If you expect straight shooters, upfront truth-tellers, and honest brokers, don't move to Genoa City. As this past week proved, there are very few characters that know from right and wrong, or if they do, they choose to ignore it. However, there are many, many more folks who live in the shades of gray territory.
Trust is one of those concepts that seems forever shifting among these characters. On one hand, I fully respect and appreciate that Jack told Victor about Nikki's MS, even though she'd trusted him to keep her ailment a secret. Technically, Jack had not promised to keep Nikki's health crisis confidential, but she still had trusted him to let her choose when to tell Victor.
Instead of doing what Nikki wanted, Jack told Victor the hard truth and left it to Nikki to deal with the outcome. That was kind of crappy on Jack's part, but at least his heart was in the right place. Fortunately, Victor reacted as I expected. He's going to do whatever it takes to keep Nikki alive and as comfortable as possible. He'll move heaven and earth for her, and so will her children.
Now, why Nikki thought it was the right thing to do to keep Victor out of the loop is beyond me. See, this is a classic case of the double standard in action. Nikki would want to know if Victor had a serious illness, but she doesn't realize that he's deserving of the same courtesy.
Nikki has been with Victor for so many years, on and off and on again, that she should have shared the information about her MS with him as soon as she received the diagnosis. What does it say about their relationship if she cannot count on his unconditional love and support during the tough times? While I'm well aware of Victor's faults, you can't accuse him of not being Nikki's most ardent advocate. He went to prison for her to cover her killing Diane Jenkins when she was drunk out of her mind. If he can handle her alcoholism and occasional relapses, he surely can handle her MS.
It looks like truth has "left the building" in Michael and Lauren's marriage, at least on her side. I was really furious to see Lauren walk out on Michael over the Fen situation. If she wants to make sure her marriage endures, she needs to stay and fight. It's just too obvious that the real reason that she's left Michael is that her mind is on Carmine. She's lusting after the guy because he's been making her feel special. Lauren wants to take their relationship to the next level. That kiss in the lobby of the Athletic Club just lit her flame.
Lauren has used Michael's issues with Fen as an excuse to indulge a middle-aged woman's fantasy. Carmine is a hot, hunky Rocky type, and she's intrigued. She's ready to be a cougar. To me, it's out of character based on the lady she's been the past few years, but maybe it's reverting to type. Lauren had been a wild thing as a young woman, so maybe she's reliving her youth?
But did you notice Fen's reaction when he went home and discovered that Michael was still there but mom was not? He was devastated. Oh, Michael shaded the truth by saying that Lauren was giving Fen and Michael a chance to mend their differences, but Fen had no interest in a détente with his father. And if you ask me, Fen probably feels abandoned by his mother.
Lauren didn't even think about Fen when she told Michael she was getting a room at the Club. Lauren didn't even bother to speak with Fen before packing a suitcase. What kind of a loving mother does that? Lauren has characterized herself as the mother of the year, the perfect parent who had complete faith in Fen not being capable of pushing Jamie off the roof. But would a perfect parent walk out on her kid without a word? Still, while Michael beats himself up for having doubts about Fen, Lauren has no guilt at all for leaving her family.
Cane believes that he's an honest man, someone who is completely open and truthful. In his mind, he's completely transparent. But if that were the case, why can't he see that his fascination with Chelsea is just as duplicitous as Lily's dealings with Tyler? Cane's attitude about Lily and Tyler is a complete double standard. It's okay for him to spend hours propping up Chelsea, feeding her ego, metaphorically holding her hand, but Lily getting caught in an elevator with Tyler is infidelity!
Don't get me wrong, however. I don't like or trust Tyler. I do think he's a player and has designs on Lily. And I think Lily is too smart to respond to Tyler's flirting with coy smiles and girlish giggles. She's done very little to slow Tyler's roll until she finally gave him the "we're not friends; we're colleagues" speech. But that might have been too little too late.
For all the sexy nights they spend at the Athletic Club, Lily and Cane's marriage is tenuous at best. I don't believe that the two of them are nearly as committed to sticking together as they seem. It's like they try too hard. They go through the motions, but essentially, they don't really trust each other. Looking ahead, I can envision Cane becoming much too involved in Chelsea's pregnancy, which she'll ask him to keep secret, and that will distance Cane from Lily. It's not a good situation.
It's hard to fathom the way some women think. Take Chelsea. She needs to tell Adam about the baby. Yes, I agree that she's been terribly hurt by Adam and had her heart broken when she saw Sharon at his house the night of the storm. However, is it really fair for her to not tell him about the pregnancy? It's not only her baby; it's his, too. He's the father. Considering her background, her horrible childhood without a father to guide her, doesn't she owe it to her unborn baby to include Adam in the equation?
Double standards aren't the only form or duplicity in Genoa City. Take Jack's interest in Phyllis. Instead of just being honest about wanting another chance to have a romantic relationship with her, Jack is playing games. Phyllis is also not being straight, because while she says she only wants to be good buddies with Jack, she keeps leading him on.
You know how Phyllis could dissuade Jack in an honest way? Go out with another man. Phyllis could sit herself down at the Athletic Club bar and get picked up in less than ten minutes. Assuming she's over Nick -- a big assumption, I know -- Phyllis should be back out in the dating pool. Her passivity is sending Jack a message that she's waiting for him to go and get her!
Marcus is the ultimate double dealer, but then he's a politician. What do we expect? What's bizarre about this congressman, however, is that he's working alone. Maybe its just economics, but how many politicians have you ever seen depicted in television or movies who don't have a sidekick or henchman to insulate him/her from the public?
Marcus is a one-man band. He goes all over Genoa City, bullying Leslie, nosing around in other people's business, and threatening Victor. Seems very weird to me, although if we find out that he killed Leslie and Tyler's mother and pinned it on their father, that might explain a lot.
A few weeks ago, it seemed likely that Katherine was beginning to show signs of memory loss. Now it seems her good senses have also been compromised with her impulsive invitation to have Adriana become her assistant. Really? Is that the best the writers could do to justify not having Adriana fly out of Wisconsin to parts unknown?
Presumably, Alex and Adriana were added to the show to add some diversity, and there's nothing wrong with that. However, Adriana is not to be trusted, and it didn't add up that Kay would be so ready, willing, and able to bring her into the fold. Yes, I know that Kay has a history of taking in kids who need a break, but at this point in her life, it just seems like a foolish -- and possibly dangerous -- development.
Speaking of Kay, what is going on with her company? Is she still running Chancellor Industries? Is anyone? Jill? What happened to Kay realizing that she needed someone to take over for her? I guess we can file that in the category of dropped storylines.
Adriana's stolen money scam also came to an abrupt finale. She returned the duffel bag to Alex, and that was it. Of course, he lost his job with the NYPD over the entire thing, and Kevin and Chloe's lives were turned upside down by their trying to steal the stolen funds, but it looks like it was all just an exercise in futility. What a disappointment. Are Kevin and Chloe going to be able to keep their home? Good question.
Jamie's story came to a close this past week. On one hand, I was really relieved that Jamie had successfully failed to kill himself. When he was up on the roof and standing on the ledge, I really feared that Paul wouldn't be able to convince him not to jump. After all, the truth of the matter is that many kids who are the victims of bullying do wind up committing suicide. Fortunately, Paul was the right person to talk Jamie off the ledge.
On the other hand, I'm very dissatisfied with the fact that the real culprits in the story, Summer and Fen, got off with a slap on the wrist. Summer got a lecture from Phyllis that culminated with Phyllis hugging and kissing her daughter. Phyllis drooled all over Summer as if she were the world's best daughter! To me, Summer was hateful and vindictive, and has cried crocodile tears about her responsibility for inciting Jamie's trauma. She should have been severely punished, but neither Nick nor Phyllis has done a damn thing.
Fen may have suffered a few hours in a holding cell, but then he hadn't done anything to convince Michael that he did not push Jamie off the roof. Fen let everyone believe that he was guilty, and Michael did the responsible thing as a parent and as a D.A. by pursuing the case. But when it was all said and done, Fen learned absolutely nothing from this experience. He was never punished for bullying Jamie, nor was he punished for framing Jamie with the stolen money and trinket box. He got off scot-free.
Fen was never grounded nor did he lose his car or the privilege of staying on the swim team. Life went on for Fen like he'd done nothing wrong. And to make matters worse, Michael succumbed to Lauren's guilt trip, and he apologized to Fen. Then Jamie apologized to Fen. What? Why should anyone apologize to Fen, considering that he was in the wrong? The way things have played out, Fen has learned absolutely nothing from this storyline.
I've lost so much respect for Michael. He's coming off as weak and ineffectual. His been begging Fen to forgive him, but that's just driving Fen further away. Michael should be standing up for what he did. He was worried about Fen's future and acted like a responsible parent. Did he go too far by letting Fen get booked? Maybe, but he shouldn't be kicking himself over what he did because he was acting in good faith.
Michael is also looking like a complete shmuck with Lauren. He's been such a romantic sap to her for so long that he is oblivious to the fact that she's on the verge of cheating on him. Can't he see that she's drifted away? Again, all he does is beg her to stay and apologize for his every decision. Come on! Be a man and stop letting Lauren set the agenda! You can only imagine how demeaning it will be for Michael when he discovers that Lauren has been making him feel so small while she's been letting herself get sucked into a cheap fling with Carmine.
Is it possible that the Avery-Nick-Dylan triangle is the one combination that has no double-dealing going on? I think so. All the principals are doing their best to be straight and sincere. Dylan might be accused of having shaded the truth when he first arrived in Genoa City, letting people think he was Mac, but was that really such a big sin? He was in a tough spot.
Since then, Dylan's stepped up as a good guy, albeit with a troubled history. Whatever happened to him in Afghanistan has left a deep psychological wound. Kudos to the show for the flashback showing Dylan and Sully in combat. It's rare that a soap gets a scene like that executed so realistically. Something tells me it won't be the only time we see scenes from that battlefield tragedy.
Finally, a word about Victoria and Billy. It was lovely to see them recommit to their marriage. Billy's words to Victoria, saying that every time he marries her, he falls more in love with her, were beautiful. That's great soap romance. We can only hope that these two can hold on to the love and keep Victor from destroying what they've got going.
So what was my pet peeve of the week? Did Mason really think that he could have a clandestine meeting with Victor Newman at the Athletic Club bar and nobody would notice? If Victor really wanted to keep Mason as his Newman Enterprises' mole, he should never have met with him in public.
That does it for the week that was, friends. Before I go, a quick programming note, so to speak. I was a guest in the second half of Soap Central Live last week. If you'd like to hear what I had to say -- and to hear what other soap fans were talking about -- click here. I'll leave you with some of your comments from the past week, and remember to email Nita and me at soapcentral.com with your thoughts, ideas, and soap "fixes" for The Young and the Restless. And keep on reading Two Scoops every week!
Best,
Allison
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