An eye for an eye leaves everyone blind

When Victor showed his true intentions regarding the interim CEO position, Adam was out for payback. Again. Will Victor ever learn how to truly bond with his youngest son? And did Nick have his own hidden agenda to best Adam? It's another round of an eye for an eye in Two Scoops.

Whew! Just when I was about to crash from the sugar rush from all the sunshine and lollipops being spread throughout the land, Victor went and did the unthinkable by handing the interim CEO position to Nick on a silver platter. More shockingly, it came minutes after Victor dangled the title under Adam's nose like a carrot, as Adam so bluntly put it. And that figurative vegetable had carried the potential to clear the way to a relationship between father and son, since it would have finally given Adam the chance to gain Victor's trust and respect. But Victor just as quickly rescinded Adam's chance at redemption, so all bets were off -- and so were the gloves. Adam wanted payback, and by golly, he was going to get it, and this time, he had Chelsea helping him.

"An eye for an eye leaves everyone blind." I heard Alexandra Cabot say that in a closing argument at trial during an episode of Law and Order: SVU, and I loved it. I thought, wow, that would make a terrific title, so I just waited for the right time to use it. That time is now. Thanks, Alex, for your reworking of some classic Gandhi wisdom! Just seconds before Nick called to deliver his announcement, Adam and Victor had been talking cordially and almost respectfully to each other. They showed that they loved and even admired each other, and Victor saw, more than ever, just how much Adam was like him. Adam can challenge his old man more than anyone else, and we all know how much Victor loves a good challenge. That's why he grew so weary of his battles with Jack, who the Mustache felt was no competition.

When Victor proclaimed that Nick would be the interim CEO of Newman Enterprises, Adam was filled with a blind rage that pushed him to get revenge on his dad and his family. He no longer could see or feel the love that he had just declared to Victor. And Victor was unable to see the damage he had caused to his younger son by giving yet another golden opportunity to his firstborn son, Nick, who had never needed or wanted it in the first place. And since Victor was not one to rub any salt in a wound, he immediately announced to the world that his brilliant son Nick was taking charge of Newman Enterprises. Shoot, Victoria might have reason to be concerned it was permanent -- if she could only stay awake long enough. She was probably just tired of fighting everyone. Who could blame her?

Actually, the entire point of the ice storm seemed to be all about Phyllis and Nick doing the deed -- again. Seriously? This roller coaster never seems to end, and everyone else always has to go along on the ride, even to the point of getting sick. Up and down and around and around. Please make it stop! Nick seems to be stuck in the same place with limited options in the romantic way. Phyllis. Sharon. Chelsea. Phyllis. Sharon. Chelsea. Eeny, meeny, miny, moe, catch a tiger by the toe. Well, Nick sure got that one right this time with his selection of Phyllis. He had a tiger by the tail, and he didn't realize that she might have an ulterior motive in "wanting" to be caught. Phyllis pretty much proved that when she immediately announced to Chelsea that she had just spent the night at Nick's.

Chelsea was right when she believed that Nick didn't really want the position. The, um, position at Newman. I'm sure he wanted all kinds of positions with Phyllis. After having a night of hot sex, Phyllis urged Nick to go after the CEO position. Phyllis only wanted to get back at Adam, and she was willing to use any weapon she could to achieve her goal. One had to wonder if she mentally saw Adam's face as she had sex with Nick. Phyllis goaded Chelsea that she had outplayed Chelsea, since Chelsea had lost the Grand Phoenix. Those were fighting words, and Chelsea had her boxing gloves on. No more Missus Nice Girl. Chelsea was ready to duke it out, and she joined forces with her husband to ... buy three tickets to Kansas. Kansas?! Okay.

Chelsea wanted her wedding bells to ring in Kansas again, even if it couldn't be at Hope's farm. They thought of the what ifs with Victor and Hope, and Chelsea vowed that she would do whatever it took to get Adam the Newman Enterprises CEO chair. Man, she's starting to sound almost as scary as her son did. Nick had stated earlier that "an angry Adam is a dangerous Adam," but he seriously underestimated Chelsea.

Phyllis was livid when she found her hotel suite had been violated and her evidence-containing computer was destroyed by "an unfortunate accident." Yeah, right. It's a good thing she didn't know about Chance and Abby's sex games in her shower. Ewww! Phyllis threw down the figurative gauntlet by trying to escort Abby out to the curb right next to the rest of the garbage. Ouch! No, our dear Red certainly was not shaking in her boots and even warned the one-time Naked Heiress that she was playing "with the big girls now in the deep end." Phyllis sure was on fire with her graphic phrases, and Abby had best beware. Abby wasn't as clever and conniving as she seemed to think she was. While Abby only saw in a bland black and white, Phyllis painted in vivid colors.

Once Phyllis insinuated that she kept a recording in a safe deposit box, Abby decided to impersonate the sultry minx in order to steal it. And Chance was so turned on by Abby's take on Phyllis, he looked like he was ready to jump her bones, which indicated that Chance still had more interest in Phyllis than he was willing to admit. And Abby was living in a dream world if she thought Phyllis wouldn't protect that from happening. Abby and Chance were letting their silly spy notions take over their common sense. If Phyllis just kept her mind on the prize and not on Nick's sexual attributes, the two self-proclaimed secret agents should be easy pickings. Yeah, we knew that would never happen, since Phyllis wasted no time in dashing over to Nick for a little spectacular nookie on his desk.

Abby was dead set on carrying out her mission, as Chance continued to drool over her new look and act. Abby should see that as a red flag that was waving like crazy in front of her face. Abby and Chance even went so far as to do a little role-playing, with Abby as the "blackmailing, backstabbing menace to society," who enchanted the clueless bank employee, Chance. Oh, that's surely a sign of things to come in the bedroom for these two. After Phyllis confronted Chance about the break-in of her room, Abby flew to get into the safe deposit box. Upon their return, Abby smooched all over Chance, marveling at the risk she had taken. So, Phyllis had actually been the catalyst to another one of their romantic romps. She'd be so happy to know that she contributed to their love life.

The ice storm certainly made for some strange bedfellows. Just ask Billy and Amanda. Actually, strange isn't the word. They are rather refreshing and interesting together. I certainly wasn't ready to see Amanda with Devon, and it's almost nice to see Billy with someone other than Victoria. Since Billy had such a tough time being friends with the supposed love of his life, maybe he can be a true friend to Amanda...someone he can identify with. The two have a lot in common, and they can relate in so many ways. Nothing with Billy is ever easy, but that probably goes for Amanda, too. Since she no longer needs to look over her shoulder, she feels free. The clouds were gone, the sun was shining, and the storm had finally lifted. Maybe that's all the two of them needed.

But no sooner was I relieved that Amanda didn't seem to be pointed in Devon's direction than Nate got her involved in a crisis at Devon and Elena's clinic. Amanda decided that she wanted to help people like Jared, who didn't attend school and who had been in the foster system. With her desire to help, Amanda was sounding a lot like Devon's deceased wife, Hilary. Hilary had once wished to be a guardian angel to Shauna Nelson. Convenient coincidence?

Amanda also wanted to go to Ripley's arraignment. I don't know if I could do that. I keep thinking that I would want to stay as far away from a stalker as I could possibly get.

Victoria made it very clear to Billy that he would get the fresh start he had been wanting, when she told him they were through. Not only was she healing from her knife wounds, but she had to get over her broken heart, as well. If Billy had wanted to put a final ending to his relationship with Victoria, he succeeded admirably. How could she ever trust him again when he had made her look like a fool for putting her faith in him, only to have him throw it in her face? But strangely, it took Victoria telling Billy they were done for good for him to finally consider taking the job his mom had offered him at Chancellor Industries. Without Victoria's wisdom to guide him, Billy only had himself to rely on, so it was time for him to make some good choices and to "get smart." Right, Max? Right, 99.

And Billy really did go to Jill to take her up on her offer of employment. So, he wasn't just saying that to appease Ashley. Well, there's hope for Billy yet. Of course, Jill was thrilled, even as she revealed that he would have a partner -- Lily. Jill made an offer that they couldn't refuse -- because if they did, neither one would get the job. Even though Billy liked being his own boss, and Lily contemplated staying where it was safe, they decided to accept the challenge of working together. Jill's right -- they'd be a good check and balance for each other. Well, I'm glad Lily's back. Too bad for Cane, though, since he was the one who got the boot, but maybe he will be able to drop by for a visit. And the twins could return, also, if the writers wrote interesting stories for them.

At least, Billy could still turn to Ashley if he needed to, although her thoughts were of how she would say goodbye to her mother, who no longer knew who or where she was anymore. Dina had made a major impact on Ashley, even if it wasn't always in the most positive way. But it was a blessing that both mother and daughter had made amends in the end, before Dina's mental health had completely deteriorated. Then it would have been too late, and they both would have regretted it. But Ashley would have been the one that would have continued living with the rift in their relationship for the rest of her life. So, Ashley should be grateful that she had been given the opportunity, and she knew that she had her mother's love for as long as Dina could remember her.

Kyle reacted the way that I knew he would when he finally saw Lola and Theo together in each other's arms. He was furious, while Summer was filled with sunshine and light. Well, of course, Summer was thankful to Lola, not necessarily because Lola fed and housed them during the storm, but because Lola appeared to be moving on with Theo. However, Kyle was jealous and appeared to want both women. Oh, and by the way, that ice storm was such a farce. When I lived in Michigan, we went through one horrible ice storm. We lost our power and didn't get it back for three days. It was freezing, and we had to find places with electricity to stay, which was no easy task. Anyone who's had to deal with an ice storm knows that it's not as glamorous as the show made it seem.

Sharon didn't need an ice storm to have the dark clouds hovering over her head, since her treatment had to be canceled due to her low white blood cell count. Thankfully, she had Nikki by her side, offering her never-ending support. What? I know...I still can't believe their newly formed friendship. I mean, Nikki and Sharon have battled each other for years, and they've even had some pretty good catfights. But Nikki was using that same combative energy for good, since she encouraged Sharon to keep fighting, even when the chips were down. Nikki offered Sharon her shoulder to lean on, and Sharon sobbed into it with her darkest fears. Who would have thought?

But even more shocking, Nikki thought that Sharon would be the perfect one to help Victoria out of her funk. Even though Victor and Nick agreed with Nikki that Victoria was despondent and withdrawn, Victor felt Nikki's idea was totally ridiculous. So, I guess he would rather just watch his daughter's spirits sink lower and lower, huh? Nick (and I) agreed that Sharon and Victoria could very well help each other. Sharon loved giving aid to others, which would help keep her mind off the cancer. And because Sharon was down in the dumps at times, she could honestly relate to what Victoria was going through, plus she had training in working with troubled individuals. Also, Sharon already knew everything that had happened with J.T., so she'd be the perfect one for Victoria to talk to.

During Sharon's tough times, it was difficult for Mariah to help boost her mother's spirits when she was still blue after her breakup with Tessa. Mariah must not have had any faith in her relationship with Tessa at all, since it took so little for her to cheat on the songbird. I mean, Tessa had told Mariah over and over that there was nothing between her and her ex, but Mariah wouldn't believe or trust her. But then again, Mariah had many reasons not to trust Tessa, based on their past together, which probably had doomed them as a couple. Things certainly weren't going well with Mariah, since she had no job and no girl...but losing Tessa was completely on her.

It's so cool that Mariah and Kyle have remained friends during the stormy times with Snowflake, even if the redhead was superior to the "serial heartbreaker" in every way.

Nate recalled Amanda saying that she slept best with the wind howling outside, and since the blustery Billy had been the one to sleep at Amanda's side, that was surely the next best thing.

As we all know, a testy Phyllis can be a mean Phyllis, as she proved when she snarked to Billy that Victoria had ended "up with a knife literally in her back." But even Phyllis knew that she had gone too far and apologized for making such a tacky remark, which was shocking. I mean, even Billy couldn't believe his ears.

With all the tricks and games they were playing on one another, it's no wonder that everyone in town was paranoid. Billy commented to Ashley, "Okay, just because I'm paranoid, it doesn't mean that people aren't out to get me." Hey, that's so true, and he'd be best to stick by his new motto, "Move forward or die." After all, a moving target is harder to hit.

After Victor requested the announcement of Nick as interim CEO of Newman Enterprises, he turned and looked at the picture of Nick, Victoria, and Abby smiling together. But no Adam. Hmmm...that pretty much said it all.

Nick lived up to his image of the white knight in shining armor, when he came charging in to bring Sharon her old MP3 player, which brought a smile to her face. Nick and her old player that carried her favorite songs were certainly lifesavers.

A large 403 was printed on the newspaper covering the clinic's window, but it seems that the number was 409 the prior week. I remember it being 409, because after I saw it, the song by the Beach Boys kept playing in my head the rest of the day. "Giddy up, giddy up, 409." Or maybe it was a product placement for Formula 409. I just wonder if there's any significance to either of those numbers.

Until next time, please stay tuned.Teddi

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