Does arrogance pay well?

We are all grieving with Abby. She has lost the love of her life, and she isn't coping well over her loss. Can Abby cope with raising Dominic on her own? Will ChancComm rally from Adam and Victor's attack? What will happen to Billy and Lily if ChancComm doesn't survive? Will Jack and Phyllis reunite, or will it be Nick and Phyllis again? Questions we all need answers to. Join our columnist who has questions, opinions to offer, and perhaps a speculation or two, in Two Scoops for this week.

Before we talk about all the make-believe, I want to start this week's column by extending our condolences to Jerry Douglas' family on the actor's recent passing. I'm sure a lot of us wished that John Abbott was the patriarch of our family. He was a loving and doting father to Jack, Ashley, Traci, and Billy, and he was someone who always offered words of wisdom and the voice of reason. And without getting into things too much, I think a lot of us agree that John Abbott should never have been written off the show. But now there is a new star in the heavens. Jerry Douglas will be sorely missed on earth. Rest peacefully.

Now, let's get into some fictional loss. This week, it appears the obvious place to start is with Abby. I would love to see the end of this storyline, but it continues, so let's look at what has been happening in her corner of our little town lately.

Abby seems to have had a break from reality, and she is spinning out of control, while Mariah's obsession with Dominic keeps growing. Perhaps Mariah has also lost touch with reality because she appears to be more obsessed with Dominic than she is about Abby's safety. Abby was determined to fly to Spain and piece together what had happened to Chance. She believes she is the best person to locate Chance.

Abby is also ignoring the fact that she would be endangering her own life, and she wasn't factoring in the fact that she might leave Dominic an orphan by going into dangerous territory. She is also ignoring the fact that the experts know what they are doing, and Abby doesn't. Abby believed she could wander into the area on her own and wander around looking for clues. She was so focused on Chance, she hadn't given Dominic a second thought because she never mentioned him or asked someone to care for him while she was gone.

Mariah, on the other hand, is really hoping that Abby will go to Spain so that she can move back into the mansion and play mommy to Dominic, rather than trying to convince Abby her plan is a bad idea. When Devon and Nina were discussing how dangerous it would be for Abby to fly to Spain, Mariah kept saying she would look after Dominic. Devon and Nina appear to be very concerned about Mariah's obsession with the baby.

Of course, all of this could be moot, since Chance Chancellor is returning to the canvas. But... will Chance be just a figment of Abby's imagination or a real flesh and blood version? It would be a really, really good psych-out to announce the return of Chance -- only to have him be dead. That would be a jaw-dropper for fans who are now convinced that they were right about Chance not being dead. The writers could keep that ruse up for a few weeks before revealing that Chance really is alive. Or they could just tear off the bandage and reveal him to be alive from the start. What do you think? Which of the three scenarios would provide the best drama?

When Victoria tried to talk Abby out of going, Abby reminded Victoria, in a hurtful way, that she was also facing her own husband's mortality. Thankfully, Victoria understood Abby's pain, and she let the comment slide. In the end, it appeared that Victoria's comments had registered. Abby had a meltdown and crumbled into a river of uncontrollable and inconsolable tears.

When Mariah told Tessa she wanted to bring Dominic to live with them temporarily, Tessa told Mariah it wasn't a good idea because Mariah would be spending too much time with Dominic. It appears that Mariah has fooled a lot of people into believing she is over her obsession with Dominic. If anything, her obsession seems to have grown, and she will pounce on any opportunity to be with her "Bowie." Like Abby, has Mariah also had a break from reality? If Mariah doesn't stop obsessing over Dominic or having a baby of her own, she and Tessa are going to wind up going their separate ways.

Nick tried to help Abby, but after his walk to the park with Abby, and seeing how oblivious she'd been about Dominic's crying, Nick understood why Devon was so concerned about Abby. Nick had to agree that Abby is in a very dark state of mind. I have to agree with Devon. The baby shouldn't remain in the Chancellor home, but who should the baby stay with while Abby grieves?

Obviously, Mariah is too obsessed with the baby and probably would fight Abby when it was time for Dominic to return to Abby. Victoria has her hands full with Ashland's health issues. Nina wouldn't be a good choice, since she is living with Abby and is also grieving. Ashley has a business to run in Paris. Traci flits between Genoa City and New York with her writing. There is also Nikki and Victor.

In the previews for next week, it appears that Abby winds up on Devon's doorstep and asks him to take care of the baby until she gets her head in the right place. Hmm, I have to wonder if this is a good choice. I can see Devon bonding in a big way with Dominic, and I don't know whether Devon would be able to give Dominic back to Abby. This might lead to Devon having a change of heart and perhaps petitioning the court for custody, since he is the biological father.

In that same preview, Abby seems to have recognized she is too overwhelmed over the whole situation and that Dominic needed to be in a calmer environment than the Chancellor mansion. Wait until Mariah finds out that Abby went to Devon and not her. I can see Mariah being at his doorstep daily. Mariah is still in the mindset that she is the most capable one to take care of Dominic. Do we see a war of wills happening here?

Poor Billy, he is so predictable that he is doing exactly what Victor had predicted he would do. Billy was so smug when he told Adam he had Gaines and the original letter that Camilla Rhodes had written. Billy, in all his arrogance, left Adam with an ultimatum: either Victor, Adam, and Ashland stop their vendetta against ChancComm, or he would publish Ashland's story.

I'm surprised. Lily has always been the voice of reason in this duo, so I can't understand why she is going along with Billy's plan. I don't recall Lily ever being vindictive or vengeful. Has the fear of losing ChancComm scrambled her brain? Lily seems to have lost all her reasoning skills. She confronted Victoria. After Victoria told Lily that she hadn't planned anything, and she didn't know any details, Lily confronted Adam.

I had to laugh when Adam seemed to brush off Lily's questions and offered her a job at Newman Media when ChancComm went down. Ouch! That had to hurt. I don't recall Lily ever being arrogant, either. Are some of Billy's traits rubbing off on her? I can't believe she would condone blackmailing Victor and Adam as a means of ending their attack on ChancComm.

I have to wonder whether Gaines has really been on the run or if he is part of Adam and Victor's plan. He almost had me convinced he'd been on the run, but since I haven't trusted him from the beginning, that seed of doubt remains. I believe he is part of Victor's plot, but that remains to be seen.

It appears that Adam and Victor's vengeful plan worked, and Billy has been duped by Gaines, as well. How much did you love that Cheshire cat smile on Adam after their plan succeeded? I was waiting for him to lick his lips. Now, I think the big question is, what will become of Billy and Lily after this catastrophe? Is Lily going to stand by her man, or will Billy receive that dreaded "Dear John" text message or email. I can't wait to see what Jill is going to do when she finds out what her precious gambling son has done now.

Who does Sally think she is, barging into Adam's office and demanding to know what the plan was for Billy and ChancComm? This is none of her business. She works for Adam, and she is not privy to Newman Media's decisions or plans, unless it involves the fashion platform. How many of us have marched into our boss's office and demanded to know about company business because we were afraid of losing our job? That's what Sally did.

Sally has this extremely annoying habit of popping up whenever there is something juicy to be overheard or seen. How is that possible? She never minds her own business, and she is pushy beyond belief. Look how she pushed Ashley for an interview, but when Sally didn't back off and received a rude response from Ashley, Sally became pouty and hurt. She left, but not before making a rude remark to Ashley.

Why is Sally so hellbent on revenge for Phyllis? Phyllis had every right to be furious with Sally. Sally ran Phyllis' child out of town, but Sally doesn't see it that way. Sally sees it as getting Summer a dream job. Sally puts her own twist on things. Sally plotted to get Summer out of town because she wanted Summer's job. Sally's memory is very selective. She omits that she'd done it for her own selfish reasons and completely for her own benefit, not Summer's.

She watches Phyllis and Jack like a hawk. Why? Jack has told her -- in no uncertain terms -- there would never be anything between him and Sally. I wonder if she is going to go to Nick and tell him about the kiss Phyllis planted on Jack's cheek. Sally creates problems wherever she goes. Even Chloe accurately pointed out that Sally never accepts responsibility when her plans backfire.

I can see fireworks on the horizon between Chelsea and Sally. Sally has set her sights on Adam, she is pursuing him every which way to Sunday, and she is hoping to set her hooks into Adam before Chelsea's return. Once again, Sally is playing dirty. Sally doesn't give a damn that Adam might have reconsidered about reconciling with Chelsea. Sally wants what she wants, and she doesn't care about the circumstances. I think Chelsea is going to give Sally a good run for her money. I hope Phyllis can put Sally in her place and get Sally out of her hair.

It looks like Nick and Phyllis are kaput, and this time, it's for good. Who is in the wings, offering a shoulder for Phyllis to cry on? None other than smilin' Jack Abbott. Like Sally with Adam's business, he seems to appear out of nowhere whenever Phyllis has a problem with Nick.

I'm stopping here for a little rant. Has anyone else noticed how many episodes there have been lately with flashback scenes? I don't know about anyone else, but I want to see the continuing story, not what happened a few weeks ago. A flashback is great if it's something that happened eons ago, where most of us would have forgotten something had happened; however, the flashbacks they have been showing recently have happened within the last month. Although the flashbacks for Nick and Phyllis were somewhat interesting in that they did show two different views as each perceived who was at fault for the breakup; however, we understood that from the dialogue as it had happened from the characters. Are these really necessary?

I also feel there have been too many off-screen events that seem to promote the flashbacks. For example, Kyle and Summer's wedding. Wouldn't you have loved to see Summer run back for her bridal bouquet and walk down the aisle again? Then, there were all the flashbacks of Nick and Phyllis arguing, which were obviously taped off-screen and shown as a flashback. Also, the scenes between Jack and Phyllis recalling their encounters, and Amanda's court scenes in flashback. Why couldn't we see those in real time? What about the bonding between Amanda and her mother on Amanda and Naya's vacation getaway? A scene or two could have been thrown in about that. It's just my opinion, but I would rather they didn't do that.

Okay, rant is over. Back to Jack and Phyllis. Jack has been secretly pining for Phyllis, as we have all see in these flashbacks. He's confessed to her how he feels about her and that she was the love of his life. Phyllis has also told Jack she loved him and always would.

Amanda made Phyllis see that Nick was out, and Jack had always been there, basically waiting for her to return to him. Phyllis seemed shocked when Amanda pointed it out to her. I, personally -- as you all know -- have always felt that Nick and Phyllis' relationship was very shallow. Phyllis had mentioned to Nick that people saw their relationship as video games and great sex, nothing more. Well, not only the people in Genoa City -- I believe I, too, have mentioned it a time or two. I have always seen Phyllis and Nick's relationship that way. They have been married three times, I think. In any case, I really hope this is the absolute end for them.

Jack and Phyllis of the past shared everything, from the fun and games to the not so pretty side of things, but they were always on the same page and generally worked things through. They were able to bring out each other's better side, and I believe that is what made them a great couple. The writers might be agreeing with me, because it looks like they are going to reunite Phyllis and Jack. I think that after having deep thoughts on both their parts, they realize they are still very much in love with each other. Again, it's just my opinion.

Nick has been seeing a lot of Sharon lately. Like Phyllis with Jack, he, too, seems to have a confidante in Sharon. After all these years, they have remained comfortable with each other, and they have always sought each other's advice. Could this be the road back to each other?

For a long time, many fans have wanted Nick and Sharon to reunite. I wasn't one of them because I felt there had been too much water under that bridge; however, I have recently changed my mind about them, maybe because I'm seeing them in a different light, or maybe because I don't see any connection between Sharon and Rey.

Somehow, I haven't been able to get on board the Sharon and Rey train. I just don't see the love connection between them. They always seem so cool toward each other. Having said that, perhaps this is a good time for Sharon and Nick to begin bonding once again. I believe that after all their trials and tribulations while apart from each other, they have matured. If they do reunite, who knows, maybe they will become the next Victor and Nikki, unless Victoria and Ashland beat them to it. I believe this time around, if it happens, they will cherish what they had, and they will remain loyal to each other.

Who didn't shed a tiny tear in an "awww" moment when Naya told Amanda how she wanted to raise a glass to her brave and wonderful daughter who'd had the courage to stand up to Sutton, something no other member of the family could do. I love how this relationship between Amanda and Naya has been building up. Amanda has finally found the family she'd been dreaming of. I would love to see more scenes with Amanda, Naya, and Imani.

I loved the scene with Amanda and Sutton, when Sutton came a-callin' with the hope of taping Amanda admitting she was suing him out of vindictiveness. I loved it when his plan backfired. Amanda had his number, and she called it. I howled. He'd been outsmarted by his own granddaughter.

I hope you have enjoyed my thoughts, and I would love to read your comments and opinions. Perhaps you might like to offer up some of your own thoughts. In the meantime, until next time, stay safe!Nel

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