A burning ring of fire

A Halloween fire at The Underground brought two families together. Billy was a hero, but Victoria fired him anyway. Find out who got fired up in this week's Two Scoops.

Okay, right off the bat, my first question is, "When did Genoa City stop requiring smoke detectors and sprinklers in public places?" Number two is, "Why don't Genoa City firefighters have oxygen and masks like firefighters do in other cities, so that they could go in and rescue people from burning buildings instead of leaving it to private citizens like Billy (and Jack)?" Meanwhile, as Billy entered the back door without any protection, the GCFD dithered and acted more like a S.W.A.T. team in negotiations with the fire than rescuers who realized that time was of the essence. In a kneejerk reaction, my initial thought was "If the fire department is so underequipped, why didn't Nick give his money to them, or spend it on smoke alarms and sprinklers for the Underground?"

Before you start answering those questions with, "It's only a soap!" I've got another one or three: How did Dina get to the Underground in her robe -- or was that an overcoat -- and matching slippers in the first place? Did she call a taxi, use an Uber, or drive herself? Was there a significant reason that Dina went to the Underground to burn Brent's photo, or was it merely a plot device? Lastly, what would she have done if the door, which Nick presumably left unlocked, had been locked" Now, all together, please put me out of my misery and shout loudly, "It's only a soap!"

What a convenient set of circumstances that was, and how fortunate for some of the players. Billy reunited with Jack, and Cane was drawn closer to his family. Nick was the big loser. The Underground was completely demolished for the second time in two years -- only this time there are no reserve funds to rebuild, because Nick gave them away. Practically, I wonder if he had insurance and if that insurance will pay out, since there were no working sprinklers. If I were Nick, I might be beginning to think that the Underground is jinxed and wondering if I should keep doing business there. I also wonder how this will affect Noah and the expansion effort. It can't bode well that the flagship franchise has burned down.

Victor made it clear that no help from him would be forthcoming, and Nick made it equally clear that he didn't need or want Victor's help. I have a feeling that both men will eventually regret those hasty words. Nick, when he needs help, and Victor, when he craves the love of his son. Victoria has returned to the fold after her disastrous attempt to leave it. I do expect that eventually, in the future, Nick will, too. Since Victor is always at odds with one of his sons, I guess it will be Nick's turn in the box until Adam is resurrected or a previously unknown son turns up.

By selling Brash & Sassy back to Newman Enterprises, Victoria admitted that she couldn't be successful without Daddy Dearest. Victoria also proved that she's as bad at picking employees as she is at picking men! Cane and Juliet started Brash & Sassy's cash flow decline, and Billy, in an ill-conceived attempt to save the bottom line, finished it off by taking a devastating shortcut that caused the face mask's toxicity.

For me, this behavior represents the other side of sexual harassment -- not taking a female boss as seriously as a male boss. For example, say that Billy reported to Jack, then ask yourself, would he have taken that shortcut without running it by his boss? I don't think so. Same with Cane, would he have lied, and continued to lie about his relationship with Juliet to a male boss? I don't think so. And Juliet? Would she have claimed sexual harassment at Jabot if the circumstances with Cane had been the same and the boss had been male? Again, I don't think so! Though if she had, Jabot would have settled -- because Cane would have been truthful to Jack!

Men (and chauvinistic women) by and large, even the most well-meaning ones -- like Cane, Nick, and Billy -- always think they know best, even when they don't. That certainty allows them to overrule their female counterparts because the men believe that their decisions will prove correct in the long run -- even when they don't! (This less-than-scientific analysis excludes my male -- and chauvinistic female -- readers, because they are all perfect in every way, of course, or they wouldn't be reading me!)

Even though Billy is losing Victoria, his job, and possibly Phyllis, he is regaining his place in the bosom of the Abbott family. And like a cat, Billy will land on his feet. Billy's charming ways have helped him overcome a multitude of sins, and I have no doubt that it will happen again. Saving Cane's kids will probably go a long way to ending the Billy-Cane feud, and they may also bond as a result of Billy's heroic gesture and their mutual failure at Brash & Sassy.

Billy's love life may be in the toilet right now, but I don't see that lasting very long. I still expect Billy and Victoria to eventually circle back to one another, even if they have other partners in the interim. There are still one or two women in Genoa City that Billy isn't related to and hasn't dated. Hilary's free, and Sharon's about to be, so there are still interesting possibilities to fire the imagination where potential -- albeit fleeting -- romance is concerned.

I just read that Thad Luckinbill (J.T.) is headed back to Genoa City. I'm not sure for how long. Last heard from, he was moving to Poland with his pregnant wife, so he will not be a love interest for Victoria unless a divorce is on the horizon for him. Perhaps he is picking up Reed and taking him away. In that case, the twins can reverse SORAS back to seven, and Victoria can go back to 28! Or not!! Personally, I'd love to see Thad stick around for a while. I really liked his character, J.T., back in the day.

Victoria is proving herself to be a daddy's girl and reinforcing the stereotype that, in business, a woman can't succeed without a man, in this case, daddy Victor. I do think that Victoria craves her father's attention and that she will be happier working with him at Newman than she would have been working alone. As workplace stories go, this provides yet another shake-up and rearranges all the employees and their employer loyalties -- not to mention buildings, elevators, and the people they meet in them. I'm pretty sure that Abby is going to be very upset when she finds out that Victoria is back. When the truth comes out about Zack and Design Date, I wouldn't be surprised to see Abby go running back to Jabot and the comfort of her mother, just like Victoria ran to Victor in a crisis.

I'm very happy to see that Y&R has started picking up the pace, and as we head into sweeps, the stories are getting more interesting. The dialogue is better, but there haven't been any huge surprises -- yet. The predictability factor is still high on the stereotypical soap meter. However, that said, I have high hopes if the writing staff continues pushing out stories at this pace with the same snappy dialogue and terrific acting.

My heart broke for Mariah last week as she poured out her feelings to Sharon and to Tessa. Much like Mariah's character, I do not share my feelings freely, so I identified strongly with her torment and anguish, especially in the face of rejection. I thought that Camryn Grimes was spectacular as the vulnerable Mariah. I don't think I've ever felt for anyone the depth of feeling that Mariah showed for Tessa, but if I ever do, I hope I have the same courage that Mariah had to express it.

I don't think that Mariah and Tessa are over, but like all great romances, there must be obstacles to overcome before the inevitable happens. Mariah is going to have to break up with Devon because it just isn't fair to him for her to mope around after Tessa. Just like Hilary doesn't want to be Jordan's back-up plan, I don't think Devon would want to be Mariah's.

Speaking of Jordan and Hilary -- that was quite a conversation they had at the Athletic Club bar. I thought that Hilary was dead-on when she told Jordan what she thought of him, and I thought that Jordan was correct in his assessment of Hilary. Apparently two rights do make a wrong, because these two are clearly wrong for each other. I'm pretty sure that Hilary will want revenge and no doubt will find ample ammunition in Jordan's past. I am equally sure that she will find a way back to Devon, as well.

Cane and Lily look like they are headed to reconciliation, so the divorce papers may get delayed or canceled altogether. Lily and Cane loved each other and their family life completely, long before Juliet entered the picture. I have no doubt that Lily can finally forgive Cane and put their family back together, especially if Juliet loses the baby and slinks out of town.

Have we seen the last of Graham? I doubt it. There are still secrets to unravel and evil villainy to expose. Not to mention we are now seeing serious mental problems with Dina, some of which are not the result of that stroke. (And, by the way, now that the Abbotts have returned to Wisconsin, doesn't Graham's medical power of attorney apply again, or was it revoked permanently while they were all in Florida?) The story of Graham, his mother, and Brent Davis still has a few holes in it. For instance, if Graham is younger than Ashley, how could Dina's affair with Brent -- that produced Ashley -- possibly have had any effect on Graham, who wasn't even born yet? Maybe Graham's mother is lying, and Graham is Brent Davis' son. As I said, there are still unanswered questions, so expect Graham to pop up again soon.

Scott's reputation as a hardened journalist has sure taken a hit with me after the panicky behavior he exhibited when he woke up next to a dead Natalia. I would have expected someone who had been held captive by terrorists to show more calm in a crisis. I don't know why Paul wasn't his first call. It's not like Paul hasn't know Scott all his life or that Paul's wife isn't Scott's aunt. Scott was disoriented, but once he recovered, logic should have told him that Zack was the only possible person who could have drugged him.

Failing that, confronting Zack and trying to protect Abby, instead of going to the police with what was clearly solid evidence -- Natalia's connection to Design Date -- was just plain stupid and puts Sharon, Tessa, and Abby at risk. But then, how else could Scott rescue Abby if he doesn't put her in jeopardy first? Did you get as big a laugh as I did when Sharon and Tessa tried being natural around Zack and kept messing up? Actors pretending that they're bad at pretending to act naturally! How fun.

Thank you for letting me share my thoughts with you, dear friends. As always, I welcome feedback about this column in the section provided below. I enjoy all your comments, even when you don't agree with me. Everyone's opinion counts and has validity. Please return in two weeks for another edition of Two Scoops.

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