Who would have ever thought, in this day and time with so many advancements made in medicine and technology, that we would be living in a topsy-turvy world where we are being threatened with an unexpected and silent enemy? In fact, we are in the middle of our very own soap opera, only this one doesn't compel us to want to stay tuned until the next episode. Sadly, the villain, coronavirus, has us cooped up in our own homes, afraid to venture out too far out or too close to anyone else. While we were once told to love our fellow man or woman and to embrace the differences in each other, we now don't dare to touch another living being with even a ten-foot pole. It's scary, and this is one cliffhanger that we all want to quickly come to an end.
The more fortunate ones, including me, are able to work at home, although that's unfamiliar and can take us completely out of our comfort zone, since it messes up our whole routine. Many are stranded in their dwellings, twiddling their fingers with not much to do, wishing for life to return to normal. "Counting flowers on the wall, that don't bother me at all." Although things may not be quite that drastic, it's still become very inconvenient not being able to go out for fun and entertainment. "Playing solitaire 'til dawn with a deck of fifty, deck of fifty, deck of fifty-one." (When I was a kid, we had a 45 record of "Flowers on the Wall" by the Statler Brothers, and the record always got stuck at that part.) It's weird that this frightening health crisis reminded me of that song.
"Smoking cigarettes and watching Captain Kangaroo, now don't tell me, I've nothing to do." Hey, I vaguely remember that television show with Mr. Green Jeans and Bunny Rabbit and Mr. Moose. Okay, maybe it's more than just a vague recollection. We're fortunate these days to have so many cable channels to turn to, which might keep us from going stir-crazy. Most of all, it's great that we have the comfort of turning to our soap friends. Let's hope healing and normalcy return soon, before we run out of new episodes of our beloved soaps.
It is rather weird to watch our favorite characters go through their regular problems. It's also rather uncomfortable that Victoria had no energy and was too tired to do much more than to lie around the house. I didn't see too many flowers on the walls of Victor and Nikki's house, so let's just hope that Victoria has a full deck of 52 cards for playing solitaire. She has always been the most confident at work, but facing the truth of her stabbing during the gala has left her feeling drained. Victoria lost her spunk and needs to find a way to get it back. I thought she was depressed, until she clutched her chest and collapsed to her knees right in front of Nick.
Sharon tried to help her. For their first date...umm, I mean first official session, Sharon and Victoria initially struggled to talk, but they finally got into a groove and were okay as long as Sharon steered away from asking open-ended questions. Victoria shared with her new counselor that she was grateful to have Nick as a soldier in her army of support, even as she appeared to be waving a white flag in defeat after losing confidence in her job and in her love life. Sharon later even let Nick know that Victoria was trying hard to make it appear that she was getting better, so she clearly already suspected that there was more going on with Victoria than Victoria had let on.
Nick was unpleasantly surprised to learn that he had unwittingly leased his Dark Horse space to Billy, thanks to Jill. Nick warned Billy to keep his poison away from Victoria, since Nick still believed his former brother-in-law was a ticking time bomb waiting to explode. Billy only saw Nick as "Victor's loyal little foot soldier" and even called him "Victor Jr." Uhh, no, Billy, that would be Adam. Nick showed that he was very protective of his sister, though. Victoria, as hard as she tried, was having trouble finding her way back to becoming the confident, self-assured woman that she had proven to be in the past. Victoria has always felt she was more like Victor in business than any of her siblings, so it was strange when she seemed to have lost all her fight and just didn't care anymore.
Nick really was a trooper, helping to keep Sharon's spirits up, as well. Sharon was grateful for having so many loved ones by her side and was glad to add Victoria to that number. While Sharon only saw herself as a pawn in Victor's personal chess game, Victoria thought Sharon was more of a rook, since she was the mother of Victor's grandchildren. But, of course, Victor ruled as king and Nikki as queen in any kingdom. Sharon wanted to be her own queen, though, since she had King Rey to help her through all her ups and downs. Sadly, Victoria regretted that she had no king of her own, since Billy was not an option. These two ladies could finally become good friends, though, since they both had something in common and could identify with each other when no one else could.
The biggest shock was when Victor and Sharon were able to talk together in a very civil manner. Victor was concerned over the progress of his daughter's recovery and appreciated Sharon's assistance, although he refused to let Sharon be his sounding board. That's okay. Baby steps. I remember when Sharon and Victor were the best of friends. Nikki would constantly rip Sharon apart, and Victor would be ready to stand by her side. But after Victor and Sharon made the horrific mistake of getting married, she did some very wacko stuff to Victor and Nikki, which, thankfully, was later blamed on her bipolar condition. However, never did we ever believe, in our wildest imaginings, that Sharon would become friends with Victor and Nikki, but the impossible seems to have happened.
After she learned that Faith had cut class, Sharon saw that her young daughter had only been trying to run away from the reality of her mother's cancer. Poor Faith claimed she had just meant to hit pause and was trying to cope the best way a teen girl could. She was trying to put on a brave face and to stay positive, especially in front of Sharon, but she secretly feared that her mother wouldn't still be around for the mother/daughter school trip in the summer. Even as Sharon tried to be realistic regarding optimism versus delusion, at least she and Faith had each other to lean on when one or the other got too frightened.
Nick was playing the noble one again by working in his sister's place, even though he had never had the desire to do so. Okay, I can't blame Nick for being the interim CEO of the family business just to keep Adam out, since he didn't trust his brother as far as he could throw him. Adam had never given Nick much reason to trust him. And Chelsea has been acting differently since she's been back with Adam, since she's put on blinders to his motives regarding his family. Sure, Adam had wanted to prove himself to his father and to score some points. But there's no way he would willingly give up the head spot at Newman Enterprises once his sister was well enough to return. Even Chelsea couldn't believe that to be true. Right?
Fortunately, Adam and Chelsea were a little distracted with a possible murder mystery -- or two -- in Kansas that they were both investigating. However, it appeared that there may be a method to their madness, since Victor might have been involved, also. Did Alyssa's father, A.J., kill Adam's stepfather, Cliff? And then did Victor kill A.J. afterwards, to protect Adam and Hope? Adam was chomping at the bit to find out, since he would then have something to hold over his father's head. Chelsea made sure to let it slip to Alyssa about their suspicion of Victor's possible involvement, wishing that she would take the bait and get involved -- but be careful what you wish for. It didn't take long for Victor to fly to Kansas to start his own investigation, also.
Adam and Alyssa decided to put their heads together to get more evidence regarding the murders. After all, Alyssa was an ace reporter, but because Victor had his eyes and ears on everything, Adam warned her about waving any red flags in front of Victor's face as Adam provided her with the skeletons from Victor's closet. And Adam stressed that she had to be careful not to divulge that Adam was helping her. No, Adam sure didn't want Victor to suspect that he still held a grudge. It will be Adam's deeds, not his words, that will be the true test. But if Alyssa's father had killed for the money and Victor had killed for love, Adam would be despicable if he used that against his dad. Adam vowed to show his father his true colors -- which would be black as black can be, if that was the case.
In the meantime, as Nick dealt with the headaches of working in the corporate world, Phyllis brought her own negotiation to the table, all decked out in a slinky dress. She was ready to strike while the iron (or Phyllis) was hot to seduce Nick into using the Grand Phoenix as the exclusive Newman Enterprises venue. Even as she practically blew into his ear, she claimed that she and Nick were just friends, so she was playing by the rules. Uh, yeah, Phyllis has had plenty of practice at breaking the rules, as she just proved again before she slithered out of the office.
Phyllis was on hand to offer advice to anyone who would listen, and Amanda was her next victim. Phyllis was in lust with Nick again and had trouble containing herself as she advised Amanda to pursue Nate. But what's good for one goose isn't necessarily good for another. Yeah, I agree with Amanda that Nate probably didn't roll that way, and they both seemed to be more concerned about Jared, who had landed in jail. In fact, Devon and Elena were willing to come on board to also help the foster teen. After Elena offered Jared a job, she got the pleasure of witnessing her boyfriend growing closer and closer to his deceased wife's look-alike. It was just a matter of time.
The "ridiculously, hopelessly, unimaginatively flawed" Mariah, governed by her own fears, regretted that she had cheated on Tessa and begged for her forgiveness. I knew that Tessa would give her another chance. All Mariah had to do was to mention some future lyrics of an edgy song about a couple that had been through it all and had beaten the odds for Tessa to forgive and forget. Shoot, Mariah had her at "song." So, all was well, and they could go on their merry way, one not completely trusting the other. Really, it took so little for Mariah to cheat that I think it showed she had no faith in their relationship at all. And flying away with Tessa on tour won't just make that all go away.
Kyle and Summer were pretty sickening as they talked about their future as "an old married couple" with Kyle taking over Jabot, and Summer getting control of Newman Enterprises, so they could merge the two powerhouse companies to cement their legacy as Genoa City royalty and live happily ever after. Victoria should be looking over her shoulder, not only in Adam's direction but also in Summer's. But first, Kyle still had that pesky problem of getting a divorce from Lola, so he vowed to Summer to get the paperwork going. Apparently, Lola really had only been a blip on his radar. Kyle is another one that needs to watch his back, since Theo has his own fairytale ending in mind with Kyle's ex as his girl personally and Kyle's dream position as his own professionally.
The Abbotts are being placed back on the front burner, which is good. Billy decided that being underhanded and going behind Lily's back was a great way to start their partnership. Unfortunately for Billy, Lily realized that the potential employee he was trying to slip in was a sleazy writer who had done a hatchet job by getting dirt on a powerful family. Understandably, Lily believed that Billy was still out to take Victor down, no matter how much he claimed he only wanted the best for the company. Yet, after Lily showed she was no pushover, they were able to find some common ground in their "arranged marriage," as Jill called it. Billy had best beware. Stabbing Lily in the back could bring him lots of pain, but she is willing to give him a chance, since she believes that people can change.
Actually, Lily and Billy could be very good for each other, since Billy needs someone new to ground him, while Billy's enthusiasm could spark hers. Risk versus balance. Because Lily is not connected to him in a romantic way, she should be more open and free to tell Billy what she thinks without having to worry about wounding his pride, and that would be good for Chancellor Industries. And Billy could be her "wingman," if she needed it. Billy was right that Neil would be very proud of her, and someone needed to remind Billy to appreciate his mother while she is still alive and well.
Even though Dina is still alive, Billy's siblings had to face the fact that Dina would be unaware of any love or appreciation that they might want to show their mother going forward. Jack, Traci, and Ashley prepared the house for Dina's return, and although they were happy to have her back home, they were fearful of watching her health decline. Ashley and Traci joked about Ashley being the "Queen of the House" only until their mother arrived. The sisters will need that humor and closeness to get them through the tough times ahead. Surprisingly, once she was back home, Dina actually remembered who Jack was; however, it was only for a brief moment. One minute, Dina had a huge smile on her face when her mind was clear, and the next, Dina was obviously back in her own lost world. It was like a light had been shut off in her mind. Jack, Ashley, and Traci could only take comfort in the fact that their mom was there physically, even if not mentally.
It's just a shame that the siblings didn't have a chance to know, while Dina was still aware and alert, that she was sincerely proud of how they had all turned out, even without a mother around to guide them. Dina sure nailed it in her list of funeral wishes when she wrote that Ashley and Jack were both headstrong dynamos, while Traci had a heart as big as the moon. Dina had honestly desired a reconciliation with them all and regretted that she'd never taken the chance. Jack, Ashley, and Traci were all in tears as Jack and Ashley comforted Traci, who understood more why she had practically been forgotten by Dina once her health started to deteriorate. But at least the threesome learned the truth about how their mother really felt while she was still alive. Not everyone gets that chance.
What?! I can't believe that it's only been one year since Summer manipulated Kyle into marrying her. So much has happened since then. It's crazy that Lola and Kyle's marriage came and went in less than a year.
Theo and Lola had better hang onto their fantasy stories about their potential romance, because that's the only way they'll be going to New York City for quite some time. We can all only hope that COVID-19 will stop spreading, that everyone afflicted will heal quickly, and that we will again be able to travel there - and everywhere else -- soon.
A little creative visualization could be good medicine for Sharon in her battle against cancer. I'm not sure that a unicorn or a puppy wearing a superhero cape should be sitting on the spike strips, though. That sounds rather painful for the poor creature.
It was so bizarre to see Jack carry in bags of groceries for Dina's return home, since, at the time of the episode's taping, nobody knew about the crisis ahead. I couldn't help but hope that some of the bags contained hand sanitizer, meat, eggs, bottles of water, and toilet paper. Heaven help the Abbotts if Jack didn't stock up on toilet paper!
Until next time, please stay tuned.
Teddi
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