In the blink of an eye

Less than honorable intentions suddenly skewed one character toward honorable territory, the ongoing (and never-ending?) saga of the magical music box played on, and storyline resolutions blazed at record speed! Read our columnist's opinions and see if you agree.

Yes, The Young and the Restless wrapped up several storylines in what appeared to be in the blink of an eye in the last couple of weeks, and that has left me somewhat dissatisfied as a viewer. These were storylines that I had been looking forward to watching because I believed the potential for dynamic, riveting drama was not only possible but even inevitable. In the world of soaps, when so many storylines tend to drag on and on, I hated to see the perfect opportunity for some much-needed intense interaction to be wasted and shortened in such a hasty way.

First, let's take the case of Chloe's kidnapping of Connor. If handled correctly, this tale could have kept us glued to our seats for weeks as we waited for the next exciting installment. Oh, for the good old days, when fans couldn't wait to tune back in to see what happened next, especially after a gripping, old-fashioned Friday cliffhanger. I actually thought that Chloe should have spirited Connor off not too long after Delia died. However, I understood Adam's sudden exit made it necessary to postpone the abduction.

Therefore, I was relieved to see the writers return to Chloe's obsession for the little tyke. But I was soon disappointed when I realized that the crime would be handled with kid gloves, no pun intended. (Or was there? Geesh, there's already more drama in that question than there was in Chloe's deed.) The sad thing is that the drama could have been great if spotlighted in a different manner. Chloe was completely rational when she took Connor and declared that it had been for his own benefit, since Chelsea would eventually prove to be an unfit mother. That really didn't make that much sense to me, since Adam was already out of the picture, and he was the one who had run into little Delia. Sure, Chloe might want to make Adam pay, but why Chelsea, her so-called best friend?

But none of that really mattered because Victor, Chelsea, and Kevin tracked Chloe and Connor down, lickety-split, and the whole ordeal was pretty much all of naught. I mean, why even bother? Just think how much more intense and involving it would have been if they had shown Chloe taking the young lad while she was still wallowing in her grief and despair of losing the precious daughter that she had loved so dearly. Wouldn't it have made a better story if she had been a little irrational and been overcome by her obsession to replace the child that she had lost, especially since that very tot had her beloved girl's corneas? And a follow-up could have showcased her loved ones helping her to finally deal with her loss and to heal from her pain, as Chloe coped with moving on without Delia. Again, this seemed to be a lost opportunity.

But instead, we are given that Chloe swooped Connor off to Paris where Victor, Chelsea, and Kevin immediately found them, and they all instantly returned to Genoa City. Y&R fan Timothy has something to say about this:

It's just a soap BUT, who flies into Paris to save their girlfriend and doesn't stick around for even one day?

I wondered about that myself. It was just so fast! Just think of the jet lag. Then Chloe needed to retain an attorney to help her with the legal issues of her actions rather than having her friends and family gather around her to support and help her with her grief. Maybe there will be more to this story, but right now, I am a little saddened by what seems to be such a quick and immediate resolution. Y&R fan Timothy adds:

Chloe...loses her daughter and decides jail is best for her? How would she honor her daughter by sitting in jail? The things she could hold onto about her daughter would be to maintain relationships with people who knew her daughter AND visit her grave site.

Yes, prison could very well be where Chloe is headed depending on the results of the psychiatric evaluation. According Michael, the better scenario would be for Chloe to be admitted to Fairview, the mental hospital, because she really could use the help. Wow, Kevin couldn't really have been surprised that she was denied bail after leaving the country with someone else's passport -- and child! Seriously?

In the meantime, Chelsea believed that Adam was alive and refused to let anyone -- Victor, Chloe, Anita, the man in the moon, anyone -- dissuade her from that belief. And it appeared that she just might be right because the next thing you know, we saw a hand adorned with a wedding ring move and rise up from a bed in a room at some unknown location. Could it possibly be Adam? (What are the odds?) The more obvious question would be when Adam does return with a new face, will everyone immediately recognize him like they did with Billy? Or were the burns so severe that he needed plastic surgery and would be able to walk around, unrecognized, throughout Genoa City?When Chelsea tried to get answers from Billy, he could only tell her that he had believed that Adam had gotten away at the time but that he was unable to give her any closure. Chelsea later used Victor's own strategy against him and said that if he wanted access to Connor, Victor would conduct his own investigation into what had actually happened to Adam. Victor almost looked flabbergasted. You know, if Victor didn't really want to know himself, he probably would have threatened Chelsea with retribution, although he did note that Chelsea was using Connor as leverage.

Even though Chelsea believed in her heart that Adam was alive, especially after receiving a phone call with a crackling noise in the background, Victor refused her "request." However, after Noah turned down Victor's promotion and even quit his job, due to Victor's nefarious business dealings, Victor reconsidered and offered to locate any information regarding what had happened to Adam. Well, we know that if anyone can find the proof Chelsea needs, it is Victor. Dear Vic is great about getting the information; he's just not-so-great with how he uses it. Hopefully, he will really put his family first, for a change, and use it for the good of his loved ones.

Then we have the Ian Ward story. Didn't all of that seem to happen in a blur? I mean, I realize that maybe the writers were restricted to the timeline of actor Ray Wise, but I just think that more could have been done with the Summer part of the equation. Maybe the better story would have been to have Summer be brainwashed, or at the very least mesmerized, by Ian, just as Nikki had been all those years ago. We could have witnessed for ourselves what Nikki might have gone through, which led to the eventual birth of Dylan. But I am not a soap writer, so I guess they know best.

At least the Ian Ward saga does not appear to be completely over, though, since Dylan's despicable long-lost father insinuated that he held a deep secret that Dylan really needed to know. Of course, Dylan was wondering what that could be. Does he have siblings? (You would think so, given Ian's reputation with the young ladies.) I did laugh at Dylan's description of the "squirrelly smile" that Ian gave as he dangled the secret over Dylan. That was a pretty apt picture Dylan painted, I'd say.

Ian's secret traveled with him to the police station, where he indicated that Paul should be thankful to him because Ian had done him a favor. What was that all about? Could Dylan be Paul's son, after all, as some fans seem to think? We wouldn't find out right away, since Leslie, fresh off her breakup with Neil, arrived to represent Ian. Hey, lowlifes need attorneys too. (Or should I say especially.) Leslie was positive she could get Ian off, yet she was unaware of a little recording that Nikki had sent Paul, taping the conversation of Ian extorting money from Nikki. Maybe Leslie could get the recording thrown out in court? No, Wisconsin state law requires that only one person needs to know that the conversation is being recorded. Oops, I guess that would be a slam dunk then.

I guess the most shocking result of Ian's arrest was learning that Nikki now considers Victor a champion in all of the recent developments, including his blackmailing Adam. What?? After Victor declared that he had needed to do "damage control with the salacious details" (leave it to Victor to use those words), he pointed out that his relationship with Nikki had been one secret after another. Nikki then acknowledged that her husband had "blurred the legal lines" (another good word choice!) but only to hang on to his son and grandson. Really? That's how she saw it? It seemed to me that Victor held the truth about Delia's death over Adam's head so that he could gain control over his grandson. How on earth has Victor's blackmail evolved into honorable intentions in Nikki's eyes?

But Nikki's excuse for her latest secret was that she could not tell Victor that Ian was in town because of her last secret about giving up her son at birth because Victor's mom had done the same thing. Except, of course, by then, Victor had already known about Dylan so why again was she unable to tell him about Ian? Oh, yes, because Victor had been too worried about Connor and had been too busy rescuing him at the time. Okay, let's go with that. So, now Victor is the savior of all, especially of the members of his family. Saint Victor!

I have to admit that Victor was very creative with his phrasing (again) when he referred to Ian as "the soon-to-be worthless maggot at the bottom of my shoe." Ha, that was a good one! After Ian noted that they were "all destined to meet on the path again," Victor warned that Ian had better hope that they did not cross paths again. That Victor can be so clever!

Nikki did offer Summer good advice after Summer related that she wanted people to quit telling her who she should be. Nikki told Summer to picture Ian's "smug smile" and to let her anger out, so Summer yelled that she refused to be Ian's victim. Nikki saw that Summer was strong enough to help herself, and Nikki only wished she had been. Nikki had a point, I must admit. But enough of that. Let's return to the big secret that Ian is keeping from Dylan.

If Paul is really Dylan's father, why would Nikki think that Ian is? I mean, surely she wouldn't prefer to believe that Ian was Dylan's dear old dad rather than her very close friend, Paul. You know, Paul, the very person Nikki runs to with all of her secrets rather than her own husband, Victor. Could Dylan's parentage be something that Nikki is unaware of? Would a secret like that bring Nikki and Paul closer together, or could that put distance between them, which would probably delight Victor? Oh, but why speculate -- the secret is probably just the sibling thing anyway.

Wasn't it funny how all it took was for Dylan and Nick to work together one time to smooth things over between Avery and Sharon. And now everything was all hunky-dory with Faith and Avery too? Of course, Faith also knew that her dad was not marrying Avery after all. So Faith thinks that Avery is "kind of nice" now that Avery is no longer a threat to Faith's mother. Avery probably should thank her lucky stars that she did not become Faith's stepmother. Faith would have tormented Avery as long as Avery continued to stand between her mom and dad.

However, I still give Sharon credit for trying to determine what was causing her "visions" of Cassie. She knew that she was not delusional, and she realized that she was not seeing ghosts. Of course, she was also not correct that her Cassie images were being caused by a chemical imbalance. No, my dear, they are actually the result of the dirty, dastardly deeds of Victor Newman. After all of the rotten stunts that Victor has pulled in the past, you would think that Nick or Sharon would at least suspect that Nick's dad might be the cause of it all, especially knowing how much he hates Sharon. But no, Nick and Sharon are both still in the dark about Nick's oh-so-loving father.

I remain sorely disappointed, however, by Sharon's cover-up of what she believes to be the truth: Summer is, in fact, Nick's biological daughter. Nick continued to share his sadness over the fact that Summer was not his daughter, and no matter how many times Sharon comforted him that blood shouldn't matter, it did to Nick. Sharon declared that she wished they all could just forget about that test and its results, because that was exactly what she wanted. Sharon just wants them all to forget. She never wants the truth to come out, but you know that it will.

After Sharon announced to Nick that she had not had any more Cassie sightings -- or of Janis Joplin or Eleanor Roosevelt either (funny!) -- Nick commented that Sharon looked "real good" and that he saw her again as the feisty girl with a sense of compassion. I am sure that Nick and Sharon will continue to get closer and closer, and it will be tragic when Nick finally learns what Sharon has been hiding through all of it. This is one storyline that has dragged on and on and will probably continue to do so until Phyllis awakens from her coma. Whenever that will be.

Romance was in the air for Dylan and Avery, who desired to be "a normal couple," doing things like walking hand-in-hand in the park -- in public! (After all, that's where the parks are.) After Avery claimed that she also wanted romantic dinners and occasional flowers sent to her office, Dylan yelled out in the park that he loved her, a display that was awarded by public applause. Now that's the way to announce to the world your love for a lady! It was totally sweet, and what woman wouldn't be charmed by that? Dylan is finally learning the proper way to treat the lass that he loves.On the subject of Neil and Leslie's split, fans had something to say about Neil's declaration of marriage to Leslie. First, Y&R fan Judi's opinion:

Congratulations for understanding your man. The only woman Neil ever wants is one he does not have (particularly if she is with his brother). Once married, it is only a matter of time, usually not very long, until he cheats. You want to keep Neil in love with you, DON'T marry him.

And Y&R fan Erin had much more to say on the subject:

Honestly, I don't know which was worse for me -- boring, bland Neil, or begging, whining Neil. He reminded me of nothing so much as a boy on prom night telling his girl that if she loves him she'll give him what he wants, regardless how she feels about it. She had already explained herself to him, and rather than giving her some time for her feelings on marriage to evolve, or to build further trust in their relationship, he demanded "now now now! You agree to do it my way or I'm taking my toys and going home!" This is not the kind of guy who makes a romantic love story! Why would ANY woman believe his protestations that marriage before God is so sacred to him?? Parts of his speech to Leslie would have been sweet coming from a man who takes commitment and the sacredness of marriage and fidelity seriously...

For Neil, talk is cheap, isn't it? And Neil didn't really listen to any of Leslie's words, did he? I had to laugh when Neil told Jack that he had tried to see it Leslie's way but that he was too old-fashioned. When did he take time to try to understand just what Leslie was trying to say? I don't know -- for me, actions speak louder than words anyway. And from Neil's past actions, Leslie should have already run for the hills. This couple has never really been on the same page as far as commitment and marriage were concerned. Leslie should be grateful that she avoided being just another notch on Neil's marital bedpost, even if she did not realize it at the time.

It seems to me that the writers aren't quite certain what to do with Hilary. First, it appeared that she would be paired up with Devon (and all of his money) and then it looked as if Jack would be in her sights. Now, I wonder if Hilary will be the rebound love for Neil after his breakup with Leslie. Neil did say that he knew just the man for Hilary, but she was the one who thought that he meant Devon. I sort of think he was referring to himself. Besides, I think that Esmeralda has her own ideas for Devon and his mega-bucks. That sure caught Hilary's attention, didn't it?

Maybe both Devon and Neil are more than a little smitten with Ms. Curtis. Could father and (adopted) son be dueling for the affections of this gracious lady? Or, as Lily referred to Hilary, the "tramp." Ha, I had to laugh at that. Neil and Devon sure jumped up to defend the honor of Hilary. What chivalrous men!

Wow, that was some news about Cady McClain being cast as the new Kelly Andrews, wasn't it? I was a huge fan of Cady's Rosanna Cabot on As the World Turns. (Sorry, not so much a fan of Dixie's on All My Children.) I am hoping that Cady can make Kelly a little more likeable and sympathetic, since the fans haven't really been able to embrace Kelly Andrews due to her one-night stand with Billy. And congrats to Cady McClain and Jon Lindstrom (Kevin on General Hospital) for their Valentine's Day wedding. Apparently, Neil should take notes from them on the right time and the proper reason to get married.

Back to Kelly, at least she admitted to Stitch that she felt pathetic, since she was finding it hard to let Billy go. How could Kelly believe that she and Billy could remain friends, though, after everything that had taken place? And especially since Billy wanted nothing more to do with her? But what is the actual connection between Kelly and Stitch? Y&R fan Michelle (who is not my sister) has her own views:

It may sound kind of out there but I have been wondering if maybe Stitch is Kelly's brother and they had a falling out after her son's death. Lily asked Kelly once if she had family to support her in her loss and she said in a rather bitter way "Not exactly." They also seem to have a relationship that has existed for a while to me...she casually refers to him as "Ben" and not "Stitch" or "Doctor." She also recently commented to him about a personality trait of his...I can't remember the exact line but it was something to the effect "You always have been..." He also vehemently told Dylan that he would never cheat on his wife so she isn't a former fling. I don't know but I could see them as estranged siblings...she felt he let her down in her time of need and paid him back by revealing a marriage wrecking secret of his to his wife. Just a theory...

I had also wondered if Stitch and Kelly were brother and sister but her demands that Stitch get his hand off of her seemed rather over-the-top for siblings. And what could be so bad that she would never forgive him? I have read other fans' speculation that maybe Stitch was the one who had unintentionally killed her little Sam, maybe while serving as Sam's doctor. The only other reveal about this mysterious couple was that Stitch and Kelly talked of Sam on Sam's birthday. No clues there.

But boy, do Victoria and Stitch have some chemistry going on! What's sad about it, though, is that she turned to him for the wrong reason. And she seemed to realize that when she returned home to Billy and revealed the truth about her kissing another man, whom she later revealed to be Stitch. Billy had seriously hurt Victoria, but she still desired to save her marriage. Billy claimed that Victoria was his "soul," and even though they made love later, I am not so certain that their marriage can be saved. It all just seemed too desperate.

And Victoria pretty much acknowledged as much when she told Billy that nothing had changed since Billy had also expressed himself in the same way with Kelly. Billy declared that he would never stop trying, even if it took a million years. So, of course, the song "Wait a Million Years" by The Grass Roots started playing in my head. This is so ironic because just a couple of days ago, I discovered that the lead singer of The Grass Roots, Rob Grill, died in July of 2011. There was no big announcement of it? That group had many hit songs. It's just so surprising to me. Anyway, the world lost a talented man who dedicated his life to the group. And he was good-looking to boot!

Jack really did show his wisdom in the advice he gave Victoria when he told her to look at the future rather than dwelling in the past. What would her future be like without Billy? So many people leap to instant decisions that affect the rest of their lives, which they end up regretting down the road. Once something is done, it can't always be "undone." (Oh dear, don't get me started on The Guess Who! Or "Undun," in that case.) A spouse needs to take time to make a major decision about something that important and life-altering. Jack was wise beyond his years.

But Jack's advice could only go so far when Billy did the stupid thing of threatening Stitch in front on Victoria. And after Victoria listened to and misinterpreted a message that Kelly left on Billy's voicemail, she promptly threw Billy out of the house. Boy, the trust is seriously gone from this relationship. Victoria listened in to messages on Billy's phone? Not good! Still, I am just not seeing the sizzle between David Tom and Amelia Heinle that I saw with Billy Miller and Amelia. When the on-screen chemistry is lacking, the couple can be blah. That's just how I see it anyway.

When Kelly later arrived at Jabot to announce that she was removing herself from the Delia Project, Jack continued to be on a roll with doling out advice. Since Kelly believed that if Jack, as the decent and honorable man that he was, could forgive her, she might be able to forgive herself, he suggested that she try to find a healthy way to bring peace into her life. While she was there, Kelly mentioned that it was Sam's birthday and I can't help but think that she is still very much interested in Mr. Jack Abbott. Hmmm...would Cady's Kelly be a good match for Jack? Could be.

The mystery of the music box continued, also, and now Esther has joined the investigation. It was interesting that Esther concluded that Katherine's father, Walter Shepherd, had been a spy -- or as it is more formally called, "army intelligence" -- who had deciphered messages and that the journals could be in code. Was Rachel a secret agent? Well, that would liven up this little adventure, wouldn't it? As much as she tried to hide it from Colin, Esther found the missing part of Rachel's picture, and Jill saw that "Piccadilly Photo, London" had been stamped on it. Could London be the location of the adventure for this unlikely trio?

But who knew that Colin was such a romantic at heart? After Jill called Shep a philanderer, Colin insisted that in September 1938, Rachel and Shep had been star-crossed lovers during the war but that Shep had put his feelings aside for the greater good. Colin maintained that Shep never would have left Rachel without saying goodbye and that his last moments would have been spent telling her that he loved her. Wow, unless he is just conning Jill, Colin is showing a new side of himself -- a softer, gentler side. But is it for real?

I must admit that I am enjoying Colin more this time around. Tristan Rogers looks to be bringing a wee bit of GH's Robert Scorpio into his depiction of Colin now. And that is never a bad thing. I love the devil-may-care attitude that Mr. Rogers can bring to his characters, and it is this attitude that really highlights their charm. No wonder the ladies have melted over these men in the last several decades. Tristan Rogers exudes a charisma that keeps his audience, especially the women, enthralled.

I also found it interesting that it was Colin who realized that Cane probably wasn't satisfied with running the Athletic Club, no matter how much Cane denied it. Colin believed that Cane was a lot like him in needing to prove his worth to himself, and to me, Cane did not refute it strongly enough. Cane truthfully exclaimed that he had everything that a man could want, but is that enough for him? Sure, Victor has Chancellor Industries now, but does that mean that Cane no longer has the desire to run it? I doubt that. He just didn't convince me with his protests.

Sure enough, Victor discussed the investigation into Bonaventure, thanks to Jack, with Cane, who claimed that he had no idea that Bonaventure had been putting dangerous drugs on the street. Cane maintained that Chancellor Industries still meant a lot to him, since it had been Katherine's company. So, of course, Victor offered the CEO position at Chancellor to Cane so that C.I.'s good name could be reestablished. But will Cane take the position? Well, of course, you know he will. I think that daddy dearest knows Cane better than Cane thinks.

Other notable (or humorous) items that happened during the week:

Hilary spoke no truer words when she said to Neil, "You know from where I sit, your life is a lot like that view: fantastic, sparkling, inspiring even. I guess things aren't always what they seem, huh?" Are they ever?

Not to be outdone, Lily referred to Esmeralda as "a perfectly nice, non-hateable person" as compared to Hilary. Lily would probably think that about almost any other female. Lily is one Winters not captivated by Hilary's charms.

I loved the "punny" and funny birthday celebration given by Courtney for Noah. All of those cop-like references about Courtney keeping her eye on the target during her investigation, especially when she noted that she would need to frisk Noah during her stakeout. Sexy!

The exchange between Abby and Tyler was cute again. Sure, a leap of faith is for dreamers, so dream big! "Maybe happy endings only happen in fairytales," but if you don't take that chance, you'll never know. Here's to finding out.

I had to laugh at Esther's technique for fluffing pillows. Pound them with a feather duster! I will have to try that.

Carmine-less couple Lauren and Michael decided to seize the moment and go to a romantic getaway at a spa on a lake. How romantic! Just what this couple, whose lives had once "spun out of control," needs.

Dylan was dead-on when he acknowledged that his "knowing the truth hasn't exactly been a party." I mean, what guy in his right mind would want Ian Ward as his father? No confetti or party-favors needed.

Abby decided to play matchmaker between Stitch and her mom, but Stitch only had thoughts of Victoria. But we do know that Ashley is returning briefly, anyway, as announced by Soap Central. What fun it must be for Eileen Davidson to play two totally different characters: good girl Ashley on Y&R and bad girl Kristen on Days of our Lives. Ms. Davidson really has the best of both worlds!

Jack used a lot of adjectives to describe his brother, Billy, to Victoria: pigheaded, reckless, selfish, careless, self-destructive, and addictive. Jack really knows his brother, doesn't he?

Why do I have a feeling that a fashion show is in our future? Maybe because of Lily's "freaking fantastic" idea of Chelsea's fashion line being introduced at the Genoa City Athletic Club. That is "freaking fantastic"!

Sadly, I guess Sharon and Chelsea won't be BFFs after all. What a shock! Chelsea had one of the better lines this week when she yelled at a concerned Sharon, "Don't compare what we're dealing with, Sharon. Adam's not dead and I'm not crazy!" Sharon's just never going to rid herself of that "title" now.

Our own Y&R Amber Alert! Amber Moore, that is. I just saw Adrienne Frantz on an episode of Justified as a character somewhat similar to that of Amber. Well, Ms. Frantz sure knows how to play that type of role.

As announced on Soap Central on March 3rd, the Daytime Emmy pre-nominations have been announced, and I was not the least bit surprised that Billy Miller placed himself in the Lead Actor category this year. And I predict that he has an excellent chance to win in that category with his brilliant performances from last year.

However, I guess my biggest shock was that Michael Muhney's name was absent from both the lead actor and supporting actor categories. I just feel that was such a shame given the outstanding range of conflicting emotion that he exhibited throughout his performances last season. At least we got to witness his acting, even if he will not be honored for it with a win or even a nomination at the Daytime Emmy awards.

Congratulations to all of the talented Y&R actors and actresses who were pre-nominated in their appropriate categories. I hope that each and every one of you are nominated in your categories, although that would make all of the acting categories pretty heavy-handed with Y&R actors and actresses. But I wouldn't mind that at all!

Until next time, please stay tuned.

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