While it has been rather intriguing watching Phyllis and Billy do their alluring, seductive dance with each other, it's still also somewhat unnerving, when we know that eventually their worlds will come crashing down around them. Still, you can't help but be drawn to the legendary forbidden love storyline that has kept the blood coursing through the veins of soaps for decades. Passion fueled Phyllis and Billy, as they continued to circle around each other, no matter how much Phyllis tried to prevent it.
Phyllis has been like a moth to a flame when it comes to Billy. The glow of his desire drew her nearer, when every fiber in her being told her to run as far and as fast from him as possible, in order to stay safe. Phyllis just can't help herself whenever Billy is around. She is very much aware that her infidelity with Billy could blow up her entire life, but she is unable to resist the appeal of the forbidden fruit, her husband's brother. The attraction is irresistible for Phyllis, but she will only end up being scorched by their blistering hot yearning for one another. As much as she tries to break free from the flame's embrace, she only becomes more entranced by its flicker.
Actually, it reminds me of a soap opera that I wrote in high school. You know, back in the day when kids in school used to be taught how to write in cursive. Wow, is that a blast from the past or what? I still remember the plaques on the wall that showed how each letter should look in cursive, both capital and little letters. Sigh...the good old days. Anyway, my soap opera was called "The Blinding Light." (I can't imagine where I came up with that title.) And because it was a comedy, it was not about my life at all. It was actually about a classmate and her crush on a guy, who will forever be known as Mr. X. This make-believe soap went on throughout our entire senior year, which showed she was obsessively enamored. But isn't that the stuff soaps are made of?
Think about it. Wouldn't "The Blinding Light" also be a good name for The Young and the Restless, since just about every character on Y&R has been completely blinded to the truth about a loved one at one time or another? And Neil was the only one who had a legitimate reason, when he was actually blind. However, not only was Neil blind, he was also totally in the dark, unlike the moth, who was drawn to the flickering flame. I guess the blaze became, in a sense, a blinding light to the moth.
But back to Phyllis and Billy...while Phyllis tried to get away from the fire, Billy used whatever accelerant he could to fan the flames. Those two both tend to be reckless, and they seemed to be walking in mid-air without a safety net, because without Jack's support, they really would have no one standing below to catch them. It's a dangerous game they are playing, and I hope they realize just how high the stakes are. Even if Billy no longer wished to reunite with Victoria, if he cared about Phyllis at all, he should realize just how much she had to lose. Billy and Phyllis have been rash and hasty, when cooler heads would have prevailed.
You can see Phyllis fighting hard to resist the temptation of Billy's seduction, but she is clearly losing the battle. Billy has been pulling out all the stops to win the heart of the fiery and sexy lady, but for what reason? Billy almost acts like theirs is just a normal, blossoming romance, but that can hardly be the case when he is going after his brother's wife -- a brother who has supported him and has tried to be there for him, even if Jack has made some mistakes along the way. But Jack always loved Billy unconditionally, even when his younger sibling messed up.
Did Jack's firing Billy from Jabot deserve this deep of a betrayal, since Billy was well aware that Victoria was the force behind it? And what's Phyllis' excuse, other than Jack sometimes gets too caught up in his work and doesn't pay as much attention to her as she would like? I think the draw is deeper than that, though. She just can't seem to stay away, as much as she tries. It may not be healthy, but it's hot and sexy -- and very physical.
I have to laugh when I think back to how I feared the writers would try to write Billy too much like Patrick on General Hospital once Jason Thompson took over the role of Billy. But rest assured, Jason's version of Billy is no Patrick. I hate to call Billy selfish, but he is when it comes to Phyllis. He is well aware that Phyllis is his brother's wife, but he doesn't seem to care. Or maybe that is part of the draw -- the immoral pleasure, a forbidden fruit that makes it that much more tasty but will, somewhere down the road, end up causing a lot of pain to many.
Wasn't it funny how Billy's desire for Phyllis eased in lickety-split time once the lovely waitress Bethany, sporting a major crush and a compliment about his million-dollar smile, entered his universe. Phyllis who? Welcome, Chrishell Stause, formerly known as Jordan Ridgeway on Days of our Lives and as Amanda Dillon on All My Children, who is the real-life girlfriend of our Adam, Justin Hartley. Bethany is jumping from the pan into the fire in the smoking situation between Phyllis and Billy. But could Brittany, I mean, Bethany help Billy forget Phyllis?
But what should really spice things up will be the return of Elizabeth Hendrickson as Chloe Mitchell, possibly with a young child in tow. She left town on a cliffhanger, since we never learned the identity of her daughter's father. Is the little girl Delia 2.0, as Chloe had set out to do by slipping off with Billy's sperm? Or was the child the result of Chloe's last night of love-making with a still smitten Kevin? Either way, this story has a lot of potential.
Now, I have never made it secret that I am not exactly a Chloe fan. In fact, I think Chloe totally ruins the character of Kevin. It was always painfully obvious that Kevin loved Chloe more than she could ever dream to love him. To me, Chloe has been incredibly selfish since her first arrival in town, when she messed up Cane's chances to be with the woman he loved, Lily. Chloe went to extreme lengths to make it appear that Cane was the father of her baby when the two had never even had sex -- and when Chloe wanted the true baby-daddy, Billy.
As much as I can't stand the character, I have wanted Chloe to return, just so the Delia 2.0 story could finally be told. I can't believe I would ever feel that way. I was happy when she decided to leave town, but once I knew she was pregnant, I was begging for her return -- just not into Kevin's arms. Who knows how long the issue of the little girl's paternity will be in question, but I hope the end result is that Billy is the child's father. So much story can come from having a second Delia, who could never replace the darling girl Adam unintentionally ran over.
It would be a fascinating story for her to be the child of Billy and Chloe, which would hopefully keep Chloe and Kevin apart. I still don't want Chloe and Kevin to get back together. Actually, Mariah makes a strong case for me. She honestly cares about Kevin. Mariah cares about his thoughts and feelings, and they truly enjoy each other's company. Chloe only cares about herself. I have to admit, though, that both Mariah and Chloe can really bring the humor in their scenes with Kevin. By golly, Sherlock, I believe Kevin may just be the key to the comedy.
So, I will welcome Chloe back with open arms -- as long as she keeps Kevin at arm's length. And I am anticipating how this story will play out. Will Chloe still be out for revenge on Adam for taking away her daughter? We can only hope. They would make great adversaries. It would be nice to see Chloe take on someone her own size, so to speak. I think Adam could give her a run for her money -- if he could get past the guilt. It's always fun to watch a battle brewing, as long as it's a fair fight. That's why fans tired of Victor and Jack's duels. It seemed like Jack always had at least one arm tied behind his back in their skirmishes. So, Chloe, bring it on!
In the meantime, Billy has Jill to worry about, since she returned and found her baby boy had turned Katherine's house into a swamp gray man-child playroom, complete with toys, booze, and a random naked woman scampering around in a sheet. Jill was right. Billy does need "a kick in the pants" and "a shove in the right direction." But as much as he tried, he couldn't forget his romp in the sack with Phyllis. Red has branded her mark in his heart and apparently in other areas as well.
Poor Jack! Little did he know, when he suggested that Billy give the woman he loved another chance, that Billy would take it as sign of approval to jump back into the game for Phyllis' heart. I had to admire how Billy was able to plead his case with Phyllis by declaring she was his "bright and shining light." See...the blinding light strikes again. And Phyllis pretty much indicated she had only run for cover in fear. All of these secret messages in code to each other were right in front of Jack. Really, have they no shame?!
Thank goodness Hilary is not in charge of the Genoa City welcome wagon because her greeting to Jill was not exactly warm and fuzzy. Jill was right to be furious that Hilary wanted to add her mother, who was totally unknown in Genoa City, to a dedication honoring Katherine's memory. How absurd! But that's Hilary for you -- self-absorbed to the end. Phyllis had the perfect solution by suggesting they have two dedications, but Hilary hated it, partly because it was Phyllis' idea, not hers. But mostly, it was because no one in town cared about Rose. Really, Hilary? They didn't even know her. It was ridiculous for Hilary to try to piggy-back a tribute to her mother onto a ceremony for Katherine. But, you know, Katherine was a gracious lady and probably would have been fine with it.
Meredith could be considered another unfortunate moth, only her draw to Victor may be for a reason other than as an all-consuming, passionate lure to a bright light. Somehow, Victor and a brilliant glow just don't go together. Did the doctor's attraction to Victor increase tenfold once she learned of her father's distaste for the Mustache? Meredith even made a comment about how any kind of attention from a parent was better than nothing at all. Of course, she was talking about Adam, but maybe there was some truth in that for Meredith and her daddy dearest also. Either way, she didn't look too disappointed to hear that Victor's wife was ready to divorce him.
I'm not so sure Victor is behind Sage's entry in the journal about Adam causing Constance's death. I mean, I know Victor seems to be behind every other dirty deed in Genoa City, but this appears to be a little out there. Maybe, at the time of the entry, Sage really had believed Adam was the reason Constance had died. And maybe she just never bothered to mention Adam's innocence later in her book. But that wouldn't explain away the forensic evidence.
Thankfully, Adam had Michael, who succeeded in getting his license to practice law reinstated, to come to his aid. Since Adam swore up and down that his father was behind Sage's journal entry to pay back a past grievance of a forged diary done by Adam and Jack, Michael wondered if it was just another way for Victor to gain control over Adam. Michael decided to take charge by confronting Victor, and we all knew how that would work out, since Michael had also stabbed his prior employer in the back. Yes, Michael got nowhere fast with Victor, which wasn't the least bit surprising. Victor has a long memory, and forgiveness did not appear to be his top priority.
And while I doubt if Victor put the forged diary plan in motion, I can't believe Victor's claim to Meredith that Adam was actually "the granny killer." If Adam did the deed, I can only think it must have been some kind of mistake. Could he somehow have accidentally poisoned her? Even in his phony Gabriel Bingham disguise, Adam cared for Constance, so I can't see him deliberately hurting the older lady who had loved him as her grandson. This is, indeed, a mystery if Victor was telling the truth.
Adam has, all along, truly acted like he is innocent. If he knew, deep down, that he was the cause of Constance's death, you would think he would be hitting the road as fast as his loafers could take him. Even Adam couldn't be arrogant enough to think he could defeat the evidence and proof, if it truly existed. He's just not acting guilty. Surely, Victor is wrong. Or has Adam completely snowed us all, leaving Victor as the one left to protect him?
I can't say I blame Adam for rejecting Luca's help, though. How on earth could anyone in Genoa City trust that worm? Luca, I mean, not Adam. It's like the writers are searching for something to do with Luca, so they keep throwing everything at him, hoping something will stick. Summer just continued to show how naïve and foolish she can be by siding with Luca, who's only betrayed some members of her family and backstabbed others. It must be the dimples. There's just no other explanation.
Even Noah tried to warn Summer, but come on, that was like the pot calling the kettle black. He would probably have been more persuasive if he wasn't still with the deceitful Marisa. It's funny how Noah has perfect 20/20 vision when it comes to Luca but is blind as a bat when it comes to Marisa. Oh, it's that blinding light again, continually drawing both Noah and Summer closer and closer to the flame. And they will only get scorched.
For Summer, that could happen sooner rather than later, since there was "an incident" on one of the drilling platforms. And because Summer knew so much about the oil business, she instantly knew the remedy to save day. Not hardly. Summer might want to rethink listening to every word Luca says, before the family business completely crashes and burns. And because Victoria has been kept out of the loop, she would be helpless to prevent it from happening.
Summer isn't a total dummy, though, because she also agreed with almost everyone else that Kevin should have shared the PassKey profits with Mariah. And we all know that Summer is no champion of Mariah. Natalie must see Mariah as some kind of threat because she kept throwing exotic trips, helicopter rides, and zombies in Kevin's direction -- but in the end, Kevin chose to watch cheesy movies while eating Chinese food out of a box with Mariah on a ratty couch over Natalie's bribes. Bravo! As Summer stated, "Yeah, I guess a new look is no match for an old friend." As I indicated earlier, I love the camaraderie between Kevin and Mariah and the humor they can bring, sometimes during the darkest times. And we all need some laughter in our lives.
I found it interesting that now, after all these years, Mariah is finally seeing that she and Cassie may have been more alike than what she thought. Mariah is growing up and evolving, and she may be realizing that not everyone and everything are seen in shades of black and white. Maybe Mariah was not the dark one after all, and it could be that Cassie wasn't the pure, white princess Mariah had always believed she was. It's just possible that Mariah and Cassie had their own levels of shades of gray, since nobody is perfect. Once she accepts that, Mariah can quit being so hard on herself and can finally find the happiness she so richly deserves.
Yes, Cassie was on everyone's minds, since it's been eleven years since the young girl left this world to be spirited off to heaven in order to become Faith's and Noah's guardian angel. After all, it's a tough job, but someone has to do it. Shoot, angel Cassie probably gave up on Sharon as a lost cause a long time ago, and Mariah seemed about to ready to follow in Cassie's ghostly footsteps. Not even a guardian angel and a very vocal, red-haired conscience could sway Sharon into telling Nick the truth about Sully/Christian. If anything, memories of Cassie and her untimely passing only cemented Sharon's resolve to keep Sully's identity hush-hush.
This sounds terrible, but I can almost see where Sharon's coming from. I mean, I believe, first and foremost, that honesty is the best policy because keeping a secret can only cause pain and heartbreak once the secret is disclosed. However, Sharon feared the truth would only hurt Dylan, who had already lost so many kids through lies and deception. However, Sharon had not caused this deception. The blame for that would lie straight on Dr. Anderson's shoulders, if they were still around to heap it on. Sharon only found out about the secret after the scheme was already in place. Unraveling the tangled web of lies will cause an awful lot of pain for the man who has only given Sharon all the love and support she has needed to regain her mental stability.
And Dylan didn't make it any easier for Sharon by constantly commiserating with Nick about the loss of a child and by insisting to Sharon that he could never survive without his adorable son, Sully. But, on the other hand, Sharon has loved Nick most of her life, and she saw the pain he was in. Nick was just floundering around, wondering why he had to lose both his son and his wife in such a short span of time. But do you know what would be even crueler? For Nick to get his son back only to learn afterwards that Adam was really Christian's biological father. It's difficult not to see more dark, sad days for Nick in the future, even without having a crystal ball.
Victoria and Travis could turn out to be a pretty interesting couple, but could there be skeletons in his closet? Since this is a soap, there have to be some old bones rattling around in there somewhere. When he saw the picture of Victoria with Billy and their children, did he worry only that she was a married woman? Or was it something more sinister? At least now we know that the stranger has been taking the pictures on behalf of Luca to use against Victoria at his first opportunity. My, how quickly the worm turns.
So, Natalie offered Kevin zombies and a helicopter trip to Chicago. The only flying I see happening is Natalie's money, which is happening in record time. Natalie's smart. Shouldn't she wisely invest her money?
I laughed when Adam noted that, thanks to Victor, Adam was stuck with nothing but his word, which in Genoa City was worth somewhere between nothing and zero. Hmmm, that's not exactly a ringing endorsement of trust, is it?
When Billy remarked to Ashley and Jack that his ears were burning, I couldn't help but think that his ears weren't the only thing. I meant his desire and passion for Phyllis. Come on, I'm trying to keep it clean.
A huge howdy to Yvette Nicole Brown, who's currently on The Odd Couple. She played the rarest of breeds: an honest reporter who was willing to put a positive spin on a story. I couldn't believe my ears when Victoria read the reporter's story about the fate of Newman Enterprises being in good hands. What's this world coming to?!
Until next time, please stay tuned.
Teddi
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