A stomping ground of crap: The continuing Newman/Abbott saga

Not only is Adam the master of illusion, he can disappear into thin air at a moment's notice. Was he aided in his vanishing act by a brightly dressed, beautiful assistant -- or by a lady much more sinister? And could ''hacker buddy'' Natalie somehow be related to Chloe? Buckle up for another potential Newman/Abbott feud as you peruse through Two Scoops.

Welcome, Jason Thompson! When I first starting watching him as Billy, I will admit I had to keep reminding myself he was not Patrick. And it was a little difficult getting past the natural dark locks of our new Billy's hair. After all, the Billy we have always known has been fair-headed, just like the rest of the Abbotts. But if anyone can make me forget such insignificant details, it would be Jason Thompson. As Dr. Patrick Drake on General Hospital, Jason was nominated for the Daytime Emmy award the past five years, but he has yet to win. But now, as Billy Abbott, maybe Mr. Thompson can finally get that elusive golden statuette he so richly deserves.

And Jason came out with guns blazing...well, as much as one can when awakening from a coma. That would paint quite a contradictory picture, wouldn't it? I truly hope and believe he will do Billy Abbott the justice this extremely complex character needs. And I can't wait to see Jason's acting talent and skills stretched to the limits. I know he can bring it. I only hope the writers don't do a disservice by turning Billy into another version of Patrick. That would be a fatal mistake. The best thing about Billy is just how complicated he can be, which is why it appears Y&R would rather do recast after recast if that's what it takes to keep Billy in Genoa City. Maybe the soap has finally found just the right actor to fill Billy Miller's huge shoes.

I tried to explain the whole actor switch-up scenario to my husband the week before this, when watching first an episode of The Young and the Restless and then one of General Hospital. (Yes, my husband does watch my soaps from time to time, and he basically knows who's who.) Seriously, we almost needed a scorecard to keep track. When we watched GH, I pointed to Patrick during one of his final scenes and told my hubby that Jason Thompson was leaving GH to play Billy Abbott on Y&R. Then, when they showed Jason, I aimed the tip of my finger in Billy Miller's direction and explained that he was the one who used to play Billy. When it was all said and done, my husband didn't really care, although he did humor me by listening to my explanation. What a nice guy.

My mother and I are fans of both Y&R and GH, which makes for some juicy email chat. In one message, when our new Billy first made his appearance, I realized, during one of my messages to her, Jason Thompson is the first actor on Y&R that I had already met before he was on Y&R. I have met several after they left Y&R, such as Michelle Stafford and Emme Rylan, but he is the first one currently on Y&R. I got the chance to talk to Jason Thompson at the GH Fan Club weekend in August 2015. Oh, wait a minute...I did meet Cady McClain while she was playing Kelly on Y&R, at the 2014 GH event, the first one I attended. She was with her husband, Jon Lindstrom, who plays Kevin on GH. Okay, Jason is the second actor, but it's still just as cool.

Jason Thompson is just as nice as he appeared to be as Patrick Drake. What impressed me the most was his glowing words about the darling girl, Brooklyn Rae Silzer, who played Patrick's daughter, Emma. Jason indicated he truly treasured the time he spent acting with Brooklyn and thought of her as his own daughter. And, in Billy's recent scenes with Delia, you could see the connection Jason already has with Sophie Pollono as Delia. Since Billy has other children with Victoria, Mr. Thompson will be a terrific fit for his new soap family. I am looking forward to seeing how they all evolve together and interact with each other.

Thankfully, Billy didn't stay in his coma for long, and in fact, he had almost total recall about everything that had happened to him. While that's great for the fans, it's pretty strange for someone with a brain injury. I have heard that quite often a person who's had a serious head injury can't remember what happened immediately before the trauma happened but can recall past events from before the day of the incident. Oh well, we will just put this in the category of miracles and accept that Billy never lost a moment. After all, memory can be a funny thing.

But memories of the car that ran over him in the parking garage started flashing though Billy's head, even though they were all hazy. But Billy insisted to Victoria his frog only wanted to spend time again with his tadpoles, and he even recollected hearing Katie's first words of "Da-da." What is it with the Genoa Citizens' comas? A person can wake up from one with a mystical, magical power. So, when he was in his coma, he really did float from location to location, handing out advice to all his loved ones? And while he was doling out his wisdom, he truly heard the actual event at Crimson Lights, when his daughter said her first words? That's some special juju. I mean, I would be willing to believe Billy met Delia during his journey. I have seen before where the comatose patient walks towards the bright light and then is told by a loved one to go back because it's not his or her time yet. You see that type of thing on science fiction shows all the time, so it must be real.

Or maybe it's as Phyllis said in that good things happen to good people. Maybe it is Billy's karma. Kudos to Phyllis for drawing the truth out of Billy about "the lying, cheating, scum of the earth, who snaked the dream out from underneath" him. I am guessing he meant Victor. But whew, for a minute there, I thought the writers were trying to turn Billy into Patrick. What a relief! It looks like Phyllis and Billy are destined for another partnership, which I wouldn't mind at all. They really do get each other. The Newman/Abbott games begin.

Even Victor believed Billy could never remember all the facts about the car that had backed into him due to the pounding Billy's bookie, Gil, had given him. That was no relief to Noah, who still wanted to come forth with the truth. Can't Victor see the guilt his grandson feels? We know Victor could never understand that kind of guilt, but he should, at least, be able to see it in Noah's face. Even if Noah were to get away with "the hit-and-run," his conscience would forever bother him. How would Noah ever be able to look at himself in the mirror again? That's not something Victor can teach Noah, because it's something Victor has never felt. Victor has always lived a life with no guilt and no regret. A life without morals.

Yes, Jason's Billy is just in time for possibly another Newman/Abbott feud, since Kevin put himself right in the middle of what Mariah referred to as "a stomping ground of crap between the Abbotts and the Newmans." Boy, Mariah has such a way with words -- and with bluntly stating the way it really is. Kevin reneged on his deal with Billy and made a pact with the local resident devil, Victor, for the new Internet security design -- if it ever comes to fruition, that is. It seems Natalie's pet project had a few glitches, not to mention, she had secret dealings with another investor, whose money she absconded. Either way you slice it, Victor won't be happy. But what else is new?

The second I laid eyes on her, Natalie reminded me of someone, but I just couldn't put my finger on whom. And then I realized that someone was Chloe. Is it just me? And Natalie acts just like Chloe. Maybe they are related in some way. Every time I look at Natalie now, I think of Chloe. This is the last thing I need. I cannot bear to watch Chloe Jr. mucking up Kevin's life now. Come on, I was finally done throwing confetti over Kevin and Chloe's break-up, and now I have to put up with Chloe 2.0.

Hey, maybe Ian can return to write up another ditty. I hope Natalie is not too much like Chloe in every way, although, so far, the indications are there. Chloe and Mariah both have a frank way of speaking, although Chloe's was always in the "me, me, me" sort of way. I don't see much of a difference between Chloe and Natalie, which could work against Mariah if all three are too much alike.

Speaking of Chloe, this would almost be a great time for her to return with her mystery child, as long as Billy was determined to be the father. Talk about getting his feet wet -- Jason Thompson could really be swimming in the deep end for that storyline. But then Kevin would have two Chloes in his huddle with poor Mariah cheerleading from the sidelines. How can Kevin not see any kind of resemblance between Natalie and his ex? Okay, maybe it is just me, but I see it each time Natalie is in a scene. I'm sure, however, if Chloe and Natalie stood next to each other, I would be able to see the differences between the two.

Okay, moving on, Victor had the perfect opportunity to use Adam's disappearance to get Marisa out of Noah's life, once and for all. The way Noah was following Marisa around and pleading with her still reminded me of a little puppy with its tail between its legs. (No matter how much Natalie compared Kevin to a puppy, the term is much more appropriate for the young Mr. Newman.) Noah almost appeared desperate at times, which is never good hero material. You can almost understand why Marisa would swoon back into her ex-husband's arms, although I still don't consider her much of a prize. A life with Marisa would be full of lies and deceit -- not a good recipe for a marriage but great for a mix of drama and intrigue filled with more than a pinch of backstabbing.

You can bet if Adam wasn't really kidnapped, he would have had heck to pay on his return. After all her worrying, Chelsea would have killed him. Shoot, Chelsea told everyone she ran into about Adam's disappearance and pleaded for each one's help. If Chelsea ever gets tired of designing fashion, maybe she should try a career at promotion. She sure knows how to get the word out. If Adam's rescue depended on keeping silent about his position, Chelsea definitely blew that. She's been about as quiet as fireworks on the Fourth of July.

Natalie may wish to believe she's just like dear Victor, but she doesn't have a clue. Dangling her project in front of his face was a dumb idea, especially since he had already paid for it. Plus, his son was still being held hostage to be exchanged for "the girl." Please don't tell me Victor was actually putting his family first over making millions. That really would be shocking.

No, it's probably more likely that Natalie had to pay for double-crossing Victor, just as Kevin suspected. And he and Mariah have about one million reasons to worry they could be next in line. And true to form, Victor demanded Kevin and Mariah pay back the money, plus, Victor "Ruling All Things" Newman kicked them out of the project to boot. That's gratitude for you. Kevin handed the deal to Victor on a silver platter, and Victor snatched away the golden goose from Kevin. But really, Kevin should have known better than to try to cross Victor. Shame, shame.

I am surprised Victor let Marisa go, though. I guess he could only handle holding one girl in captivity at a time. So, sadly, Marisa was free again to have Noah's puppy dog eyes follow her everywhere she went and to have Luca continuously declare his undying devotion to her. There's no doubt in my mind Marisa's journal holds the names of many villains. She kept pretty busy conning people -- after giving her daughter away. My eyes brightened and hope sprang when Luca said his father wanted Luca and Marisa to return to Spain -- but both refused to go. That's too bad. I was ready to pack Marisa's bag for her.

Thankfully, newly badged Dylan came to the rescue again. Unfortunately, it was to Victor's rescue but being a superhero has no limits. Besides, Dylan felt he was actually saving Natalie and Adam, so his powers were still being used for the good of the community. Paul was leery of Dylan working with Victor, and who can blame him? But since Dylan's plan called for working with the police also, Paul allowed it.

Hip hip hooray, Genoa City! Our dynamic duo is back in action, ready to fight for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Paul and Dylan were determined not to let the untrusty, variable Victor risk the safety of Adam, Chelsea, and Natalie, even if Victor was open to throwing the hacker chick under the bus to be "squished like a bug." And a restrained Adam did what he could to free himself from the bonds that tied him to the chair. While trying to wriggle free from the rope, Adam overheard the thug guard on the phone say, "Yes, ma'am," to the person in charge. So, the villain is actually a villainess. Hmmm....

Could Natalie's investor be someone new or a past evil villainess? Oh, not Sheila again, please! Let's see...what other she-devil could be behind Adam's kidnapping. The usual female business executive would not normally reduce herself to such extreme tactics. So it would have to be someone with no scruples. With Adam, Kevin and Billy all involved, in one way or another, maybe it is Chloe. Maybe Natalie is related to Chloe in some way. I know -- I just can't get past that. What a way it would be to get back at Adam, though. I am sure running him down with a car wasn't enough justice for Chloe. But somehow, I doubt it was Chloe, so it will be interesting to see just what femme fatale is behind Adam's kidnapping -- and why she went to such extremes.

Nick was absolutely right. Sharon was putting way too much faith in Dr. Anderson. I can't believe Sharon reduced the dosage of her meds, since there was no reason to do so. How could this possibly be a part of Dr. Anderson's plan against Nick? It makes no sense to me. Since Sharon already has Sage's baby, shouldn't Sandy be content to let Sharon and Dylan have their fortunate lives with their happy family? Sage doesn't seem to be any the wiser about the baby, so why doesn't Dr. Anderson leave well enough alone. It would seem like the more the devious doctor keeps throwing Sage's supposed obsession over the infant into Nick's face, the more suspicious he would become about the child. If Sandy wants Nick (or wants to get back at him), she really needs a new plan.

At least Sage wanted to find out why Dr. Anderson was all into their business. Finally. I would have been wondering that ages ago, when Sandy kept turning up around every corner. Some people believe there is no such thing as a coincidence, and in Sandy's case, we know that to be true. It will be interesting to see what shows up on the doctor's background check. Maybe Nick will then have to open up his eyes just to see the light.

Well, Sandy may need a new strategy, but Sage sure could use some super spy lessons. All she found out was Dr. Anderson may have been married at one time. I probably could have learned more using Google. It seems all Sage did was to poke the sleeping bear, which, in this case, was Dr. Sandy Anderson. I don't think Sandy is getting very far with her "Sage is irrational and paranoid" scenario with Nick. But Dr. Anderson learned Sage was checking into her background then overheard Nick say something was not right with the diabolical doctor. I am sure Sandy will up her game now, which would be good, since her most recent efforts have been pretty lame.

And apparently, Genoa City's newest detective needs to look right under his nose to sniff out trouble in his town. Dylan has appeared to blind himself to every bad decision Sharon has made in the name of Dr. Anderson. Has Dylan ignored reason due to love? It's just confusing. He tends to help everyone else out except the ones he loves the most. Maybe he's more like his father than we even guessed.

Sharon sure seemed to be a little snippy about Dylan being a police detective, but was it due to concern about his safety or to taking less of her medication? As rude as Sharon was to her, I was surprised Chelsea didn't just fly out the front door. However, Chelsea seemed to understand where Sharon was coming from. I am glad Sharon finally has a female friend. I just hope it stays that way. Sharon desperately needs friends.

It's tough for a young boy to lose the only parent he has ever known, and I am glad Ben realized that Max's whole world had tumbled upside down. Dylan cautioned Abby to be patient, but I'm not sure that's in her nature. However, she scored points by buying Max the new game that had not yet been put on the market, even if Max didn't appreciate it. Abby was on the right track to becoming the cool stepmom she wanted to be. Hopefully, she will give Max the time he needs. He must be devastated to have lost his mother. And even though he doesn't know it, Max should be eternally grateful his father's name is not Victor Newman. (We hope.)

Maybe Abby should consider throwing in with Ashley and Dr. Neville for their venture. That could set up for another possible mother and daughter triangle with the daring doctor. Could Simon bear a striking resemblance to Tad the Cad in more than one way?

I loved Mariah's suggestions for Natalie's computer password: "hot geek sex," "Kevin#Nicebutt" and my personal favorite, "code dirty to me." It was just surprising "Kevin#Nicebutt" was really the password. Good guess, Mariah!

Abby said to Billy in the hospital, "Billy Boy, stop being such an ungrateful jerk." Man, Abby is sounding more and more like her dad every day. Thank goodness she was just joking.

Until next time, please stay tuned.Teddi

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