A march into madness

March Madness is here! But basketball has nothing on madness like our favorite soap does, including Sharon's very real (not imaginary) dilemma! Chloe also teetered on the brink herself. And, of course, the meaningful moments of the magical mystery music box. Madness indeed! To find out more, read this week's Two Scoops.

Yes, it's March Madness again, which, of course, means that it was a shortened week of the trials and tribulations of our loved ones on The Young and the Restless. But would sanity be the final result for our beloved characters or would they all be doomed to heartache, heartbreak, or just an endless supply of never-ending woes? Come on...this is a soap opera, so doom and gloom it was. Of course, the odds were that the drama would continue to increase as the events of the week unfolded.When we talk of madness, the first person we would naturally look to would be Sharon, who truly believed she was stark-raving mad. In Sharon's case, Karina Halle's saying, "And with madness comes the light" would not exactly apply, since the object of Sharon's madness, fake Cassie, is very much real. Sadly, Sharon believed that her deceased daughter's look-alike was just a figment of her imagination and was a symptom of her mental disorder. Y&R fan Timothy observes:

It's only a soap BUT when Sharon reached out and grabbed Cassie in her living room and Nick ran downstairs, why wouldn't one of them think to call Chief Williams and report a break in AND dust for prints on the door knob to at least prove to Nick that she actually touched another human being instead of her hallucinating this in her mind and blaming it on her meds or the fact that her and Nick slept together and this is making Sharon even more crazier than she or others perceive her as being?

Unfortunately, since Sharon was the only one who actually saw fake Cassie and since she originally had legitimate visions of Cassie, she honestly believed that she was still hallucinating. And alas, because of this, Nick had no reason to think otherwise. If either had let just a smidgen of doubt or suspicion creep in, I am sure that they would have thought to call Paul or to dust for fingerprints. The horrible fact is that Sharon wasn't as crazy as she was being made to look (thanks, Victor!), which was what made her next decision so tragic.Since Sharon felt that her medication could not possibly be working because she was able to not only see and talk to Cassie but could also actually touch her, she believed that drastic action was necessary. Although her doctor tried to calm her by stating that Sharon's secret from Nick was the cause and was only hurting her, Sharon decided she needed to undergo electro-convulsive therapy (ECT) to eliminate her visions of Cassie. The next thing you know, faux-Cassie appeared and stated that she had only been doing her job, but since Sharon was under anesthesia, she conked out before she could stop the treatment!I am still floored that Sharon would decide on such a radical method before weighing in on any and all other options. And to do so without even mentioning it to Nick! So Sharon would really prefer to send electric currents through her brain, which would cause a brief seizure, rather than to tell Nick the truth?! That's so extreme, even for Sharon. And this treatment that she doesn't even need could result in painful side effects too? That is crazy!And speaking of the truth, sure, she could very well lose Nick if she were to tell him the truth about Phyllis' tumble down the stairs and about Summer's paternity, but she could lose herself by turning to such an extreme measure. I mean, you never know what will happen when you start messing around with your brain. At least, given Sharon's illness, Nick may have been able to forgive Sharon in time, if she did indeed change the results on Summer's paternity test. But she never gave him that chance. Y&R fan Jacee asks:

I once heard a question asked by someone on the editorial side of Y&R. I wonder if anyone else remembers it. It was "Did Sharon really change the paternity test results, or only imagine it?" -- given her mental state at the time.

I know that I have brought this topic up several times, wondering that very same thing. Did her illness have her believe that she changed the test results, or did she actually change them? We still do not have the answer to this. Some suspect that we may not get the answer until Phyllis comes out of her coma, whenever that will be.

Another way for the truth to come out would be for Sharon to admit what she thought she had done in order to stop the ECT -- but she had better act fast! While I had actually once hoped that Sharon only imagined that she had changed the results because I did not want to see Jack lose yet another child, I have a horrible feeling that she probably really did alter them. The truth will come out eventually. It always does. (A lesson they never learn on soaps, for some reason.)

Anyway, back to the ECT, if Victor knew that Sharon had elected to do this procedure, would he even try to stop it, knowing that it was not even necessary? My guess is that he would not. As Nikki pointed out, Victor would do anything in his power to protect and shelter his children, and I am sure that he would believe that the technique was for Sharon's own good anyway. Victor is always willing to justify any action, no matter what harm it might bring to someone else, if he perceives it to benefit his family. He does love to control his loved ones and whomever they come in contact with.

Nikki may very well be right in that Victor's schemes could backfire, which may result in him losing the very ones that he is trying to protect, but that would never stop him anyway. Has it ever before? Nikki has tried to reason with Victor in the past, to no avail, and I don't see anything changing now. Victor will always be gung-ho in any efforts to protect his family, even if he hurts them in the end.

I have to give the phony Cassie credit for having the guts to try to stand up to Victor. Yeah, good luck with that! Apparently, she has been living under a rock not to have heard of how Victor can destroy any person or thing that he sees as getting in his way. So, the redheaded girl was either gutsy or foolish or very nave. What nerve of her to demand more money from Victor! Hey, little girly, Victor can squash you like a bug. It was probably a good thing that she resembled his deceased granddaughter, so he just asked her to leave town instead. She should consider herself fortunate!

Victor was a busy guy because he also sicced Cane on learning the identity of the culprit that Vic believed was setting him up to take the fall for the Bonaventure escapade. And Victor dangled the CEO job as he would a carrot right under Cane's nose. Although Cane still professed to Lily that he still very much loved his job and his life, if that truly were the case, he would have immediately spoken up and let Victor know that he had no interest at all in the Chancellor Industries position. I think Cane would love to be in charge again at Chancellor, and he should acknowledge his true feelings and ambition to himself and most especially to Lily.

In the meantime, Lily sure made it very clear that she would never stop resenting Hilary, as Neil continued to champion the girl. While Lily thought of the devious minx as being a vicious, destructive sociopath, Neil only saw her as a poor, misguided soul who had learned the error of her errant ways. Could Neil be just a little interested in this brazen lass? Lily believed that her dad was nave to think that Hilary could ever change and refused to acknowledge her as the liaison for the fashion show. However, Neil put his foot down and said that Lily would work with Hilary, whether she liked it or not. Or something like that.

Lily also hired Kelly to work for her as the events coordinator for the fashion show. That should definitely liven up the fashion exhibit, since Kelly is not the most popular person in Genoa City at the moment. Hopefully, it will be Cady McClain's version of Kelly for the fashion show, which would be a great way to bring her in. We, the fans, could then see how her Kelly will interact with the different members of society, whether they love her or hate her. I am ready for Ms. McClain's Kelly -- and so is my mother! (We both loved Cady as Rosanna on As the World Turns.)

And while Kelly made it very well known at Jabot what she thought of Jack's bribe to try to get her to leave town, Jack could only think of asking the lovely, beautiful, smart, funny, and tough (all adjectives he used to describe her to Billy) lady to lunch because their last lunch together had gone so well. I laughed when he stated that he had truly enjoyed getting to know Kelly during their last lunch together. When did he have time to get to know her before he financially pressured her to leave Genoa City? I guess her tearing up his check was everything he needed to know about her.

Not surprisingly, Kelly informed Jack that she would "rather sit on a cold park bench, eating a limp, soggy sandwich" that to have another lunch with Jack because she did not want to watch Jack "reach for the steak knife and cut your lunch mate's heart out." Man, can Kelly politely turn down an offer or what? Of course, she said all of this to Jack before she learned that they would be working and coordinating together for the fashion show. Oops! But this fact did not faze Kelly as she declared that once she competently completed the project, she never wanted anything to do with Jack again ever. Ouch!

Due to the painful truth about Kelly and Billy, Victoria was ready to whisk Johnny off to a visit with Reed in Washington, DC, because she needed to get away from Billy for a while. Victoria saw Billy's one-night stand with Kelly as the ultimate betrayal because he had rejected Victoria and her love and had chosen instead to run into another woman's arms. Victoria realized that even if she could forgive Billy, she wasn't sure that she would ever be able to trust him again. And really, a good, strong marriage should be based not only on love but on trust also. I can't say that I blame her for wanting to get away to think about things. Y&R fan Elise has a comment about our new Billy:

I like David Tom as Billy. He's doing a fine job taking over this tough role from BM. Many viewers say he's too young looking for Amelia Heinle. Did any of these viewers complain that Michelle Stafford was too old for Joshua Morrow, or he too young for her? MS is more than 10 years JM's senior. He's still boyish looking, especially with his dimpled grin; she looked much older. I never quite liked Amelia Heinle as Victoria and I never quite felt she and BM fit as a couple.

I, of course, respectfully disagree with the notion that Amelia and Billy Miller never fit together as an onscreen couple. Billy Miller's Billy Abbott and Amelia's Victoria were sizzling together, in my opinion, and they were my favorite couple on Y&R. But I have no problem with David Tom as Billy, as far as age goes.

It's true that not too many people complained about the age difference between Nick and Phyllis. But, of course, Phyllis didn't seem to age as fast as the rest of us. Age isn't really the problem I have with David Tom's Billy and Victoria. I just don't see the same kind of hot chemistry that Billy Miller's Billy had with Victoria. But again, that's just my opinion, of course. That's why soaps are great. We can all take away different elements from our soaps, and we can each have our own favorites. That's what makes it all grand.

Billy later found Chelsea in the park with Connor, and he got to hold the child who had his precious daughter's corneas. This was a touching moment, and it was nice to hear that he feared losing his son, Johnny, also, if Victoria were to leave him. Of course, maybe he really didn't want to be without Johnny if that meant he would lose Victoria also. But no, I want to believe that Billy truly loves his son. Then Chelsea went on some tangent about Adam still being alive, and suddenly her phone rang. Was it Adam? That's what she wanted to know, since no one spoke on the other end.

But what on earth is the truth about Stitch and his so-called act of murder? Is he the doctor who was unable to save Kelly's son, Sam, as some have guessed? Surely, he wasn't the person who plowed Sam down on his bike! Or did Ben kill someone else that we have yet to learn about? I hope they give out more clues soon, but I suspect that they will not be forthcoming until after Cady McClain arrives in town.

I did like Kelly's line to Stitch though. "You know, the past has a way of catching up with you." Yes, that is one lesson that you would think that the soap characters would learn, wouldn't you? Sure, it may take months -- or even years in some cases -- but the truth does eventually triumph most of the time, as I stated earlier. Unless, of course, we are dealing with dropped storylines or regretted plot holes. There are some instances where the truth never comes out and, in fact, it's almost as if the event never occurred. (Let's hope Sharon's "secret" is not one of those!)

Freedom was not the case for Ian, who was still awaiting trial, as Paul informed Dylan. Okay, let's look at the clues regarding Ian's recent remarks: Ian told Dylan that there was a big secret that he needed to know about and also revealed that he was doing a huge favor for Paul. Oh, yes, and don't forget that Ian also stated that if Dylan looked hard enough, he could find the good in his father. Hmmm...I wonder what the secret could be. Ian's ex-wife, Willa, claimed to have the answer that Dylan was searching for -- at a price! Needless to say, Dylan didn't jump on her offer, which he may end up regretting. Oh, well...we all know that he will learn the secret eventually. It's just a matter of time.

But do you think...could it possibly be...that Paul is really Dylan's father as we have been suspecting the last several weeks? Although I am not really sure how Ian would be doing Paul this big favor that he keeps talking about if that were the case. Maybe he kept the facts a secret from Nikki and Paul because it was such a traumatic time in their lives? I don't know. But if Paul is really Dylan's father, that would be how Dylan could see the good in his father. I sure don't see how he could any other way, not if Ian is his father, that is.

Wow, you have to wonder how Victor might react to the news, if Paul is indeed Dylan's dear old dad. Victor already tends to be a tad jealous of Nikki's closeness to Paul, and that tie would bind them together even more and forever. Plus, would the fact that Paul is Dylan's father make Dylan all that more special in Nikki's eyes? Victor is already a little resentful of Dylan as it is. A little?? Y&R fan Kathie offers her opinion:

My only feedback is that it really bothers me that Nikki has to beg Victor to "allow" her to see her son or for him to be nice to Dylan . . . when she has been so supportive of his trials and tribulations with Adam. No matter how each son came to be; they are still their respective sons!! Nikki, tell him where to stick it and continue to see your son!!

No matter what, Nikki should never allow Victor to dictate to her if and when she can see her son. And Nikki does stand on her own two feet at times and will stick to her guns against Victor in some circumstances. But she also blinds herself to Victor at other times, which makes her appear weak against him. Nikki really needs to become more of a force to be reckoned with when it comes to all of her children. She should never let Victor interfere with any of her children's lives, but that will never happen. Victor will always have the final say.

So, Tyler and Abby are Genoa City's hottest couple now, huh? I guess there aren't that many scorching-hot duos left then, although I still think they are cute together. But honestly, will we ever see Mariah's face? This is starting to drag out too. But at least we got to see Mariah's well-manicured fingernails tapping the desk as she looked at the article about the young couple's house-hunting. And marriage was also a topic of conversation for them as Abby asked about Mariah's engagement ring. But Tyler was wrong -- the lady had not hocked it to start a new life. Mariah still had it, as we watched her place it on her finger.

Now, let's talk about another lady, Chloe, and her own share of madness. While Michael, Lauren, and Esther celebrated Chloe and Kevin's marriage, Chelsea walked in with Connor. And Chloe was delusional enough to believe that Chelsea was actually there for her? And that Chelsea had even brought Connor there for Chloe?! Boy, Chloe was being totally unrealistic to think that Chelsea would willingly risk having her son anywhere near Chloe, after what she had done. You and I (and Kevin) know that Chloe would never intentionally hurt Connor, but how could Chelsea ever trust her son with Chloe again?

To me, Chloe was being more irrational in her belief about Chelsea and Connor at the celebration than she was when she actually took Connor to Paris. Chloe had clearly stated that she was aware that Connor was not her son in Paris and that she was trying to protect him from Chelsea. But how could Chloe not think that Chelsea would get a protective order against her after that? Of course, we know that this will all be leading to Elizabeth Hendrickson's departure in the near future, as announced by Soap Central. But apparently, the door will be left open for Chloe to return, down the road, if she so desires.

I personally won't miss Chloe too much, since I have never hidden the fact that she is not my favorite character. Actually, for the most part, she has driven me crazy over the last five years. I guess that means that Elizabeth Hendrickson was doing her job! Y&R fan Gerry agrees:

Hendrickson's portrayal of Chloe is so good that I'm beginning to feel that she is really as obnoxious as Chloe, in real life!!

Chloe was horribly obnoxious, and she had a tendency to preach when she had no business doing so, due to her own past deeds. Shortly after she first arrived in Genoa City, she made it her mission to break up Lily and Cane, and she did it in the worst way possible -- by lying and saying that Cane was the father of her unborn baby. (After a supposed one-time drunken sexual escapade in his car.) Chloe's lies kept the loving couple apart and served as a total injustice to the baby, Delia, and also to the biological father, Billy. Thankfully, the truth came out but only after Cane had already totally fallen in love with the idea of being a father of the little one. It was awful!

I also felt that Chloe would tend to drag down one of my favorite characters, Kevin. That became more evident when, not too long ago, the two of them became involved in the rash of burglaries, which had been Chloe's brainstorm. I had actually hoped that Kevin would get together with Angelina at one time, just to get him away from Chloe. (That's how much I had wanted them apart!) I always felt that Kevin loved Chloe more than she loved him, and I still do. Kevin seems like he would do anything for her, but I cannot say the same for her. Chloe is completely selfish to the end, and I really don't believe that Kevin's happiness comes first for her. Otherwise she would let him move on to someone who could truly love him.

However, on the other side, I have to admit that Chloe has more of a forceful personality than most of the ladies in Genoa City. While most of our females appear to be prim and proper, Chloe is one to never pull any punches. Phyllis was another one like that. These two were never shy or retiring damsels, and you most certainly could never say that they were generic in any way. If only Chloe hadn't been so very obnoxious, maybe I could have liked her more.

Not only is March Madness upon us, but we just survived another type of madness: spring break. And anyone who lives in a resort area knows exactly what I am talking about. People at the beaches, strolling down the streets, dressed in all different types of attire. And the cars are lined up on the streets as people try to get from one adventure to another. And believe me, any undertaking they take would be much more of an adventure than what Jill and Colin are going through.

When this storyline first started to develop, I truly thought that a lot of fun and humor could result from it, especially due to the talent of Jess Walton and Tristan Rogers. But it's become somewhat of a disappointment because the story seems to have stalled out. I mean, we are pretty much in the same place that we were a couple of weeks ago. Rachel Berenson was the translator for Walter Shepherd. Gee, even the ferry that takes cars from Aransas Pass, TX, to Port Aransas and back travels faster. (And that's a fun experience if you have never had the opportunity to take this ferry. You can watch the seagulls and the pelicans and especially the dolphins. But I digress.)

Pretty much the only new development from the "adventure" is that Jill probably has deeper feelings for Colin than what she would ever admit. Okay, that's not exactly a shock. No matter how much Jill denies it, we can all see that is probably true. Sure, Jill claimed that she was only using Colin to unravel the mystery and insisted that she would never share her inheritance with him. And yeah, Colin stressed that he could never swindle Jill. But can we believe either one of them at this point? Y&R fan Kelley states:

I really like Jill and Colin together. They provide the show with some much needed comic relief.

And Jill and Colin were definitely bringing the comedy again when Colin faked being sick in order to get Jill to admit that she still loved him. I chuckled when he talked about "the pareesites that gets up your nose and gets in your ears." That pronunciation was hysterical! Of course, being a man, Colin was acting like a big baby, and Jill was falling all over herself, worrying about him. (See, even while faking, Colin knew that men tend to act like babies when they are sick. Don't you agree, ladies?)

After Jill declared that she did not want to lose Colin, I snickered again as he danced a jig, yelling, "She loves me, she loves me not." Of course, Jill immediately claimed that she did not want to lose Colin because he was the key to the mystery. Yeah, that's the reason. That clarification was accompanied by a lot of choice words such as scrum, a pig, delusional, egomaniac and narcissistic. Oh, Jill, you are in love! Yes, I think that Colin may be your true heart's desire after all.

Honestly, the comedy alone still makes this storyline worth watching. I do enjoy listening to Colin and Jill battle and pierce each other with their words. And the obvious attraction that they have for each other adds to the humor. But the story needs to move along so that we don't lose interest. I still believe that this has so much potential if the writers can continue to make it an adventure for them. But we need a faster pace for that or it's not much of an adventure. Please keep bringing us the wit but also deliver a fantastic voyage that we can all travel along with and enjoy. Hopefully, the boxes from the national archives will kick-start this journey back into gear!

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

I loved Victor's anniversary gift to Nikki. A diamond necklace! I could appreciate a gift like that. (Hint, hint to that hubby of mine.) I wonder what Nikki got Victor, though.

How cute that Dylan is allergic to even pictures of cats drawn in crayon!

Who knew that Avery was thinking of competing in a chef's contest? Maybe she should consider her own reality show. Oh wait...a spin-off of the Naked Heiress. Abby could help her. The Bare Preparer of Delightful Delicacies. Yeah, I know...I'll keep working on the show's official title.

I loved Avery's line regarding Willa Ward, "Actually, you know what, Dylan? If she leaves town, Ian is just going to send somebody else, so I say we just press charges right now, end this garbage, and let you and this phony secret rot behind bars." Weird how she started talking to Dylan at the beginning of the line and switched to speaking to Willa at the end of it. Actually, it's pretty clever.

I like the similar phrasing when Jack realized he had treated Kelly like trash and when Jill feared that her treasure would end up being trash. I do so like it when the writers are creative with their words and imagery.

Internet blogs can be so cruel, as Chelsea learned when she saw that the haters were boycotting the fashion show of "the kid killer's wife." Neil stated that the Internet was full of trolls but that he had her back. I honestly have never understood the reason for the nasty comments of blogs or even on message boards. I guess it really is easier to be a jerk online, where one can't see or talk to the other person. What could be a wonderful way to communicate has turned for (thankfully only) a few into a weapon for attack on someone else, whether it is deserved or not. It's totally ridiculous, immature, and cowardly in my eyes.

Funny, I never realized before how many of our Genoa City ladies have taken the same kind of action to get what they want. Lily educated Kelly on Hilary's past deeds, which included attempting to drug Cane to try to get him into bed. And earlier, I alluded to when Chloe got Cane drunk, hoping to get him to have sex with her. (Of course, after that didn't happen, she lied about it anyway.) And Chelsea recollected to Billy that she had drugged him, which resulted in the birth of Johnny. Well, at least Chelsea was successful in her plot.

Wow, these women could really use a good self-confidence booster or, at the very least, some new strategies to accomplish their goals. This plot is starting to wear a little thin. I mean, couldn't they just win the men over with their feminine wiles? You remember...a good old seduction. Whatever happened to that? The females used to entice men all the time on soaps. Ahh...for the good, old days!

What are your thoughts on ? What did you think of this week's Two Scoops? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.