I ain't misbehavin'

The Newman Media Launch Party was in full swing, and Sally made her presence very obvious. Did Sally believe she would be accepted by everyone because she arrived as Adam's date? Was Sally seeking acceptance by those she felt had underestimated her? Can Sally be redeemed? Will Phyllis and Jack reunite? Is Ashland playing the Newmans for fools? Is Billy still in love with Victoria? Join our columnist for her opinions in this week's Two Scoops.

Finally, Mariah has been found, baby Dominic arrived safe and sound, and the Newman Media Launch Party was off to a great start. Let's begin with Mariah's rescue. Whew! What a relief that Abby was able to convince Stitch to give up Mariah's location, and just in the nick of time. I have to admit, I wasn't ready to see Mariah give birth all alone. Abby is elated that she finally has her baby, but how long will the elation last? Methinks Abby and Mariah are heading for troubled waters.

It appears that Mariah had really bonded with Bowie while in captivity. He'd been the only one she could talk to, and now she is feeling the pangs of loss. I have a funny feeling that Mariah might try to go for custody of Dominic (as he has been formally named). That will create a huge abyss in Mariah and Abby's friendship.

I don't know about anyone else, but I think Mariah would make a far better mother than Abby. Aside from the bond Mariah formed with the baby, she's been the one fiercely protecting him from harm, and when she delivered him, her motherly instincts kicked in. She asked why the baby wasn't crying. Abby was right there, just staring at him, and never asked that question. It appears that Mariah's hackles went up when Abby told the baby that "Mommy's here," referring to herself. I have to wonder if Mariah and Devon will rise up against Abby for custody of baby Bowie/Dominic.

What are Mariah's chances of winning? I would think slim. It was Abby's egg and Devon's soldier that created Dominic. Mariah had only been the incubator, so to speak, and she'd signed a contract stating she was only the carrier. I believe some states stipulate that a surrogate can retract her commitment, and if that applies in Wisconsin, then Mariah might have a chance.

Mariah and Dominic bonded even more when the nurse brought Dominic to her to be fed. Mariah continued her dialogue with him, and she continued to refer to him as Bowie. "That's what you'll always be to me. My sweet, precious little Bowie." She confided in him that she really wanted to breastfeed him, but she'd signed a contract and couldn't do that. She told him that she really enjoyed holding and feeding him.

Abby arrived, and she certainly didn't look very pleased when she saw Mariah feeding the little guy. Jealousy? I'm surprised Abby didn't turn green with jealousy. I think she feels threatened because of the bond Mariah has with Dominic. I think this situation will have battle lines drawn between Abby and Mariah over the baby. Abby hates the bond between Mariah and the baby, and Mariah hates that Abby keeps saying "Mommy's here." Their respective expressions say it all.

Devon has also been feeling lost. He can't seem to figure out where he fits into Dominic's life. If Devon chose to sue for custody, I think he would have a better chance than Mariah, since he provided the ammunition to create the little guy. Technically, Dominic is Abby and Devon's son, but again, contracts were signed, so who knows what could happen. Devon feels empty. He held "his son" seconds after he was born, and he, too, formed an immediate bond, but he couldn't call Dominic his son. So where does Devon fit into that child's life? Is he a dad or an uncle? Thankfully, Amanda is there to support Devon and provide him with advice. It appears Amanda has turned out to be Devon's rock.

What about Stitch? Mariah wants him caught and punished for what he did to her, and Bowie, but Stitch is nowhere to be found. Once he led Abby to Mariah, he disappeared. It was later discovered that Stitch had returned to Iowa, stolen a doctor's security card at the facility where Max was, grabbed Max, and left town. No one had any idea where Stitch was. (We bid farewell to Sean Carrigan as Ben "Stitch" Rayburn. That was his last scene on the show.)

How did Stitch think kidnapping Mariah would bring him closer to Abby. Stitch explained that Abby was all alone; if he kidnapped Mariah, Abby would become anxious, and she would turn to him for comfort and reassurance. When he felt that he and Abby had reconnected, he would "rescue" Mariah and be Abby's hero. He told Abby he'd been looking for redemption and hoping to reunite with her. He claimed his life had been hellish since their divorce, and he'd wanted things to go back to the way they had been between them prior to the divorce.

This was the most ridiculous motivation that I have ever heard. This whole kidnapping storyline was silly and boring. I'm sure a lot of you are breathing a sigh of relief that it's finally over. Mariah being a surrogate was another ridiculous storyline. Couldn't the writers come up with a better storyline for these characters? I'm still wondering if they are ever going to bring Chance back. Months ago, I had read that that the role of Chance was being recast, but that could have been just a rumor, since so much time had passed, and no Chance. This storyline would have made more sense, and possibly been more interesting and believable, had they brought Chance home.

The Newman Media Launch Party was off to a great start. The Grand Phoenix looked terrific. Nikki looked great in her grey dress, Phyllis looked good in the lime green color, but I'm not so sure about the dress. Everyone cleaned up really well. I can't say any of the dresses were to die for, but everyone looked fabulous dressed to the gills. And then Sally and Adam arrived. No one was happy to see Sally. Hmm...I wonder why. Wouldn't you take a hint and keep a low profile during the event? I personally would have turned on my heel and left. Alternatively, in that situation, I would have been as quiet as a church mouse and been as inconspicuous as I could. Not Sally. Sally entered the party on Adam's arm like she was the belle of the ball and revered by everyone.

Sally has an overly inflated opinion of herself. Everything she does, she puts a spin on it to make her actions appear well-meaning or not her fault. She claims she did Summer a favor by getting her the job at Marchetti but fails to mention her nefarious reason for doing so. She has lied to Jack on many occasions, and when caught in a lie, she always twists the reason for the lie to make it appear as if she'd done that person a favor by the lie she told.

With this overly inflated opinion of herself, she told Adam she was disappointed that Victoria and Ashland wouldn't be attending the party. She'd hoped to be able to persuade Victoria to let her design Victoria's wedding dress. Is Sally really that clueless? After what she did to Summer, Victoria's niece, does she honestly believe that Victoria will say, "Sure, go ahead." Even Adam told Sally not to hold her breath because Victoria carried a grudge better than any of the Newmans. Sally's brain needs to go through a wash and dry cycle. The arrogance of this witch. Do we think this will stop Sally? Hell, no! Sally will find a way of approaching Victoria with her idea. For once, Sally should heed the warning. I can't wait to hear Victoria's comments about Sally's great idea.

Sally's arrogance knows no bounds, and this occasion was no exception. You would think Sally would stay away from certain people, like Jack, Phyllis, or Nikki, especially Phyllis and Jack. Not Sally. Nope. She had to poke the bear and get into Phyllis' face. Sally commented that Phyllis seemed cozy with Nick, but Phyllis had been with Jack when she and Adam had arrived. Does Sally really wonder why people hate her?

Sally hates the fact that she's been rebuked by Jack. Whose fault is that? Sally forgets that Phyllis and Jack had been married, and they remained friends. Why would it be strange that Phyllis was talking to Jack when Sally arrived? Jack tried to give Sally a second chance, but she blew it and claimed it was Phyllis' fault for trying to destroy her. According to Sally, Phyllis interfered in Sally's relationship with Jack from the start. Sally will never shoulder any blame for anything she did to destroy that relationship.

How much did you love the scene with Sally and Jack at Crimson Lights? That scene threw me into my happy place. She'd stood in front of Jack, and she told him she would be at the party and didn't want him to think she'd been following him. Wow! There's that glaring ego again.

I loved it when Jack asked if Sally believed he would be traumatized by her appearance at the party. I thought Jack put Sally in her place beautifully; however, Sally hadn't been impressed. Not willing to leave well enough alone, Sally just had to tell Jack that he'd belittled her. Well, sweetheart, you belittled yourself, and you got what you asked for. When Sally walked into the coffeehouse, she should have said "hi," ordered her coffee, and left, but she couldn't do that. She wanted to be in Jack's good graces, even after he'd told her that it would never happen again. She didn't expect that reaction from Jack, and she blamed Jack for their breakup, with Phyllis' help, of course.

Nikki also gave Sally a dressing down. Nikki told Sally that Adam would kick her to the curb when he grew tired of her. Hell, I would have left the party at this point. Sally then had to single out Phyllis. When Sally received another dressing down by Phyllis, Sally claimed Phyllis had provoked her, which was the reason she'd thrown her drink into Phyllis' face.

I, personally, don't like watching anyone fight, especially women, but it was so delicious watching Phyllis dump a bucket filled with ice and water over Sally's head. I believe I might have squealed with delight at that point. Shame on me for enjoying Sally's misfortune, but when you poke the bear, expect retaliation. Sally was a fool if she believed Phyllis wouldn't retaliate.

Adam grabbed Sally when she was about to lunge at Phyllis, and Jack grabbed Phyllis. Adam took Sally to the Newman suite and gave her a towel to dry off. Adam and Sally had been standing at least two feet apart when Adam told Sally he liked her fire. In the blink of an eye, and in two quick steps, she was sucking Adam's face. She didn't waste any time moving on to Adam. However, Adam told Sally that things would stop there. Adam told Sally he was toxic. Sally claimed that was too bad because they could have been spectacular as a couple. Is Sally going to sample all the men in Genoa City? Who's next on her list of boys to play with, Nick?

Adam seemed to have played everything low-key during the party, with the exception of exchanging barbs with Billy. Before the incident between Sally and Phyllis, Adam and Sally had had a quiet moment. Sally had asked Adam about the rivalry between him and Billy. She'd known about Delia's death. Adam admitted it had been a horrible tragedy, and he'd handled it poorly. He said Chloe had finally put aside her hatred of him, but she would never trust him. Billy would never move on and let go of that incident. I say good for Chloe -- and hats off to Adam for hiring her for the fashion platform, but Billy has to let go at some point. How long is he going to seek revenge against Adam for Delia's death.

Adam seems to be shouldering all the responsibility for Delia's death, but what Adam failed to mention was the fact that Billy had left Delia alone in the car with a puppy on a dark road at night. What Billy had done was negligent. Adam killing Delia was an accident and a result of Billy's negligence.

I had to giggle after Phyllis and Sally's altercation, when Victor told Phyllis to refrain from any further antics. Phyllis retorted that she couldn't be responsible for who Adam chose as his date. Victor told Phyllis to behave, but smiling, he added that he'd enjoyed the spectacle. He assured Phyllis he would deal with Sally. That was one of the rare times that these two were actually civil with each other.

Billy is determined to stop Victoria from marrying Ashland by hopefully digging up some dirt on Ashland, and he is determined to discover what Newman Media has in store for their company. Another squeal of joy escaped these lips when Nick caught Billy in the Newman suite right after Billy had opened the laptop. Billy admitted he'd been spying. After Nick escorted Billy back to the party, he warned Billy not to do anymore James Bond stuff. We all knew Billy wouldn't heed the warning. If he couldn't get the information he wanted one way, then he would try another, but in the meantime, he sulked. What surprised me was the fact that Lily was okay with everything Billy had done in his attempt to get information. Is she slowly stooping down to Billy's level?

Jack seems to be turning to Phyllis a lot lately, and she to him. I have to wonder whether the writers plan to reunite this couple. That would make my heart sing, and I would cry halleluiah! They never had a chance to get their marriage off the ground because Victor destroyed them. So, yes, I might be in the minority, but I would love to see them reunite, especially after the horror Victor put them through. These two brought out the best in each other, and I have always felt they were well suited for each other. Call me crazy!

Jack seems to be filling in time, rather than having a storyline. He is alone, lonely, and missing Kyle and Harrison. He has nothing else to focus on other than work. So, a love interest could be just the ticket for Jack. Jack has something to look forward to when Kyle and Summer return for a short visit. I wonder if this could be for a wedding. Phyllis, too, will be overjoyed to see them. In all honesty, I really wish they would bring this couple back on a permanent basis. Someday, my dream will come true, I hope.

After seeing the previews for next week, I am more convinced than ever that they are trying to reunite Jack and Phyllis. In the preview, Jack told Phyllis that he'd hoped to turn Sally into Phyllis. That speaks volumes.

Things appear to be looking up for Amanda. Michael is reinstating the charges against Sutton, and there is an impending court date for Sutton's trial for murder. Amanda is elated that she and Naya have grown closer. Amanda finally found her family. She also seems to have found a great love in Devon. I would have preferred her being with Nate or anyone else, only because she is Hilary's twin. Wouldn't Devon feel like he was sleeping with his dead wife? It just creeps me out, but they seem to be in tune with each other, so who am I to throw cold water on this relationship?

Is Victoria starting to have doubts about Ashland's intentions? She certainly didn't look pleased when Ashland showed her the drawing of the tower he wanted to build next to the Newman tower, with the Newman name on one and Locke on the other. That seemed to bother her. I find it odd that Victoria hates that Victor is investigating Ashland's past. Why? She barely knows anything about Ashland. Wouldn't she want to know if there was something dark in his past, especially since he really hasn't said much of any anything about his life.

I am really starting to wonder if Ashland is playing Victoria and the Newmans. Despite Victor's assurance to Ashland that he wouldn't have let Ashland die and that he only wanted Ashland's signature on the Cyaxares document, I don't believe Ashland believes it. I want to know; how would Victor know at what point Ashland would be in danger of dying before he called the paramedics. I don't think Ashland is going to let Victor's actions slide. Being with Victoria might be Ashland's plan to take Newman Enterprises away from Victor and leave him broke. Perhaps he is using Victoria to that end. That is just speculation on my part. Ashland comes across as being deeply in love with Victoria, so I could be way out in left field for suspecting him. I guess we will have to wait and see if Ashland has a nefarious plan in the works or not.

What is going on with Billy? He has been pushing really hard to dig up information about Ashland's past. Why? Is he searching for something because he wants a story, or is Billy pining for Victoria? Is this a case of "If I can't have her, no one can?" My guess is yes. Billy left Victoria because she didn't support him in his self-destructive ways. Does he want her back again? I think he does, but Billy needs to move on.

Lily has been such a good match for Billy, and he admitted it. She anticipates what he is up to and what he will do next, and in her quiet and gentle way, she makes him see that some of his actions aren't a good idea. It seems he can't let go of Victoria, but he still wants Lily. Billy is playing with fire, and Victoria is going to be a big issue between him and Lily.

Whether you agree or disagree with my opinions, I hope you have enjoyed my views and ramblings. I would love to read your comments and opinions and for you to offer your own thoughts. Until next time, stay safe!Nel

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