Like father, like son

Nick and Victor learned the hard way that it was a mistake to mix business and family. Jack and Kyle faced similar issues as Jack moved out of the manse. Read all about it in this week's Two Scoops.

Blondie Cat is once again at my side, helping me type and spell so that I have one hand free to wiggle the feather or shine the laser pointer. She's so considerate.

A recent post on Soap Central bemoaned the declining soap viewership, and after a week of plodding stereotypes, I find myself losing interest, too. "Why?" you ask. And I reply because I can't believe that men in the real world are as insightfully impaired as their stereotyped counterparts in the soap world.

Watching Victor and Nick spin out of control, with neither willing to back down, made me wonder how either could be in charge of anything if neither could control themselves. After their recently found closeness, you'd think that Nick and Victor would both have a vested interest in not returning to the place they were before Victor's stroke. Nick knows his father. He didn't have to use Christian as punishment by threatening to take him from Victor. Victor, who is recovering from a stroke, may not be around to see Christian grow up, so why not save that argument for another day and avoid the family feud?

Some people might say, "Because that's the way men are," but I don't believe that. I think that's the way men have been stereotyped. Women can get their back up and be just as competitive as Nick and Victor. I've certainly exhibited that kind of behavior in my youth -- you know what I'm saying, "willing to cut off my nose to spite my face" to quote my old granny. Instead of rerunning the Victor-Nick make-up-only-to-break-up scenario for the second year in a row, why not change it up and let Victoria be the one to stand up to Victor and give no quarter. If it's a fight to the end for chief control freak, then I'd like to see one of the women step into the ring and have a go at the title. "A little less stereotyping, a little more action, please..."

By the way, Eric Braeden is doing a superb job as stroke victim Victor. If I didn't know better, I'd swear he'd had an actual stroke. His stance, his walk, and his speech are all so typical of many in my age group. Braeden is so effortless in the role that I truly wish that Victor could learn from his mistakes and let out that tenderhearted man who was crying after his verbal battle with Nick at the ranch instead of the patriarch who will win at any cost, including destroying those he claims to love.

Neither Nick nor Victor really understands unconditional love. If they did, perhaps they'd each accept each other for who they are, warts and all, instead of expecting the other person to change. Victor may be a "piece of work," but Braeden deserves an Emmy for his work as Victor.

Jack is more like Victor than he wants to admit, and it showed as he sat at the bar, licking his wounds and trying to regroup. Jack's ego and elitist attitude took huge hits, so I can understand that he needs some time to think. He has only himself to blame for losing the top position at Jabot. Jack was the one who inserted the "blood Abbott" clause in the bylaws, and Jack was the one who refused to have it removed when both Kyle and Billy pleaded with him to do so.

That came back to bite Jack when he asked Ashley to go 50-50 on a new venture and she explained the facts of life. Tough love, Jack; it is tough love. Jack acted impulsively when he left Jabot. Starting a new cosmetics company in a town where there are already two seems unwise, not to mention that whether or not Jack is CEO of Jabot, it's still a family company, and he has a financial stake in it. I would also think that Jack has a pension plan plus a few million stashed away. Surely he has enough money put away for a startup without needing outside financing.

I can understand why Jack has been turned down. He doesn't have a clear business plan, any market research, or product prototypes. Jack claims decades of experience but can't finance even the rudiments. Jack is running on the same chutzpah that fuels Nick and Victor. I do think that Kyle should have supported Jack. I'm still not clear why Kyle fell out with Jack or how Kyle got so attracted to Victor and the dark side that he was willing to sell out his family and his own financial interest in the family business. Kyle's actions are so illogical that my head feels like it will explode whenever I try to make sense of them.

I can't tell if Kyle is loyal to Jabot or if he's still sucking up to Victor. Was his swimsuit malfunction a deliberate attempt to sabotage Jabot or merely youthful exuberance? You be the judge. If it was a stunt by Kyle, I'm pretty sure that Jabot, and by extension, Billy, will come out smelling like a rose, or whatever floral scent is Jabot's top seller.

Kyle may yet find himself at Newman as the designated heir apparent, since none of Victor's offspring have demonstrated the right stuff to take over except Adam, who was -- as far as we know -- blown to bits because of Victor's machinations. I'd watch out, if I were you, Kyle. Victor may be an old dog, but he can still bite.

It probably won't be smooth sailing, but it appears that Devon and Hilary are starting over, hopefully with a better outcome than last time, though, really, have any of us ever had any doubt that they would reunite? We've known since they divorced that Hilary and Devon would get back together, but how long will Hevon last this time? As long as Nick and Sharon? Ha!

When you consider the divisive attitudes that have surfaced in our country recently, I think the whole Hamilton-Winters clan, along with Ravi and Arturo, are lucky to live in Camelot, oops, I mean Genoa City, where racial and religious prejudices do not exist. I can't decide if that's a good thing or if it's merely turning a blind eye.

I remember a time when soaps were more morally conscious and willing to explore topics that were socially relevant, thought-provoking, and occasionally unpopular. A "driving while black" scenario could easily play out for one of the Hamilton-Winters clan and a police officer. It would fall to Paul -- Doug Davidson would finally have a storyline -- to determine if the officer had been overly zealous or acting on bigoted impulses. This might offer insight and education about ways to heal our nation, which seems to be increasingly polarized, and spur healthy dialogue instead of fisticuffs and bullets. Another possible story is that Ravi is mistaken for a Muslim and attacked.

Perhaps that's a little too serious for today's entertainment-oriented soaps. So, I guess, even if it's not a real place, I'm glad that everyone in Genoa City sets a good example and lives in harmony and equality. My prayer is that someday, everyone has an opportunity to live in a community like that.

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.

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