The naughty and nice list

The naughty and nice list got longer as Genoa City residents prepared to celebrate the holidays with family and friends. Find out who was naughty and who was nice in this week's Two Scoops.

The new format introduced on The Young and the Restless last week was an early Christmas present for me. I thought that the new recap segment that begins each episode was inspired. It really fits our fast-paced world and lets anyone catch up instantly on our favorite soap. At last, something clearly new and original! Kudos to Y&R for bringing such a creative and useful element to the show. I hardly missed the previews at all, thanks Soap Central's previews in The Scoop. What do you think about the change, fellow fans? Do you like the new recap feature as much as I do?

Welcome back, J.T. -- just in time to put another Newman on the naughty list and behind bars for the holidays. Unfortunately for Paul and Christine, who were hoping to nail Victor, they've caught Nikki in their trap instead. Why did Nikki take the money? Is she the as-yet-unnamed purchaser of Chancellor Park?

(Or, just a thought here -- maybe it's Jill who purchased the park. She is returning to Genoa City just in time for the holidays. I can't imagine that Jill would let anyone pave over Katherine's memorial, can you? I didn't think so! I don't think Victor would have gone through with it, either, unless he wanted to be forever shamed as the Grinch that stole Chancellor Park.)

Clearly, Nikki had something up her sleeve, and Kevin helped her. I don't think Nikki had any criminal intent. I think she wanted to teach Victor a lesson and didn't think through the seriousness or the consequences of her actions. I just hope she's out of jail and home in time for the holidays.

It is nice to see Cane redeeming himself, but I still think he's a little too smug and self-satisfied. He almost single-handedly brought down Victoria's company by lying to her and tanking a million-dollar commercial. Even when Victoria backed Cane up, he disrespected her. In the park, Victoria seemed genuinely willing to call a ceasefire, but Cane continued to hold a grudge because Victoria fired him for cause. Cane's successful again. He's getting his family back. Cane should be grateful and let the past go, including his vendetta against Victoria, who was justified in her actions.

Loved the scenes -- and the little history lessons that accompanied them -- as J.T. talked to Cane, Billy, and other friends from days gone by. J.T. may be planning to leave Genoa City by Christmas Eve, but something tells me he will shake things up while he's in town. I'm glad he worked things out with Reed, and I hope that good feeling between father and son doesn't dissipate when Reed finds out that J.T. is responsible for putting Nikki in jail -- well, really, Nikki is responsible, but J.T. is the messenger, and that's not usually a good position to be in when the news is bad!

Speaking of messengers, Mariah has found herself in a bit of a sticky wicket. She knows that Faith saw Scott kiss Abby, so what's a good daughter to do, tell Sharon and ruin her mother's happiness or confront Scott and warn him? Mariah picked the latter. Personally, I think Scott should confess all to Sharon. The truth always comes out, anyway, so it would be better to tell Sharon now. Meanwhile both Faith and Mariah are going to be very uncomfortable while they are trapped between naughty Scott and nice momma Sharon.

I do think that Scott has unresolved feelings for Abby and she for him. The way Abby is acting around Scott is a dead giveaway about her feelings. If Abby runs true to form, she will again fall hard for another woman's guy, though I guess if Abby can lure a guy away, that guy wasn't as committed as everyone thought. I do think that both Scott and Abby have been naughty, and both need to make nice to the people that have been hurt, even if they don't know they've been hurt yet.

Congratulations to Melissa Ordway and husband on the birth of a baby girl and to the Y&R wardrobe department who did a pretty good job of hiding her pregnancy -- ditto to the directors and people setting up the camera angles and staging the scenes.

I don't think that Abby and Scott will be able to resist their attraction to each other, so I expect that they will eventually give in to their desires. I just hope it doesn't send Sharon into a crazy spiral.

I like this side of Sharon. This is the nice, loving, caring Sharon. I don't want her to go nuts again, so I hope that she can take it when Scott betrays her. Hopefully, she will remember the advice that she gave Mariah when Mariah was suffering from unrequited love of Tessa. Mal Young has given us some surprises, so I've got my fingers crossed for something special.

Maybe Nick will be available by then. That would be terrific, as long as there's someone for Chelsea -- perhaps Adam back from the dead; now that would be very good -- but how can Y&R top Justin Hartley or Michael Muhney in the part? They probably can't, but I wouldn't mind seeing them try. Perhaps Adam could return with a posh British accent!

Wow! It looks like Hilary's character got a 180-degree rewrite. She went from naughty, snarky gossip girl to nice, warm, helpful, human-interest-story girl as fast as it took Jack to write a check. She didn't even have to take a potion like Dr. Jekyll did to turn into Mr. Hyde. Well, technically, Hilary turned from naughty Mr. Hyde to nice Dr. Jekyll, but the point is that she changed very quickly. I can live with that. As I've said many times, I really like Mishael Morgan's portrayal, and, just like Sharon Case, she's fun to watch when she's being naughty and when she's being nice.

Awhile back it seemed that Y&R was flirting with a romance between Hilary and Jack, but that was derailed when Jack got involved with Stitch's sister, Kelly. I'm wondering if Jack and Hilary might grow closer now that they are collaborating on The Hilary Hour. What do you think, readers? Will it be Hilary and Jack? That could be interesting for a while, don't you think? Especially with Dina adding her two cents worth of pithy comments to any woman she thinks might be sniffing around Jack!

As an aside, let me say I give Y&R the highest marks for their depiction of Alzheimer's disease. Dina's behavior is so eerily like my brother's at the end that I am amazed. I applaud the writing, which is comic yet completely serious and tragic for everyone that the disease touches. I hope that Y&R's dramatic exploration of this grim disease brings greater understanding for all those interested in learning more about it.

Another possibility for Hilary before finding her way back to Devon is a brief bout with Cane. I was surprised at how tender she was in the scenes with Sam, and for a moment, I could see Hilary as a loving and caring mom. As an added bonus, if anything could speed Lily back into Cane's arms, it would be the possibility, even the slightest one, that Hilary might end up there instead. Lily is already wavering! I'm still dreaming of a Cane/Lily reconciliation by Christmas, just as others are dreaming of a white Christmas, so let's wish that all our dreams come true.

Meanwhile, may all Y&R fans and all my imaginary friends in Genoa City enjoy the happiest of holiday seasons. This is a time for celebration and the connection of family. "Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night," and for at least the next two weeks, "May sugarplums dance in your head!"

Thank you for letting me share my thoughts with you. As always, fellow fans, I welcome feedback about this column in the section provided below. I enjoy all your comments, even when you don't agree with me. Please return in a fortnight for another hot-off-the-press edition of Two Scoops.

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