Opposites attract. That's the old theory about relationships, but I think it also applies to watching a daily soap. There are opposing storylines everywhere, but the most important one of all is the love/hate you feel for the stories you're watching! That was never more evident than this week on The Young and the Restless. It reminded me of that sketch they did on In Living Color years ago; the two flamboyant film critics who'd share their views by swishingly saying "loved it" or "hated it" -- with a snap! I was doing that with Kay and Genevieve and Phyllis and Diane all week long! Overall, though, I was doing a lot more loving Y&R than hating it!
Hooray for Genie Francis! I say this not as a longtime General Hospital fan who's been in love with all things Genie. Not at all; I was never a big Laura aficionado. And I wasn't over the moon about her stints on Days of Our Lives or All My Children. So I was skeptical when she was cast on Y&R. But here's to Maria Arena Bell for stepping up to the plate and writing a damn good character for Genie. Genevieve Atkinson, who seemed like a certifiable kook in the first few weeks on the show, emerged this past week as a formidable female with a lot to add to the Genoa City goings-on. Her scenes with Jack at Gloworm were positively oozing with charisma. Those two will make a dynamite duo, and Jack is in desperate need of a new lady in his life.
Also, I have to say, I hadn't anticipated her brief encounter with Kin Shriner as Jeffrey. What a flash of brilliance! It was just enough to remind GH fans of Scotty and Laura, and then let her move onto the new story with Jack. Excellent! Of course, if Kin sticks around for a while, I wouldn't object to seeing him try to engage Genevieve in one of the insane Bardwell scams that always blow up on Gloria and Jeffrey's faces.
While I was enjoying Genie's turn as Genevieve, I reached maximum overload when it comes to Phyllis. I firmly believe this character has hit rock bottom. She's alienated everybody who's been close to her, most especially her son Daniel. How can Phyllis insist with such conviction that she's doing such heinous things for Daniel's sake, when he's vehemently opposed to her every move? It's not like Daniel is mentally challenged or a child. He's a grown man, and he knows what he wants. Daniel wants his daughter to be raised by Billy and Victoria. Phyllis simply won't listen to Daniel. And when she got custody last week, she paid the price. Daniel told her, in no uncertain terms, they were done. Phyllis lost him as a son. Phyllis also lost Michael and Lauren as her friends, and don't look for Billy to be rehiring her at Restless Style. Wasn't it great to see Michael shut Phyllis down once and for all? Take that, Phyllis!
The hearing to restore Daisy's parental rights was a joke. I understand that they were rushing the storyline, but it looked amateurish. Where were the psychologists to offer expert testimony? What about the social worker on the case? The judge had no idea whether Phyllis was capable of caring for Lucy, if her home had been prepared for a baby. And while Billy and Victoria did nothing to help their case when they took the stand, Rafe completely dropped the ball when it came to cross-examining Daisy. And why on earth didn't Victoria accept Victor's offer to let her have Michael Baldwin represent her and Billy? No offense to Rafe, but Michael is the old pro in Genoa City.
I'm more than a little bit fed up with Victoria. She's coming off as a complete spoiled brat, blaming Billy for everything that's gone wrong. Well, Billy is the one who approved of the illegal adoption, but she's just as culpable as he is because she's not that naïve. She knew Lucy's adoption was questionable and chose to look the other way. She wanted Lucy and let Billy handle the details. Considering her expertise as a businesswoman, and the fact that she's been victimized before, Victoria should have known better. Now that everything's blown up in their faces, Victoria is acting like a petulant child. Hey, Vicky, take some responsibility for your actions. Billy's your husband; it's time to bond together, not fall apart.
While I'd like to see Billy and Victoria pull together, I'm with Lily on never forgiving Cane. Oh, yeah, I know. That's what she's saying now, but if Lily finds a way to kiss and make up with Cane, I'll be shocked. Cane's deception was cruel. He didn't have to drive her crazy, did he? Was it necessary to push her into the mental ward in order to protect her? Cane claimed that Genevieve's plan was to catch Colin in the act of committing a crime. But as the father of Mattie and Charlie, how on earth could Cane justify letting the twins be bait in the trap to catch Colin?
Ironically, I was more upset with Cane than I was with Colin! Maybe it was because Colin sincerely seemed to be torn up about losing Jill. Of course if he'd gotten away with the twins, he would have lost Jill anyway. I'll be curious to see if there's a future for Colin in Genoa City. I hope so, because I do like him and Jill as a couple.
I'm ready for Tucker to get out of the coma. It's time for him to wake up and get involved with the action. He's already missed the Newman IPO! This Ashley nonsense has been a drag, and Kay needs to get out of the damn hospital. Ashley should never forgive Katherine for the way she's treated her. Never ever ever. When John was advising Katherine, I kept waiting for him to blast her for putting Ashley behind bars. I still can't quite believe that Kay has left Ashley to rot in jail like a common criminal. That's unconscionable. Mrs. Chancellor needs to be knocked off her high horse -- and soon. I'm hoping that Tucker comes out of it and decides to never again let his mother run his business. By the way, wasn't it wonderful to have John on the show for a day? He was terrific. They also used him all over the place, in a half-dozen scenes.
The day of the Newman IPO was also terrific. Loaded with action and twists and turns. It was the kind of episode that Y&R should seriously consider for Emmy submission because they do it better than any other soap. Adam's plan to buy the Newman stock low and make a killing worked perfectly. Kudos to Adam for outfoxing dear old Dad. Was his plan sneaky and evil? You betcha! Yes, there were holes in the plot; the media not bothering to check with Victor before reporting his death was a huge one. But the bottom line was this: it was great to see someone turning the tables on Victor.
Adam's reason for doing this was also illuminating. Yes, he wanted the money, but more than that, he wanted a seat at the table. Adam wants to be in Victor's face, forcing his father to deal with him. Psychologically, it all makes sense for Adam. He'll never be happy until he's won his father's love and respect...but he really doesn't want either! Now that Adam has successfully pulled off the scam, how is Victor going to keep Adam off the Newman board of directors if he has as much stock as he claims he does?
Another major plot hole was Victor letting Diane into his house. Then Victor agreeing to ride in the ambulance with her was an even bigger pill to swallow. Victor knows better than to ever trust Diane. And since it was the day of the IPO, it was a shock that Victor fell for her act. It would have been more believable if she had a gunshot wound and was bleeding all over the couch! The fake pregnancy bit was a tired cliché.
One thing that Y&R does very, very well are these big business stories. You could feel the excitement of the market as the Newman stock rose higher and higher, then the twist when the news reported that Victor was dead. Watching Jack and Adam pounce on the stock was delicious. The cherry on the top of the sundae was Victor walking into the living room and telling Nick and Michael that he'd been duped. Victor didn't lose any money, but his pride was punctured because he knew that he'd been had.
Since she was the main culprit, you have to wonder what will happen next to Diane? Victor's going to want revenge or something worse. I suspect that Victor will run her out of town on a rail! Hopefully, she cashed in from Jack and Adam and will be able to keep herself and Kyle in the high life for a while. If there's a real victim in all this, it is Kyle.
While we're on the subject of characters who we love or hate, it's your turn to fire off some email. What storylines have captured your interest? Which past stars do you want to see return to Y&R in the near future? Send me an email. I'm looking forward to reading from you.
That's it for now. Can't wait to see what happens next week! Let's take a look at some recent notes from the mailbox:
Your comments are always welcome here, so stay in touch. Contact us at Soap Central. And keep on reading Two Scoops every week!
Best,
Allison
