Mirror, mirror on the wall

Mariah finally revealed her deceitful side to Sharon. What secret did Nick learn about Mariah's birth? Neil continued to turn a blind eye to the love between his wife and his son. And Lauren and Michael tried to put back love in the afternoon, but something got in their way. To learn more, read this week's Two Scoops.

Wow, can you believe that summer is almost over and that school will be starting soon? Although my summer started off slowly, once my husband recovered from his hernia surgery, the days seemed to speed by. Of course, I have been pretty busy, performing in community theatre and making my first trip to Los Angeles, and I haven't had much chance to think at all. Since I like trying new things and having new experiences, I have had a wonderful summer this year. Maybe I shouldn't jinx it, though, since summer isn't quite finished yet.

Speaking of having an eventful summer, Sharon has had quite the time herself, since she grew closer to Nick and to her deceased daughter's look-alike, Mariah. You could almost say that Mariah is the mirror image of Cassie, except, of course, the visual would be flip-flopped. That's not to say that Mariah doesn't think she's the fairest of them all. I could almost picture Mariah admiring herself in the mirror while musing, "Mirror, mirror on the wall...." She must have thought that her attractiveness was so overwhelming that, despite her resemblance to Cassie, she could entice Nick just by throwing on a sexy negligee. Crazy!

How on earth could Nick ever think of Mariah as anything more than a beloved daughter at most? Anytime he looked at her, he pictured some of his happier times with Cassie. Mariah was just not being realistic, and no amount of seduction will change Nick's perception of her. No smoke and mirrors will create a sexy illusion for him about the red-haired girl who looks just like his precious little girl. As much as Nick has tried to fight it, Mariah's resemblance to Cassie has captivated him enough to give her the second chance she has craved. Unfortunately, Mariah is fooling herself in believing that there could be more between them than that.

Sadly, Mariah lost her best chance of happiness once she alienated Sharon by her pursuit of Nick. Sharon did everything for the young girl, including buying her pretty much anything her heart desired. Sharon probably even bought the slinky lingerie that Mariah was sporting to lure Nick into her web. Fortunately, Sharon realized that Mariah's story about some guy named Dave from the bar was phony and that the naughty minx had been waiting for Nick. I guess Sharon's not a dumb blonde, and she's far from being crazy to be able to catch on to Mariah's scheme.

So, of course, Sharon threw the thief, liar, and tramp out of her house. What else could Mariah expect her to do, given the circumstance? At least the saucy chick gave her back the clothes Sharon had bought her as gifts -- in a pile on the floor at Sharon's feet! Sharon later admitted to Noah that she had befriended Mariah because she couldn't bear not seeing her face. There's no doubt that Sharon gave Mariah every chance because of her looks.

In the meantime, Nick had become very suspicious about the exchange between Helen Copeland and Ian, and he placed a mysterious call to none other than Sharon's one-time best friend, Grace Turner, to get more answers. Apparently, Nick jumped to the same conclusion that I did and wondered if there could be more of a connection between Mariah and Cassie than what he had thought. Maybe it wasn't just a coinky-dink that Mariah was the spitting image of his and Sharon's cherished daughter. Fans have been speculating about this since Mariah first hit town, and I hope it's really true. Fan Maurine agrees:

I think it will turn out that Cassie and Mariah have the same birth date. Sharon (having fun buying presents for Mariah) remarked that she didn't know when Mariah's birthday was, but she sounded as though the thought had never crossed her mind that they might be the same,?indicating that they were twins. Also, identical twins differ in hair whorl and left- and right-handedness. Will any clues come up about hand dominance?

Now that would be a totally new twist on the Cassie/Mariah idea. Wouldn't it be fun? But I don't know. It sounded like Ian and Helen were talking about the more distant past, especially since Grace Turner has now entered the picture. The funny thing about Grace Turner -- she could be the "selfie" mirror image of Donna Logan on The Bold and the Beautiful. I jest, of course. Welcome back, Jennifer Gareis as Grace!Geesh, it seems like all the ladies are throwing on the lingerie for Nick these days. Dressed in a teddy, Grace greeted Nick and tried to snuggle. But Nick refused to be distracted and asked to know more about the day Cassie was born. Although Grace had been forbidden to enter the room or to even see the baby on that day, she did remember a nurse named Helen with "the spookiest green eyes." Ah-ha! There could have been only one nurse named Helen in town, and that would have been Mariah's mother, of course.

Armed with this information, Nick's quest required further investigation so he traveled to Madison and learned that Sharon's doctor had been Dr. Hill. When the doctor became evasive and cagey, Nick threatened Dr. Hill with dirt that Victor's private investigator had dug up on him. The doctor then admitted that Helen had delivered Sharon's baby but that a miracle had happened and that the stars had been aligned. Yes, fans, Sharon had been pregnant with another baby, which means that Cassie and Mariah were twins! We were right!

It just figures that Sharon demanded never to see Mariah again, just as Nick discovered this. Well, soaps do need to have the drama, or what would be the point of watching? If Sharon and Mariah were still on good terms, Nick could have dramatically dashed home with the news that Mariah was actually Sharon's daughter, Cassie's twin, and then they could have all live happily ever after. The birds would sing, the bees would buzz and the love for everything family would float through the air. But this is The Young and the Restless. It just could not be that easy.

Nick rushed home to find Sharon, only to learn that Sharon had kicked Mariah out of the house. When Sharon asked for Nick to give her one good reason why she should want to see Mariah again, I pleaded out loud for Nick to yell out, "Because she's your daughter!" I was so disappointed when he didn't. Please don't drag this out forever. No matter what the circumstances, Sharon would want to know that Mariah is her daughter. At least she will never confuse Mariah with Cassie now. Sharon's blinders are off, and she knows that Mariah is not Cassie. Mariah can now be sure that when Sharon loves her, it will be for who she is. But Sharon has to quit hating her first.

Whether it was intentional or not, Billy learned how to grab the attention of the lady that he loved. All he had to do was to turn his focus elsewhere. Jealousy can be a powerful force and Victoria sure seemed to resent that Billy and Chelsea were still close, even if they are only friends...for the time being, that is. The way those two keep flirting, it wouldn't take much for their relationship to evolve into something more, which will probably happen by the time Adam returns. A dramatic development needs to transpire to give us a reason to finally see his face.

And now, as announced on Soap Central, we know that face will belong to Justin Hartley, who played Fox Crane on Passions. I did watch Passions for a while, but he does not really look familiar to me. Maybe he was on before or after I watched. I am glad and relieved that Adam has finally been recast because he really needs to come back...you know, face and all. While I admit that the hand has done some marvelous acting, it's time we had a face to go with that hand. And this would be the perfect time because Billy and Chelsea are becoming way too close, and something earth-shattering has to happen to shake things up. I will most certainly anticipate Justin's arrival in Genoa City and to the Y&R family.

However, Chelsea was all too aware that she and Billy were having problems staying away from each other, so she made the painful decision to put some distance between them. Since Chelsea knew that Billy was still in love with Victoria, she chose to travel to Los Angeles to fulfill her obligations to Forrester. Billy came close to dreaming up a motto for Chelsea, "Fashion is my passion." Oh, but I'm sure that another designer is already using it. I loved Billy's airplane trick with Connor. Billy is the best around little kids. Billy stated he would miss Chelsea, but this can't be the end for them. Something has to happen to bring Adam out and to let his family know he is alive.

Abby needs to learn that the best revenge on a lost love is to show him that you have moved on and that you are happy. I tell you, there is no better way to get even, and the upswing of that is that you can actually be happy at the same time. Of course, if she were able to move on with another guy, it would really be the icing on the cake. Somehow, I doubt if that guy would be Stitch, though. Sure, she thought that Stitch would have been a great man for her mother, Ashley, but that was before Abby learned the truth. You know, the truth about how Stitch killed his abusive, dirt-bag father, whether by accident or by deliberately setting a raging fire in the shed. I guess it didn't matter to Abby how it really happened. She had already labeled him a murderer.

When Abby asked how such a prestigious club could allow the killer in, Stitch reminded her that he had paid his dues. I thought that was pretty clever writing. Stitch had indeed paid his dues by serving his time for his dad's death -- but he was actually referring to the club's membership dues. Dear Ben pointed out, "Sometimes good people are forced to do terrible things." Unsympathetic Abby was not persuaded since, after all, she had never killed anyone. Yet. But it could still happen, and it was not for lack of trying -- remember when she tried to kill Tucker? Then again, Abby almost seemed to be trying to find any reason to dislike Stitch because of her loyalty to Billy.

When she saw Stitch, who's still a licensed doctor, try to help Victoria, who was suffering from cramps, Abby about blew a gasket. I mean, really, what was Stitch doing wrong? Later, Abby overheard Stitch update Billy on the baby's progress, which thankfully was good. What's the deal with her? Seriously, Abby needs to get a grip. I have to wonder if the chemistry will flow once again between Ashley and Stitch when Abby's mother returns. Ha, Stitch could get the last laugh on Abby after having to hear her constant cheerleading for her brother to get back with Victoria. Abby should remember Adam's motto, "Revenge is a dish best served cold." Quietly and unexpectedly.

Earlier, Billy had told Chelsea that he was not a selfless, noble guy who would be able to raise Stitch's child. The funny thing was that he later indicated to Victoria that although he would be jealous, the baby would still be a gift who had hit the mommy jackpot. Gee, he almost sounded like he would be perfectly willing to raise Stitch's child. Which is it, Billy? Did you have a change of heart or are you just telling each lady what she wants to hear? And did you ever think of how she might feel raising Johnny, who is your son with another woman?

By the way, my mother thought I had lost out on a golden opportunity when I talked about baby names for a girl last week, "You missed out on a name for the new baby. It could be Stitcherina if it's a girl. Just a thought!! LOL" That would definitely be unusual. It might even make the world's worst baby names for a girl list. There really are such lists. I just read a list for the best and worst odd baby names. Sadly, the name Stitcherina did not make the list.

While still blind, Neil also remained in the dark about his darling wife, Hilary, and his loyal son, Devon. I am being sarcastic, of course. After hearing his voicemail messages, Neil discovered that Hilary had wanted to talk to him about something important, and Hilary still seemed to be willing to tell Neil the truth about her feelings for Devon. I mean, hasn't the poor guy been through enough? Sure, Neil does need to know the facts, but couldn't they at least wait until he has gotten out of the hospital?

Devon wised up, though, and covered with a fictional story about Hilary losing her precious ring down the drain, and Neil fell for it. Thankfully, there had been a heroic plumber who had rescued Hilary's ring to save the day. Come on, Neil was blind before he was blind, if you get my drift. Everyone in the hospital could see and almost feel the pull between the two potential lovebirds. A nurse even thought that Hilary was Devon's wife and Neil's daughter. It was an easy mistake for her to make by the way they were acting in the hospital -- right outside Neil's room. Neil told Hilary, "There's nothing you can do that I won't forgive." And you know what...that could very well be true, but his history with Dru makes me doubt it.

By trying not to be dependent, Neil was making himself more of a victim than ever. Social Services guy Brian tried to help Neil, but he would have none of it. Neil refused the aid of a cane, a seeing-eye dog, and learning Braille, which will keep him even more dependent on Hilary. In Neil's eyes (oops, sorry about the pun), as long as he has Hilary, he won't need anything else. Hey, actually, that's not a bad strategy, Neil. That should keep your beautiful wife tied to you for a long while. Maybe Neil knows more than what we think. Neil could be suffering from hysterical blindness because he suspects that his wife and his son have feelings for each other. Hmmm....

So, please tell me...why, in heaven's name did Lily move Neil's furniture around? Neil already knew everything in his apartment and where each item was located. He should have been able to get around pretty well. It made no sense for her to move his items around and then to not even tell him. I realize that Lily loves her father and was just trying to help, but sometimes too much help actually hurts. But Lily didn't dwell on that for too long when she noted to Cane that Hilary would only torture Neil, take his money, and then move on. Whew...for a minute there, I thought that Lily's concern would actually be for her father, who was trying to cope with being blind. Silly me.

But on the contrary, Hilary decided that she could not break Neil's heart and informed Devon that she would be staying with her husband. Devon, who only cared about himself, not about the father who was trying to adjust to his condition, stormed out the door. Really? Doesn't Devon realize what Neil is going through? Devon has been acting so petty that I am still wondering who is the most immature: Lily or Devon. I did feel for Hilary when she told Neil that he should just close his eyes and rest, and he related that everything looked the same, whether his eyes were open or shut. I guess Hilary suffered from a nasty case of foot-in-mouth disease in that moment.

At least Lauren and Michael were trying to put back love in the afternoon. Unfortunately, they weren't that successful...at least not in the bedroom part of it. But I totally agreed with Lauren that a romantic afternoon does not necessarily involve sex. Just being close with the one you love can display the emotion of your heart as well. Sure, Michael's grueling workday might have contributed to his problems in the sack, but there could also be another reason. Michael may have been trying too hard to make something happen because he remembered what occurred the last time he neglected Lauren. Yes, the dreaded Carmine. And he does not want that to happen again. Neither do we, Michael! Just continue to show Lauren that you love her in other ways, until the moment is right.

However, Lauren suspected that a physical reason could be Michael's problem, and she advised him to see Leslie's husband. What terrific advice! There could be any number of medical reasons that could cause a poor performance in bed. High blood pressure medication has been known to have this effect. I don't recall Michael saying that he has high blood pressure though. Fortunately, Michael was willing to take the advice so he wouldn't have "to fly solo."

Who knew that there was a deferred prosecution program that allowed defendants to avoid trial in exchange for doing community service, receiving counseling, and paying a fine? And wasn't it amazing that Austin happened to qualify for the program? Matthew Atkinson must be doing a terrific job, or Austin would have been shipped off to prison, for sure. Christine and Dylan sure were not pleased to learn that both Avery and Paul were willing to give Austin a second chance, but as Summer claimed, sometimes people do awful things for the right reason. Gosh, that's somewhat similar to what Stitch said. Dylan was angry because he felt that Austin should pay for his crimes, but come on, in Genoa City, it doesn't really matter, even if a person has done his time. Just ask Stitch.

Austin still had to pay the huge fine, but luckily, his new wife had a family with deep pockets. Victor allowed Summer to use her trust fund on a limited basis for the fine. As Victor got the paperwork ready for her to sign, he slipped in a Consent for Medical Treatment form, since Summer had been granted Phyllis' new power of attorney. So that's what Victor's scheme about Daniel's grant was all about! Get rid of Daniel so that Summer would call all the shots regarding her mother. I thought Victor had already started the experimental treatment, though, so I figured he was tying up the loose ends after the fact. Victor has never been one to let legal technicalities get in the way.

Before Jack had a chance to announce that he and Kelly were moving in together, Summer decided that she and Austin should fly to Georgia so Phyllis could meet her new son-in-law. At Phyllis' bedside, Austin admitted that he had not married Summer for love but to stay out of prison. He explained that although his mother had taught him to be loving and kind, her murder had replaced those lessons with revenge and hate. Austin then added that Summer's love had taken the hate away. When Summer told her mother that Sharon had been great, I really thought that would bring Phyllis out of her coma for sure. Most any other time, words like that would have Phyllis ranting and raving.

But Victor did wait for the signed document before starting Phyllis' treatment, after all. My mistake. I had gotten the wrong impression when we saw Phyllis' fingers twitching in an earlier episode, but that's happened several times since she was in her coma, and most of them involved Sharon. So, Victor happened upon some honest folks who refused to be bought by his money? I'm shocked! Now that Phyllis will begin her new procedure, let's hope she returns to us soon in all her raging glory.

Nikki found Devon in the bar and asked him to keep quiet about her earlier visit to the dive. Y&R fan Timothy expresses his views on the subject of alcoholism:

Here is a soap opera pet peeve. Why do they not respect those on these shows who are recovering alcoholics currently sober? You pointed out Kelly with Jack. Victor drinks in his home around Nikki, and on GH, A.J. was a recovering alcoholic and the Q's always had a stash of alcohol in their living room.

Actually, it's interesting that with all the liquor at the Newman ranch, Nikki prefers to drink in a bar. She could be more comfortable there, with other drinkers, and she might want to keep her vice away from her home and family -- especially if she's trying to keep it hidden. Victor does indeed have lots of booze at home, and while alcoholics need to be strong enough to resist temptation, still, it shouldn't be slapping them in the face every time they turn around.

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

How inventive were Billy's new ideas for eye shadow: silver with glitter and glow-in-the-dark shades? I absolutely agree with him that the glow-in-the-dark shade should be worn with a neon dress. What a fashion statement!

So, Mariah had a single night's tips of $162.57 at the Underground. I guess that could be good or bad, depending on the location of the bar.

I laughed when Billy called Victor "the CEO of doom and gloom." That does sound like Victor.

While I'm not that big into jewelry, I do have a thing about earrings, and I loved the dangling earrings that both Sharon and Lauren wore this week. Sharon's were especially sparkly and nice.

Billy and Chelsea had some cute and clever dialogue together. When Billy recalled that he had helped Chelsea to overcome her designing block in the park, Chelsea exclaimed, "Thank God for you, Billy Abbott. All the women of the world would be walking around naked if it weren't for you." Poor Billy! He blew yet another great opportunity.

For the first time, I really noticed the room numbers listed on the doors. Either it's me, or they were more obvious. Michael and Lauren had their romantic rendezvous in room 638, Victoria was in room 104 at the hospital, and Neil lives in room 321. Maybe they should consult a numerologist to see if these numbers hold the key to their futures.

I loved Jack's line, "Victor's moves are about as subtle as having an anvil drop on your head." How true!

Leslie decided to dissolve her partnership with Avery and try for the new A.D.A. position. She felt it was a better fit for her to take the scum off the street. It's a dirty job, but someone's got to do it.

Wouldn't it be a blast to follow Kevin and Mariah along on a new adventure? What a wacky duo these two would make.

I always love it when more of Y&R's theme song is played during an episode. And yes, I do remember when it was a hit song back in the 70s. Although originally titled, "Cotton's Dream," a later version called, "Nadia's Theme (The Young and the Restless)," climbed all the way to number eight on the top ten pop charts in 1976. I also recollect the remarkable gymnastic routines performed by Nadia Comaneci during the Olympics. Nadia and Y&R were two excellent reasons for this wonderful melody, composed by Barry De Vorzon and Perry Botkin Jr., to be released as a single. It's a song that has transcended time.

Until next time, please stay tuned.

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