Wednesday's child is said to be full of woe, and though many of the children of Genoa City might fit that description, the man-child I'm referring to this week is Ricky Williams.
Genoa City never seems to go very long without a villain lurking menacingly in its midst. Clearly, 2012 is not going to be the year that breaks the cycle. I'm just thankful the monster is no longer Adam.
When the news first began circulating that the long-missing, now fully grown, Ricky would soon be relocating to Genoa City, I doubt a single fan expected him to arrive with arms open to embrace his deadbeat dad. We were not disappointed.
Not only does Ricky despise Paul for abandoning him to the questionable care of grandparents who could conceivably be as cuckoo as the daughter they conceived, he pretty much hates everyone else as well. But, of all the people on Ricky's long list of those he hates, Phyllis is the name underlined so many times, a jagged hole has been ripped in the page.
I understand why Ricky's so fixated on Phyllis, but only to a point. Yes, Phyllis went behind his back and trashed Heather in print just because she could. But it's not as if Ricky actually cared a whit for his sister. But later, Phyllis secretly gave Ricky access to Restless Style to post his tell-all about Nikki's involvement in Diane's murder, news Phyllis wanted the world to know, but didn't want attributed to her. She got away with that one, by the way -- just another scorched tidbit failing to adhere to her Teflon surface. Finally, when Phyllis had no more use for Ricky's shenanigans, she warned him not to let the doorknob hit him where .... well, you know where. Did I feel any sympathy for Ricky? Of course not. The arrogant user got used, and his firing was well-deserved.
Having said that, however, I'm sure I will enjoy what is to come, though I have a sinking feeling that when the dust clears, Phyllis will be standing before us, her exterior even more blindingly whitewashed than it already is. Still, I can't wait to see some of her alleged crimes brought out into the light of day and explained. However short-lived her comeuppance might turn out to be, I will savor every second of her fidgeting uncomfortably on the unpadded hot seat of karma.
As for Ricky, while he has been somewhat entertaining, I don't like him, and I won't be shedding any tears the day he's carted off to spend his remaining days in the same institution his insane mother calls home.
On the other hand, I would like to be able to say I feel Paul's pain, but, alas, I don't. I know he's supposed to be one of the good guys in Genoa City, but as a parent, well, he just plain sucks. You would think he would have learned a thing or two after failing to be any kind of a father to Heather. Instead, when Ricky came along, he behaved the exact same way, passing off his parental obligation to someone else. So I have no patience with his sad-faced regret that comes way too late and means far too little.
What's love got to do with it? That's the Tina Turner tune that keeps playing incessantly in my foolish mind every time I peek through my fingers and spot Victor and Sharon coming toward me. Love apparently has nothing whatsoever to do with anything, judging from the way these two are approaching their potential pairing. From the looks on their faces and their less-than-enthusiastic conversation, it seems as if they're contemplating a business partnership rather than a romantic relationship.
I join all other fans who find nothing to like in the unfortunate pairing of Victor and Sharon. If it's meant to be shocking or explosive, I don't find it so. In fact, it's not even remotely interesting. Victor's romantic overtures come across fatherly, and Sharon has completely failed to convince me she's at all interested in romancing the father of the two men she clearly still has feelings for. Victor doesn't love Sharon, or she him. The whole idea, in my opinion, is a huge failure, and should be scrapped before it gets any worse.
I'm no more enamored of Nikki and Jack's performance on the love field, either. I can't even believe Jack would push Nikki so hard to marry him in the first place. Nothing is supposedly wrong with his eyes or mind, yet he's apparently blind and dumb to the clear truth that Nikki is still in love with Victor. I guess I will never understand Jack's tendency to always go after women still in love with someone else. This is the second time he's done it with Nikki. And he behaved similarly with both Sharon and Phyllis. Ever the optimist, I guess Jack just loves to be in love, and it never takes him long to fall head over heels. Whether he's chasing after the love of a woman, or has gone cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs over a company he covets.
Love also has nothing at all to do with Daniel and Daisy, at least not where Daniel is concerned. As we all know, Daisy will not be gracing us with her dysfunctional presence much longer. I have no idea how she will be done away with. It's possible she will be forced to slink out of town, Lucy-less, if Ricky spills the beans on her small part in the plot he put in motion to discredit Daniel. Maybe she will take her baby and disappear, much like her mother did before her. Or maybe she will be 2012's murder victim.
Where will Daisy's absence leave Daniel? As a single dad, perhaps? Whatever her many other faults, I liked Daisy's devotion to Lucy once she regained custody. While she might have been faking it, she convinced me she has grown to adore her daughter, just as I believed Daniel had been bitten by that same love bug. At least I believed that until I saw him get Daisy drunk, and then leave his daughter alone with a passed-out mother. Because of that, and also due to Daniel's many selfish acts over the years, I don't have a very high opinion of this irresponsible young man.
Speaking of low opinions, Devon needs to dismount from that high horse he's perched upon before he falls down and breaks his judgmental little crown. I completely agree with fan Nancy (below). Like his father, Devon, too, had a woman walk in and catch him in the throes of sweaty infidelity. So he needs to stop throwing stones before someone tosses one back and breaks every pane in his glass house.
As for Harmony, enough already with the groveling and self-flagellation. Yes, she messed up by closing her eyes and pretending Tucker was Neil, but by the end of the week, I was weary of all that apologizing. After all, this is Genoa City, where infidelity is the norm, not the exception.
Sofia, all I can say is: "you go girlfriend." And I mean that both figuratively and literally. I'm so proud of her for finally giving up on that loveless marriage. Nobody should be content with being someone's option, while making that person their priority. I read that somewhere, on a fortune cookie, or in a circulating e-mail or something, and thought this was as good a time as any to borrow it. It will be interesting to see if Neil's feelings change once Sofia and Moses leave his daily life. Especially if Harmony turns her eyes in another direction -- like toward Sarge.
I loved, loved, loved Noah this week. He was such a breath of nonjudgmental fresh air with his reaction to his parents' constant mate changes and the half and whole siblings that resulted from their back and forth. This is the side of Noah I like best and most admire. He shows a maturity level far beyond his parents. Of all the youthful set, he's the most interesting of the lot. Will we ever know what happened between him and Eden? If given a choice, I'd choose that backstory over a snarky Carmine being underwhelmed by poor little rich girl, Abby.
Speaking of the mean girls, plus Kevin and Kyle, was I the only fan rolling my eyes while Chloe and Abby regressed to high-school behavior with their cutting comments and loud-enough-to-be-heard insults of Chelsea? Besides, who is Chloe to point an accusing finger, anyway, when what she did with Cane was not so dissimilar to Chelsea's actions.
Last, but not least, I'll end with the Cassie moments. The visits to Cassie's grave were nicely done. Absent all meanness, fighting, and hatred, the connecting moment between Nick and Sharon was enjoyable. No mention of Sharon or Jack marred the brief connection between Victor and Nikki, and the newly self-assured Phyllis refused to throw even one derogatory dart at Sharon's image. Jack was even allowed to attend the impromptu gathering at Sharon's.
I know many fans have gotten tired of the yearly Cassie tribute. But even though I hated to see her killed off, her heart-wrenching departure is right up there at the top of my list of favorite Y&R moments over my many years of Genoa City-watching. Although there were none of the expected flashbacks, that was okay, because after the show, I chased down the YouTube videos and cried all over again with Nick and Sharon as Cassie flat-lined. Those moments, and others equally affective over the years, are the reasons I continue to tune in and why I got hooked on this show in the first place.
Yes, I know change is inevitable. My favorite Genoa Citians are getting older, even if many of them barely look it. I know the older have to step aside to make room for their younger counterparts. I can take the rapid aging in stride, though sometimes the aging is a little more rapid than I think is necessary. All I ask, scribes, is that if you're going to age them and force them upon us, well, the least you can do is make them as interesting as the characters they're meant to replace. If you do that, I can guarantee that we loyal soap fans will be here until the final credit on the very last show has rolled past our weeping eyes.
That's about all I'm going to dish about. Until my return to this space, I trust you'll enjoy reading what some of your fellow fans thought about Genoa City things. And don'r forget that you can always send your thoughts -- and they might end up appearing in a future column!
