Mother knows best

Darth Victor menaced both Chloe and his family as he quickly reclaimed control of Newman Enterprises and sent Nick and Victoria 'on vacation.' Phyllis reconciled with Jack, but only because meddlin' mama Jill got an eyeful and threatened Phyllis. Anita meddled and guilted Adam into letting Chelsea go. Ashley also meddled, but her advice actually helped Abby. Get the latest news in this week's Two Scoops.

If they gave Olympic awards for meddling mommas, then I think that "Jill the pill" would take the gold and Anita would get the silver. There are a lot of qualified candidates for the bronze, but all pale by comparison to Jill's master plan for Billy's life. Never mind what Billy wants and never mind that Jill's hands-on approach would have been a lot more valuable during Billy's early years when parental guidance is most beneficial and most welcome. Jill was busy then, social climbing and tormenting Katherine, so there wasn't a lot of time for Billy.

Now that Billy is in his thirties, Jill has reached the goals for her life and has plenty of time to see that Billy reaches the goals that Jill has set for him, specifically that Billy and Victoria reunite their family. I don't think that reclaiming the family unit is a bad idea. It's a great idea; I just don't think that Jill has the right to orchestrate her son's life. Billy has to live his own life and learn from his own mistakes. Having momma run interference is not going to let Billy learn from his own experiences. Jill was not a very hands-on mom when Billy was growing up. Now is not the time to start -- in my opinion. However, having Jill back for any reason spices up the show, so let the meddling continue. I don't have to approve to enjoy!

Admittedly, Jill was probably correct when she told Phyllis about the dire consequences to the Abbott family should her affair with Billy become common knowledge. What I don't think Jill took into account is how close the Abbotts are. They would rally around Jack, confront Billy while holding him close, and send Phyllis scurrying for the hills with all the righteous fury in their souls. Billy would not be the outcast; Phyllis would earn that honor.

While in real life, I would find it reprehensible for a man to be sleeping with his brother's wife, in "reel" life, not so much. Yes, it's horrible what Billy and Phyllis have been doing to Jack; on the other hand, this Phyllis and Jack are a snooze fest, but this Billy and Phyllis are exciting together. I can't imagine Billy Miller's "Billy" with anyone but Victoria. Jason Thompson's "Billy" is a horse (and head of hair) of a different color. He fits with Phyllis. They have a common agenda -- get Victor -- and a common enemy -- Victor. They fuel each other and feed off each other, though not necessarily in a good way. This, though, is the stuff of daytime: forbidden love, lust, passion, betrayal, revenge, and all the other things that we would never do ourselves but are our secret guilty pleasures -- pleasures that we share with our imaginary friends in Genoa City.

As mothers go, Phyllis hasn't been spending much time with her daughter, and I think that her son must be almost as old as Billy, but who's counting? In a way, I can understand why Phyllis is not connecting to Jack. Many years ago, when I was in my thirties, I was raped. When the attacker entered my room, I first thought that it was a male friend who often stopped by to visit with my roommate and me. I continued to believe it was a sick joke until my attacker hit me in the face. After the incident, even though I knew it wasn't my friend, even though he had an alibi, even though the police said it was a serial rapist in the area, I could not stand to be around him because he was a constant reminder of the incident. Our friendship died as a result.

I think that Phyllis must feel the same way about Jack. Even though what happened to her was not Jack's fault, other than that he was also Victor's victim, Jack is a constant reminder to Phyllis of what happened. Making love with Jack must be excruciating to her just because every time Phyllis is with Jack, she must remember that she did not know the difference between Jack and Marco when they were in bed together, just as, initially, I did not know the difference between my friend and my attacker.

I think that Phyllis might have liked adventurous Marco better than Jack, which would make her feel guilty, dirty, and disgusted with herself. No wonder she turned elsewhere. Jack did not protect her as he promised, and Phyllis has lost faith in Jack and their marriage. I do wonder why Phyllis is not in therapy. That's what it took for me to recover, and I think it would help Phyllis to see a shrink or join a survivor's group.

Phyllis is desperately trying to hang on and work things out with Jack, mostly because of Jill's threats to blow everything up. Phyllis does love both men, but Billy is the one who stokes her fires and inspires her at the moment, and I don't see Billy and Phyllis giving each other up anytime soon, no matter how many mommy dearest machinations Jill has up her sleeve.

I think it's great that Brash & Sassy is moving into the second-floor Jabot lab -- though for some reason, I always thought the lab was in the basement. (Maybe it's the no windows!) I'm also glad that Cane has a good job -- even if he is Jill's lackey -- and I look forward to his interaction with Billy. I also hope that Victoria accepts Jill's job offer. That would add even more excitement to the mix of personalities.

Some people don't like change, but the changes that are happening on a daily basis at Y&R are -- in my opinion -- making the show a lot better. We have someone new at the helm, and it's great to see characters interacting that haven't worked together before. I like the shakeup, and I'm glad to see stories that weren't working (e.g. Victoria and Travis, Hilary chasing Jack, etc.) come to an abrupt end, so new and better tales can emerge.

I don't think that anyone can argue that Chloe was a very good mother to Delia, but being an equally good mom to Bella is questionable because of her current mental state. To us, the viewers, Chloe is obviously still disturbed. Her hatred of Adam and her vendetta is way out of proportion. Adam did not deliberately run Delia down and leave her by the side of the road. He didn't even know that Delia had been hit until it was to late to do anything. If Chloe wants someone to blame, it should be Billy, who left a seven-year old in a car, unsupervised. She could also blame Delia, who disobeyed parental orders to stay in the car and instead went after her dog. She could also blame the dog.

Adam was the easiest target for Chloe's wrath. She was already anti-Adam and had tried to talk Chelsea out of marrying him, so Chloe was predisposed to take all her hostility and anger about Delia's senseless death out on someone she already hated instead of people she loved. Adam was the perfect fit.

I can't decide if I want Kevin or Billy to be Bella's father. If Billy is the father, then they could age Bella and bring back the terrific little actress who originally played Delia to play Bella, just like Camryn Grimes came back as Mariah. There's a good story in Chloe's cover-up of the baby daddy and the eventual reveal. I would love it if Kevin finally got be a father. He loved Delia and Chloe so much. It's a shame that Chloe can't return his love. It will be interesting to see how Natalie reacts. She hasn't had any real obstacles to overcome in her pursuit of Kevin; now she does. Let's see how she deals with it.

Darth Victor is some piece of work. You have to wonder what possessed him to seek out someone as mentally unstable as Chloe and why he would go to such elaborate lengths to hurt his own son. We know that Victor did not intend for Adam to wind up behind bars, but what did Victor expect once he brought Chloe into the mix? Chloe is not afraid of Victor, no matter how much the Victator blusters and threatens her. Chloe is crazy and vengeful. She does not care what happens or who gets hurt, as long as Adam stays locked up -- even for a crime that he did not commit.

At Newman Enterprises, Victor is back; he's large and in charge, and heads are already rolling. Both Victoria and Nick have been given access to the company jet and told to take a well-deserved vacation, which is Victor code for, "I'm replacing you because you betrayed me and deserve a lesson." As far as meddling parents go, Victor's "daddy dearest" impression almost makes Jill and Chloe look like saints.

Getting Victor out of jail was a good move. He's spent more time in prison than anyone else on the show has, ever! So I think that he has paid for all his past crimes, and we can zero the counter and start over. I love Eric Braeden as Victor, and I am so glad to have him back. He is the quintessential patriarch, and nobody does it better. Welcome home, Victor, but don't rest easy. I don't think Phyllis is done with you, and Chloe is being very difficult, plus you have to get Adam out of jail! So get busy, and let the manipulations begin.

Anita is another bad mom, whose horrible parenting skills are still cropping up with her adult daughter, Chelsea. Not only did she give Chelsea bad advice, but when Chelsea rejected it, Anita rushed off to Adam and convinced him that it was in Chelsea's best interest to sever ties. Adam is supposed to have a brain. Listening to -- and acting on -- any advice from Anita is a foolish mistake. Adam should do the opposite of whatever Anita says because she is always all about the Benjamins. She cares about Chelsea and Connor's financial health, not their spiritual and psychological well-being.

If Adam follows through with Anita's advice, then he is giving up and assuming that he will have to spend 30 years behind bars. It's only been a few days. He needs to give Michael, Chelsea, Dylan, and even Victor a chance to get the journal pages that will prove Adam's innocence. As I've said before, this whole plot is preposterous. There is no way to get poison into the bloodstream of a dead body because the blood does not circulate, and I believe the blood is drained before burial. Additionally, the body would have had to be dug up, moved, and reinterred, all without anyone being the wiser -- impossible. Equally impossible is the journal forgery. While a forgery may pass scrutiny of a cursory nature, no forgery can stand intense inspection because there is no such thing as a perfect forgery. Once forgery is suspected, there is always an expert who can detect it.

That said, the upside is watching Chloe and Victor spar -- I'm so glad that she is back -- and seeing Chelsea filled with righteous indignation. One of Friday's previews seemed to indicate that Adam and Chelsea were wising up to Chloe, but that may have been a tease.

In other "mother news," Nichelle Nichols is headed to Y&R for a couple of days to celebrate the show's 11,000 episode. (Wow, I wonder how many of you have watched all 11,000 episodes. I'll bet there are bunches of you who have.) Anyway, it's rumored that she will be playing Neil's mom, but I also thought that she might be Hilary's mom (if she isn't really dead). Anyone out there want to make a suggestion? Lee Phillips Bell will also be on the 11,000 episode, so that day, September 1, is must watch TV for all us fan addicts!

At least Abby got good advice from her meddling -- in a good way -- mom, Ashley, and Abby followed through with it. Abby and Ben talked about everything that they had been holding back from each other and grew closer. I hope it lasts. Melissa Ordway is doing a super job as Abby, portraying the emotional toll that losing her baby has taken on Abby and Abby's relationship with Ben. Good job, Melissa!

I was glad to see that Devon and Hilary are back together. They are better together than apart. I like that Devon is supporting Hilary and that she is letting him, and that she is trying to have a real relationship with Devon. I don't expect that Lily will be pleased. I also wonder, now that Devon and Hilary have left the Jabot lab behind, if anyone changed the office couch. I laughed as Lily and Cane started making love, because I recalled that Devon and Hilary had, not so long ago, used the couch for the same purpose, and I didn't think that Lily would want to know that.

I don't know how much longer Justin Hartley will be with us. His primetime gig is getting rave reviews, and a recent promo for the show, featuring Hartley, didn't leave a dry eye in the house. You can catch the clip on Soap Central!

Please join me in two weeks for the next meeting of Soap-aholics Anonymous. We will be meeting in the pool area of the Athletic Club. Our topic will be "Mothering without smothering" with guest speaker Jill Abbott and introduction by honorary mother Victor Newman. Imaginary friends are welcome but must wear bathing suits in the pool. An imaginary lifeguard will be on duty. Hope to see you there.

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