Wicked games are afoot

Oh, what games people play to achieve their goals. Is Tara playing Kyle? Will Tara join Sally in her plan to get Summer out of Genoa City, and will they be able to convince Summer to leave town? Can Tara make Kyle fall in love with her? Is Amanda really helping Sutton or herself with her investigation into Richard's death? Is Imani really there to help Amanda or to keep Sutton informed? Is Chelsea still playing her game, or has she really had a mental breakdown? With so many questions, join our columnist as she offers her opinions and speculations in Two Scoops.

This week I had a discussion with a friend of mine about The Young and the Restless, and we both honed in on all the games everyone is playing. Ashland Locke has an agenda he is sticking to; Tara appears to be playing her own covert game; Sally, well Sally always has a plan in mind; and we have Imani who, I believe, is dancing to the beat of her own drum and gathering information for Sutton. Victor's game is obvious, but we have to wonder if Chelsea is playing Victor's game, or has she really slipped mentally?

I'm not sure whether I should begin with Ashland Locke giving Tara grief over Harrison; or Sally, who is looking for an ally to help her get Summer out of town; or the oh, so sweet and caring Tara who, to me, doesn't appear to be what she really is. Which one seems to be playing the biggest game, and who has the most to gain?

I think Sally might be playing the biggest game. Charming Sally will stoop to the lowest levels to achieve what she wants, doesn't admit her faults, tells half-truths, and blames everyone else for her failures. Sally has done nothing but make enemies since she blew into Genoa City. She has come off as entitled because she'd had her own fashion house in Los Angeles. She desperately wants to head up JCV, but Summer has that position -- and Sally will do whatever it takes to secure that position for herself. We've seen the extremes Sally will go to in order to get what she wants. Her latest game is to get Summer to take on a prestigious position at a famous fashion house, Marchetti, in Milan, and that would clear the way for Sally to get the coveted position she wants, to head up JCV at Fenmore's.

I wondered how Sally intended to achieve this. Even if Summer took the position at Marchetti, what guarantee did Sally have that Lauren would automatically make Sally head of JCV. Lauren knows about the things Sally has done in the past, and she hasn't been happy about the constant friction between Sally and Summer. Why would Lauren feel comfortable about giving that position to Sally? Sally has approached Tara, believing she would be a good ally. Sally has either convinced herself that Tara is in love with Kyle or that it might be a fact. Nevertheless, Sally has asked Tara to get Kyle to fall in love with her, while Sally worked on Summer in an effort to convince Summer to take the job at Marchetti's, and voila! With Summer gone, Sally gets her dream job, and Tara rekindles her relationship with Kyle. What a perfect world this would be if that would actually work that way. What could possibly go wrong with this plan?

Sally is banking on the idea that anyone can make someone fall in love with them. Kyle was young and dumb when he hopped into bed with Tara. He wasn't in love with her then, so why would he fall in love with her now? Well... I guess it could happen, but Tara certainly brings a ton of baggage with her. Is Kyle ready to take that on? Hmm, I wonder. I'm not totally convinced Kyle is in love with Summer. He strayed from Summer when Lola came along, so who's to say this couldn't happen again with Tara.

Sally believes she can convince Summer to take that position in Milan. How? Summer's roots are in Genoa City, she is about to marry Kyle and start a life with him -- or at least she thinks she is. Does Sally really believe that Summer would be willing to give Kyle up that easily, leave her family for a job in Italy? I don't think so, but with Summer, you never know.

Summer has a jealous streak the size of an ocean. There is no way she would let Tara into Kyle's life. We all remember how she inserted herself into Kyle and Lola's life and managed to break them up. Sally didn't see that happen, and she believes it's going to be easy peasy -- one, two, three, and it's done. Sally has no idea what Summer is capable of. The spoilers indicate that Sally forms a dangerous alliance in this game she is playing. She approached Tara, but is Tara her dangerous alliance? That should be interesting.

Sally has convinced Ashland that Kyle is so in love with Summer that when Summer took the job with Marchetti's, Kyle would leave for Italy with Summer, and that would leave Ashland as the only father figure to Harrison, with no interference from Kyle. Ashland said he owned a big enough stake in Marchetti's that he would be able to convince the other investors to agree to hiring Summer. He told Sally to get in touch with Eric Forrester to make the arrangements. I almost spit out my coffee on that little tidbit, and I think Sally almost choked on her drink. So, will she or won't she contact Eric? I believe she will. Sally has put her eggs in one basket and really believes that Summer and Kyle will do exactly what she has predicted. Sally needs some serious help if she is going to be a character I will ever root for.

Here is something that might be interesting to see. Sally has so many enemies, and she is fighting her ass off, trying to get to the top of the fashion world in Genoa City, but now that Chloe has accepted Adam's offer to start her own online fashion outlet with Newman Media, this might send Sally into orbit. What is Sally going to do, eliminate all the competition by sending them all to Marchetti's or some other famous fashion house? Do we see a war starting between Sally and Chloe? Let's chalk up another enemy for Sally. What will Sally do if Chelsea joins Chloe after she is released from Fairview? These two chicks had some outstanding designs back in the day, and they could become those dynamos once again. Poor Sally would wind up having more competition than she could handle. Sally thought life was tough in Los Angeles, but hello, Genoa City.

Kyle is completely in love with Harrison and possibly headed for a huge heartbreak. Tara appears to be pushing really hard to make sure Kyle bonds with Harrison. We know nothing about Tara other than she is married to Ashland Locke, she has a shoe business that is deeply in debt, and she had an affair with Kyle three years previously that resulted in a child, Harrison. Have I missed anything? When Ashland told Jack and Kyle that they didn't know what Tara was capable of, I believed him. I believe there is a very dark side to Tara, and she is the keeper of many secrets and hidden agendas. I have to wonder if she is playing Kyle and Jack.

I believe there is a very dark person hiding under that lovely, sweet, and caring exterior. Some of the comments she's made had me wondering, but the clincher for me was the day Summer asked Tara what her future plans were after the divorce. Tara said she wanted a fresh start in a new town, and she might stay in Genoa City so that Harrison and Kyle could be close, and with what appeared to me to be a wicked smile, she walked away, leaving Summer feeling her usual insecurities. I think Tara has sensed Summer's insecurities, and she keeps pushing Summer's buttons. Just me speculating, but I think everyone will be shocked when Tara lets loose and the real Tara Locke is revealed. Again, speculation on my part, but if it happens, it isn't going to be pretty, and a lot of people will wind up being hurt.

As for Ashland, he just won't leave anyone standing. Ashland believes he is an entity unto himself, and he seems to live up to that reputation. He knows he can manipulate people into doing his bidding. He disrupted Jabot operations when he discovered that Tara had had an affair with Kyle years previously. Why not just go after Kyle rather than involving a company and the people who had nothing to do with Kyle's affair with Tara? How is he going to retaliate now that he knows that Harrison isn't his son? I guess he is trying the first step of a possible plan he has in mind. He told Tara he would support her and Harrison, provided Kyle never sees Harrison again. I like that Kyle isn't allowing Ashland to browbeat him, and he is fighting for his "alleged" son. Yes, I said "alleged" son.

There is something off about Tara, and I have started questioning whether Kyle is a convenient "father" for Harrison or if he is, in fact, Kyle's son. This is just a gut feeling, but after hearing Tara say that Ashland wasn't around much because of business, and she claimed she got lonely, I have to wonder, how many affairs has she had during Ashland's absences? Ashland had said he wanted his own DNA test done. I wonder if that will prove conclusively whether Kyle is or isn't Harrison's father. We know Harrison isn't Ashland's son, so who does this child belong to? It will be interesting to see how this unfolds.

Cupid's little arrow has hit a new target. Victoria and Ashland appear to be enamored with each other. After treading carefully, Victoria suddenly jumped in with both feet and flew to New York with Ashland for dinner. She has thrown caution to the wind, and it's possible she might get caught in the middle of Ashland's messy divorce from Tara. What games is he playing, or is it, in fact, a game? I'm wondering if Ashland actually cares for Victoria and wants to spend time with her, or is this his way of paying Victor back for not getting help when Ashland had suffered his heart attack? We all know what Victor's reaction will be when he discovers that Victoria and Ashland were "dating." He certainly wouldn't welcome Ashland into the family with open arms.

Ashland always seems to have a revenge plan for anyone who has wronged him, so I can't see Ashland not having some kind of vendetta for Victor for holding back medical attention during Ashland's heart attack, forcing Ashland to sign the contract for the sale of Cyaxares. He feels that Tara and Kyle have wronged him in a huge way with an affair and revealing that Harrison wasn't his son. I wonder what his retaliation will be for them.

Ashland and Victoria are attracted to each other, and I've mentioned this before. I think they would make a powerhouse couple, as well as being a huge thorn in Victor's side. I have to giggle whenever I picture Victor being Ashland's father-in-law. This would give new meaning to "War of the Worlds." The battles between these two would be epic, and they would certainly make for some fun episodes. I would love for Ashland to be a permanent character in Genoa City.

Let's go back to Kyle and Summer. Kyle seems to think he is completely in love with Summer, but is he? Is he clinging to his residual high school feelings for Summer and mistaking those for love? I believe he loves Summer, but he isn't in love with her. As I mentioned above, Kyle strays too easily. Who's to say he won't stray with Tara and leave Summer high and dry once again. Recently, Summer's insecurities almost make her look like she's losing her grip on her sanity. Kyle is so focused on Harrison that he hasn't seen that Summer is out of control. Summer, like her mother, thinks she can fix everything with sex, sex, and more sex. I wonder if this is Summer's way of releasing her own tension or if she really believes that sex is what will keep her and Kyle together.

Summer treats Kyle as her possession rather than a partner. Has anyone noticed that Summer always needs to know who Kyle speaks to, who sends him a text message, where he's going, and who he will be contacting? No insecurity there. At this point, I think we can all agree that there won't be a wedding, at least not with Summer and Kyle. We have seen Summer pouting when Kyle and Tara are together. She hated when Tara said that Kyle always knew when something was bothering her. I think Tara is playing Sally's game and trying to win Kyle over. I believe she deliberately made that comment to push Summer's buttons. We all saw Summer's jaw drop at that comment.

Amanda seems to have a snoot full of surprises with Sutton's lawsuit. Amanda has been poring over the boxes of information that Richard's investigator had left for her. Amanda is discovering more information about Richard and how he had tried to find her. Imani inserted herself into Sutton's lawsuit, claiming she wanted to help Amanda with their grandfather's case. Imani is someone else I have to wonder about. Is Imani playing the spy game for Sutton, or is she sincere in wanting to help Amanda with Sutton's defense?

I haven't trusted Imani from the first time we met her. She struck me as overbearing and a bully right from the beginning, and she hasn't changed my opinion yet. I believe Imani is helping Amanda because Imani could be grandpa Sutton's spy and provide him with all the information that Amanda acquires.

Victor's Spidey senses are hard at work because he is wondering about Amanda's connection to Sutton. As usual, Victor will inject himself into Amanda's business by questioning her about her connection with Sutton. I wonder if she will admit to Victor that she is part of that family and that Sutton is her grandfather. Amanda seems to only open up to Devon, and he is helping by guiding her through whatever she discovers. It will be interesting to see what Victor wants. He is such a cad. He seems to think he could insert himself into everybody's business.

Amanda has been discovering a lot of information about her father and his quest to find her. They had come so close to uniting, but he'd been murdered just before he found her. There appear to be too many secrets in Sutton's life. He hired Amanda to help him in his lawsuit for Richard's murder, but when Amanda explained that his best defense would be to show that Richard had been looking for his child, Sutton wouldn't have it. Why? Yes, it would reflect on Naya and that she'd had a child, but that was 30 years ago, and people don't judge children being born out of wedlock the same today. Does he feel the information would besmirch his family name? Not in this day and age, so why is he so reluctant to let Amanda give him that defense?

Spoilers indicate that Victor will be providing Amanda with more information about her past, and this information will throw her world into a tailspin. I'm with Amanda; she needs to know everything there is to know about her so-called family. There appears to be dissension in that family, as well as too many secrets. I think Sutton is guilty, but of what -- murder, blackmail, or something else?

How do I love Adam, let me count the ways. Well, there isn't anything to count, because I don't like this new version of Adam at all. He has lost his edge and become flat and uninteresting to me. Before this new and improved Adam, I always wondered what or who he would target next, but now he sits behind a desk, has Victor agreeing with his decisions, and has become the epitome of benevolence. He has even offered Chloe a job, which would benefit Chelsea once she was released from Fairview. Nope, I'm not a fan of Adam 2.0.

He still cares about Chelsea and is looking out for her, but I don't want to see these two as a couple again. They are like nitro and glycerin, and it's always an explosive situation with them. Chelsea really believes she is sane and is only acting, but from what I have seen, there is something not quite right. She tends toward anger too easily, and she is paranoid. She sees conspiracy in everything. She really needs help, but I have a feeling she is going to flee. Chelsea is a con and will always be one. She knows the tricks of her trade, and if she wants out, you know she will find a way.

Chelsea has been very focused on Connor, and she doesn't believe that Adam hasn't told lies about her to Connor. If Chelsea does find a way to escape from Fairview, I'm guessing she will grab Connor and run. I think this will be what happens during her maternity leave.

I hope you have enjoyed my thoughts about what has been happening around our favorite town recently. I would love to read your comments and opinions, and perhaps you might like to offer up some of your own thoughts. In the meantime, it's a wrap for me. Until next time, stay safe!Nel

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