Hilary has just about gotten on my last nerve. I truly cannot believe some of the stuff she tries to pull. Did she really think Jill would sit quietly by while Hilary shanghaied Katherine's dedication ceremony, all in the name of a woman no one in Genoa City ever knew or cared about? Just when I think Hilary can't do anything else shocking, she always manages to come up with something even more obnoxious, just to get someone else's goat. It's like she has no boundaries of outrageousness or can't even bother to color within the borders of civility. If Hilary wants something, she grabs it, to heck with the consequences.
Hurray to Jill for standing up to her. Everyone else in Genoa City is afraid to, but then again, a little dab of blackmail works wonders. Nobody in town can claim Hilary is stupid. (Or would even dare to, I am sure.) Hilary is brilliant for knowing to collect any and all dirt on her friends (what few she has left) and enemies alike, so she can accomplish her mission. Which would be what? For the entire town to hate her? She's most certainly zipping towards that goal. She may be sharp, but Hilary seems to be missing the whole point. If she's trying to call attention to herself, mission accomplished. Hilary's got that in spades.
However, if Hilary's purpose was to gain respect of the most powerful and influential members of the community, she really missed the boat. As an intelligent businesswoman, she should be very aware that respect can only be earned. How was she going to get respect from the community by sabotaging the honor of Katherine's memory to pay homage to a person no one had ever heard of? I am starting to wonder if, when Hilary's memory returned, she lost a few screws in the process.
Or could Simon's miracle cure have made Hilary a little warped? I don't know. She was already sneaky and conniving when she first arrived in town. It's hard to believe Simon's drug could be blamed for Hilary's scheming ways now. Maybe the side effects of Simon's treatment have pulled all the plugs on Hilary's self-control, though. Could Hilary no longer have the ability to stop herself when she realizes she is going way over the top to gain control? Or maybe she is incapable of seeing what she is doing.
Wow, Hilary could be just like Ben's son, Max, who was angry and bitter from the moment he moved in with his dad. Darn, they should have called him "Mad Max," at the time, since he was plotting to knock off Abby and her unborn child. But, of course, now we have learned the reason for all of his out-of-control behavior and for his killing ways. Max has a brain tumor. Oh, that's it. The ever-faithful and always-reliable brain tumor. A soap opera's favorite method of redeeming a character who has been written into a corner. So Max will have brain surgery and ta-da! He will be instantly cured. Max's murdering instincts will completely vanish -- just like our patience in this age-old soapy remedy.
Somehow, due to Max's sudden breakthrough and redemption, using Simon's drug as an excuse for Hilary's totally inexcusable behavior would be too much, especially since Hilary has never been known for her tact or grace anyway. It's rather ironic, when you think about it, that Hilary was trying to steal the limelight from one of the most gracious ladies in Soapland, Katherine Chancellor. Hilary would need a dictionary just to look up the meaning of the word gracious.
Neil should know better than anyone that "denial is a powerful thing." He could see just how much the trapped Devon was blinding himself to Hilary's nastiness. And Hilary showed she could be rotten to the core by getting another jab in about Neil's last tumble off the wagon. She's right. Neil has found himself at the bottom of the barrel of booze quite a few times. I can still picture Neil chugging his bottle of liquor straight out of a brown paper bag. You know when a person is drinking and cloaks the booze with a bag, the drunk has hit rock bottom.
I had to snicker when Jack pointed out to Phyllis that actions have consequences. Of course, he was talking about his wayward brother, Billy, but that would sure work for Hilary too. So, what if Hilary is successful in pushing an untested drug out into the market, which ends up causing harm to many innocent people? How will that help her on her mission for success and respectability? That just doesn't make sense. Maybe Simon's drug has fried a couple of brain cells in Hilary's head. It looks like Hilary and Max may have a lot in common. A bigger question is would the FDA, the Food and Drug Administration, even allow for that to happen? There seems to be a hole in this plot.
Money is power, so I guess if there's enough dollar signs, a drug can get pushed through at rocket speed, FDA or no FDA. Go figure. However, that could only work as long as the focus was not on the protocol -- and thanks to the death of a lab tech in one of Hilary's drug trials, the spotlight showed brightly on Simon's pet project. A lab tech, who suddenly had tons of money to fling around in every direction, appeared to have committed suicide. Paul and Dylan sure had enough questions about where the tech got all the money. But never fear -- Hilary wasted no time in throwing Simon under the bus again. Man, how many tires tracks has the eccentric doctor received all over his body since he met her majesty?
Hilary jumped at the chance to pin everything on Simon by telling Paul and Dylan that Dr. Neville authorized every payoff. Apparently, Hilary needs to learn the proper etiquette of thanking a person who saved her life. Simon probably would have appreciated a simple gift card a lot more. On top of that, Simon had to come clean with Ashley and admit Hilary was holding something over his head, but he refused to name names. I don't get it. Why not tell Ashley everything, including Neil's involvement in the whole mess. At this point, Simon would protect Ashley more by revealing all instead of remaining quiet.
Devon has never once heeded any of his family's warning, and he will end up paying a very steep price in the long run. It's a good thing Devon has a lot of money, but his price tag will be one attached to his heart. From the way Hilary keeps eyeballing Jack, my guess is that Hilary has her sights aimed right at Mr. Abbott for the respectability she thinks he can give her in the business world. She sure isn't after Jack for love. I'm not sure Hilary's even capable of love anymore. But how convenient for her to pass out from the side effects of Simon's drug right into Jack's arms. She couldn't have planned it any better if she'd tried.
Then there's Billy. Bad boy Billy. Or bad Billy Boy, as Victor would call him, Phyllis must be drawn to bad boys and big bikes, since she sure didn't waste any time jumping onto the seat of Billy's motorcycle to take a wild ride. And a huge fall. Phyllis had better watch out, or she will also be plummeting far, far down in her relationship with Jack. Well, it only took Phyllis ten grand to purchase a cover story with Bethany. Actually, Billy said he paid the price. Sales for Brash & Sassy must be going well. It looks like Billy's fortune has taken an upswing.
I could not believe my ears, when I heard Phyllis tell Billy that she would not let her world implode due to making one mistake that would not be repeated. One mistake? Seriously, did I hear right? I don't know about Phyllis, but I am having trouble keeping count of all the mistakes she has made in regard to Billy. And apparently, Phyllis added to the total by incorporating Bethany into the cover-up of the motorcycle accident, because the spirited Bethany went a little off script, which threatened to close their show for good.
The clever lass noted that she was only Billy's rebound girl with no strings attached. However, Jack knew his brother well enough to know that Bethany's reverse psychology strategy would work with Billy, who liked a challenge and who would want what he couldn't have. Phyllis should be sharp enough to see that Billy was attracted to her due to her unavailability. Phyllis was ultra-desirable to Billy as Jack's wife, but how much of the luster would be lost with a quickie divorce? Once Billy nabbed his prize, would he then go after new prey, such as a lovely waitress who was eager to play?
When Billy told Phyllis he could no longer pretend and couldn't hide from the truth, I could almost hear Luther Ingram singing in the background, "If loving you is wrong, I don't wanna be right." Well, the song was playing in my head anyway. He was pursuing a married woman, but the stakes were higher, since she was his brother's wife. Phyllis was the challenge, and Billy was always ready to gamble when the odds were against him. And Billy was ready to lower his poker face in front of his brother. Billy felt it was time for the two of them to tell Jack the truth.
Another fair maiden that is probably making a huge error in judgment when it comes to the bad boys would be Summer. It didn't matter who all tried to warn her, Summer decided to go full steam ahead and move in with Luca. Of course, Victoria's days of caution and danger, Will Robinson (for the Lost in Space fans) have gone kaput, since Luca was holding Travis over her head. So to speak. In other words, Luca hadn't changed from his deceitful ways at all, despite his claims to the contrary. In all actuality, Luca's yarn was only a fairy tale he told Summer to secure a solid spot in her heart. How long will it take Summer to realize Luca's kind of truth is only a fantasy?
Phyllis took the reins into her hands, however, and shipped Summer off to visit her brother, Daniel, so Red could have a chance to try to chase Luca off. When Phyllis pointed out that she wasn't like Nick and that she didn't play by the rules, she just wasn't whistling "Dixie." Shoot, she could easily make mincemeat out of the "delicate flower" Luca. Once Luca refused to budge, Phyllis developed a new strategy with Nick: welcome Luca with open arms and embrace him into the family. Hmmm...I just don't think that will work. In fact, it may backfire, since Luca cared little about their acceptance of him. He wouldn't blink an eye to their instant turnaround because it just wouldn't matter to him.
And then there's my favorite bad boy, Adam, who's not "all peaches and cream." Really, Adam? We never would have guessed. Adam's still one hundred and one percent certain that Victor had framed him for Constance's murder, and he then took Victoria along for the ride. Victoria swore up and down that her father, who was the biggest bad boy of them all, greased the hands of someone on the inside to cause the oil spill that was wreaking havoc in her world. I used to think that Adam and Victoria were a little out there with their theories, but now I'm not so sure. Victor has been acting innocent, which surely means he is completely and totally guilty.
Shoot, maybe Adam and Victor should seek internal peace and harmony by jumping on a Harley like Billy. Oh, I guess the confines within a jail cell might make that a tad difficult for Victor. What would Victor need with peace and harmony anyway, when he still has the ever faithful Meredith by his side? You know, Meredith is starting to remind me more and more of Nikki in her eternal devotion to Victor. Victor can do no wrong in Dr. Gates's eyes, which means it's time for Meredith to get some glasses.
Was Adam crazy? How could either Adam or Ian possibly think, for one moment, that Victor would confess to all the wrongdoing done to his kids, if, in fact, he truly was guilty? Maybe they were both more delusional than Sharon ever was. Thank goodness, our dynamic duo, Paul and Dylan, were also on the case, since Paul actually agreed with Adam that Victor may have altered the results of the Bingham autopsy. And Paul may have found just the proof he needed through a lab tech who was suddenly flaunting a lot of money and living, as Paul put it, "the yachting life." Oh, yeah, the guy was smooth as he discussed his procedures in examining autopsy results, but when Paul and Dylan asked about the chain of custody, the dude's demeanor instantly developed a major crack.
Yes, lab tech guy whizzed out of the room in lickety-split time, and the next thing you know, he turned up dead as a doornail. And it appeared to be an apparent suicide, but that would have been way too convenient. I mean, it would have been too easy, if our crime fighters had had an actual witness who could have testified against Victor in court. If Victor was, indeed, the briber. So, of course, Dylan looked at the paper trail of the dirty tech's money, which led to a name other than Victor's. Was that name Adam Newman? Maybe Victor was right when he kept insisting Adam was the one who got himself into his mess, and he would have to be the one to get himself out of it.
No, actually, the name of the source was Hilary, and the lab tech was the very same drug trial lab rat who just died because he had falsified reports to push Simon's drug onto the open market, before it was ready. Oh, well. So much for Michael's strategy of getting Christine to dismiss the charges, since the tech's suicide supposedly indicated his guilt in helping Victor to frame Adam. So, although they were not aware of it, they were left with Ian, who will spin the best story to suit his own needs. Of course, it will be nowhere near the truth.
Victor and Adam have always had just a little problem with the truth, though -- not only in being able to tell it but also in being able to distinguish truth from fiction. Sometimes, I think they actually believe their own creative but totally imaginary stories. And Adam has gotten so good at lying to himself and to Chelsea that he has become completely believable. His actions and words always sound innocent and sincere. But, ironically, Adam was dead-on, when he said the best revenge on Victor would be to live their lives and to be happy. That was so true.
Could this explain why Adam was so willing to believe Ian was telling the truth about Victor's confession? Was Adam slipping a little bit in his desperate quest to find evidence against Victor? Ian is such a scoundrel. He makes a habit of telling falsehoods on a daily basis, which comes as naturally to Ian as breathing. Even though Michael questioned the veracity of Ian's claims, he still didn't insist that Adam not trust the varmint with "a cold, dark, deep, dank heart." Ha, I always love the way Michael talks. If Michael accepts Ian's deal on Adam's behalf, we all know who will be laughing all the way to a cell in a minimum-security prison.
As Ian described the timing and the finesse he had used to draw out a confession from Victor, he sounded just like a viper who had slithered his way into a family feud just to take advantage of the situation. Shoot, Luca's got nothing on Ian Ward. Nick may be correct that Luca's a snake and a weasel, however, Ian makes Luca look like a virtual virtuous saint. Strangely enough, I would like to see Ian take the stand come court day and testify with a tear in his eye at just the right moment. Everyone could take acting lessons from this vermin. Academy Awards folks, take notice.
Ian is just having way too much fun toying with both Victor and Adam. Well, except for when Victor beat him up after Ian announced he would be the star witness in Adam's trial. It probably didn't help when Ian informed Victor that he would not need to tunnel his way out of prison, bribe the guards, or seduce the resident lady doctor, who seemed to have a hands-on approach. Ouch! Ian was very aware of the hanky-panky going on between Victor and Meredith and had no qualms about using that information to his advantage. He could save his breath in warning Meredith about Victor, though. She's too infatuated. She'll never listen.
One fellow we don't have to worry about being the newest bad boy on the block would be Travis. Or do we? Actually, he seemed to be almost too squeaky clean to be on a soap opera, so we knew the skeletons would be popping out of the closet in no time. But to find out Travis was once a Wall Street bigwig? What would possess him to leave the big bucks behind and to resort to owning a struggling bar? If nothing else, he's somewhat of a hypocrite, since he was angry at Victoria for keeping secrets. I do give Travis some credit for not asking the "spoiled rotten, entitled princess" for money to save his bar. Not yet, anyway.
Thanks to the always-loyal Luca, Nick found Victoria with Travis at Hank's, which Victoria insisted was her refuge from the world. Sort of like Cheers, I guess, except that Travis was the only one who knew her name. And he had only just learned it himself. I guess Hank's isn't like Cheers at all. You know, sometimes you can be more comfortable in a room full of strangers than you can be with your loved ones. However, Nick feared Victoria would lose her heart to some guy she knew nothing about. Why didn't Travis tell Victoria about his past as a commodities trader in oil? I admit, it does seem rather suspicious.
Michael didn't realize how hysterical he was when he stated Ian would have to tell the whole truth in court. Believe me, Michael, you would not want that. Adam then quipped that when Ian testified, they would have to pray that lightning didn't strike the courthouse. Now, that was funny!
As Summer's mother and father, Phyllis and Nick made a toast to parenthood: being thanked, adored, respected -- for maybe a few moments between diapers and the tween years. Yes, any parent will tell you that's true.
It will be interesting to see how much The Young and the Restless changes with the departure of Jill Farren Phelps as executive producer. We will cross our fingers that there won't be another bloodbath by killing off our favorite characters after this major change at the helm.
And just after I typed that, I learned that Michael E. Knight is on his way out as Dr. Simon Neville. No!!! There still could have been so much more to Simon's story and to his possible romance with Ashley. He was a quirky soap character that was so much fun to watch. Please consider bringing him back. But I guess this decision was made before Jill Farren Phelps was let go. Still, I am so sad to hear this.
But we still have the rest of our beloved characters to tell their stories. And the future for Y&R should remain bright and promising as long as our favorite soap is graced with the excellent writing and performances that have kept it at the top of the ratings for decades.
Until next time, please stay tuned.
Teddi
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