Backsliding away

Chelsea's backslide into old habits is accelerating under Phyllis's doggedly determined search for proof. Let's find out who else slipped up in this week's Two Scoops.

My church called it "backsliding" when a confessed Christian fell back into old, "sinful" habits, such as lying, stealing, cheating, repeatedly breaking any one of the ten commandments, etc., so "backsliding" seemed to me to be the perfect metaphor for Chelsea's behavior. She is certainly engaging in behavior that everyone thought she had put behind her many years ago, except Phyllis, who jumped to the correct conclusion faster than "Alexandra West," a.k.a. Chelsea, could cancel her bank account.

The real question is "Why?" Aside from the fact that the actress, Melissa Claire Egan, is leaving the role, I hate to see Chelsea go out as a "leopard who couldn't change her spots." I liked the reformed and ethical Chelsea, so I hope there is a really good reason for her behavior -- like Adam is alive, and she is getting a wad together so they can live happily ever after. If Adam's killer, Chloe, can live happily in Portland with Kevin, then I think Adam should get to live happily with Connor and Chelsea. After all, fair is fair, even on a soap!

Apparently, a locker in the bus station would have been more secure than a cemetery urn holder for Chelsea's ill-gotten gains, but who knew that anyone with a screwdriver could remove the memorial plaque? Apparently not Chelsea, who must have been both relieved and terrified to find out that Victor had her money. But how did he know, and why the threatening messages?

Like I said, I'm hoping that Adam is alive and that Victor is helping out the son he wronged by getting the family back together. Otherwise, Chelsea ends up in prison or slithers off to parts unknown, which would be a terrible memory for fans who've invested six years in this character. So, listen up, TPTB. I want redemption for Chelsea and a plausible explanation for her actions!

Chelsea's exit will make it easy for Nick and Sharon to slide back into each other's arms and a romantic relationship. They were and still are one of the great "supercouples." Each is terrific with other characters, but they are the absolute best together, at least in my opinion -- also, I can't help but wonder if Nick's near manly perfection eventually drives all his women over the edge -- Sharon, Chelsea, Sage (?), and Dr. Anderson, to name a few.

Nick and Sharon do have children together, and with Noah hitting the skids and taking a downhill slide since his breakup with Tessa, his parents are going to have their work cut out for them in the weeks ahead. Poor Noah inherited the damsel-in-distress gene from papa Nick, so it's going to take some real work to understand how to live with that. There ain't no pill to cure that ill, nor is there a chapter of D-I-D Anonymous in Genoa City. I guess Noah and Nick will have to form a support group of two.

Devon is a potential future member of the group. He's not doing a very good job of getting out of Hilary's orbit, no matter how hard he tries. Even this new singer friend will only prove to be a minor detour. Devon is spending almost as much time with Hilary now as he did when they were married. I don't know how, but I'm sure that Hilary is going to end up pregnant with Devon's child. Whether by design or coincidence, Hilary will have Devon's baby. That's okay by me. I like Hilary and Devon together, just as I like the friendship between Hilary and Phyllis. I also like the relationship that Billy and Phyllis have, especially the unconditional support that Billy gave Phyllis after her confrontation with Chelsea.

It's also great to see the mature and considerate relationship that is developing between J.T. and Victoria, but alas, I fear that their happiness will eventually be muted by J.T.'s death from heart disease. I was convinced of that again by the stricken look on J.T.'s face when Victoria hugged him and said, "Till death do us part." I think J.T. knows more than he's telling about his physical condition, which must be dire and the reason that he is rushing to reunite his family and reclaim his old life with Victoria -- backsliding, but in a good way!

The same can be said of Cane and Lily, who are trying very hard to slide back into their old life. The hitch is baby Sam, whom Lily is trying desperately not to resent. Lily is such a good person and tries so hard that I really hope she manages this, as well. She's triumphantly overcome a long list of grievances against Hilary to forge a civil relationship, so surely she can manage to do the same with a baby whose mother is no longer in the picture. I'm betting on Lily.

I wish that Ashley and Victoria would work together instead of trying to one-up each other. This strikes me as a rehash of the Jack and Victor feud, like the remake of Ghostbusters with women in the title roles. Silly me, I had hoped that the recognition of feminism would mean that traits generally associated with, but not limited to, women -- like compromise, nurturing, calmness, etc. -- would be equally valued as traits generally associated with men, but what I see reflected in the Ashley/Victoria conflict are two women emulating men. Instead of recognizing that company Newman would be "stronger together," each woman is striving to outdo the other, perhaps ultimately at the expense of the business that they claim they are both trying to grow.

In Victoria's case, it was clear that she was willing to stoop very low to derail Ashley. I'm glad that J.T. called her on it and that he, at least, is putting the company, and his ethics, first. I really don't see how Ashley will be able to stay away from Jabot, especially if Jack follows through and gets rid of the "biological Abbott" clause in the company charter. Jabot's success is due as much to Ashley and her creations as to Jack's management. Without Ashley's creative input, Jabot might find itself at a disadvantage to Newman Enterprises.

It looks like Mariah and Tessa are also backsliders, as they seem to be slip-sliding back into their old relationship. Of course, it helps that the GC Buzz office has been combined with the Hamilton-Winters office, and Mariah, Hilary, Devon, and Tessa are just one big happy office family with no privacy for the head billionaire to do any personal business. But what the hey? The band's back together, even if they are playing different tunes.

And speaking of personal business, it appears that Cane is one heck of a billion-dollar business CEO. He is never in the office and has plenty of time to pop home with a romantic dinner for wifey dearest. Though, I suppose, if more business executives cared as much for their significant others as Cane does, there would likely be fewer divorces and more happily ever afters.

And finally, I have a question for General Hospital fans. Do you think the "Mike has Alzheimer's" story was planned before or after The Young and the Restless' "Dina has Alzheimer's" story? Was the GH story the reason the Dina story was curtailed so abruptly, or is that just the Y&R way? You know, a slow build and then, "Boom!" Blink, and the story is over. Scott, Graham, and Dina, all gone with the proverbial wind.

Ouch! My cat is reminding me that it's kitty time, so I have to play with her, or she'll nag me with her claws. Her latest trick is tapping me on the eyelid every morning, just to make sure I know it's time to wake up and tend to her needs. She's a tyrant in training, but when she gets on my chest and purrs, I can't help but pet her because her purr is the most soothing sound I have ever heard and sweet music to my ears.

Thanks again 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 two weeks for another edition of Two Scoops.

What are your thoughts on ? What did you think of this week's Two Scoops? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.