Well, before commencing the week in review, a note for those of you who haven't been reading the front page of Soap Central. The war is over and Eric Braeden has made peace with the powers that be at Y&R. Victor Newman is back and all's right with the world. At least in theory, because you guys all know that there's nothing completely right when Victor - the character - is involved. There's no more complicated, vexing and, dare I say, fascinating man in Genoa City. Therefore, we can all breathe easy knowing that Victor may have a new heart, Colleen's, but the face will continue to be Eric Braeden's!

One of the best things about Braeden staying is that there'll be continuity in all the story developments. Didn't you love the scene last week when Victor told Adam in no uncertain terms that Adam hadn't paid for his crimes, that he'd been coddled with house arrest, that he had not repaid Victor any of the money he owed him? Talk about putting Adam in his place! The anticipation of what Victor will do when he finds out that Faith is not his child, but his GRANDchild will be delicious. It may take years before the truth comes out, but it will come out.


I don't think it's going to take years, though. Here's what I see happening: Adam is falling in love with Sharon. Yeah, Adam! He's going to become more and more involved in her life and she's going to see him as an available, alternative to Nick. She'll convince herself to give Adam the second chance in life that she feels she's been given. Her good heart will go out to Adam and she'll be sucked in by his lies.

Have you noticed that Heather's no longer around? Watch Adam make Sharon his new project - that and destroying Victoria and Nick. But even Adam knows that the baby switch is a major screw up on his part. He acted impulsively and didn't plan it, so how could he have known that it was going to blow up in his face? If he really develops feelings for Sharon, he's going to want to give her back that baby.


By the way, if Y&R ever hopes to make it up to the fans, that baby is going to have to make it back into Sharon's arms. Fans - like my mother! - are furious. It's a wound that's really deep. A lot of people are ticked off every time they see Faith in Ashley's arms. It's just really, really wrong.


The Newman kids are quite a mess these days. Nick is happy with Phyllis, but he seems to still be in love with Sharon, too. The guy really loves them both. And I think Phyllis knows it, too. When she was talking with Jack at the christening, I got the impression that Phyllis has resigned herself to accepting Nick the way he is. The question is, what will Nick do if he sees Sharon befriending Adam, or maybe getting romantically involved with him? Nick will not be able to keep his emotions in check.


Then there's Victoria. Oy vey, what a disaster she's made of her marriage to J.T.! Even if she was jealous of his and Colleen, did that justify Victoria having sex with Deacon? And don't tell me that bedding Mr. Sharpe was part of the Terroni scam. Victoria's actions were reprehensible, and now she expects J.T. to be a lap dog of a husband and just do what she wants. I don't think so. J.T. has gumption and he wants to get off the leash. As for Deacon, who's pulling his strings? Now he has a new target to go after - why? Who's in charge?


As for Victor, now that he's out of the hospital - and out of Ashley's life! - it might seem like reconciling with Nikki is the logical thing to do. But is it really the best thing for Nikki? Even Katherine might tell Nikki not to jump back into that quicksand. Would life with Victor be exciting? Yes, sure, but she's been down that road multiple times before and crashed her car every single time. She has the scars to show for it.

By the way, speaking of scars, do you think Ashley has any stretch marks from her hysterical pregnancy? Maybe they were hysterical stretch marks to go along with the hysterical breast milk that she's not producing to feed her newborn. Hmm...I guess she hasn't noticed that. I think I would know if I was lactating or not. But Ashley, no, not a clue. Of course she's completely rational about everything now, but she doesn't seem curious about her own body. I don't get it. How dumb do the writers think we are? But they do want us to appreciate Ashley for being strong and smart enough to stand up to Victor and get the ranch. That took some kind of nerve, don't you think? But she made a good point as far as raising her girls there, like Nick and Victoria were raised there. It was just very cold. Victor's a bastard, but to throw him out of his home just when he's getting over heart transplant surgery? Brrr.

On the Abbott front, I guess the idea of Billy at Restless Style could be interesting. But you know what, running a magazine is not just something you wake up one day and decide to do. Unless you're on a soap opera and everything just happens. In the real world, magazines are dying. Everywhere you look, big name magazines with years of tradition - like Gourmet Magazine - are stopping publication. The idea that Restless Style is thriving, a fashion oriented magazine based in Wisconsin, is ludicrous. Never mind that it's not Paris or New York or Los Angeles, it's a frigging publication that would be in the red for years and years and years. Billy sinking a fortune into it makes no sense at all... except that this is a soap opera and it'll be more interesting to have Billy and Chloe working together.

Jack has his own troubles now that Kay has put Jill back in co-charge of Jabot. It's almost like Mrs. Chancellor did it just for her amusement, you know, to see how long it'll take before they kill each other. I feel bad for Jack. He has this dream of Jabot that really doesn't exist anymore. Maybe he does need a visit from John to get him to move on. I know Jack's tried other things in the past, but seriously, some dreams don't come true.

What do you know about Patty and Emily! It's like they're twins. Remember The Patty Duke Show, with Patty and her twin cousin Cathy? This is The Patty Williams Show, only Patty and Emily aren't related...not even a little bit. Creative casting ploy, I'd say. Will it really be weird if Paul falls in love with Emily? Yes, I think it will be.


Here are some recent letters from the e-mailbag:

o I hate Adam and Phyllis and The Young & the Restless. - Kellis N.

o No, no, no - I don't want Eric Braeden back! Why oh why did they do this? After the way he mouthed off to all the press, Sony is stupid to take him back. This is The Young & the Restless, not the old and the decrepit -- wake up! - Alice

Your comments are always welcomed at Soap Central, so stay in touch. And be sure to read us daily for the latest news, scoops and more!

Best,
Allison

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