Back to the drawing board

It's back to the drawing board, as Jack, Phyllis, Billy, and Hilary begin a new chapter in the storybook of their lives. Will Jack let bitterness turn him into a calmer, more rational version of Marco? Will the queen of underhanded and nasty be a credible hostess for gossip with a conscience?

Poor Jack. The sad soul never knows if he's coming or going. After trying so hard to turn the other cheek, especially where Victor's concerned, and after overcoming his drug addiction to attempt to be the best person he can possibly be, Jack still found himself blindsided by lies and betrayal from those he believed were closest to him. Jack just can't win. So, the only thing left for him to do would be to go back to the drawing board so he can plot out his next course of action. But exactly what should that be? Not as a Marco look-alike, please! We have had enough of any version of Marco and his diabolical games.

Let's face it -- Jack's already made an attempt at being a less-than-successful Victor in their never-ending battles, both on the corporate and the personal levels. So, even though Jack mentioned reawakening his vendetta against Victor so he can duke it out with "the Mustache" again, we all know he will just end up losing their skirmishes, like he always has. If Jack, just once, had won a past war, this might have been a viable option. But Victor is always the victor, which makes for boring TV. The fans grew weary of watching Jack get squashed under Victor's boot time and time again. So why even go there? Jack has already been humiliated by his wife and his brother. He doesn't need his archenemy to pound him in the dust again.

As strange as it sounds, Jack should actually listen to his brother, Billy -- yeah, the very brother who deceived him -- and forgive Phyllis for her transgressions and try to salvage any chance of happiness they could have together. After all, Jack does still love Phyllis, and she loves him. It's not really such a giant leap to hope they can recover from her betrayal, especially since Jack is well aware that Phyllis did not turn to Billy out of a deep desire or a hot passion. Phyllis was searching for a kindred spirit, and she believed she had found it in Billy. When Phyllis said her affair with Billy was "a mistake," she meant it, because her heart still belonged to Jack. If nothing else, Jack could take comfort in that.

But Jack made it perfectly clear that he wished to cut all ties from Phyllis forever, however, Phyllis was not so willing to go. Nevertheless, Phyllis didn't seem to have much of a choice, since she had the divorce papers Jack had served her, staring her in the face. Jack was willing to pay any price to get rid of Phyllis once and for all, so Phyllis had a rather interesting counteroffer to his very generous offer. She didn't want Jack's money, only her job at Jabot. Phyllis wanted more from her new life than just "boxes filled with regret." She also wanted her career...and if that meant she had to be around Jack at Jabot during the business hours of every workday, day in and day out, Phyllis was willing to make the sacrifice.

It's actually a brilliant strategy, even if it backfires. Phyllis can hardly repair her badly damaged marriage, if she is never around Jack to remind him of the good and loving times they once shared together. Of course, that goes against Jack's own agenda of wanting to get Phyllis completely out of his life. But Jack was desperate enough to accept her terms, since there had been no pre-nup to stop Phyllis from going after half of Jabot in the divorce. Ha, good girl! I like that Phyllis has her own mind and goes after what she wants, even if the odds are against her. For the most part, she's no phony-baloney, and when she's wrong, she's the first to admit it. Phyllis has plenty of spunk and drive, and there's nothing wrong with that.

Since Jack was forced to give Phyllis her job back, he gave her what looked to be a teeny, tiny office, cluttered with piles of paper and boxes, in the deepest, dingiest dungeon at Jabot. Phyllis should show her creativity by cleaning it up and decorating it with her own personal touches of reminders to Jack of the love they once shared. And she should do the best possible job she can with the busy work Jack gave her. If her intention is to make a good impression, that would be a great way to start. Red not only could look spectacular in maroon, she could show that she can shine at any kind of tasks Jack throws at her. Now, that would be impressive!

Since Jack had no wish to go in Phyllis' direction, where does that leave him? Even if Jack heeded the advice of his guardian angel/father, John (who's probably Jack's own conscience debating itself) to forgive Billy, that could leave Jack open and vulnerable to more pain and disloyalty. I mean, it's not like Billy ever cared about Jack's feelings throughout the entire time he was pursuing his brother's wife. Seriously, John, why should Jack forgive Billy? Sure, Jack would look like the better person, but what does that get him, except for a world of hurt. How much more of that should Jack have to take before he cuts all ties with the brother he has always cleaned up after?

GC Buzz may have called him the "Jack of All Tirades," but Jack should be able to rant and rave after being stabbed in the back so many times. He looked almost like a snorting bull in the ring with many of those lances planted directly into the blades of his shoulders. That's probably how he felt emotionally too. Jack deserved to come out bucking and kicking after his mistreatment. And the worst part, of course, was that the picador was his own brother, who had just never cared. Seriously, Billy is another one that needs to go back to the drawing board.

Come on, Billy was getting downright scary by almost stalking Phyllis everywhere she went. No matter where she was, he turned up. And without even considering the consequences, Billy was humiliating himself by constantly begging Phyllis to be with him, even after knowing she had already chosen to be with Jack. It actually served Billy right when, in the hospital, Phyllis turned him down flat again after Billy pleaded for them to be together. That must have finally sunken through his thick skull, though, because Billy apologized for what he had done. However, the apology was just too little, too late. Actually, it was way too little and way too late.

Hopefully, Billy's next path will be in a totally opposite direction from Phyllis. If nothing else, he should have learned that being selfish and totally self-centered was not the way to be. That's just not the recipe for winning a lady's heart. We know Billy's not an all-bad guy, despite what Victor thinks. Billy just proved that pairing up with Phyllis made for the most destructive kind of relationship. Sometimes, even if you want something badly, you may not be able to have it. For instance, no matter how hard I tried, I could never Hula-Hoop. Never. And I tried and tried and tried. But, alas, it was not meant to be. So, just as I had to learn to live without the Hula-Hoop in my life, Billy will need to learn to adjust without Phyllis in his. It just was never in the cards for them -- or in the hoops for me.

So yes, while it's true, as Jill believed, that Billy was at his best with Victoria, that was not necessarily the best thing for Victoria. And although Victor has continuously stated that he would always do anything he could to protect his daughter from Billy Boy Abbott, Victoria and Billy were actually great together in their own way. She was a very serious lady until she met Billy, and he could make her laugh. Victoria could bring Billy down to earth, and he could show her the joys of life. But there were just too many obstacles, which included the obvious differences between them. And sadly, the bad seemed to outweigh the good in their case.

Can we hope that a little girl named Bella puts Billy on a brand new and totally unexpected path, filled with many twisty, winding curves? As I have stated before, I would love for this storyline to get started -- and the sooner, the better. Who knows? Maybe this is why Billy has given up his pursuit of Phyllis so easily, when he had previously declared he would always fight for her love. This would be a refreshing new concept and should be as entertaining as all get-out. Let Chloe pick on someone her own size. Self-absorbed versus self-centered -- there wouldn't be a room big enough for the two clashing egos. I do feel bad for Bella, though, since her only parent has no problem using someone as a means to an end. But would Billy be able to offer the girl any more stability as her father?

Chloe is one scary lady, because you never know what's true with her. When she supposedly sympathized with Mariah and told Kevin she felt bad for not even considering Mariah's feelings, you knew that was fake. It was just another way for Chloe to score points with Kevin. And at Faith's birthday party, Chloe continued her phony empathy to Mariah, who suspected Chloe was hiding the truth about Bella's father. If they butt heads and go toe-to-toe, I'm afraid Mariah will come out the loser. Unlike Chloe, even as much as she would hate to admit it, Mariah truly cares about others. While Chloe only goes by her own agenda, Mariah really loves Kevin.

Mariah is right that Chloe did a quick 180, where her feelings for Kevin were concerned. Chloe may be using Kevin to keep Mariah in check -- or to get Mariah's goat. You can bet it had nothing to do with Chloe suddenly finding herself madly in love with Kevin. Sadly, Mariah gave up the best way to keep an eye on Chloe when she quit her job. For such a savvy ex-con, that was a dumb move.

Faith may just be getting her birthday wish, because Nick and Chelsea seem to be growing closer and closer together, even if they both claim they only have a cordial friendship. This union even has Sharon's stamp of approval, which should make them very suspicious. Of course, Sharon only wants Nick to accept Connor as his new son so the focus will stay off Sully. Didn't Faith look adorable and somewhat glamorous at her party, though, in her new Chelsea 2.0 original? But she appeared to be the only one at the gala dressed to the hilt. I was relieved to see a quick glimpse of a few kids at her birthday party. Otherwise, it was pretty much an adult affair. But Faith had a good time, so that's all that mattered.

Victor and Dylan called a truce, and Nikki and Sharon even spotted them shaking hands. I wouldn't get too comfortable with Victor making amends with Dylan, though. Restraining order or no restraining order, Dylan won't give up finding the truth, all in the name of justice -- and Adam. We can only hope that Dylan's investigation will result in locating a very much alive Adam. However, if Adam comes back, he could be another totally new version, since it's unlikely Justin Hartley will return. This Is Us is actually a good show and is doing well enough in the ratings to get a full season order. So it doesn't look like Adam will be returning anytime soon, and when he does, he will probably be a recast. But wouldn't a Nick/Chelsea/Adam triangle make for a fantastic storyline?

But Nick was not happy that Sharon had stuck her nose in his personal life. Really, Sharon needs to keep Faith out of her schemes. It's bad enough she already has one daughter doing her bidding. The truth is going to catch up with her, no matter how hard she tries to outrun it. Just ask Patty. You can run, but you can't hide, which Patty hinted to Sharon over the phone. Patty is the keeper of Sharon's secret. Will Patty let the cat out of the bag? Meow. Patty was also the culprit of the hang-up phone calls. I remember the old adage whenever a couple was having an affair -- if a man answers the phone, hang up, which was an adage that Patty apparently adopted each time she tried to contact Sharon.

Wow, isn't it amusing that Victor actually approves of the honest straight-shooter Travis? At least for now -- and probably for as long as Billy Boy is any kind of threat for Victoria's heart, I would imagine. It's funny that it didn't take Billy long to go knocking at Victoria's door once Phyllis gave him the heave-ho. Billy may look like he's being civil and wishing Travis and Victoria the best, but she shouldn't trust him as far as she can throw him. I mean, all that selfishness didn't just disappear into thin air, never to be seen again. Billy even said he wanted to make everyone who loved him proud of him, and I'm sure Victoria is number one on his list. And you can bet that Jill will be right at his side, making sure her son gets his heart's desire, which would be his wife and kids.

Okay, and maybe Victor doesn't mind Victoria being with Travis, but you can bet he will be keeping a close, watchful eye on his daughter's new love. And what would be the best way to go about that? Why, of course, hiring Travis at Newman Enterprises. Victor saw Travis as an intelligent guy who knew his stuff, so he should have known Travis would be leery about working for Mr. Victor Newman. Victor doesn't exactly have a reputation for mentoring his underlings and taking them under his wing. No, anyone with a lick of sense could see Travis would turn down Victor's offer, faster than the blink of an eye. Hey, Victor was right. Travis is a smart guy.

Well, Travis was wise in turning down Victor's first offer, but then he accepted the second one. Victor dangled any division of Newman Enterprises in front of Travis' nose, like a carrot to a donkey, and Travis bit. Needless to say, Victoria wasn't too happy about it, which was pretty understandable after all the times Victor has interfered in her love life in the past. Victoria's certainly not ready to spend any more time in the slammer, if she and Travis should marry. Victor may like Travis now, but that can easily change, especially if Travis doesn't toe Victor's line.

In the meantime, Victoria was still working in peace and harmony at Brash & Sassy with Cane, Billy and Jill. In fact, they almost looked like they were all ready to hold hands and sing "Kumbaya" -- in between all the bickering and sniping, that is. Shoot...everyone in town, the state, and probably even the whole wide world could see that Jill was using the company as her own matchmaking project between Jill's son and Victoria. Even Victoria and Billy knew what Jill was up to, so they forged a union of agreeing to stick together by not sticking together. Gee, no wonder Lauren was in no hurry to have Fenmore's join forces with her sister.

Luckily for Jill, Michael was savvy enough to realize that Jill would never sacrifice her business and making money, all in the name of love. So Lauren and Fenmore's were given the exclusive for Brash & Sassy, however, some tweaking will need to be done in order for the company to be a success. Billy and Cane have never agreed on anything, and the constant clashes between the two could eventually sink this cosmetics ship. Any negativity within the company could easily negate all of Cane's good business sense. When Cane says day, Billy always responds with night. This kind of attitude does not inspire confidence in investors or with the public. Maybe Jill should head back to the drawing board as far as the leadership of Brash & Sassy goes.

Thank heavens, Victoria was there to referee and to make the final decisions, but she shouldn't have to continually be placed in the middle of their tantrums. If Jill were smart, she would let Victoria lead the company, but Jill would never be willing to give up that much control. Yet if Jill wants a reunion between Billy and Victoria, having Victoria in charge may be the best way to see if Billy would ever be willing to grow up and to compromise. If Billy chooses to remain an immature child, Victoria would not want to reunite with him anyway.

And Victoria even told Billy she didn't love him anymore, but was she being honest or just lying to herself? She sincerely seems to love her "corporate cowboy," Travis, but was Victoria just trying to distance herself from Billy and his tawdry affair with Phyllis? And what's the deal with Ashley getting trapped in the elevator with Travis? It will be interesting to see where the writers go with this.

Oh, my gosh, it must be nice to be able to just fork out a boatload of money whenever you disagree with the way something is done. Devon didn't like the way the trashy tabloid GC Buzz was run, so he just bought the company out. What was he going to do with it? Its success came from being a gossip column spreading around the gory details about any scandal involving the rich and famous in town. If Devon turns the tabloid into an ethical newspaper, what's to stop another vulgar scandal sheet from popping up and taking over the territory -- and the big bucks made from sharing these juicy stories? It's free enterprise in a free country of free speech -- and almost free money, as GC Buzz's producer, Howard Green, pointed out. Welcome, David Faustino! I still remember when he was first on Married with Children. He was so young! "Bud" has grown and gotten older. My, my...how time flies.

But Hilary suggested that she and Devon create a new and improved hip and casual GC Buzz that wouldn't be "underhanded or nasty" and that wouldn't hit below the belt. And Devon believed Hilary would be the perfect host for the show. Hello! Devon, have you ever met Mrs. Hilary Hamilton? You know, your wife. The woman is well known for using the dirt she finds on others to her advantage. Hilary's her name, and exploitation is her game. Neil and Ashley could testify to that. If Devon was looking at transforming GC Buzz into a "gossip with a conscience" information center, my guess is that he will live to regret making his wife the face of his new company, because it will eventually turn into a sneering, leering face, full of cruel, vicious, and biting words.

Uh-oh. Genoa City had better beware. Hilary was actually informative, and as Devon pointed out, she was also passionate, convincing, thoughtful, and dynamic as the host of their first installment of GC Buzz. Hilary stressed that the news show would not profit over others' misery but would still deliver the juicy gossip its fans had come to expect. But just how long will that last? Lily was right that Hilary has this huge weapon she can use to settle all of her grudges, and it's only a matter of time until she takes advantage of that. So if Lily is wise, she might just want to stay off of Hilary's radar. In fact, all the citizens of Genoa City have every reason to be nice to Mrs. Hamilton -- and they should all be very cautious about anything they say around her.

Victoria sure knew her ex-husband when she stated to Travis that Billy "crashes, dusts himself off," and gets back on his feet. Billy sure seems to have had a lot of practice at that.

Please, please stop the non-date dating going on with Kevin and Chloe. How many times does Chloe have to break his heart before Kevin will finally catch on? And all Mariah can do is to watch the slaughter, knowing Chloe is only using him. Chloe will chew up Kevin up and spit him out again, without even batting an eyelash.

Happy birthday, Faith! I can remember when you were just a wee little baby. You have grown so quickly. Sigh. Time really does fly, doesn't it?

Until next time, please stay tuned.Teddi

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