A mystery or a nefarious deed

Adam and Chelsea made plans to discover what Victor is hiding about the past. What secret is Victor hiding? Jack, Ashley, and Traci made a decision about Dina. Victoria continued her struggle with PTSD. Theo continued to push Kyle's buttons. Will Billy and Lily wind up as a couple? Can Amanda forget the chemistry between her and Billy? Also, Tessa refused to forgive Mariah. Let's see if we can shed some light on the highs and lows of the past week.

Hello, Everyone! COVID-19 has certainly made life interesting, and it has everyone running for cover. Many functions, including March Madness, have been canceled, and there hasn't really been anything in the way of front burner storylines. I thought something major would have happened during the ice storm, but that fizzled. I was hoping for more with Sharon's health crisis, but that seems to be treated like the common cold. Tessa refuses to forgive Mariah (yawn). Billy and Lily are working together (another yawn). Theo continues to push Kyle's buttons (the never-ending story). Adam is plotting revenge against Victor -- nothing new there, except Chelsea wants to help him. So, let's delve into what has been happening in and around Genoa City this week.

Adam and Chelsea's trip to Hope's farm in Kansas has provided them with an apparent mystery to solve, after they met with Alyssa Montalvo, Adam's childhood friend. I wonder why the alarm bells went off for Adam and Chelsea when they realized that Victor had been at the farm on the same day as Alyssa's father's funeral. Adam slipped comfortably into his revenge mode, and he now wants to bait Victor into providing him with answers. I'm sure Adam is hoping that Victor's actions had been nefarious, and Adam is hoping the information will be incriminating. He would then blackmail Victor into giving him the CEO chair.

I can envision Adam standing like a cartoon character, rubbing his hands together and sporting an evil, gleeful smile over his plan. There is no way that Adam will ever fool Victor, but there does appear to be a bit of a mystery surrounding Victor and Hope, and it is curious why they didn't attend the funeral, especially Hope, since she was a friend of the family.

I'm wondering what's up with Chelsea's attitude toward Victor and her determination to help Adam get the CEO chair by whatever means necessary. I don't think this is going to end well for either Chelsea or Adam, but who knows? Adam just might get lucky and bring the Black Knight down. I just don't understand what Chelsea has to gain by making Victor a bigger enemy than he already is. Why is Chelsea angry with Victor? Chelsea is making plans to reestablish her clothing line, but by her making Victor a bigger enemy, he could shut her down before she gets the business off the ground. My prediction is that both Adam and Chelsea are going to regret their actions, and they will get shot down by Victor.

How about Theo asking Lola to go to New York with him? New York! Wow, what a bold move. They haven't even had dinner and a movie yet, and he's jetting her off to New York! I couldn't believe that Lola accepted. Theo is such a cad! I have to wonder if his feelings for Lola are real or if he just wants to jump her bones to push Kyle's buttons even more. I don't know, but I think Theo has something up his sleeve where Lola is concerned, and I don't think it's all hearts and roses. I could be out in left field on this, but somehow, his feelings for Lola aren't ringing true for me.

Theo claimed that when he was with Lola, all the crappy stuff went away, and she made him want to be better and that he'd never had anyone in his life like her. Theo is really slick, so was this one of his come-on lines, or did he really mean it? Only time will tell. Lola strikes me as not being ready for a new romance, judging by her reactions to Theo's come-on lines, but if she is, I think she will want to take it really slowly -- that is, if Theo's intentions are honorable, and I don't believe they are. I believe that Lola would rather remain friends with Theo for the time being and see where this "relationship" goes.

Then we have Phyllis' clone, Summer. I am not ashamed to admit that I'm not a Summer fan. This little apple didn't fall far from the tree, and she has followed in her mother's footsteps. Before she returned to Genoa City, she'd been bed-hopping with a number of partners, and she'd been messing with a married man. When she returned, she snubbed Kyle at every turn, and then she was relentless in her pursuit of Billy. She treated Kyle like he was a piece of crap stuck to the bottom on her shoe that needed to be scraped off.

So, when did this great love for Kyle manifest itself? She had so many opportunities to be with Kyle, and she passed them up until he became interested in Lola. Then, all bets were off. She kept throwing herself at him. They think they were meant to be, but I think they are polar opposites.

Summer once told Theo that he wasn't good enough for Lola. I guess on a scale of one to ten, with Lola being a ten, Summer probably rated Theo pretty low, a one or two, maybe. Judging by the way she jumped into bed with him every chance she got, she obviously felt she was good enough for him, which isn't saying much. She then had the nerve to warn Theo to stop pushing Kyle's buttons, or she'd make his life very unpleasant. Summer is power tripping. Does she really believe she has that much power over Theo? It's Jack's job to keep Theo in line, not hers. Summer not only acts like Phyllis, but she sounds like her, too!

I have to wonder about Kyle and Summer's relationship. I'm not a fan of this pairing. Their relationship is too syrupy and shallow. I would love to see them keep things professional in the office, but they can't seem to do that -- yet they can criticize Theo about keeping things professional. Has anyone noticed the puppy dog looks on Kyle's face whenever he sees Lola? Are Summer and Kyle really in love, or are they in love with the idea of love? I think Kyle has convinced himself that he's in love with Summer because of their past history, but I don't think he is done with Lola. I believe he is still unconsciously pining for her.

I see shades of Phyllis and Billy in Summer and Kyle. In fact, their relationship appears to be a repeat of Phyllis and Billy. Like Phyllis and Billy, Kyle and Summer's relationship seems to be based on sex anywhere and at the drop of a hat. There is no substance, just sex. I think Kyle is still very much in love with Lola, and one of the reasons their marriage was a little rocky was because of Theo's constant presence in Lola's life and Kyle's issues with Theo. Again, in my opinion only, I believe Kyle has a very deep love for Lola, but he hasn't recognized that fact because of his lingering infatuation with Summer. I would love to see Kyle and Lola reconcile. They share a connection. Kyle fought very hard to win Lola, something he never did with Summer. He just took what Summer dished out and never fought back.

Go, Jackie! Jack certainly has Theo's number, and he called Theo out on it. Here's hoping that Jack can keep Theo in line. Jack finally clued in that Theo takes every opportunity to needle Kyle. Jack asked if Theo harbored feelings of resentment toward Kyle. Kudos to Theo for admitting that he felt Kyle had never had to do a lot of hustling.

Jack assured Theo that Kyle had had his own setbacks. He urged Theo to focus on successfully achieving his own goals. This scenario could be interpreted two ways: either Jack is fighting Kyle's battles, or Jack is a good headmaster and zeroed in on his pupil's problem. That is for you readers to decide. I choose to think he is a good headmaster, but I could be wrong.

Speaking of Phyllis, she is like the Energizer Bunny; she just keeps going and going and wreaking havoc wherever she goes, without hesitation. I would love to see all her scheming and manipulation bite her in the ass, but I'm sure her day of reckoning isn't in the too-distant future. She keeps trying to cuddle up to Nick, but Nick has her number. In spite of that, Nick and Phyllis have gone back to rodeo-doing once again like friends with benefits. I have no words for Nick. Either he is desperate, or he lost a few brain cells because he is working at Newman. Nick and Phyllis' past relationships were volatile and uncomfortable. Why would they want to go back to that again?

Many people seem to think that Rey stepped out of line with Faith after she had skipped some of her classes, and he shouldn't have involved Lola. Well, this won't surprise anyone, but I disagree. Nick called Rey and asked him to help with Faith. I felt that Rey handled the situation admirably. He gently scolded her, and as punishment, he took her to Society to work in the kitchen with Lola.

Lola had quite the conversation with Faith. Lola spoke gently to Faith; she never belittled her, but she did offer Faith some sage advice. Faith appeared to take in what Lola told her. I think the whole issue was handled beautifully.

Sharon was horrified to hear about Faith's antics, and she called Rey out for withholding the information from her. I agree with Sharon. I know Rey had been trying to protect Sharon, but Faith is her child, and she should be kept apprised of any wrongdoing Faith might get into, even if Sharon is sick.

I thought the scene between Sharon and Rey added a little humor to her situation. Sometimes a little bantering can eliminate a lot of stress. In this situation, Sharon had finished a chemo treatment, and Rey had just brought her home. They sat on the sofa, and Rey asked Sharon if she wanted to go for a walk.Sharon: Yeah, I do, and I know exactly where I want to go -- straight upstairs.Rey: That's not much of a walk.Sharon: I can make it worth your while.Rey: That wouldn't give us much in the way of exercise.Sharon: We wouldn't get our steps in, that's true, but it might be good for our hearts.Rey: You sure about this?Sharon: I'll be gentle, I promise."

I thought it was really bold and rude of Nikki to intrude and ask Sharon to help Victoria. I thought the way Nikki asked Sharon to help Victoria was more of a demand than a request, with no regard to the fact that Sharon might not have been up for the challenge. The whole scene struck me as Newmans first, and the rest can stand in line. It irked me a bit, but Sharon, being the consummate kind individual that she has almost always been, agreed to help.

Sharon told Victoria why she had stopped in. After Victoria refused Sharon's help, they did share some very sweet moments together, just chatting. After Sharon left, Victoria refused to accept that she hadn't healed yet. She went to the office. That was when she realized that she really needed help, and she wanted Sharon to help her through her issues. I felt that it was a pivotal moment, considering the animosity that had gone on between them in the past. It was nice to see this closeness.

There is a famous song from Paint Your Wagon, "They Called the Wind Mariah" (this was a 1969 movie, a western musical). When I researched this, I found the first line of the lyrics rather amusing, and it really fit this scenario: "A way out here they got a name for rain and wind and fire, the rain is Tess, the fire is Joe, and they call the wind Mariah." Well, Mariah blew into Tessa's life, and Tessa blew Mariah right back where she came from.

Tessa has no right to judge Mariah. Mariah had forgiven Tessa for all the lies she'd told and all the secrets she'd kept. Why can't Tessa forgive Mariah for her one indiscretion? Mariah has poured her heart out, twice -- once in front of a live concert audience -- and Tessa just turned her back on Mariah. As much as Mariah has loved Tessa, Tessa isn't worthy of Mariah's love. It's time for Mariah to move on without Tessa.

I'm still scratching my head over Mariah. I mentioned this in my last article. When Mariah arrived in town, she was a strong-willed young woman, and she wouldn't take any crap from anyone. However, since she has been with Tessa, she has turned into a jellyfish -- no backbone. I don't think Tessa has been good for Mariah. Generally, partners bring each other up and make them stronger. This hasn't been the case in this partnership. I want the feisty Mariah back, the one who didn't depend on anyone and would never have turned into this puddle of tears. I wish the wind they call Mariah would return to her gale-force former self.

It's always good to see Jill back again. We need more of the unique sarcasm that only Jill can provide, but under that rough exterior, she is mush. With cupid's bow and arrow, she tries to make matches happen for those she loves. She fought very hard to reunite Cane and Lily, and she succeeded. She tried to reunite Billy and Victoria, and in the end, they wound up together, even though it was short-lived. Now, she is trying to pair up Billy and Lily. She has set them up to run her new project, Chancellor Media, and I believe she is hoping for a union between her son and the lovely Lily.

Billy still believes he is top dog and is still flexing his muscles. Even Lily recognized it. Billy is trying to take the lead in Chancellor Media, but Lily isn't having it. Lily gives the impression that she is a pushover, but that isn't the case. She quietly puts Billy in his place, and she does it with so much grace. I am happy she's back. I wonder if Lily and Billy will become a couple. I'm on the fence with this one. On the one hand, I think they could make a good couple, but on the other, I'm concerned because Billy is so unstable.

I think I just talked myself out of wanting them to become a couple, and I'm leaning toward "Let's stay friends!" Cane gaslit Lily, and he lied to her constantly for years. Cane and Billy both had a hand in destroying her modeling career, and together, they destroyed Brash & Sassy. Billy was also one of the catalysts in destroying Lily and Cane's marriage. Lily deserves someone better than the likes of either one of these men. I think Lily will have her hands full keeping Billy in line.

Oh, ho, crafty Colin never intended to keep Devon's money but wanted it so he could launder the illegal money he had through Chancellor Industries. He is such a devious scammer. Chance told Jill he was going after Colin. I wonder if Chance is clever enough to catch up to that con man. Jill was outraged, but when Chance asked her what she'd seen in Colin, Jill told Chance that Colin had made her feel alive. I guess we don't always choose the right mate. From time to time, someone comes into our lives that we can't resist, and we throw caution to the wind. That's what happened to Jill when she met Colin. He was like a drug to her until she sobered up and saw him for who he really was.

Amanda seems to be at ease now that Ridley is finally out of her life. It appears she is ready for romance, and she has decided she wants to be with Nate -- but a little voice keeps reminding her of the chemistry she has with Billy. Will she be able to get past this? I sure hope so. I wouldn't like to see Amanda paired up with Billy. He's too unstable for her, too, and she's had enough of that instability over the last number of years.

I think she and Nate would make a great couple, and their lives could be trauma and drama free -- well, almost. She has opened up to Nate about her past, which is something she has kept under wraps since arriving in Genoa City. Now the next questions are, does she have a connection to Hilary, and why is she so interested in Jared?

Ashley has returned home and is berating herself for staying in Paris while Jack and Traci did the heavy lifting regarding Dina. Traci managed to calm Ashley by the time Jack got home, and he announced that he would be taking a break from Jabot to focus on Dina during the last chapter of her life. How sad that we will soon be losing Dina to Alzheimer's, but Traci, Ashley, and Jack feel great that the family has come together for their mother. They all agreed it was time to bring Dina home. Dina is at the stage where she is harmless, and she doesn't recognize anyone, and she is very calm. It's safe to bring her home. I love that she will die at home with family all around her. I'm in tears already!

And that's a wrap from me for this week. Until we meet again!Nel

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