Dangle the bait and then wait for the bite

The similarities between Amanda and Hilary seemed to be more than what was on the surface. But just who was Amanda Sinclair? Had she helped to pull off the codicil to Katherine's will fraud? Or was she just the innocent legal eagle she claimed to be? Bait the hook and then see what bites in Two Scoops.

Just who is Amanda Sinclair, anyway, past her strong resemblance to Hilary? Actually, because of this resemblance, it's that much harder to judge Amanda's character, since it's difficult to see past her looks. But Amanda is also very similar to Hilary in that she appears to be feisty and doesn't like to back down from any kind of challenge. On the contrary, when a situation gets complicated, Amanda is ready to stick it out for the long haul, which is a very Hilary thing to do. Also like Hilary, Amanda appears to be fierce and stubborn. But is Amanda also honest and sincere? If so, then we have a character who isn't like Hilary at all.

An actor must be very talented to pull off playing two different characters on the same soap and Mishael Morgan has the acting chops to do it. Up until now, we've only seen the similarities to a very complex lady, whom Devon had loved and lost. Hilary had been strong and independent and had always stuck to her guns, even when she was wrong, and Amanda seems to have those capabilities, also. While Hilary was selfish and self-centered, she was also very loyal and fiery, which was what had drawn Devon to her. But we have only scratched the surface of Amanda's innermost character, so it will be interesting to see just how true blue she can be to those she grows close to. Amanda is intelligent, which Hilary also was, and they both fought for what they wanted.

In this case, Amanda is probably just a doppelgnger of Hilary's and not some long-lost twin or, heaven forbid, Hilary coming back from the dead as her own look-alike. The latter would be just plain freaky, since we saw Hilary fade away to heaven with our own eyes, shortly after her bittersweet wedding to the love of her life. Actually, having Hilary return from the grave would be a huge disappointment, since that would be a storyline more from Days of our Lives rather than The Young and the Restless, and besides, it would erase all the loveliness and sweetness from Hilary's last precious moments alive. So, I refuse to believe that Hilary faked her own death, which would be too far-fetched for this soap. Adam may be able to return from the dead numerous times, but not Hilary. It just wouldn't work.

And having a long-lost twin would mess up Hilary's memories of her past, which she always used to excuse her deceitful ways. It just wouldn't make sense that Hilary's mother, Rose, would have had twins and never mentioned it to Hilary before she died. I realize that crazier things have happened, especially with Sharon, once she discovered that she had given birth to identical twins without remembering it, which ended up being a good thing, since it gave us Mariah. But having an unknown sister would have been a great storyline for Hilary before she died, not after, even if the show had desperately needed a way to bring back Mishael Morgan.

That's why having Amanda being Hilary's doppelgnger made more sense. Her resemblance alone wreaked havoc in Genoa City, especially in causing a lot of turmoil in Devon's life. And since Amanda was stubborn and successful, of course she decided to stick around town, knowing how much commotion her very appearance caused. Gee, that sounds like something Hilary would have done. Anyone who had not yet had the privilege of meeting her, such as Billy, would do a double take when they first laid eyes on her. And how could our beloved characters not be able to compare her to Hilary? It would be automatic. Actually, Amanda had a lot of nerve in deciding to drive her stakes into Genoa City and call it home. Ahhh...that's also like something Hilary would do.

Amanda went to a bar alone, where she met Billy, who was also there solo. During a terrible storm, Amanda noticed that Billy looked lost, and he admitted that somewhere in life, he had taken a wrong turn. Billy's rash decision to leave Jabot didn't seem to be curing all that ailed him, when he suddenly had too much time on his hands with his future being too wide open. I don't know why Billy thought that leaving the family business would be a good idea. Billy liked that he could be anonymous at the bar, though, since the role he played as the screwup of the family was not making him a happy camper. And Amanda agreed that in the bar, there were no expectations. Billy kept what happened at the bar a secret from Victoria, so he may have wanted to keep it his own private world.

Yet Billy thought that the reason he didn't fill Victoria in about the details of his visit with Amanda at the bar was because the dive was the one place where he could actually feel normal. But later, he seemed happy again when he chatted with Amanda at Society, so maybe it was Amanda that made him feel normal, not the bar. Billy appeared to feel he could act like himself around Amanda, more than when he was around Victoria. That's a shame, because Victoria also wanted her normal back with Billy, when they could participate in fun activities together, but she always had to run off to work. While Victoria was the one Billy wanted to be with, Amanda was the lady he felt comfortable with. Oh, yes, Amanda and Billy could end up being really good friends, if not more.

But Amanda had first planted her roots into town by befriending Nate. Well, come on, Devon was certainly out of the question, right? Nate admired her and found her very attractive, so he was an excellent choice. However, both Nate and Elena had better be a little worried about Amanda's choice to stick around. There's no doubt that Amanda's resemblance to Hilary will eventually take over and win out over Devon's heart. He resented Amanda just a little too much over her part concerning the fake codicil to Katherine's will and even called her a fraud and a scammer. The fireworks were already flying, and it's a very thin line between love and hate.

And Amanda's too-close-for-comfort resemblance to Devon's deceased wife hit home sooner rather than later, when he suddenly had a dream about Hilary turning into Amanda as she kissed him. In the meantime, Elena swore up and down to Nate that she only wanted Amanda out of town because Amanda was a constant reminder of what Devon had lost. Yeah, okay, keep telling yourself that, girlie. Elena was being very nave if she didn't think that Devon might also be attracted to the spitting image of the woman he had loved so dearly. The sooner both of them face reality, the better off they will be. Devon may want to stay with Elena, but he needs to deal with whatever feelings he may have for Amanda, whether they are real or just a fantasy.

Even though Nate claimed that he and Amanda were just "a couple of buddies hanging in the friend zone," it was apparent that he was quite smitten with her. So, he was relieved to hear that Amanda would still be "hanging" around, although Devon wasn't the least bit thrilled. Devon felt that "poor, pitiful Amanda" had worked with Colin and Cane, the two con men he felt had played him for a fool. While it's true that the dirty work had Colin's name written all over it, Cane continued to deny he had his hand in the deceit. After all, Cane did try to return the money in the twins' trust fund, but that could have just been a grand gesture, with Cane figuring that Devon would refuse it. But Cane even tried to help Devon find Colin, who had escaped from custody. I just hope Cane was being sincere.

Chance no longer cared too much about the fraudulent document for Katherine's will, since he had moved into new territory. The Grand Phoenix seemed to have established its new theme -- theft. Hey, if your business is seeking to become famous, that's sure to catch the public's attention. Abby should be thanking Simon for helping her get so much publicity for the hotel, and maybe she did. After all, it drew in two women whose only reason to stay there was the hope of getting robbed. Were they crazy? So, to catch a thief, Chance dangled the bait and waited for the bite of some fake jewels that he had planted in a fake celebrity's room. Phyllis' security system was set up to catch it on camera, only it didn't, when the phony jewels were stolen right under its "eyes."

Abby regretted going into business with Phyllis and decided she needed to trust her instincts. Well then, she should have started doing that before becoming partners with Phyllis. Abby swore up and down that Phyllis had to have been behind the security breach and blamed her security system. Abby accused Phyllis of gathering information on all her guests and staff to use against them, and she then fired Phyllis and banned her from the Grand Phoenix. However, Phyllis saw that Abby was using the new security system to win Chance over; however, unlike Phyllis, I don't think that Abby was acting as a damsel in distress for Chance to save. Instead, I see that Abby and Chance had formed a bond over security of the hotel, and she was using that to worm her way into Chance's heart.

Either way, Chance felt the brainstorm of the thefts was an inside job, but still, he was stunned to find Abby with all the phony jewelry hidden away in her purse. Seriously, I thought the first two women had staged their burglary for the attention, but Abby had arranged it all. She got more publicity for the hotel and got rid of Phyllis in one fell swoop. It was a double win for her, or it would have been, if it wouldn't have caused the chance of her losing Chance. But Chance's bait hadn't really worked, since Abby was the one doing the biting.

Well, it certainly didn't take long for Chelsea to pack her bags and move to Adam's penthouse. Why, Adam and Connor's scheme worked like a charm. Adam probably had a good laugh when Chelsea agreed to temporarily move to his place. Yeah, temporarily, right. Nick had better not have his heart set on her returning anytime soon -- or ever. He really never had a chance over her son with Adam encouraging him all the way. The kid wanted his mommy and daddy back, and nothing was going to stop that from happening. Other children have parents who have split up, and they don't get to wave a magic wand to reunite them. It just wouldn't be a healthy atmosphere, having two unhappy people living together for the sake of their child. But, of course, Chelsea didn't see it that way.

If Connor was really having terrifying nightmares about a monster, why haven't they gotten him professional counseling on a regular basis? Actually, Chelsea created the monster by letting Connor get everything he wants. She set no boundaries of proper behavior and let him go wild with his demands. It's no wonder why Connor can't get along with the other kids at school. When Connor locked up Christian in the garage, it should have been a red flag to Chelsea of his scary actions, which she totally ignored. It was all her fault, she cried -- yeah, for not seeing what was right in front of her face. Her son needed discipline quickly, but she only saw it as a cry for her help, so she caved in to his every demand. If Connor ends up being a serial killer, Chelsea only has herself to blame.

Adam feared that "the monster" ran in his family, but Chelsea saw that Victor's neglect had caused Adam's past bad behavior. Manipulation was very much a Newman trait, and Connor appeared to have that hands-down. Even if Adam wasn't a part of the plot, Connor was pulling all the strings. Granddaddy Victor would be so proud. Like father, like son, like grandson. Connor even told Sharon that he only wanted to spend all his time with his mom and dad. No friends. No other family. And definitely no Sharon. Connor chanted, "can't beat three," and stated that mom, dad, and son together solved his problem, so Connor wanted Sharon gone next. You didn't need to be a therapist to know that wasn't healthy. Sharon had better hope that her premature death wasn't in her near future.

Chelsea shouldn't worry too much about Nick being on his own, all alone, since Phyllis was ready, like a spider, to ensnare her ex into her web. She already had the best ammunition in hand with their mutual enjoyment of playing video games. Phyllis could make Nick forget the loneliness caused by Chelsea's departure with laughter and fun. What red-blooded male wouldn't want that? Phyllis was smart and crafty, and she knew all the rules of game-playing. Oh, yes, she was the expert at it, especially with Nick. Just ask Sharon. Whenever Nick had a hole in his heart to fill, Phyllis was ready and willing to do the trick, no matter how much pain and grief it caused others.

And Phyllis swooped right in when she visited Nick at his place right after Chelsea moved out. She always seemed to have the best timing. And, of course, it didn't take long for her to ask Mr. Charm if he ever thought of them together, and since Nick was vulnerable, he admitted that they could be fierce, intense, and special as a couple. And Phyllis continued to stick to Nick's side, making sure to become his confidante in his romantic woes by blasting Chelsea's intentions. Man, just how many times do we have to take this ride? Hey, I'm already ready to get off, and it hasn't even really started yet. This was one roller coaster ride that always seemed to make everyone else around them sick, so I hope their loved ones are ready for yet another nasty, bumpy trip. It'll be a doozy, I'm sure.

Chelsea told Nick, "It just goes to show, when you're doing good things, good things come to you," but her actions spoke louder than words when she, almost immediately afterwards, left him to move in with Adam.

It was rather shocking to see Rey paired up in a scene with someone other than Sharon or Lola. But Victoria proved to him just how handy high heel shoes can be when she opened the locked door with a whack. She really was cool.

It was rather gutsy of Theo to break up with Summer, considering they are coworkers at Jabot. Many times, that can cause all sorts of problems, but Summer seemed to be pretty okay with it. I mean, she didn't throw herself onto the ground, kicking and screaming in despair. And maybe Kyle was the reason, as Theo almost seemed to hint.

Amanda noted, "No truth is worse than a lie." And it remains to be seen just how much Amanda really follows her own philosophy, as we get to know her better.

Phyllis admitted to Nick, "Being in a constant fight is very tiring." And Phyllis should know that better than anyone.

In his to-do list, Billy typed as his third bullet, "Figure out who I am..and what I want to do with my life," and his computer indicated an error with "am..and." If he had typed, "Figure out who I am...and what I want to do with my life," it would have shown as correct on his computer.

Until next time, please stay tuned.Teddi

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