The classic episodes being shown on Fridays remind me of just how spectacular soaps can be in offering entertainment and suspense from back in the day when love in the afternoon was all about love -- and when I fell in love with soaps. There were grand and glorious weddings, the kind that any young girl would wish for on the brightest star in the sky. In fact, some of these glamorous weddings brought extremely high ratings -- ratings we don't see on soaps today. Victor and Nikki's beautiful wedding, shown a few weeks ago, reminded me also of Cliff (Peter Bergman!) and Nina's fairytale gala on All My Children and Luke and Laura's remarkable and record-breaking exchanging of vows on General Hospital, honored by guest Elizabeth Taylor. Oh, I wish for more of these fantastic memories!
Take, for example, this past Friday's classic episode with action in sunny Nevis in the West Indies. Romance was in the air for Paul and Christine's honeymoon -- and since Phyllis just happened to be in Nevis at the same time, she saw no reason not to give Christine a little payback while she was there. You know Phyllis -- she'll take advantage of any opportunity that falls into her lap. Phyllis gained access to their bungalow, and the "happy little pussycat" planted a dead octopus in Paul and Christine's bed. That was just mean. It's such a shame that budget cuts have made it necessary for soaps to eliminate scenes shot at luxurious locations. They sure were filled with a lot of frolic and fun. Meanwhile, back in Genoa City, Katie... oops, I mean Victoria teased Cole with her talk of skinny-dipping and then strolling back home in the nude. Such a naughty minx. And Sharon and Nick invited several relatives to a dinner party to celebrate their solidarity as a couple, only Sharon seemed a little paranoid. Hmm... this sure pointed to a sign of things to come.
I hope the writers at Y&R are watching these throwback episodes from the golden days of soaps. I'd enjoy watching some spicy affairs like the ones that plagued our long-time couples in the past. I remember wild romps in the hay between Nikki Newman and Deacon Sharpe after an alcoholic binge, as Victor blindly spent all his time diabolically plotting in the office on his latest dirty business deal. I'd like to see more romance and maybe less hot sex between two singles, or more cheating on a spouse due to boredom instead of a husband flip-flopping between two beauties as he swapped one wife for another. Hopefully, when the soaps go back into production, the writers can bring back some of the old style of fun, frolic, and suspense that kept viewers wanting to tune back in for more.
Let's start with the guy who had no problem exchanging one wife for another, several times over. After going back and forth between Summer and Lola, Kyle decided he wanted to get rid of Theo at Jabot, and by golly, he did. Kyle, who has nothing better to do at work than to have sex with Summer, sabotaged Theo, who fell too easily into the trap. Kyle's the one with the bad behavior, since his constant jealousy caused him to go after his cousin, yet Theo is the one who paid the price. Theo let his insecurity get in his way, so Kyle is the winner again. It feels like a milder version of Victor and Jack.
It would have been much more intriguing if Theo had realized Kyle's scheme and come up with his own strategy to impress Jack. But Theo did the predictable and became the loser -- just like Billy. We already have one screw-up. And realistically, Jack was never going to pick Theo over his own son, anyway. But if Theo is the long-lost black sheep of the family, Kyle is the wolf in sheep's clothing, ready to gobble up anyone up who gets in his way. Still, Theo's biggest saving grace is that he seems to care for and respect Dina, even when her mental health is at its worst, which shows that under all the flash and insecurity, he truly has a heart. Jack even sees that.
I was surprised when Kyle wasn't happy with his victory over Theo and regretted that he had lost his sparring partner and good friend. He even realized that there had never been an even playing field in their battles, since Kyle had always had a safety net. I was never a Kyle fan until I saw Michael Mealor's version of him. Mr. Mealor brings heart to a character that had previously only been a selfish guy born with a silver spoon in his mouth. But since he's gotten back together with Summer, Kyle seems to have reverted to his old ways. For me, that changed a little when he was truly sorry about what had happened to Theo. I'm glad. I was getting sick of seeing the smirk on Kyle's face.
Thanks to Jack, Phyllis concocted her next scheme to get back at Abby. Jack told her about Jabot needing to shut down a construction site in Washington after fossils were discovered on the grounds. So, all Phyllis needs to do is find some bones to plant at Abby's new hotel. Oh, what's a girl to do? It's just too bad that J.T. is alive, or she could have dug up his grave as a couple women recently attempted to do. Eww, that would be gory.
After Phyllis made promises to Nick about their relationship, one has to wonder what kind of person Phyllis believes herself to be.
Wouldn't it be great if Y&R had a fabulous costume ball attended by the entire cast, and each character wore the perfect costume to fit the person inside? It's been a while since the Halloween masquerade gala at the Newman Tower in 2015, and Gina Tognoni played Phyllis at the time. Michelle Stafford would probably have a blast in picking out her costume -- but she should steer away from the red devil, since that was already used. And since it's a luxury hotel, you'd think the Grand Phoenix would have a ballroom, only it wouldn't have to go up in flames, even if the phoenix can rise from the ashes. Yes, a costume party would be fun.
As we've seen in the past with Hilary and Devon, putting two opposites together can cause quite the stir, so the jury is still out when it comes to Amanda and Nate. Sure, Amanda has a questionable past, but she's not quite as selfish and self-centered as Hilary was, which might make for a dull couple, no matter how many times Amanda's heart skips a beat when she's around him. I give Mishael Morgan tons of credit for trying to differentiate Amanda and Hilary as much as possible, though. Yet, with Elena already as pure as the driven snow, a too goody-goody Amanda isn't what we need, especially if she's paired up with Nate. We already have Devon and Elena as the nice duo. However, if Nate secretly has a crush on Elena, that could be a little more interesting.
We already have enough good guys, and I think there's nothing wrong with Billy being a hero who doesn't have the most squeaky-clean image. Billy and Lily have the potential to be a powerhouse team, especially with Amanda as their legal eagle. Billy is a screw-up with innovation, and Lily has learned how to be fiercely independent on her own. Billy can also take pride in being a success with the ex-wife of the "brother" that he despised a great deal of the time. Billy and Lily have brought something new to a table that desperately needed more to garnish it. And with the lingering glances that Billy and Amanda exchange across the room, maybe all is not lost yet for them as a couple. Lily has noticed their rapport.
After losing his job with Jabot, Theo was sure to have the worst birthday ever, especially since Lola wasn't around. Thankfully, Mariah saved the day. Wow, I never thought I'd be saying those words regarding Theo. But as they found out, they could relate to each other. I said several months ago that I thought they would make good friends. Mariah and Theo both met their families later in life, and both needed to worry about their mothers' health. Mariah comforted Theo that there was something better waiting for him, then he overheard Amanda and Billy discussing a younger demographic and the current trends. Away from Jack, Theo can feel more secure, and Traci can keep him connected to the family. Maybe Chancellor Communications is the silver lining he needs.
Thankfully, Elizabeth Hendrickson's real-life pregnancy brought some happiness to Genoa City as Chloe celebrated her pregnancy with a baby shower all decked out in blue decorations. Kevin was on top of the world as his brother made a toast and they all celebrated the upcoming bundle of joy. The guest list included Michael, Lauren, Esther, Bella, Chelsea, Connor, and a squishy blue dinosaur, and hosts Chloe, as Queen for a Day, and Kevin, who busted out a few dance moves. It was so sweet when Kevin gave Chloe a charm bracelet to mark special moments in the baby's life. The baby boy will certainly be one lucky little guy, since he will be surrounded with love and protection from his family and friends, including his newly anointed godmother, Chelsea.
I think Y&R shines brightest with topical stories, and Sharon's has been at the top of my list. Not only does Sharon have her health to worry about, but she also has to balance her fear with putting on a brave face for her loved ones to keep them from being too afraid. That has to be really tough for her to pull off. Instead of having a pity party, Sharon decided, along with Nick, Rey, Faith, Mariah, and Tessa, to have a proper party with dancing and games to help distract them all for a while. It was a great gesture, and they had some laughs, especially when Faith did her Victor impression -- it was dead-on. Yet, Sharon has to face facts, which means planning in case something goes wrong. Sharon still needs to be realistic about her fate, and that shows just how strong she is.
Sharon can take comfort in knowing that Nick will take good care of Noah and Faith, but it also has to ease her mind that she can rely on Mariah to make her healthcare decisions if Sharon becomes unable to do so. Since her entire focus and energy needs to be on fighting against her cancer and getting well again, she really needs the members of Team Sharon to pick up the slack and ease some of her fears. Sharon needs positive energy, and she needs to eliminate any amount of stress that she can.
Because I knew Adam was young at the time, it never dawned on me that he was the one who killed A.J. all those years ago in Kansas. However, after seeing Connor's behavior as a potential serial killer, I should have realized it was another case of "like father, like son." It was no cat-and-mouse game. Victor only tried to keep the truth from Adam the entire time. Adam never felt completely right about using A.J.'s death to get Newman Enterprises, since he knew the death of Alyssa's father had been for love. But he never knew just how much or in what way. And Victor was only trying to protect his family, just as he has always claimed to do.
Adam refuses to believe his father, because he can't remember what happened, since Hope hadn't wanted Adam's memory of it to resurface. Adam had only been protecting his mother, so Victor staged A.J.'s death to make it look like an accident. This is one can of worms Adam will wish he never opened. Victor claims the dark secret will have to come out, and then Adam's reputation will be dirt. Adam only proved once again that he is just like his dad. Just as Victor would do anything for family, so would Adam -- even as a boy.
Victoria got what she wanted when she was returned in all her glory as CEO after Adam was given the boot. Man, that had to have been the shortest reign in Newman Enterprises history. Victor was mad at Nikki for announcing the truth to her daughter after he had asked his wife to keep it quiet. But, of course, Nikki will always take sides, since Victoria is her daughter and Adam isn't her son, even if Adam isn't a predator. (Nikki's word, not mine.) Victoria showed just how cruel she can be by running to her brother and goading him with what she had just learned. She appears to be getting more and more like her father every day.
Victoria lost her father's respect when she showed her nastiness to Adam, but she no longer cares. As long as she has Newman Enterprises, she is cool with it. Just like dear old dad, Victoria claims that she will do whatever she can to protect Newman Enterprises, but that isn't her main motive. She wants to get back at Adam for trying to take what she feels is rightfully hers. Victoria heard the entire story about Adam protecting Hope, and she could have been understanding, especially since Adam had only been eleven years old at the time. But she used the truth as a weapon against Adam without even blinking an eye. Somewhere along the line, between Victor and Billy, Victoria has become both heartless and ruthless. Yep, just like dear old dad.
Poor Alyssa. Her dream of making a name for herself with the story all went up in smoke after Victor threatened to ruin her life. Oh, yeah, if I were her, I'd pack up and leave town, too. And I'd also kill the story, no matter how much Victoria pleaded otherwise. Run, Alyssa, run.
While Kevin deserves the nod for best sense of humor, they should hope that their little one will have Chloe's delivery of one-liners. If Kevin and Chloe's son has a good combination of both, he may be able to make some big bucks as a stand-up comedian -- maybe even like Rodney Dangerfield. Take my blue dinosaur...please.
When Y&R goes back into production, maybe the writers will be inspired by Jack's idea for Jabot and go "back2basics" by returning to the core concepts for storylines. The classic episodes have highlighted fun and lightheartedness mixed with some suspense. I know budgets are tighter now, but this shutdown gives them time to think of creative ways to make it happen, too. Wouldn't it be great to see a fancy, fairytale wedding or an elaborate, all-frills costume party again? For some stories, the new could be taken from the old with a fresh touch added. Hopefully, the soaps will be able to go back into production soon, and then we will all be ready to celebrate.
Until next time, please stay tuned.
Teddi
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