Square dance on a round world

It was a do-si-do week as romantic alliances began and ended. Nikki separated from Victor and turned to Jack. Lily sent Cane packing and cried on Jordan's shoulder. Find out what love's got to do with it in this week's Two Scoops.

Where to start, where to start! I was bursting at the seams two days after my previous column because I figured out that Zack's app is what's scheduling appointments for the sex slave ring that is operating in Genoa City. It was confirmed this week when 1) Zack talked to an unidentified blonde woman and 2) when he made another shady call after talking to Tessa. I didn't guess that Crystal was Tessa's sister, but it figures that Tessa would tell the one person who shouldn't know, exactly what he needs to know to thwart efforts to save Crystal.

Abby is sure going to have a red face when this comes to light and both she and Newman take the heat. By the way, is Abby pregnant in real life, or is the wardrobe department putting her in the most unflattering dresses possible? That red dress, with the big red knot belt made Abby look fat, something I thought was impossible on a woman that gorgeous.

Okay, back to Zack. I believe that new guy he recommended for the tech startup is in on the trafficking ring, too. Here's what I think: Scott and Sharon will crack the case, and so will Abby, who will be in dire danger until Scott rides to the rescue and they fall in love, just like Abby has with all her other rescuers, to the detriment of the rescuer's significant other -- in this case, Sharon. Will that send Sharon spiraling out of control again, or will it be just in time for Sharon to catch Nick when he learns that Chelsea has been lying about Christian's paternity. I expect to find out sometime in November! I think it's time for Nick and Sharon to share a dance again. They are still one of my favorite romantic couples of all time.

Sometimes I am facetious, but please don't think I am making light of human trafficking. I'm not. This is a very serious problem that affects the most helpless in society. Women and children are forced into sexual slavery with little recourse except to submit. I applaud Y&R for bringing this to our attention, even as I find it offensive and deplorable that such rings operate with impunity in our country.

In other dance news, Victoria is giving Ben another go round, and didn't that sappy grin on her face while they were dancing at the end of Thursday's episode say it all? Victoria is about to fall for another loser so Billy can play white knight, don't you think? Victoria has had upwards of ten relationships during the 20 years that she has been twenty-something. You'd think she would have a clue now and then about men, but she doesn't. Luckily for her, Billy will always be there to fill out her dance card. Phyllis won't be happy, but since she and Billy have moved in together, they have become stale and blah. Philly was much more fun when they were sneaking around! Phyllis is already plotting with Jack, who is plotting with Ben. Eventually, this kettle of fish will boil over.

Now that Nikki and Victor have separated, Jack is all over Nikki, whose separation from Victor seems a bit hypocritical. If she gave up all that ill-gained wealth and got a minimum wage job, like many women have to do, I'd have more respect for Nikki and take her seriously -- though, truth be told, if I were in her position, I'd probably want my cake and eat it, too, just like Nikki. Only I'd give up those awkward high heels and get some Birkenstocks.

Nick got a rude shock when he checked on his house alarm and found Victor's crew removing his stuff from the place Nick has called home for a long time. I assume that Nick will move in with Chelsea, for a while anyway. Or maybe there's a huge apartment above the Underground that Nick can call home. What about Sharon? Is Victor going to throw her out, too, or will keeping Faith around when she returns from camp be enough for Victor to let Sharon stay on the ranch. I'm wondering if Faith will come back a teenager. A SORASed Faith might add something to the mix. Maybe, Johnny, Katie, Connor, and Christian could benefit from some aging also.

I still don't favor May-December relationships, since very few in real life are actually "love" relationships, but I will grudgingly admit that in the short term, they can be meaningful, and when I dig deep in my younger life, I do remember one such brief relationship that was meaningful on many levels for me, so I'm rethinking Ashley and Ravi. I still may have to fast-forward through sexually explicit scenes, but I do that most of the time anyway -- I believed I've mentioned before that I'm a prude -- if I start feeling like a voyeur.

I don't know how I feel about Mariah and Tessa falling for each other. I love Camryn Grimes, and I don't want to see Mariah become a lesbian, get a great story, and then ride off into the sunset, never to be seen or heard from again. However, if this is a story of siblings falling for the same person and the toll it can take on their relationship, perhaps Mariah will remain on canvas. Tessa and Mariah do seem to have an amazing spark between them.

On a practical level, it's about the only thing that would send a loyal guy like Devon back into Hilary's arms. I love Mariah exchanging barbs with Hilary almost as much as I love Devon and Hilary opening up with each other. So, no matter what, keep Camryn Grimes, especially with Kevin headed back. When they're together, the dialogue is quick and witty. They play very well together, and I enjoy listening to them, no matter what the conversation is about. They are great BFFs!

I just read Mishael Morgan's interview on Soap Central. One of the things that Mishael said was that in the beginning, she didn't want anyone to hate her. All I could think was, Mishael is an incredible actress, and her Hilary is a very modern version of Jill. I don't hate you, Mishael, but I sometimes love to hate Hilary, who can stay on Y&R as long as there is a Y&R, and you, Mishael, want to be there.

Hilary is complex, and yeah, she went after Lily's commercial at a time when, financially, Lily needed it more, but Hilary won the job fair and square because she presented a better taped performance than Lily did. I don't approve of everything Hilary does, but there is no character on the show that I don't have a few words of stern advice for every now and then. I expect that Hilary and Devon will reunite when Devon comes to her for comfort after Mariah and Tessa betray him. I definitely like Devon and Hilary together better than I like them apart. Devon is stronger and more forceful, and Hilary shows her softer, more feminine side when they become vulnerable to each other. Perhaps Hilary and Devon can stay friends with Tessa and Mariah and still share double dates to music festivals.

I read some comments and articles, here and there, that blame Billy for Cane's problems, and it made me realize how much attitudes have changed since I was a kid. Then, we were taught to take responsibility for our own actions and to tell the truth. These are things that Cane did not do, even when he had the opportunity. Lily forgave Cane for his drunken one-night stand with Juliet and the subsequent lies, which were many and cost Brash & Sassy big bucks. Victoria fired him because she asked for the truth and would have had his back if he had told it, but he lied again, and Victoria looked like a fool for believing him.

And when Lily asked if that was all, he could have told her that he had envied Billy so much that he had paid Jesse to edit film to made Billy look bad to the hockey league, but instead, it got accidentally aired, caused Juliet to get fired, and tanked Lily's star-making commercial. Cane paid blackmail, depleting his kids' school tuition, rather than be truthful. It would have been a bitter pill to swallow, but Lily would probably have coped.

Instead, Lily had to hear it from Billy and Victoria at the same time that Lily found out that Cane had told her yet another lie and used the tuition money to pay a blackmailer. I think I would have had it with Cane, just like Lily did. What Cane did was wrong, and it doesn't matter what Billy did or how Cane was provoked. Cane is responsible for his own actions, just like Billy is for his, and each has to pay the piper when they act irresponsibly. Neither gets a free pass. Actions have consequences, even on a soap.

Just like I expect Billy and Victoria to reunite, I expect that Cane and Lily will, too. Cane has already made the first move by selling his car to pay the tuition. That was the right thing for him to do. Lily is the love of Cane's life, so I don't doubt that they will reunite, even if Cane dallies with Juliet for a while or Lily takes comfort with Jordan. Just a thought, but why doesn't Devon offer Lily her job back as the Athletic Club manager? She was good at it, and there doesn't seem to be any reason for her to sit around, waiting for a modeling job, which she could schedule around her work at the club. That should alleviate most of her financial woes, don't you think? Her kids are 16, so how much longer can modeling be an option? Am I being too practical?

Last thoughts: I'm inclined to believe that Dina does have dementia and is going to make some costly mistake on this project she is doing for Jack. On a side note, I did, however, enjoy how vigorously she defended Jack and put that nose-out-of-joint pucker on Nikki's face. Is Dina one more mother who can't resist meddling in her grown son's love life? Where's Ravi's mother? She would fit right in with Dina, Lauren, Sharon, and Gloria, to name a few. In other news, it was nice to see Christine, if only for a scene or two.

As always, I welcome feedback about this column in the section provided below. I love reading and responding to your comments. Thank you for your interest in this week's Two Scoops. Join me in two weeks for another edition. Meanwhile, if you like tweeting, follow me in the Twitterverse @BoonesTudes. Rex does!

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