A summer of strife

Ashley found a clue in Graham's room, and Graham found Ashley. Both Jack and Billy chafed under Dina's scathing assessments of their chosen companions. Conflict escalated between Victoria and Cane. Read more about family strife in this week's Two Scoops.

As September grinds on, so do the storylines in Genoa City's strife-ridden families. September is always the doldrums period in soaps when lots of flashbacks occur -- loved last week's -- and much of the history is retold as the soaps rev up to go full throttle for November Sweeps, which can't come fast enough for me -- and never can at this time of year!

Fortunately, there are some modest mysteries worth exploring. First and foremost is Graham and his relationship to Dina. It's obvious that he went to a great deal of trouble to meet her, and I have no doubt that Graham is paying for a fancy nursing home in Paris, but who's in it? Someone related to Dina, Graham, or both? I still think that Graham is Dina's son, along with viewer Deyne, who suggested that possibility several weeks ago. All we know now is that Ashley is on the trail, and Graham is onto Ashley.

Dina did not spare words when she told Jack what she thought of his relationship with Nikki, nor did Dina spare words when she condemned Phyllis to Billy. I know that Jack and Nikki have been friends since they were married and divorced many years ago, but I have to wonder if their current chumminess isn't more a way to stick it to Victor than it is a true romance. I don't believe that anything will keep Nikki and Victor apart permanently because they have reunited too many times in the past. The good news is that Smilin' Jack is back, and where Brash & Sassy is concerned, Jack is doing a very good impression of Victor-lite in his underhanded fight with Victoria.

Dina had some harsh things to say to Phyllis, and she was correct about some of them. Dina might have felt different, and Phyllis, too, if they had known that Billy had used Dina's password and Phyllis' computer to access the Jabot system. Ravi will, of course, ferret out that the system was accessed by Dina's password. If he doesn't find out which computer was used, then I think Jack and Ashley will jump to the conclusion that it was Graham who accessed the Jabot system and sold the info to Victoria to pay that $8,000 rest home bill.

If Ravi does manage to track down the computer used, then I don't give Billy and Phyllis much longer. I don't give them much hope no matter what, because it is clear that Victoria -- having just played the kiddie card -- wants Billy back, and most of the time, what Victoria wants, Victoria gets. And truthfully, I like happy family units. I like feeling the love and the warm family fuzzies, not the strife, and that is why I need a little comic relief every now and then -- something sorely lacking at the moment. (When is Kevin coming back?)

Way back when Faith was super bratty toward Avery, I never would have guessed I would feel so sorry for her now. It's really too bad that she had to have her illusions shattered about Victor, but I think Nick and Sharon made the correct parenting decision by telling her the truth. For me, anyway, honesty has always been the best policy. As a kid, I always knew when my parents were lying about something, even if it was for my own good. I think all kids do, and sometimes it makes their insecurities worse, and they act out. Viewer Bob said that he was looking forward to a bratty Faith, and after this past week's reveal, I don't doubt that he will get his wish, only this time, I'll be on Faith's side. I do hope she gets her family back before they SORAS her and she's as old as Abby!

Two families that don't seem to be making good decisions about their offspring, Mattie and Reed, are the Ashbys (Cane) and the Newmans (Victoria). Despite having read Shakespeare, Cane can't let go of his vendetta or his underlying belief that "Father Knows Best." We know from the get-go that Cane's ultimatum will not keep the teenage lovers apart. It didn't with him and Lily, and it won't with Mattie and Reed. We were all teenagers once, and the one thing that we have in common is that whatever was forbidden us was exactly what we wanted, and we always got it one way or another.

Though I never had children, common sense would say to me that I should let my teenager date their desired mate under my supervision and that I get along with my nemesis for the sake of my child and hope that the teens grow tired of each other and move on as teens do when they aren't told what to do or who to date. But what do I know, my only experience was as a teen in the Stone Age when guys carried an axe and dragged us around by the hair, which is why I keep mine short!!

Renee and several other viewers are not happy with the current state of the Ashby marriage and believe that the writers have savaged Cane's character. Carstan, on the other hand, listed many of Cane's very unpleasant misdeeds in the distant past. It seems to me that Cane had reformed, but like any addict who has fallen off the wagon, Cane has to climb back on the wagon and keep doing what he's doing -- owning his mistakes and trying to do better. It may be a case of too little, too late, at least for a while, and as I said earlier, I don't think he's helping his cause by keeping Mattie away from Reed.

Since this storyline seems very stereotypical, I expect Cane and Lily to reconnect, but not before Cane and Juliet get a lot closer. She's all he has to fall back on, and Cane does not appear to be the kind of guy who is comfortable alone, in his own skin, so he'll need comfort somewhere, and Juliet is ready to provide it.

Juliet is what my friend's 18-year-old daughter Hailee would call a "second-nature slave," that is, a woman who automatically picks up after, or defers to, her mate and says it's "no trouble." I thought that was very perceptive coming from a high school senior, and as I look at how the females are written on Y&R, they are indeed second-nature slaves because they rarely rescue themselves or stand on their own two feet without assistance from a male.

However, I don't think there's anything wrong with that as long as the "enslaved" enjoy their slavery. I think most older women today recognize the "second nature" part and would call it a trade-off rather than slavery. Obviously there are quite a few of us who like watching the pinnacle of paternalism as depicted on The Young and the Restless, otherwise it wouldn't be number one, so the majority rules! And while I would never behave like the women on Y&R in real life, it sure doesn't mean I can't enjoy imagining what it would feel like if I did. I might have liked that life as much as the one I enjoy now, but as a teenager, I was told that's what I had to be, so-o-o-o-o, I'm still rebelling, even in my old age!

Listen up, Cane, I'm warning you: be careful with Mattie. I was once a shy, studious girl like her, and look what happened to me. Mattie could do a lot worse than Victor Newman's grandson, and if they got married, you could get a position at Newman and go head to head to head with Abby and Scott. Here's something else to think about, Cane. Would you be saying the same things to Charlie if Reed were Victoria's daughter Reedette, and Charlie wanted to date her?

The "Sharon, P.I." story is hiccupping along, though I'm having a hard time following the logic of planting a tracking device and not actually doing any tracking. If Tessa and Mariah had stuck around five more minutes, they could have followed Crystal and that big thug to the airport and rescued Crystal. The same was true for Sharon if she had listened to Scott and followed the car instead of listening to Nick, which has become second nature to Sharon, after all this time of being in Nick's sphere of protection.

Tessa and Mariah are my current odds-on favorite to discover Crystal's location, with Sharon swooping in right behind. It may be the danger that finally makes Tessa and Mariah confess their feelings for each other. Hilary already suspects it, I think, and no matter how much Devon protests, he is not done with Hilary, because the heart wants what it wants, and Devon's heart still wants Hilary.

My heart wants a kickass storyline with comedy, pathos, and all the scenery chewing worthy of a soap as original and enduring as Y&R has been. Bring the heat, CBS.

Teddi's return to Two Scooping was delayed again, but she's hoping all will return to normal next week. Two hurricanes have taken a devastating toll on our country, and a third, Jose, may also drop wind and rain on the East Coast. If you want to contribute $10.00 to the Red Cross, text 90999 and the word "Irma." It helps a lot if all of us can give a little.

As always, I welcome feedback about this column in the section provided below. I enjoy all your comments, even when you don't agree. 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!

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