But in Genoa City last week, instead of the thin line separating love and hate, it was guilt and innocence on either side of that long, squiggly line.
For once, the serve and protectors of law and order got it right. Sort of. In an unusual departure from the past, like the Mounties, the Genoa City Police have actually managed to get their man. Unfortunately, they've got the right man but have charged him with the wrong crime. Still, I'll take that scenario over the alternative -- weeks of Daniel and Phyllis angrily and annoyingly crying foul. A few days of Phyllis draped over her son like a cloak, or baying at the moon, or in this case, Michael, was more than enough for this fan, and I was thrilled to see that part of the story brought to a quick close.
Whether you're a fan or foe of Genoa City residents, there was much to enjoy about the week's offerings. I tip my hat and lift my goblet to The Young and the Restless crew. They definitely brought their A-game to the sound stage for this one.
For fans of Paul, who have been clamoring for a nice, juicy storyline for him, Christmas has come early. And I'm guessing Paul didn't disappoint a single one of his fans. He was completely believable in his tears, grief, remorse, confusion, and astonishment when he learned the knife was missing. And finally, his quiet resignation that the circumstantial evidence pointed more to his guilt than his innocence. The scene of Paul's tearful attempt to tell Isabella what had happened to their son was an unexpected, but nice touch. By the way, wasn't it so like Paul that he didn't for a second even consider flinging Lauren, the owner of the illegal gun he shot Ricky with, beneath the wheels of the bus to save himself?
Okay, so we all know how this will eventually play out. I don't think I'm stranding myself on a rickety limb by presuming Paul will escape punishment for saving Eden so she could meddle in someone else's life someday. In fact, maybe Paul should hire her as one of his junior detectives. Because this isn't the first time her gut instincts and sleuthing abilities have been right on target. Had Lauren taken her suspicions about Daisy seriously, she never would have wound up captive in a cage. I expect Eden will eventually remember enough of what happened while she was conscious to substantiate at least part of Paul's version of events. I can wait.
Speaking of Lauren, I guess I applauded too quickly when she confessed her part in this convoluted plot to Michael. There I was, reaching to thump her enthusiastically on the back for her courage. But my hand fell just short of the screen when she just as quickly let her District Attorney-husband talk her right out of it. Michael, Michael, Michael. Even as he swears to uphold the very letter of the law, he still always finds a little room to bend it when it comes to his family. I guess some things will never change. As for Lauren, it was somewhat disappointing that she wasn't willing to do for her good friend and former husband what he so clearly had already done for her. As Gomer Pyle used to say: "shame, shame, shame."
Heather's reaction to her brother's fate and her father's involvement was nicely done as well. She didn't know or even much like her brother, but, her tears and grief that he had died that way were believable. So far, I like this new Heather, although I was one of the fans who liked the former portrayer as well.
I'm looking forward to what's ahead for Heather in the romance department. I expect she will be paired with various Genoa City men to see if any heat can be detected. Maybe it was my imagination, but I thought I heard some crackling during her brief conversation with Ronan. Other fans think she might be a suitable match for Daniel. I don't see that yet because even with Lucy in his life, Daniel often still seems very much a boy. Heather needs a grown-up man, and Ronan is definitely that.
By the way, a big welcome back to Ronan. I was sorry to see him go and had been rooting for a longer-lasting romance between him and Phyllis. He managed to bring out Phyllis' vulnerable soft side just by looking at her or, with some straight, no-nonsense talking, and seemed more her equal. I know Phyllis' fans love her with Nick, but even with all the two have experienced, they still seem a mismatch to me. It's annoying when Phyllis goes all little-girl and helpless around Nick, because that is not who she has ever been, and it just seems fake. It's hard to explain, but with Phyllis, Nick often seems insubstantial somehow, like he's not quite sure how to handle her. It's just my opinion but Phyllis definitely seems the stronger person in that relationship, and unfortunately, that's not a good look for Nick.
But, it is what it is. Despite what I think, Phyllis and Nick are here to stay, at least for now, so something else will have to be done with Ronan if he's going to stick around, and I certainly hope he does. This town is definitely in dire need of some fresh man meat. Ronan is the kind of man who has this sensuous aura, and would probably be good with any of the Genoa City ladies. Especially since that block of wood that used to sit prominently on his shoulder has been whittled down to a much smaller chip.
Back to the shooting for a moment. While I am enjoying the way this is playing out, I couldn't help but giggle at a couple of things. The first one being, of course, the missing knife. We saw Ricky tumble out of that window with Michael's Myer's (from the Halloween movie) knife clutched firmly in his left hand. Presumably, no one came along and snatched it away, so it has to be somewhere. Since he was flying through the air, it could have sailed away in any direction. It might have fallen down a sewer grate or even be caught in the leaves of a nearby tree.
The second source of my amusement was the club's video footage. Just one time, I would like the footage to capture everything that happens outside a room, instead of only the part that makes an accused look guilty. Where was the camera pointing when Eden returned to the room and convinced the housekeeper to let her back inside? And why didn't the housekeeper mention this small fact in her conversation with the police? Also, why did the camera record Paul coming to the room, but didn't show Eden never leaving it? I know, I know, if all of the above occurred, there would be no story to tell, so I'm okay with the implausibilities.
While the shooting and its aftermath were a big part of the week's events, there were plenty of other interesting developments taking place around town as well.
For instance, Abby finally decided to come clean and admit to her mother that her alleged kidnapping was all a big, fat joke. Unfortunately for Abby, however, it turned out that part of the joke was on her immature behind. Of course, we all know in the end Abby and Carmine will likely receive nothing much more than a tiny slap on the wrist, one that will contain no real sting. It might take a few days, maybe even a whole week, but eventually Newman-Abbott money will be tossed at the problem until it magically fades away. Will Abby learn anything from her latest bid for attention? It's highly doubtful.
The laugh out loud moment for this fan came with Nikki's comment about Abby. "Typical Abby," Nikki says in that slightly snooty tone she frequently adopts. "Thinking only of herself!" After my final snort of laughter, I caught my breath and asked Nikki's frozen likeness (I had paused the DVR so my obnoxious braying didn't block out any important dialogue), so how the heck is Abby any different from the rest of you? All of you Genoa Citians (except Paul) think only of yourselves.
The week contained some great family moments. The celebration at Kay's was nice and reminded me of the days when family members actually liked each other and weren't constantly ripping at one another's throats. This was the type of family dynamics that got me hooked on this show in the first place.
Devon used the family time to grant full and absolute forgiveness to his imperfect parents and grandmother, and finally recited every word fans have been trying to put into his judgmental mouth for months. Sophia was a class act, urging the man who couldn't return her love to waste no time going after Harmony. It was all definitely an "awww" moment for sappy me.
Okay, I admit I did giggle a bit uncontrollably when Ashley angrily told a still-trying-to-atone-Harmony there was no coming back from sleeping with her husband. I guess she's forgotten about the way her then best bud, Olivia, sampled her Brad treat. All was eventually forgiven, and the best friends re-bonded. Ashley and Harmony were not friends, but it proves that in Genoa City, never doesn't always last forever.
The McCall-Chancellor-Winters families might have healed from their wounds, but the same certainly can't be said about the Newman clan. Victor and Jack celebrated Independence Day, trading insults. Nikki ineffectually tried to shut Victor up, but was shut down instead. And poor, poor Sharon was scribe-regulated to the sidelines, serving as little more than a prop for Victor.
Unfortunately for Sharon, I don't think things will be looking up for her anytime soon. Adam's engagement to Chelsea is just another nail in her coffin. In a way, her former life has been usurped by Phyllis. Phyllis and Nick have now lost a child, just as Sharon and Nick did, and their remaining child has been rapidly aged into a somewhat sassy teen (sort of like Cassie). And now Phyllis is the nice woman everyone likes, while Sharon has become the town pariah. Does it seem a little like the two women's lives have been switched, or it that just a conspiracy theory on my part?
It would really be nice to see the Newman family start to make their way back to a semblance of how they used to be together. But Victoria's reaction to Adam's engagement to Chelsea made it clear that isn't going to happen anytime soon. I thought Victoria was way over the top and just plain nasty in her comments to Adam and Chelsea. I don't expect her to have any love for Chelsea, given what she tried to do to her marriage, but Victor deserves a large share of the blame for that as well. And Chelsea did give up all rights to her son. If I were Chelsea, I don't know that I would have been able to turn over my child to a woman who hated me so much she would be unlikely to have anything good to say about me.
I am very interested in all the possible scenarios that could take place as a result of Chelsea joining the Newman family and becoming an aunt to her own child. Will she one day want him back? And will Adam support her? One thing about it, this family tree is so convoluted, it should provide years of storyline fodder.
Another family I will be watching closely is Cane and Lily's. The week's reveal that Cane and Samantha had secret nicknames for each other only they knew about seems to make it even more likely that Samantha may not be dead after all. If she is alive, then apparently Cane wasn't the only one who took on another identity to distance herself from her felonious family. We've already guessed that Samantha is possibly the person who might have drained Genevieve's account. But wasn't Samantha her mother's pride, joy, and reason for living? So why would Samantha want to steal from her, unless it's her way of stealing from her father? And if Cane was her favorite brother and protector, would she want to torment him with gifts to his twins? If the toys were from Samantha, I'm guessing she was just sending Cane a clue and didn't mean anything sinister by them.
With Daisy's death, it would seem Phyllis has once again managed to sidestep any punishment for her long-ago crime. Daniel, the only other person Phyllis thinks knows what she did, was only concerned about how Daisy's tattling on Phyllis would hurt his chance at Lucy. In fact, instead of dwelling on the crime and its cover-up, the two were more intent on making it clear each would be okay if the other had permanently done away with the Daisy threat. That Chris and Paul could have died was seemingly of little consequence. Not that Daniel's reaction should have surprised me. This is the same man who once thought it a great plan to convince a naïve, young girl to believe she was about to be sexually assaulted. What a prince!
But things may not be as they appear. A clue that Phyllis may not yet be out of the woods was Lauren's comment and obvious revulsion for the kind of person who would sit down and actually plan someone's death. Other indications exist as well. For example, Ricky's incriminating research of Phyllis on paper and on his computer. Plus, Nina, the investigative-type writer, and Chris, crackerjack Department of Justice attorney, have just returned to town. Coincidence? I guess we will see. Even Phyllis has shown a little nervousness, perhaps not completely convinced herself that her dirt will remain hidden under the rug.
But if it happens, will outing Phyllis' crimes really amount to anything? After all, this is Phyllis we're talking about. A woman who has repeatedly and almost instantly been forgiven by everyone for everything she's ever done, no matter how nasty or unfair.
So why would I think this time would be any different, or that she would actually lose anything of value? I would expect that when and if all is revealed, Phyllis might be ostracized for an episode or two, maybe even three, but eventually, her loyal entourage will likely fall back into line and resume their worship at her imperfect feet. Gee, I can hardly wait!
Well, that's the end of this week's opinion piece. Until we meet again, I trust you'll enjoy perusing the opinions of your fellow fans. And don't forget that you can always send your thoughts -- and they might end up appearing in a future column!
