You sure have to hand it to the Y&R writers to pen stories that have the fans talking again...or should I say yelling? The outrage over the way they are writing Sharon's character has not even died down yet, and now the fans are also very verbally unhappy with Melanie's false rape accusation against Adam. I can't say that I blame them, because rape is such a serious crime. It's hard enough for a rape victim to get a conviction against her or his attacker anyway, and false accusations stack the odds even more against getting justice for legitimate claims of rape.
However, the Y&R writers seem to acknowledge this. After Adam asked his attorney, Leslie, if she thought he "did it," she "adam-antly" (pun intended) replied, "No, I don't think you committed rape. I do think you angered the wrong person, and as an attorney, and as a woman, when someone falsely cries rape, it's an insult to real victims who have been violated." We can only hope that the writers do not let Melanie get away with this, because it would be a slap to the persons who have actually suffered through this heinous crime.
But is it a realistic storyline in today's world that a woman would get even with a man that she felt did her wrong by accusing him of rape? Of course, it is. Sad to say, and as much as we may hate it, false rape accusations happen all the time, which makes it difficult for the real victims of rape to be believed. So this story reflects developments that actually occur in these modern times. We, as fans, can only hope that the results will prove to be satisfying in the end and that true justice is done for Adam, as well as for the storyline itself. If only real-life situations could be resolved that easily.
For some reason, Victor seemed to think that the "trumped-up" rape charges were not about him, but he could not be more wrong. As Adam also pointed out, Victor used Melanie to spy on Adam, and when that went south, Victor fired her. It was the very same thing that Adam had done, only with Victor, it was without the sleeping-with-her part. Leslie hoped that since Melanie had used and manipulated both of them, Victor would vouch for Adam, but Victor refused. Leave it to Victor to try to stay out of something he actually started.
Knowing that he needed a credible witness to speak on his behalf for the lawsuit, Adam went to Chelsea to ask for her support but found Dylan instead. When Dylan refused to let Chelsea help, Adam insisted that he had never done anything to hurt Chelsea ever, and he is right. Adam may not have been there for Chelsea when she lost her baby, but he never did anything to intentionally hurt her, because he loved her. Adam's love for Chelsea makes what Chelsea and Chloe are doing to Adam, regarding the baby, so appalling.
Once Chelsea realized she was in labor, she pleaded for the nurses to stop the labor. Seriously, couldn't stopping the labor for a full-term baby actually hurt the baby? Although Chelsea constantly claims that everything she does is to protect the baby, her actions don't seem to support her words. She insisted that she had to stop the labor to keep her baby safe - from Adam, I take it - and that once the baby was out in the world, she would no longer be able to do that. But there is not one shred of evidence that Adam has ever wanted to hurt the baby or to keep the child away from Chelsea. When Chelsea cried that she did not deserve Dylan, she was right.
But leave it to Chloe to stop Chelsea from telling Dylan the truth by stressing that Chelsea would not only lose Dylan but that she would lose the baby to Adam too. Honestly, how long will we have to put up with this horrible lie? In Chloe and Chelsea's universe, Adam is a vicious ogre, whose only delight is to cause Chelsea pain. What has Adam ever done to Chelsea to deserve this? He has never hinted in any way that he would ever take a baby away from her. Since Adam has never shown this, in fact, Chelsea had to dream it to validate her actions.
Chelsea's new fear was that Victoria would blab the truth to Dylan if he built the bookcase for her. After Dylan overheard Chelsea tell Chloe her fear, Chloe covered by explaining that Chelsea's hormones were making her "cray-cray" to the point where she actually feared that Dylan would be skirt-chasing. And because everything is about Chloe, Chelsea needed to stick to the lie, since Chloe's lie was all for Chelsea.
Honestly, is Dylan really that naïve? Why isn't he questioning why the doctor wouldn't release any information about the baby to him, the baby's father? Chelsea's behavior certainly should have been a red flag for him. But, no, he decided that they should marry right away instead. The lie that just keeps on giving.
Chelsea's next fear (she has so many) was that she was not sure that she could be a good mother, mainly because her parents were Anita and Jeffrey. The worst thing that Chelsea could do to her child has nothing to do with her parents but is more because of her poor judgment. A good mother would not have her baby's life start out based on a lie. Below is a comment about this from Y&R fan Vanessa Y:
OMG! The whole Chelsea lying about the father of her child is really getting on my last nerve! Why on earth is she listening to Chloe of all people! "I've told this lie before." And how has that worked out for you Chloe? I mean has Chelsea been oblivious to the whole Nick/Summer situation? She knows and see's how that affected Adam. So why repeat the pattern? I really liked Chelsea at first, but this whole "Baby Daddy" situation is sooo dumb.
Thank goodness I am not the only one who thinks this. I joke, because I know that many other fans feel the same way. I wish that the writers would quit trying to glamorize Dylan and Chelsea's relationship, which is built on a lie. The writers continue to indicate that Chelsea and Chloe are doing the right thing for the baby, when we know that what these two partners-in-crime are doing is so very wrong. After seeing what Summer has had to deal with, Chelsea should realize that this lie will only bring hurt and pain to the child -- and to both Adam and Dylan -- once the truth come out. And it will. It always does eventually. Even if it is 18 years later.
Once Chelsea arrived home, Dylan surprised her with a wedding, complete with her mom and dad, Chloe, and his best friend, Stitch. Honestly, I would be so happy for Chelsea and Dylan if their entire relationship wasn't based on this whopper of a lie. Chelsea looked gorgeous in her nicely altered wedding dress for, what she called, her fairy tale wedding, and the white balloons made the event festive. The couple exchanged very sweet vows, and everyone was happy -- even Anita and Jeffrey.
Shortly after the wedding, Chelsea went into labor, and she had no time to get to the hospital. So it appears that Dylan will be delivering the baby. Wouldn't that be similar to Summer's birth, when Jack performed an impromptu delivery for Phyllis' baby on an elevator? Now, Dylan will be delivering a baby that he thinks is his?
Of course, that is different from Jack's situation, when Jack thought that the baby he brought into the world was Nick's. But still...Chelsea seems unaware of the tragic circumstances for Summer, while at the same time, Chelsea's future child's fate appears to be destined to follow along on an identical path to Summer's. Tragic is the very word for this.
At least, Billy let it be known to Melanie that he was not happy with her new plan of changing the sexual harassment charge to rape. As someone who had been falsely accused of rape himself, Billy was totally against Melanie's new scheme and pleaded with her to retract her statement. Sure, Melanie may have a case of sexual harassment, although I am not sure she would actually win her case. She is the one who consensually had sex with Adam while she was scheming with Victor against him, and although Adam fired her later, her eyes were open to everything that was going on.
Melanie must be aware that her sexual harassment case is fairly weak, or why would she charge Adam with rape? Billy filmed Adam bribing Melanie with money to drop the case, but I sure hope that doesn't mean that he would help her. When he ran into her later, Billy did mention that he had figured out another way for them to get what they wanted, and it sounded like it had nothing to do with "the r-word," as he put it. Billy later indicated to Victor that he had a way that could make Adam's problems go away, so I am really curious as to what his idea is. Hopefully, we will find that out very, very soon.
I really want Billy to be the new and improved Billy, who desires to have Victoria and his family back. Billy and Victoria were elated when Johnny called Billy "Da-da." Quite a few characters don't really seem to relate to these young actors on soaps, but Billy J. Miller always has terrific scenes with the youngsters. Billy never has a problem kissing, hugging, tossing, and wrestling or playing with a child that his character is supposed to love in any scene. Billy's natural affection really shines through on the screen.
In the meantime, Victoria told her mother that she wants to give Billy another chance, and Nikki told her to take a leap of faith, because there are no guarantees. I thought that Nikki had the best advice of the week, because there are no guarantees in life. You need to take love, when you can get it, or you may regret it forever. I personally love Billy and Victoria as a couple. He brings out the fun in her, and she gives him the incentive to try to be a better person. Billy and Victoria are a terrific couple, not to mention a fan-favorite. And they really love each other.
Just when Michael and Lauren thought it was safe to enjoy their rejuvenated love and passion for each other, Fen decided that it would be a good time to steal some drugs...in front of a video camera and eyewitnesses. Was he on drugs when he did that? How else to explain his lack of any kind of common sense?
At least, Fen finally admitted that he had lied about Carmine selling him drugs. That alone stops him from being like Carmine. When Fen compared himself to Carmine, I thought, "Did Fen practically stalk someone, then kidnap the person and hold her hostage due to his obsession over her?" No. Then I guess Fen is not like Carmine at all. Hopefully, rehab is in Fen's future to get him back on the right track, so that Michael and Lauren can finally be happy again.
I hope that these talented writers don't overdo it with all of the gloom and doom. We love our happy, romantic stories too! Hey, I just had a thought (I know, scary!): Maybe once Carmine is done terrorizing Lauren, and Melanie has finished trying to get revenge on Adam, Carmine and Melanie can walk hand-in-hand, together, into the sunset and out of Genoa City. That is, of course, if Carmine survives. Carmine and Melanie could be happy and in love, Lauren and Adam could be happy that they are no longer being tormented, and we, the fans, could rejoice that the two of them left town. I know, I know...it's just a thought.
Hilary, Hilary, Hilary, what is going on behind that sly smile? What are you covering up? I know there is something more to Hilary that meets the eye, but I am still not sure what that is. I still suspect that she is the blogger and that she must have some connection to Rose. Hilary acts like such a goody-goody around Cane, but her facial expressions indicate otherwise whenever she is in a scene alone. Devon hit the nail on the head, when he told Lily that there always seems to be a small kernel of truth in the blogs, which means that the blogger has to be someone who knows what is going on in the Winterses' world. Hilary would have access to that information.
Hilary sure seems to be everywhere the Winterses are these days. While lurking at the coffee shop, she witnessed Tyler and Lily together, and she overheard Devon offer Tyler his job back at Jabot, which Tyler refused. Hilary continues to act all sweet and innocent around the family, but she always appears to be hiding something. By the way, didn't those pastries, rolls, and muffins look delicious? I probably put on five pounds just looking at them.
Jill warned Cane about Hilary, who had thoughtfully delivered chicken soup to him, since Cane was sick with a cold. Jill still thinks of Cane as her son, and she told him that Katherine would be very proud of him as CEO of her company. Jill and Cane mentioned that Katherine and Murphy were on vacation, and I know the writers are setting it up for Katherine's death and her memorial on September 4th and 5th. But, in the meantime, Jill was trying to protect Cane from Hilary, and she even went so far as to warn Hilary to stay away from Cane.
Y&R fan Kaycee also has her opinion on this:
I do think that Hilary is the blogger. I think that she is Rose and Neil's daughter. She is going after everyone who did her mother wrong. Neil was a drunk and did not know he had a daughter. Lesley and Tyler could have saved their father, Gus, from jail (and her mother cared for him). She is going after Lily, because she is the spoiled and privileged daughter of Neil and that could have been her life. So, why not steal her man?
Interesting theory. If a hypnotherapist can help Neil remember what happened the night he met Rose, he could learn the truth and possibly discover the identity of the blogger. When Neil talked to Robin, the hypnotherapist, he remembered more about the night at the Evanston Pub, which included some "creepy guy" grabbing Rose's purse and running out of the bar. After Neil chased the creep down to retrieve her purse, Rose rewarded him with a kiss. Neil then reflected that they went to a cheap motel, where they continued to drink. He received a call from Lily, which he ignored. I am so glad that the truth is coming out, so that this storyline can finally move along.
Neil poured a couple of more drinks then found Rose passed out on the bed. But was she really passed out? Later, after Neil recalled that he had joked with Rose about meeting her on Saturday, July 14th, rather than on Friday the 13th, Leslie informed Neil that Rose's body had been found on April 15, 2007. Was Rose really passed out, or was she already dead, when Neil saw her? Could he have saved her, if he had stayed? Did Rose die of alcohol poisoning? If Neil had answered Lily's call and then left, would Rose have lived?
So many questions, so little time. However, if Rose really died that night, Hilary could not be Rose and Neil's daughter. The mystery about the blogger's identity, or at least the reason for it, continues.
I can't believe that Phyllis is really gone. It seemed so sudden. I guess I didn't realize that Jack's final declaration that he would wait for her, no matter how long it took, would be Phyllis' farewell shot. She was always so full of life. It's just hard to believe that she went out with such a whimper instead of a big bang. I realize that the writers want to keep Phyllis alive, in case Michelle Stafford decides to return, or if they decide to do a recast, but it seems like the writers could have found a way to have her go out in a blaze of glory. A very red blaze of glory. But as long as Phyllis remains alive, we can always hope for her to return one day down the road.
And speaking of Phyllis' new home at a facility in Georgia, I never really got all of the commotion over that. I mean, really, what was the big deal? The Newmans and the Abbotts all have their private jets, so it would be nothing for them to fly over to visit her every week. They can fly over to see her anytime, and in soap time, they could do it in a flash. If they flew first-class on a commercial jet, they could all really rack up the frequent flyer miles!
In the meantime, back in Genoa City, Summer was very distraught over losing her mother and with trying to adjust to the news of her new father. Heaven forbid if Victor were to make that any easier for her. Instead of offering his support to Summer in her time of need, Victor thought it would be appropriate to blame Jack for everything under the sun, which included sending Phyllis to a facility in Georgia and strong-arming Summer to turn against Nick. I don't understand. Why can't Summer have two fathers: her biological father and the one who raised her? A young girl can never have too much love.
Noah was right in that Summer is still his precious little sister and that Nick adored her and would die for her. Nick still thinks of Summer as his daughter, and he should. Love doesn't just go away in an instant. Summer glanced through the window and saw Nick hug Faith, but that didn't mean that he loved Summer any less. In Nick's eyes, he still has two daughters, and he loves them both.
Kyle also tried to help her, but Summer stressed that she had promised her mom that she would only take one day to worry, and one day to cry. Summer is blocking her feelings off from the ones she loves, and that's not good. Kyle traveled to reveal to his dad that Jack's newly found daughter needed his help, and Jack rushed off. Jack firmly believed that he and Summer could help each other. I hope that they can. Jack is such a good guy, and it would be great if he had the chance to prove that he could be a wonderful father. Unfortunately, he will probably never get that chance, if Sharon did, in fact, change Summer's paternity results.
Well, it appears that by going with Jack to Georgia, Avery opened the door for Sharon to actually try to achieve her goal of making everything right with Nick. I just hope that Nick listened to Noah's warning that Sharon's behavior seemed off and that she was probably "off of her meds." Leave it to Sharon to think that Noah's suspicion will actually help her win Nick back. Noah had every reason to be concerned.
With Delusion Cassie cheerleading her on, Sharon preyed on a rather naïve Nick, and it seemed to be working. At the family breakfast with Nick and Faith, when Nikki began her verbal attack against "the gold-digging tramp," Sharon offered to leave so that Nick would not have to throw his mother out. Believe me, Victor and Nikki will never give Sharon any sympathy or forgiveness for any reason, even due to her illness. They have already made that clear, after she burned their ranch down. Sharon's offer to leave probably went a long way with Nick, though, who saw Sharon as the only one who understood what he was going through. That part of Sharon's plan is a success!
Sharon continued to befriend Nick during their special family day with Faith, who beat her parents three times in a game. Faith laughed and exclaimed, "Some people have it, and some don't." After Summer joined in on the fun, Faith requested that they play dress-up. With Faith dressed as a fairy princess and Summer as her fairy godmother, Nick and Sharon portrayed the king and queen, as they bowed to each other. Summer then revealed the finding of the lipstick in the stairwell. She was confused, because Phyllis was not wearing that color of lipstick the day of the fundraiser. I wonder how long it will take the Genoa City police to discover this evidence!
Why do I have a sneaky suspicion that the lipstick will be a major player in the police investigation -- not to mention a huge hindrance to Sharon's plan? Sharon was delusional to think that her plot to win back Nick would ever work, but if she were on her medication, she would have realized that. A rational, independent Sharon would never want Nick back that way.
I have to keep reminding myself that whenever Cassie is shown, she is actually Sharon's hallucination, so, of course, Cassie is always going to say what Sharon wants to hear. Somehow, I don't think that Cassie would really advise Sharon to set herself up for heartache, if Cassie were still alive. It's the lack of medication for her bipolar disorder that has Sharon believing that her visions of Cassie are true. Y&R fan Michelle offers more clarification on the bipolar disorder:
... I am a clinical psychologist and yes, bipolar disorder does sometimes mean having symptoms of psychosis, however, the person doesn't go in and out of it and they certainly cannot will themselves to appear to others as being normal and calm.? So Sharon's demeanor appearing "normal" whenever she is around others and delusional when she is alone is not a realistic portrayal of the disorder.? Sharon would appear psychotic to others, ranting about her delusions, if she were manic.
I have been saying all along that I hope that if the writers are going to tackle such a complex issue, I just hope they do it justice. They need to show Sharon in a realistic light to give the viewers the truth about this very real disorder. They shouldn't show her with bipolar symptoms when she is on her own and then later have her appear perfectly normal to others. At least, this week, Noah did see that she was off. I hope the writers expand on this. It's possible that the other characters have so much going on, they have not really noticed Sharon's behavior. But she should be showing behavior that would be a little bizarre -- that maybe they are just not seeing -- if it is to be believable.
Other notable (or humorous) items that happened during the week:
How cute that Faith loves daisy-shaped pancakes. She is adorable! Let's just hope that Sharon doesn't get too carried away with her plot to win Nick back, so that she never plucks the petals from Faith's daisy pancake. "He loves me, he loves me not. He loves me, he loves me not...."
Sharon just flew into Nick's house for the family breakfast, as if she lived there. At least, she did apologize for not knocking. Characters on soaps walk into their ex-spouses' house all the time, and I have always found that to be a little absurd. Can you imagine just walking into your ex's place, as if you owned the place? I can't, because it would never happen. And believe me, if my ex had ever tried to walk into mine without knocking first, I would have called the police. That is not acceptable behavior for a divorced couple.
I have not heard the term, "puppy dog eyes" (in describing Hilary) in quite a while. Whenever I think of that phrase, I think of Lassie. Now, she had some big brown puppy dog eyes. Plus, Lassie was always great at saving little Timmy from the bottom of the well. That collie could do it all!
The Least Likely to Get Married in a Shotgun Wedding Award goes to Dylan McAvoy, per his best friend, Stitch.
Avery told Jack that she believed in her heart that Nick was a good man, even though she knew that what he had done was "misguided." Boy, was that an understatement!
I loved it when Adam told Victoria that he was "being tarred and feathered by Melanie and her pals." Later, Adam told Victor that Billy was "fanning the flames" to win back Victoria so that he could be "the back-alley hero." That Adam has such a way with words.
Anita (with Jeffrey) told Adam, after Chelsea's wedding to Dylan, "We will always have a warm spot in our hearts for you and your billions." I guess Adam's funny one-liners are rubbing off on her.
Even Victoria got into the funny comments when she declared that she would consider hiring an exorcist to get Adam out of Newman Enterprises, if that would do the trick. I guess it would be easier if Adam just got the devil out of there. Okay, maybe that word play didn't work out as well as I had hoped.
I saw that our sparkly mystery guest, the Daytime Emmy Award, graced the bar of On the Boulevard last week. It was very appropriate that the golden statue shared the scenes with Billy J. Miller, who had just won the award for Supporting Actor as Billy Abbott. Maybe Y&R should play a "Where's Waldo?" type of game, where the fans are asked each week to find the Daytime Emmy Award in a scene. Why, the winged lady holding up an atom could almost be a recurring character. Emmy A. Ward. That has a nice ring to it.
That's it for me this time. Here's to more love and romance in the weeks to come, along with, of course, much more intense, suspenseful drama.
Until next time, please stay tuned.
