I thought the New Year was supposed to begin happy, but the citizens of Genoa City are a very unhappy bunch. Let's start with Diane and her never-ending saga. Diane has turned Jack's brain to mush, and he has been dumbed down because he is going along with all Diane's schemes. It appears Diane has fooled Jack enough that he is actually falling for her. In the meantime, she seems to be very comfortable with Jeremy Stark. I don't understand how he can grow closer to Diane when his history with her includes infidelity, theft, fraud, and manipulation, yet he is still helping her fight her battles against Stark. I understand Jack wants to support Kyle and Harrison, because Kyle wants his mother in his life, Harrison loves Didi, and they both like having Didi around. Does Jack really need to go to these lengths to help, though? Jack has involved himself in Diane's schemes for Kyle's sake and apparently to keep Kyle's mother safe.
Kyle said it felt like Diane was excited about planning the robbery and that it was like a game to her. I believe he hit the nail on the head on that one. Diane thrived on the games she used to play (or perhaps still plays). I think Jack is in too deep with Diane's schemes to get rid of Jeremy. I fear Jack is going to get burned in a big way. Phyllis and Nikki see it coming. Diane is going to hurt Jack and Kyle once again because she will never stop being the manipulator she has always been. I would like to see her ride off into the sunset with Jeremy and never return. What if Diane came to Genoa City in collusion with Jeremy just to screw over some of the people there, perhaps even Jack? How funny would it be if Jack was wrong about this?
Phyllis and Summer parted ways because Phyllis believed that Summer was siding with Diane and against her. Phyllis still doesn't get that she brought Jeremy Stark to Genoa City because she called him and dangled a carrot by telling him where Diane was and that she'd turned him in to the Feds. How does Phyllis figure this was Diane's fault? I am certain that Jeremy would have found Diane down the road, but Phyllis sped the process up by making that phone call. Phyllis and Summer have always had a very close mother/daughter relationship, and I doubt this rift will last too long. I hope they can resume that close relationship they have always had.
Let's dissect the other master manipulator, Tucker McCall. He is a lot like Adam in the sense that he likes to blame others when his plans go awry, but he keeps claiming he's a changed man. I loved the scene when Devon arrived at Tucker's suite and, with Ashley present, Devon said he knew that Tucker had planted Audra at Chancellor-Winters to help him take over the company when it went public. Devon told Tucker that Audra had been fired and that he didn't want anything more to do with Tucker -- and that included Dominic. As ye sow, so shall ye reap! It really wasn't Tucker's night, and Ashley witnessed the whole thing. Ashley then put the cherry on top when she told Tucker she'd been playing him to get information from him. Tucker received a double whammy that night, and I thought it looked good on him.
Tucker blamed Audra for blowing things up between him, Devon, and Ashley, but I cheered when Audra stood up to him. Audra said Tucker could have reconnected with Devon without the secrets and lies. She was right. I think Devon would have accepted Tucker in his life had Tucker been genuine with him, but as Audra said, Tucker always chose manipulation over honesty.
Watching Ashley with Tucker, I really started to believe that she was falling for him again, but she really surprised me when Tucker came to the Abbott home to talk to her. I might have even cheered a little because I really didn't want her to reunite with Tucker. He hurt her badly in the past, and we all know he would do it again in a heartbeat.
Ashley admitted she'd begun to feel things for him again but remembered he'd been a crappy partner, and there wasn't a chance in hell she would ever reconcile with him. She told him to leave and said she didn't want to see his face again. He was shot down by the two people he claimed to love. He claimed he'd been trying to take over two companies so that he could work side by side with both of them.
They say things usually come in threes, and Tucker won the jackpot. First, Audra gave him a shot of reality and said she was done with him; then, Devon cut all ties with him; and last but not least, Ashley blew him off for good -- I hope. Tucker really is a sleazy character. If he loves Ashley so much, why was he sleeping with Audra?
Audra seems to have landed on her feet. Nate, one conspirator, hired Audra, another conspirator. Was this match made in heaven? Here is a scenario I would love to see happen. Nate betrayed his family in the worst possible way, and now I would love to see him get his comeuppance because of something Audra does. I would love to see her betray Nate the way he betrayed Devon and Lily. That would be the icing on the cake for me. Nate has a huge ego, and I think it needs to be trimmed. Even after Audra told Nate about her connection to Tucker and how he planted her at Chancellor-Winters so that he could take over the company when it went public, Nate didn't rescind his offer of employment.
I don't trust Audra. I believe that she will sabotage Nate in business or destroy Nate's relationship with Elena. When Audra came clean about everything to Nate, I thought he was going to negate his job offer, so I was disappointed when he didn't.
What is going on with Adam? Good grief! He and Sally decided the spark between them was no longer there, and they agreed it was time for them to go their separate ways. Adam seems to have been slowly sliding into his dark place because he never seems happy about anything.
The biggest bug in his shorts seems to be the amount of time Billy is spending with Chelsea. Why? She and Adam are divorced and free to spend time with whomever they choose. I don't understand why Adam is so adamant about Billy staying away from Chelsea. Aside from the hatred Adam and Billy have for one another, Adam is behaving like he is about to forbid Chelsea from seeing Billy. Has he put himself in charge of who Chelsea gets to be friends with? I find his behavior rather strange where Billy and Chelsea are concerned.
Adam really isn't happy that Sally chose Nick over him. It's time he moved on. Sally made her choice. They both agreed to move on, but Adam gets mopey every time he sees her. At this point, I really wonder if Adam knows what and who he wants. He doesn't seem to be very happy at Jabot, either.
Victor is the biggest thorn in Adam's side. What I don't understand is why Adam keeps baiting Victor every time he sees him. If Adam doesn't want to be part of the Newman clan, then he should walk away. Adam just can't seem to resist sparring with Victor. It must have really irked Adam when Victor arrived at Society and greeted Kyle warmly and only acknowledged Adam. Adam demanded to know why Victor was meeting with Kyle. How was that any of Adam's business? It almost seems that anytime Adam sees Victor talking to anyone, Adam wants to know what Victor is talking about.
Victor desperately wants Adam back in the Newman fold, and he has asked Kyle to help him get Adam fired from Jabot. I wonder if Kyle will help Victor. I don't think that Kyle and Adam cross paths very often at Jabot, and Jack seems to be keeping Adam in line. If Victor succeeds in having Adam fired from Jabot, I wonder if Adam will actually crawl back to Victor, as Victor clearly hopes.
Victor was right when he said Adam doesn't want to be part of the Newman family until he needs Daddy's help. Victor said he knew Adam would be looking for that help sooner than later, which didn't please Adam. I think it's time for Adam to find or build a business that he can control and be happy at, something where he wouldn't be associated with the Newmans or Abbotts. But maybe Adam is really looking for a place where he belongs, and he hasn't found that anywhere or with anyone.
I'm still scratching my head over Victor's visit to Chelsea. Was he looking for information about Chelsea's health, because he mentioned that Adam and Victoria had watched her like hawks during the Christmas party, or was he looking for a reason to take Connor away from her? I don't think Adam would allow that to happen because Adam has primary care of Connor. That leaves Victor probing into Chelsea's health. Again, Adam is trying to keep another person away from Chelsea. I wonder who else is on the list of people prohibited from seeing Chelsea.
I felt so sorry for Billy. After he and Lily broke up, Billy wound up outside Chelsea's apartment and sat down in front of her apartment door. He seemed broken. Chelsea invited him in, and she tried to lighten his mood a bit. She succeeded by suggesting they watch a comedy. After the movie, Billy really opened up to Chelsea after she asked him how he'd felt that night on the rooftop. I knew that night had affected him deeply, and I tried to recall if Billy had had a similar incident. I never would have guessed that it reminded him of the night Delia died. He said he hadn't been able to save Delia, and in a way, that night on the rooftop had been like a do-over. He had the opportunity to do the right thing or screw it up and live with that horrible memory for the rest of his life.
What a horrible thing he would have to live with if he'd chosen the wrong words or actions. I think Billy and Chelsea have a great friendship because they can be completely open with each other, which is good for both of them. I think it was a huge step for Billy to admit that his breakup with Lily was completely his fault. That is something Billy wouldn't have admitted a year ago, and this shows how much he has grown.
Lily is a mess at the moment. She is heartbroken because of the breakup with Billy, she had to fire Audra because Audra was working with Tucker to take over Chancellor-Winters once it went public, and Devon wants to buy his company back because he doesn't agree with the IPO and wants his autonomy back.
Thank goodness Daniel is back in town. He and Lily have always had a great relationship and have always been able to be open with each other. They also have each other to lean on. Daniel returned in time to give Lily the support she needs.
Diane and Tucker have been telling everyone that they have changed, but they haven't. I take my hat off to Sally, who has said she has changed and shows that she has completely changed from the person who first arrived in Genoa City. Back then, she didn't care who she hurt or manipulated as long as she got what she wanted. That person is gone. Sally has done a complete makeover of herself. She now has self-confidence and self-worth, and she actually likes herself. She wants to do things on her own, and she is brave enough to start her own business.
Sally is in denial about her pregnancy, and I can understand why. She had sex with both Adam and Nick, and it has to be weighing on her who the father might be. She doesn't want Nick to think she tried to trap him with the pregnancy if he's the father. That's quite a load she is carrying on her shoulders. She must be going crazy with Chloe constantly nagging that she has to take care of herself, she has to take her prenatal vitamins, and she has to tell Nick about the baby.
If Chloe isn't driving Sally crazy, she is certainly doing it to me. First, it was all about Adam. Chloe kept nagging Sally to stay away from Adam because he was such a rotten person, and now, she found something else to nag about: Sally's pregnancy. It feels like the writers don't know what to do with the Chloe character, and they have turned her into a completely unlikeable nag. I used to enjoy Chloe and Chelsea together -- they're both great actors -- but I'm not enjoying this Chloe at all.
Chance, now divorced from Abby, has been spending a lot of time with Sharon. I love how they have established takeout dinner night together once a week. I don't recall seeing Chance smile so much since his return from Spain. He seems very happy and relaxed in Sharon's company, and Abby sure noticed when she saw them together. I would love to see this friendship turn into something much more. Unlike Abby, Sharon is down to earth, and she is aware of a detective's schedule. She's been married to two of them, Dylan McAvoy and Rey Rosales. I think they would make a wonderful couple. They seem to have a very comfortable relationship, and they laugh easily.
Abby seems to be spending a lot of time with Devon since her divorce from Chance. No wonder Chance thought Abby was about to move in with Devon when she told him she wanted to move out of the Chancellor house. Abby wasn't happy when Chance said he noticed how much time she'd been spending with the guy who destroyed their marriage. I have to say it wasn't all Devon's fault because Abby bears half the blame for that one. It's too bad Abby loves to live in her fantasy world because she and Chance could have been a great couple and raised Dominic together. Oh, well, all good things must come to an end at some point.
Those are my opinions for this week. I'd love to hear yours. Feel free to drop them off in the Comments box just below this column. Until next time, stay safe!
Nel
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