Nothing like a few flashbacks and some characters you haven't seen for years to make you feel all warm and fuzzy about your favorite soap opera, right? That's how it was this past week with the Danny and Cricket reunion, Dr. Tim mooning and moaning about Phyllis, even Noah and Eden stirring up the waters of their past romance. It was all kind of nice and familiar, and after the previous week when we mourned the anniversary of Cassie's death, it seems like The Young and the Restless has been embracing the past like a drowning victim hanging onto a life raft.
What's going on? Is there really so little new for the current cast that the answer is to harvest what's left of the hot dramas from years gone by? I'm not sure; what do you think? Is this just a fun, nostalgic time for our Genoa City friends, or something else more desperate? I'm inclined to think it's the former.
However, in the case of Phyllis and her crimes against Christine, her manipulation of Tim, and her obsession with Danny, there was something off-kilter about the whole thing. First, it was hard to believe her still-fiery feelings about Danny and Chris when Phyllis has clearly moved on with Nick and shouldn't give a damn about their hot sex at the Athletic Club. Phyllis is having her own hot times with a man who truly loves her. Danny never did. So Phyllis' antagonistic attitude towards Danny just played all wrong, as does her ongoing hatred for Chris. Wasn't it enough that she tried to kill Cricket with a car? Does she still need to snipe at her in every encounter?
The scenes with Ricky and Tim were fascinating if only to see how Phyllis had truly destroyed the psychiatrist's once stellar career. Showing Tim now living in a dumpy apartment, surrounded by cartons of case files, changing into a security guard uniform to go to his job at an industrial plant because he was no longer allowed to be a therapist, was brilliant. It was proof that Phyllis had been a shark who'd devoured a little fish named Tim Reid. She'd taken all she needed from his carcass and left him to die, a shell of his former self.
Of course, it was also an extremely convenient plot device to have all the patient files right there so that Ricky could swipe the Phyllis Romalotti file and begin finding all the skeletons in her closet. Considering how evil Phyllis has always been, could she really be so oblivious to the fact that Ricky is a dangerous man? Avery tried to warn her, and so has Paul. Still, for whatever reason, Phyllis thinks she's capable of handling Ricky and has taken no precautions. She's setting herself up to be skewered, which may be precisely what many fans of the show desire.
For too many years, Phyllis has gotten away with all her crimes and shenanigans, yet somehow she lands on her feet. Look at just the past couple of years -- the entire Daisy-Lucy situation. If you were Nick, would you have forgiven Phyllis for breaking Victoria's heart when she took Lucy away from Billy and Victoria? If you were Lauren, would you have forgotten that Phyllis chose to use her power to free Daisy, the woman who'd put you in a cage and taunted you like an animal and left you to die?
How do you forgive and forget that kind of activity? And yet, Nick is ready to marry Phyllis again. And Billy has accepted that Phyllis trashed his authority at the magazine by printing stories that he vetoed. How could he have rehired Phyllis? Doesn't anybody hold a grudge against this woman? Lauren still quakes in fear about Daisy -- and nearly went to prison for brandishing a gun at her -- but she's all right with having Phyllis back in her life. It doesn't add up to me. Phyllis deserves to be ostracized, not appreciated and forgiven.
One thing about those Phyllis flashbacks, though; Michelle Stafford still looks amazing. She was gorgeous in those old episodes, and she still is. The same can be said for Doug Davidson and Lauralee Bell; they don't look worse for wear at all. Because I'm kind, I'll refrain from commenting on Michael Damian....Maybe if they had let him sing a number?
It looks like Michael Baldwin will be switching sides in the legal battles, having accepted the job as interim D.A. This is probably a wise storyline development, although what happens if Daisy is murdered and Lauren's the prime suspect? Methinks there will be a conflict of interest for Michael, don't you? But, presumably, we're going to get more legal action in the months to come because Jennifer Landon is on her way to play Heather Stevens, and Jeff Branson is coming back as Ronan. And with Yvonne Zima leaving as Daisy, perhaps as a victim of some horrible crime (I hope), they'll need some cops and lawyers to handle the action.
By the way, before I forget, what happened to Billy's reality television show built around Restless Style? Is that still happening? Did Jill arrive in Sydney in time for Philip's knee surgery? Is Harmony back at the mansion? Does Sarge have a wife and three kids we haven't heard about? Is that art gala going to happen? Who's running Beauty of Nature these days, or is it stuck in corporate limbo while the SEC and DOJ try to twist arms in the name of justice?
And exactly why is Noah home from New York...is he still writing music for Jabot? I thought it was interesting that Devon wasn't angry at Noah, even though Noah had walked out on Devon's label without any notice. Remember that? Inquiring minds are paying attention to these dangling plot points and wonder what's up. We want to know!
I was reading Nita's Two Scoops last week, and I have to agree with her. Paul's been a lousy parent. How can such a good guy have been such a rotten father? He hasn't even been decent to Heather! What happened to this guy? Paul's background is as wholesome as Richie Cunningham's.
Paul comes from a stable, solid Wisconsin family. Mom was a stay-at-home parent -- all milk and cookies -- and Dad was a cop. Paul's brother Todd became a priest, for goodness sake! Sure, Patty's a lunatic, but that wasn't Paulie's fault. Yet when it came time to step up and be a responsible, adult father to his offspring, Paul failed. That's unforgivable. While I'd like to sympathize with his angst about the kind of man Ricky seems to have become, it's deserved. Paul did nothing to teach Ricky to be a good man. Paul was an absentee dad.
The flip side of the Paul situation, the father in name only trope, are the two Romalotti men. Daniel has become Danny all over again. Like Danny, Daniel has married a woman he hates, a girl who trapped him, all for the sake of his child. Daniel may have been a reluctant father for much of Lucy's young life, but once Daisy gained full custody, he's acted in the best interest of his daughter. In doing so, he's pretty much sacrificed his freedom. And by forcing himself to have sex with Daisy when she basically demanded it, Daniel even had to swallow his pride and dignity. He's being abused by Daisy, but in his mind, he has no choice. It's really a tragic turn of events for a character that's truly been a free spirit.
Do you think we're going to finally find out what happened to Noah and Eden in Paris? They alluded to it recently when Noah acquiesced about moving into Eden's spare bedroom. Of course, they then agreed not to talk about Paris. Is that because Maria Arena Bell doesn't really know what happened in the City of Lights? You have to wonder....Maybe they committed murder together; you know, dumped a body in the Seine or shoved a guy off the Eiffel Tower? It must be something big, right?
Meanwhile, back at the Newman ranch, just when it looked like Victor and Sharon were on their way to a hot time -- fajitas and nookie! -- Victor took a call from Victoria. It wasn't surprising that Victoria would tell her father about how Sharon boinked Billy the night before his wedding to Chloe. After all, Sharon had purposely tried to hurt Victoria by dropping that little factoid on her at Gloworm. But I was surprised by Victor's radical reaction. So Sharon had a one-night stand with Billy -- so what? Sure, Victor despises Billy, but Sharon also had sex with Jack Abbott, whom Vic hates even more than Billy, time and time again when they were married! If Victor can't handle Sharon having had sex with Billy, why can he accept that she had it with Jack? It's not like Victor has any illusions about Sharon's sordid sexcapades; she's been between the sheets with a lot of men that Victor knows, including both his sons.
Yet when Vic got the call from little Victoria, he turned into a prig and told Sharon to leave the house. He wasn't even subtle about dismissing her. Well, excuse me, but who is Victor to pass judgment on Sharon? How many little cutie pies has he bedded just for the fun of it? Most recently he hopped into the sack with Genevieve just to make sure he got Beauty of Nature back. He's hardly a paragon of virtue. It would serve him right if Sharon came to her senses and ended their relationship -- this budding romantic one -- immediately. Sharon should be looking for a new man, not a Newman man.
It was nice to see Chris and Danny still have the spark, although it was a downer that he was leaving town almost instantly. Presumably Danny is such a successful rock star that he never stays in one place very long, but couldn't they have arranged for Cricket and Danny to set a date for a rendezvous in the year ahead? Wouldn't that have been romantic? Like a scene out of An Affair to Remember, which was then replicated in Sleepless in Seattle, they could have agreed to meet at the top of the Empire State Building on Valentine's Day. That would have given all us "hopeful" romantics watching the soaps something to cheer for, and also something for the writers to plan on!
For romance, I guess we have Jack and Nikki to watch, although they are a bit too experienced to be acting like they've just discovered sex. They've been married to each other before. Like I said in my last Two Scoops, Jack is just too enthusiastic about finding a lifemate. I think if Nikki turned him down, he was ready to propose to Mrs. Martinez! What's the all-fire hurry with Jack? Maybe he needs a visit from John's ghost to advise him to get out of the wheelchair first and then start thinking about his romantic future. But would Jack even listen? He's got his head so far in the clouds, with his engagement, getting some feeling in his toes, and possibly winning Beauty of Nature, that you just know there's a big fall coming. There's bound to be something bad to come after all this good; that's the nature of the soap opera story, right?
So are they writing Adam out of the show? I haven't been checking on the spoilers, but it certainly seems like he has nothing to do these days. Now that Chelsea's bartending at Jimmy's, Adam doesn't even have a playmate. Hmm... He can't go to work for Tucker because he double-crossed him. Katherine wouldn't hire him because of her loyalty to Victor. Jack and Ashley wouldn't trust him at Jabot... Would Victor give him yet another shot at Newman Enterprises? Doubtful. Maybe Adam does need to create his own corporation and start raiding these other Genoa City titans. He needs to get back in the game.
So that's it for this week. What do you think is going to happen? Is Ricky really a killer, and will Phyllis be his next victim? Will Victor reconsider his rejection of Sharon and ask her to go with him to Taco Bell for chulapas? Is Jack ever going to make it to the doctor's office to find out if he's getting the feeling back in his legs, or will he just have another pool party?
Best,
Allison
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