With this ring, are you dead?

This week, Abby faced a future without her husband as a legacy character was "killed off," sparks continued to fly between Adam and Sally, Jesse Gaines (yeah, him again) blew back into town, and a fan-favorite couple called it quits. Needless to say, there is a lot to unpack from this past week in Genoa City!

As November Sweeps kicked off this week, Chance was presumed dead when his wedding ring was returned to Abby from the wreckage of the bombing site where he was working undercover. As soap viewers, we all know that when there is no body recovered and a character is simply "presumed dead," it is very likely that we will see that character alive again at some point in the future. So, part of me wants Abby to stay strong and keep fighting in her belief that Chance is alive, even though it seems he is really dead (for now).

I am glad Abby has such a strong support system through this tough time. How great is it to have Eileen Davidson back again as Ashley to support her daughter through this tragedy?! It's always nice to see her pop up once in a while to be there when her family needs support. And Abby is going to need plenty of support in the coming weeks, so I hope Ashley is around for an extended visit this time.

I was happy to see Nina back in town, too. Tricia Cast is such a great actress, and her scenes with Abby were so touching. It was heartbreaking seeing these two break down in each other's arms, grieving the potential loss of the man they both love. Melissa Ordway was great this week, too, and I'm excited that the writers are giving her such a great storyline to sink her teeth into.

Abby is surrounded by loved ones now, but it must be difficult that most of them already assume Chance is dead. I do hope Abby is able to accept that realization eventually, too, because I don't see the writers bringing this character back any time soon (but I've been wrong before). It seems the writers have more in store for Abby and the other characters in her orbit...

Which brings me first to Mariah. Is it just me, or are you also getting vibes that Mariah is considering legal action in regard to the custody of Bowie, a.k.a. Dominic? When she was having her chat with Tessa, it sounded like she was laying the groundwork reasoning for why she should be raising the little boy she gave birth to. I'm sure the surrogacy contract is ironclad, since it came from Newman and/or Chancellor lawyers; however, Mariah seems to already be combatting that by pointing out that she intended for the baby to be going to a home with a mother and father that were both present to raise that child. Tessa seems worried about what is going through Mariah's head right now, and frankly, so am I.

Devon is also concerned about Abby and what this means for little Dominic. Is he also going to make a play for custodial rights? Or will he form a stronger bond with Abby that becomes something more? I've been saying for a while now that I've felt the writers could be leading up to an Abby/Devon/Amanda triangle, and I think it could be really interesting to see where that leads. I actually have thought Abby and Devon would make a great couple for years - even back when Emme Rylan was in the role! - and I still feel that way.

Devon and Amanda, while sweet together, have always felt a little forced to me. I think Devon may be drawn to her primarily because she is the identical twin of his deceased wife, and, although they have a connection, it doesn't feel like they share the same deep love he had with Hilary - or that he could have with Abby. Time will tell, though, as the writers have typically shied away from a romance between Abby and Devon.

Speaking of Amanda, does anyone else love her friendship with Phyllis the way that I do? Friday's episode was a treat for me with these two catching up and commiserating. I love the bond they have formed, and I hope we continue to get scenes like this.

I'm disappointed that we haven't seen more of Amanda's family lately and that we've mostly been getting updates about what is going on via Amanda informing other characters what has happened. The scenes with her grandfather were okay, but I'm more interested in seeing her relationship with her mother and sister continue to grow. Hopefully, more of that is coming up next, once they get past her grandfather's trial.

Elsewhere in Genoa City, Sally and Adam are continuing their flirtatious behavior with one another. This is another couple I would like to see explored further - especially once Chelsea is back in town! Will she fight for Adam and try to win him back again? I don't see her letting Sally and Adam just walk off into the sunset together. Even if she doesn't want Adam back, I could still see Chelsea trying to cause trouble for these two.

Chloe has been very vocal that she thinks Sally should stay away from Adam, so it wouldn't be difficult for Chelsea to rope Chloe into whatever scheme she may cook up to break these two up -- or slow their budding romance to a screeching halt! But Adam and Sally are quite conniving and ruthless on their own, too, so a showdown between the four characters - Sally and Adam vs. Chloe and Chelsea - could be very entertaining for us as viewers! Maybe Chelsea will try to steer Sally in Nick's direction (if she doesn't want him for herself) once she learns of his breakup with Phyllis...

Wow, that breakup was rough, wasn't it? I was almost uncomfortable watching Nick and Phyllis' scenes because it felt so real (likely because it brought up some feelings from a past breakup of my own)! Many of us have likely been in that type of situation before. It's hard to navigate what the best thing to do is when you really care for someone and don't want to hurt them, but you know the relationship is not working on a more real level.

I think Nick and Phyllis are doing the right thing by splitting up. And I say that as a "Phick" fan myself, so it's not something I am happy to admit. When they got back together, I was thrilled, but I also knew it likely was only a matter of time before we ended up here in Splitsville. They are great fun together, but, as they have both come to realize, there isn't much substance beneath the fun they have ("video games and sex") on the surface.

I've also been a fan of Jack and Phyllis together in the past, and I do feel that they have what it takes to make it last. The way Jack was looking at Phyllis as she commiserated with him over her failing relationship with Nick said everything about how he feels toward her. I hope they don't rush things too quickly, though. Phyllis should take a little time to breathe between her breakup with Nick and the inevitable beginning of a new relationship with Jack. At least, it seems that is the journey the writers have been taking us on. Perhaps they have something else in store for these characters, but time will tell.

As for Nick, is Sharon really who the writers are going to point him toward next? I was a little thrown that Noah mentioned this, and I'm not sure how I feel about it. On the one hand, I loved Nick and Sharon together, and, like Victor and Nikki, I assumed these two would ultimately be the endgame and find their way back to one another. On the other hand, the timing doesn't feel right to me, and I think it may feel a little too forced if they try to go that route now. I like Sharon's relationship with Rey, and I don't want to see him tossed aside by yet another woman. Plus, I think it would be fun to see Nick dating around a little instead of jumping into something serious again right away.

I'm curious to hear what you all think - which eligible women in town would you like to see Nick paired up with on a date? Hell, let's include anyone who is out of town that you would like to see return for a possible Nick pairing! Or are you ready for him to settle down with someone in particular? Hit the comments with your ideas and opinions!

Nick may have some competition in the dating pool soon if Billy doesn't become more tuned in to his relationship with Lily. It was nice to hear her finally tell him that he needs to let all this nonsense with Jesse Gaines and Ashland go and just move on. Of course, as if on cue, that's right when Jesse showed up at their doorstep, looking like a hot mess.

I was surprised that Lily went along with putting Jesse up somewhere while Billy sorted out what to do with him. But it seems she wasn't happy with it, based on their conversation on Friday's episode. I agree with her that Billy needs to let his obsession with this story go. As usual, Billy is going to end up shooting himself in the foot and looking like a fool.

I can't figure out if Jesse is working alongside Victor and Ashland now or if the story he spun for Billy and Lily was true. And, honestly, I don't really care either way. I'm ready for Jesse - and this storyline - to get out of town!

I hope all the viewers still thinking that Ashland might be faking his illness will put those rumors to bed now. He was clearly suffering and in pain at the beginning of Thursday's episode when no one else was around to see his suffering, so, he is clearly not putting on a show for anyone - at least not in the way that many seem to think. Instead, he seems to be making it seem like he's less ill than he actually is. It makes me wonder how much worse his pain is because he seems to tuck that away the moment Victoria arrives, which can't be good for his health.

Lastly, I want to talk about Adam (brace yourself, this will be controversial)! First off (before we get to my controversial comments), I just want to say how much I loved Adam and Nikki's scenes on Friday's episode! I have been longing for YEARS for Adam to become an accepted member of the Newman family, and this conversation he had with Nikki made a lot of strides toward that potential. Although he had to defend himself a bit and ended up walking out in a huff, it was clear that Nikki was impressed by him and glad to see a positive change in him. I was gushing (yes, I'm a big Adam fan, in case you couldn't tell)!

Now, on to my "hot topic" regarding Adam: he's bisexual, right? It can't just be me that has always felt there was something "more" to his relationship with Chance. The way these two always talked with one another and had a "special bond" has always had sexual undertones to me. Perhaps it is wishful thinking, but I'm not pulling this theory out of nowhere. Remember Rafe?

Ah, yes, let's take a stroll down memory lane to when Adam was being as deplorable as ever! Remember when he slept with his lawyer, Rafe?! Adam was gaslighting Victor's then-girlfriend Ashley as part of his revenge plot against his father and, as part of the ruse, set up Rafe's aunt Estella, who worked at the ranch, to take the blame. In his attempt to clear his aunt's name, Rafe started snooping around and got close to discovering Adam's plot. To throw him off the trail, Adam told Rafe, who was gay, that he had feelings for him, and then they had sex off-screen (which is why Adam's original portrayer, Chris Engen, reportedly exited the soap and Michael Muhney took over the role).

I am honestly shocked that the writers haven't explored this bit of Adam's past further. The writers on the show have changed since then, of course, but this is still a major plot in soap - and Newman - history! I was really hoping we would see more explored between the Adam/Chance "friendship" (are they both bisexual?), but, alas, that doesn't seem to be a possibility now that Chance is "dead." Regardless, the scenes with Nikki and Adam, where she revealed that Chance was dead, were fantastic!

I really enjoyed the scenes on Friday between Nick and Victoria, too. These two have always been close, and it was nice to see them reconnecting. I was happy to see Victoria softening toward Nick and hearing him out about why he was trying so hard to learn the truth about Ashland's past. The writers hit the right note with these scenes, and I hope we continue to see their bond strengthen.

Well, that's it for this week! Don't hold back in the comments if you disagree (or agree!) with any of my opinions because it is always great to hear what is in the minds of other viewers! I think November Sweeps is off to a great start, and I'm excited to see what else is in store for our Genoa City denizens.Vance

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.