbally slam Victor's cell door shut.

I don't expect Victor to stay in the slammer without a struggle, especially when he finally realizes that it is Jack that he shot and not Marco -- another example of Victor's arrogance. Several people tried to tell him that Jack was back, but Victor brushed them all off. I do expect that Victor will eventually be exonerated, and it will be Marco who goes to prison or gets conveniently killed. I do not believe that Marco is dead. Marissa survived, and I think that Marco did too. Peter Bergman is having too much fun playing this guy for Marco to expire off-canvas. I think Marco is yet to have his last hurrah! (I still expect to hear Bergman scream, "Top of the world, Ma," in his best impression of Jimmy Cagney from the black and white classic White Heat as Marco goes out in a blaze of bullets.)

I do think that Victor should get a smidgen of slack. After all, the Abbotts did frame him for embezzlement, and that was certainly illegal. Sure, they are calling it a computer glitch, but the high and mighty Abbotts did forget to look at their moral compass before following Marco's plan. Billy's part in the setup disappointed Victoria, just as she disappointed Billy by providing Victor a false alibi. The course of true love never did run smooth, and feuding families make explosive in-laws.

After Nikki started the ball rolling by telling Paul that Victor had gone to the park in her place, I was fuming when I wrote Bessie that Nikki should have kept her mouth shut because she had been spending Victor's money all these years, and she owed him some loyalty. Bessie wrote back that she disagreed because it was important for alcoholics to be truthful. I admitted that Bessie was right, and maybe, if Victor had trusted Nikki with the truth about Marco, she would have backed him, or else outed Marco to everyone and caused even more family feuding in both clans. Nikki is blaming her alcoholism on Victor. I think it goes deeper than that. Nikki has to start taking responsibility, put herself at the center of her problems, and figure out where she went wrong. Perhaps she should start by asking herself why she's with a man who always keeps her in the dark.

Adam, as Gabe, finally had everything that he wanted. He beat Victor at Victor's own game and took over Newman-Abbott, he got away with the fiction that he was Jack's son, while successfully wooing Chelsea and insinuating himself into Connor's life. For a moment Adam was on top of the world -- and then he met Marissa, who threatened fireworks if Adam did not comply with her as-yet-unknown demands. Adam's secret is bound to be revealed soon because too many people know, at least four by my count -- Jack, Marco, Marissa, and Sage. Will Adam have the guts to tell Chelsea before she finds out on her own? I hope so.

I really, really, really like this Adam. I want him to find happiness with Chelsea. I want to see him smile more, but I don't know if Adam's character can ever be happy. He's like one of those tragic Shakespeare characters, maybe Romeo or Hamlet, either of which I can see Justin Hartley playing. (I wouldn't care if I couldn't understand one word of that olde English, he'd look great in those tights -- have I ever mentioned that I'm shallow?)

What is Marissa planning, and what does she want from Adam? And how convenient was it that after plunging into a lake somewhere in the hinterlands, she managed to get out of the car, find Genoa City, and stagger into the only place in town that hires anyone that needs a job and gives them a place to stay? Don't get me wrong, far stretches like that are exactly what I love about soaps, and the further the stretch, the better I like it! I just can't help pointing them out. If I didn't, I wouldn't be a critic; I'd be a reporter, probably for the GCBuzz!

Okay, back to Marissa, an obvious victim of SOSAD -- Soap Opera Strange Aging Disease. Otherwise, how could she be young enough to date Noah, who has been 24 for the last two years, and old enough to be with Marco "many years ago?" I guess that depends on your definition of "many," which we all know can mean thirteen months on our beloved soaps. (I think I'll just believe that Marissa is 25 when she's with Noah and 35 when she with Marco or Jack. I'll call it the Elastic Age Reconciliation or EAR, which I will tug as a reminder whenever I have the urge to get out my calculator.)

I don't think Marissa is going to turn out to be a bad person, but she does have an agenda. Marissa's story may be an interesting change of pace, especially if she becomes besties with Chelsea. Noah needs a diversion after Courtney's death, which Noah has mourned for an eternity in soap time. It's time for a rebound girl, so a summer love story for Noah would be very nice. I like Noah. He's another one with a smile that just makes me melt. I'd like to see a summer with some lighthearted fun for all the characters with great smiles. I vote for a tear-free summer, unless they are tears of joy.

Wasn't it nice to see Lily reconcile with Devon and Hilary and end the feud, even if it was prompted by Lily's indiscretion with Joe? Lily experienced what it means to be human and make a mistake, and it is great to see her as something other than a vindictive shrew. Neil is fueled by visions of revenge, and he is sure to take action against Devon and Hilary. It will be interesting to see which way Lily goes when Neil starts a family feud of his own.

Poor Avery! I have the utmost sympathy for her and any other persons who have been brutalized without consent. I have a feeling that Joe is not Avery's attacker. Thirty years ago, I had an experience similar to Avery's. I believed that I knew my attacker, but I was wrong -- the person had a solid alibi -- my mind had played tricks, and the same might be true for Avery. She's been through a devastating experience. I do wonder why Avery has a restraining order against Joe if she keeps running after him and asking him to meet her in dark parks. Those actions do not seem like smart behavior for a savvy lawyer. However, now that Avery has been so hurt, I don't expect her to do anything smart. Avery has suffered an enormous emotional and physical upset. It took me two years to recover. Even in soap time, that's at least a couple of months for Avery!

My friend Anne is still hoping that Avery will stay, but I keep telling her that Avery is on her way out. Anne and I both wondered why Dylan has to act like a thug and go all vigilante justice without either evidence or proof other than Avery's questionable memory. Most of the time, with both Avery and Sharon, Dylan is a great guy, but when he gets all Hulk-ish, I lose interest. In some way, though, that just makes Dylan a chip off the old block. As I remember, when Paul was a P.I., he was the one who was always figuring out the bad guy before the police and taking the law into his own hands. Now that Paul is the police, it only stands to reason that someone else has to solve the crimes. It's a law of soaps that the police never solve crimes without help! Maybe Dylan should open a P.I. business on the side then he could eventually follow Paul as police chief!

In other news, I'm worried about Ashley. She is definitely not taking care of herself, and that is not good. She and Stitch are getting closer and closer, and I don't know how long before Stitch is sleeping with both mother and daughter -- a second example of EAR -- Elastic Age Reconciliation. I do like Stitch and Ashley as a couple. They radiate a lot of heat in their scenes together, and they did from the very first time that they appeared together. I have a vivid memory of Stitch examining Ashley's ankle and the banter that ensued. It was as hot as many a sex scene because it was all implication, leaving everything to the imagination.

PICKY, PICKY, PICKY: So are we supposed to believe, that when Kevin, Paul, et al., watched Jack pass the video camera twice, just four minutes apart, that both Jacks were dressed exactly alike? Guess it's just another one of those soap coincidences. Jack must have dozens of the same suits, shirts, shoes, and ties, so he can make sure that he and his look-alike are always dressed to fool those pesky cameras. LOL. Just another one of those little inconsistencies that force us to remind ourselves, "It's only a soap!" Talk about farfetched, nothing I've written about so far rivals the rumors that Bessie tells me are circling the Internet. For instance, she told me that people are saying that Jack is Victor's son. Ick, Ick, Ick. I told her that Genoa City would have to be renamed Incest City because that would mean that Kyle is Victor's grandson, and who knows who else would be related.

Not so farfetched is the rumor -- totally unconfirmed and speculative -- that Sharon is not pregnant and is planning to steal Sage's baby. I could see that. I wouldn't like it because I like good Sharon, but since she just threw away her medication, I'm guessing that bad Sharon is about to take over and do more damage. As for Sage, her secret will not be secret long. I don't think the baby is Nick's. I'm almost positive it will be Adam's. I wonder if Nick will treat Sage the way he always treats Sharon when she disappoints him?

Until next time, fellow fan addicts, thanks for reading, and I hope you had a wonderful Independence Day. Don't miss the next meeting of Soapaholics not-so-Anonymous at Crimson Lights when we will drink imaginary coffee and share imaginative stories about our imaginary friends.

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