It's a cruel, cruel Summer

Will Summer do the right thing because she's a good person at heart? Or will she do the right thing because it's the only way she can get what she wants? And does she really want Kyle or is he just the shiny toy another little girl is playing with? Was there adequate legal representation in the big trial that nobody attended? Will the female half of the cast be in jail before the end of the month? So much going on this week in The Young and the Restless -- let's explore the madness.

As soon as I heard Lola needed a liver transplant, I paused the television (because I'm at work during the day, so DVR is my go-to), turned to Luke, who watches with me, and said, "Summer is going to be the match." And, of course, she was. Ugh. When Summer picked up her coat at the Athletic Club, after revealing that she was the match, I paused and replayed it. Yes, she had a smirk. She knew she'd be able to use the transplant to her advantage.

Did you feel sorry for Summer when she told Kyle he'd been pretty horrible to her lately? I didn't. His response that "I've been pretty stressed out since I found Lola" in the pool definitely didn't make me feel more sympathetic to Summer. And she was unmoved because Lola doesn't count to her. At all. Lola is beneath her. And she's so self-focused that she can't see how deeply hurt Kyle is by Lola's situation.

When Kyle offered to marry Summer, Luke said, "What the [expletive deleted]? Why would he say that? What a stupid [expletive deleted] moron!" Kyle had already said, "I'll do anything. Name it." I would have preferred it, plot-wise, if Summer had demanded it. Because I believe she would have. In a way, she did, because she started calling the shots.

In the courthouse attending the trial for the Newman ladies, Abby said, "Sometimes it's easy to forget all that Kyle has lost in his life." One of those things was his mother, who Nikki killed. This makes it all the harder if Kyle loses Lola and has to be married to a woman he doesn't love. But it shows why he'd sacrifice so much to hold onto someone he loves so much.

Summer tried to argue that "if we just spend enough time together, you'll realize I'm the one" and that "I'm not really trying to trap you." So, a year of marriage to a woman he doesn't love just to save the life of the woman he does love is not trapping him? I guess I know nothing about relationships. But, with that being said, I'm not sure I'd get tested as a potential match for the rival for my affection. If Lola died, Summer could swoop in to comfort Kyle.

Once Summer was a match, she either had to donate or admit she only got tested to impress Kyle. And I think she did not believe for a moment that she'd be a match. Keeping the deal secret is Summer's way of making sure people think the relationship is real, even when he will not perform husbandly duties, so when she wins him over, which she believes she will, the perception will be true love. I don't believe for a moment it will work out that way.

What would have made this story work, what would have made Summer look like she had grown, is if she had talked up marrying Kyle and love and all that but then stopped. She could have sat him down, said she recognized how much he loved Lola, and because she loved him so much, she was going to help him be happy with the woman he loved. That way, if it didn't work out with Lola (and nothing ever does in a soap), he would remember Summer's selflessness and be drawn to her. What kind of self-respecting woman wants to marry a man who doesn't love her and has stated that vehemently and repeatedly?

I might have scratched my head a bit when Kyle told Summer "Memorial's one of the best hospitals in Wisconsin." The writing is on the wall that something is going to go awry in this transplant procedure, starting with her asking Nate what could possibly go wrong for the donor. And if something goes wrong, Kyle makes the life-or-death decisions, not Phyllis, because Kyle will apparently be Summer's husband. And Kyle doesn't love Summer. He loves Lola. This could be a mess.

The Big Trial

Let me start with the biggest question I have: how are there no cameras in the courtroom, outside the courtroom, outside the courthouse, anywhere? How is this case not being covered? Even if cameras were banned, I'd imagine there would be a reporter and a sketch artist there, reporting the details to the public. This is a huge trial, and there are barely even spectators.

When Mariah was on the stand, explaining why she had been at the girls' night party, she said Sharon hadn't been sure how many of Victoria's friends she could get together on short notice. I wondered how many friends Victoria had, if she had any.

After she testified, when Phyllis told Nick they could put it all behind them, I kind of figured she was delusional. He's not going to allow that. She's the one who always talks about the Newmans circling the wagons, and if you're perceived as an enemy, you're going to remain on the outside. Testifying against Mom and sister would make you look like an enemy.

Calling J.T. a scumbag doesn't really prove Phyllis was helping. Blaming Christine for doing her job? That is hardly a surprise. What was she expecting? The D.A. to pursue a case and not try to win? Calling Christine a "nasty bug" didn't make her sympathetic, nor did calling her "riff-raff." She thought she was manipulating the system to get free, which she was and she did. And now she's disappointed with the fallout that, quite honestly, could have been predicted. Christine outsmarted her, plain and simple. I don't love Christine, at all, but she was doing her job. And she succeeded at it.

Phyllis seems to insist that she and Nick have something worth fighting for. How long have they been together -- this time? How many breakups have they had, and they keep falling back into each other's orbit. It's familiarity, sure. Hot sex, sure. But is there real substance? Will they have each other's backs and support each other's dreams, no matter what? Clearly not. Nick made it clear where he stood when he said, "You were sorry to be revealed to be the soulless woman that you are."

Nikki has killed a few people: her childhood best friend (by mistake), her father, and Diane before J.T. If J.T. is actually dead, which I've been clear about not believing for some time now. Christine could have used the previous deaths in her arguments, showing that Nikki is aware of what can happen when she uses violence, but she did not.

Attorney Michael stunned me when he suggested the best course of action would be for Victoria and Nikki to plead guilty. He felt Victoria would only get community service and probation, and he thought Christine was compassionate. Has he met her? Telling them they were doing the right thing was not reassuring. His petition for a plea bargain was a bust.

But how about mentioning that there was no body but also that there was a bloody shirt, from a man who died without blood loss, and a gun planted in a barn that was set on fire, yet miraculously, despite a fire that destroyed a building, this bloody shirt and gun survived. Where was the blood from? Does a dead man bleed? Who got the gun out of the house? Who sent the audio file that was clearly modified to make Victor look guilty. There was so much reasonable doubt. So. Much.

The strongest thing Michael did was give a decent closing argument. Second best thing Michael did: putting domestic violence on trial. Pointing out that the police had the video and had suppressed it, showing the video -- that mattered. That showed that J.T. was volatile, and it showed Victoria was terrified. Hearing her story of what had happened, even hearing that he had taken her phone in Hawaii, was the most powerful part of the testimony. Christine attacking a victim of domestic violence made her look unsympathetic and bad. That is the argument that should have changed the trial, and I think that, despite the lies (and most of us would lie, probably, or certainly not knock on the police station door and say, "Hey, I killed a dude, and here's where I buried him in my haste"), there was no premeditation in this crime.

Michael was correct when he said choking often leads to later violence that results in death. New Hampshire has a law that makes choking a felony for that very reason. Christine asking if J.T. working to take down Victor was a factor in the breakup made me wonder what kind of defense Michael and Brittany could have added to their closing statements when this is a police department that clearly uses love to manipulate women. It's as bad as the Internet scammers who promise forever then rob women blind and leave them broke and heartbroken.

Victoria talked to the jury too much, like she was selling her story. She should have maintained eye contact with Michael or looked down. It would have made her more sympathetic and powerful. And might have made the difference in whether the ladies are found guilty or not guilty. The lawyers talk to the jury, sure, but should the defendant? Perhaps not.

I was bothered that Nikki and Victoria said Sharon was the reason they were in court. How about admitting guilt? Regret? Recognizing that "We couldn't all keep up this lie forever. It was killing us." Because it was.

Nick told Billy he thinks J.T. is alive and was the person spying at the ranch. I have already said I think this. I hope they find him. And I hope this story wraps up (unless Nick is going into J.T. disguise mode again, but... the police would be onto that. They'd make sure they could see both J.T. and Nick at the same time, I suspect.

Tessa felt guilty over blackmailing her girlfriend's mother. Which... she should. I was baffled when Michael called Tessa to the stand, because it clearly showed that the women had been blackmailed and had paid off the blackmailer because they were guilty. How could that have ended well? The fact that Christine was good at her job and got both Phyllis and Tessa to reveal more, up to and including Tessa being kidnapped by the three defendants, did not make Michael or the defendants look any better.

I think the biggest crime was the coverup, which Phyllis orchestrated. If the ladies had called the police, I doubt there would have been serious criminal charges. Especially with the domestic violence. And now, Phyllis will go free, and the others may do time (but, realistically, on a soap, we won't have this many leading ladies in jail for so long).

Jabot Happenings

I think Phyllis is concerned about her CEO position, rightfully so. In the real world, I don't think a CEO would keep their job if they were intricately involved in a murder and coverup. Just a guess. Billy pushed Jack to use Kerry, but I'm not sure I'd trust her. However, I could see Phyllis planting fake information to make the situation messier and cover her backside.

Kerry said she would help Phyllis, and then she said she'd help Jack. Sounds like she's playing both of them. Is she working alone, or is her departure going to be somehow tied into the J.T. storyline, especially if J.T. isn't as dead as Dr. Phyllis declared him. I know I thought Phyllis was working with him before, but maybe he's out for revenge against Phyllis, too! I haven't loved the Jack/Kerry pairing, so if it's ending, I'm okay with that. I'm very ready for the J.T. storyline to end.

Writing Regime Change

Doug Davidson is coming back, but I have to wonder. Was it Mal Young's decision to let him go? Or did his higher-ups want to slash the budget, deciding the easiest way to do that would be to cut actors with bigger salaries? Whatever the reason, we should have Paul back in the mix soon, and I can't wait. I think we have a couple more weeks of Mal's writing. I keep watching the credits, hoping not to see his name.

When Josh Griffith was the writer before, some people hated his writing. However, after Mal's writing, I suspect Josh's writing will be welcomed because he is bringing back some fan favorites. And we are ready.

The Rosales Family

Last time I wrote, I speculated on how the family might have been brought to the canvas in a way in which more people would have invested in them. I didn't say I hated all of them, but neither did I say I love all of them. Mia and Rey can be maddening! Mia is mad at Rey for being in love with Sharon while she is lying about being pregnant with his child. Riiiiight.

I feel like Mia needs to be held responsible for what she did to Lola. She might say she hadn't intended to harm Abby, who she thought she was pushing, but she did look up news to see if there was an assault on Abby Newman, so she knew it wasn't a minor blow. She also needs to be discovered as not pregnant without faking a miscarriage. My fear is that she didn't do a pregnancy test for real, but she might be pregnant for real. She isn't a virgin. Or she might find someone to have sex with (she'll try Arturo) to get pregnant for real.

Mia did tell Rey, "I always thought you were better than me." Just because he loves Sharon doesn't mean he isn't. He didn't almost kill Mia's sibling. Or sleep with her sister. Neither is a saint, for sure. And I think he was a fool to promise not to turn Mia in.

Lines of the WeekMichael, to Nikki and Victoria: "If I put you on the stand, Christine will send me a gift basket in thanks."I'm sure it would contain a nice bottle of booze to drown his sorrows.

Tessa to Mariah, in reference to spiders the size of your head: That is the opposite of awesome!

Phyllis to Summer after Summer says there will be no more boyfriends: You're becoming a nun?

Random thoughts:

I feel like Lola should look yellow if her liver is failing to the point of needing to be replaced. She's still doing a great job of lying motionless in bed, though. Not a blink, not a smile, nothing.

I loved that Kyle made a playlist. And that Nate supported it. Kyle might have thought it was silly and there was nothing else he could do, but those memories could be just the thing that brings her back.

Mariah's vacation fantasy, with no real-world problems allowed, is a great self-calming technique for people with anxiety! Even if the vacation is just going down to the river and feeding the ducks.

Michael swinging his briefcase in the hallway at the courthouse looked weird. It looked like either it was empty or the contents were irrelevant.

Christine handing Michael mints was funny.

When Rey admitted in court that he had said he loved Sharon and I saw Mia's face, I might have said out loud, "Oh, boy, Sharon. Don't walk near the pool." Luke followed that by suggesting, "You may wanna get an eviction notice going."

If I had major debts, I might let my gazillionaire brother pay them then work to pay him back, especially if he wouldn't feel the loss. Yes, I'd want to pay it back, not accept the bailout, but I do wonder what Ana's "shameful past full of debts" entails, especially when she won't tell Devon.

Reader Feedback:

Viewer colleen had some comments about Mia's manner of dress:OMG!!! I am really sick of insecure, immature Mia and her huge bosom hanging out all over the place. She needs to put those sloppy things inside a decent top. And we all know, or should know, it was Mia who attacked Lola and pushed her into the water. Because Lola was wearing Abby's coat, Mia thought she was attacking Abby. Mia is just disgusting!!!

Writer's comment: I noticed Mia's conservative top when she showed up in court, which means she knows how to be appropriate when she needs to. She just doesn't seem to think she needs to very often.

Viewer Eddie mae Parker had some thoughts about how some good actresses are being misused:I hate both Summer and Lola characters. They are both good actresses, but young & the restless are making them both look stupid. Bring in a man for summer or put her in jail or something. Summer storyline stinks, and Lola is a wound-up uptight virgin. Summer is a slut from hell. Boring storyline. Come on, you guys can do better than that can't you.

Viewer Trish Westover had some very interesting thoughts to explain what's going on:I think JT is alive and Kerry is JT's girlfriend and she has been providing him with shelter, food, etc. I hope when Paul Williams returns it will be because he singlehandedly captured JT. I think Kerry will be arrested for aiding & abetting JT and she will be sent off to prison & written out of the story.

My friend Nel emailed me and offered some suggestions for fixing some of the plot challenges:Fixing the show after Mal should be easy. Find J.T. alive -- women free. Leave Tessa in jail -- don't need her. Adam is coming back, and so is Paul. Jack can fix things with Kerry, and Kyle and Lola can move on without Summer. Phyllis needs to be ostracized for everything she has done, and so does Summer. Mia and Rey need to leave, and Abby needs to move on from Arturo. We have some new blood coming to the show, so things should look up from there. There is a mystery around Ana, so they can explore that. See, easy fix!! LOL

What are your thoughts on what's gone down on The Young and the Restless? What do you think will happen next? Whatever it is, I'll be right here watching with you. See you in two weeks!Christine

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