All in the Genoa City family

Family dynamics vary between families. Victor rules his family with an iron fist. Jack is allowing Diane to manipulate his family. Chelsea and Chloe, the best of friends, are like family to each other, and they are at a major crossroad. Let's take a peek into Genoa City family dynamics in this week's Two Scoops.

Let's begin with the almighty Victor Newman and his quest to rid Victoria and his family of Ashland Locke. So far, Victor's plans to rescue Victoria have failed, and that gave me pause. I did wonder why, since Victor rarely fails when he sets out to either gather information or stop someone like Ashland Locke. In one of my recent columns, I speculated that perhaps Victoria wasn't in love with Ashland but was playing him because she wanted to destroy him. I just couldn't believe that Victoria, who was quite the savvy woman, would ever forgive such a betrayal without finding a way of making Ashland pay, and lo and behold, that was exactly what Victoria did; she played Ashland. Any seasoned con artist would be proud of how smart Victoria's plan was and how easily Ashland fell for it.

Victor rarely fails in any quest he undertakes, and in this case, I wondered if he and Victoria were secretly working together. Once again, I'm speculating, because I've noticed that Victor's reactions have been too complacent about the whole Victoria and Ashland thing; however, to keep up appearances, Victor kept to his normal routine of gathering information, carrying out his own investigation, and doing what everyone expected him to do in such a situation. We will have to wait and see if my Spidey senses are accurate.

Victoria pulled off a brilliant con on Ashland, and he knew it. Victoria said Ashland was what he always should have been -- nothing and no one, and she left him with nothing. Wait, what? Hold on a minute, Ashland had had Locke Communications for many years, and he had properties in different locations. Surely, he would have amassed his own personal fortune prior to merging with Newman Enterprises? Where did that go?

I loved how Victoria nonchalantly suggested that she and Ashland use their own money to set up their new company, and he willingly transferred his 250 million dollars into the corporate account. As soon as the queen bee saw the funds were in the account, poof, they disappeared into Victoria's personal account. How delicious was that? Victoria had Ashland's number, and she was conning him at every turn. Victor taught her well. I loved this episode of The Young and the Restless!

When Victoria contacted Nick, I found it strange that she shared her location with him and told him that she and Ashland were about to meet with some investors. Nick and Victoria had barely patched up their differences. Victoria had mentioned previously that she wasn't sure she could trust Nick completely, yet she provided him with all that information. Then it hit me that Victoria knew how worried her family was about her, and she knew Nick wouldn't keep that information to himself; he would immediately tell Victor, who would then have the investors contacted to stop them from investing in Victoria's new company. Normally, Victoria would have hit the roof when the investors backed out, knowing that Victor would have been behind it, but her attitude seemed to be, "Oh, well, let's just pool our resources and start the company ourselves."

Nick expressed his concern to Sharon because he felt he might have betrayed Victoria's trust, and it was eating at him. This family certainly bands together in any emergency and helps each other. Nick is worried about Victoria to the point that he is ready to work at Newman Enterprises just so he can have more say in family matters. Nick said Noah is taking care of things at New Hope, which would allow Nick to step into the corporate world. Despite all the friction, this is a very close-knit family -- with the exception of Adam.

When Adam learned that his flight to Pittsburg had been bumped by Victoria, because she was returning to Genoa City, rather than caring about Victoria's well-being, he told Victor that Connor would be crushed because they had planned to go to Pittsburg to see the Black Hawks. Adam mentioned that Victoria was no longer an employee of the company or part of the family, by her own declaration. Wow! This was his sister, who he knew was going through a crisis in her life, and he showed no compassion for her plight. He only thought that Connor would be crushed. Umm, what, Adam doesn't have a television? Adam seemed to be fine with leaving Victoria stranded in New York so that he and Connor could go to Pittsburg. Now, that's brotherly love.

I think Adam knows that once Victoria returns, he will be out as CEO of Newman, and that really isn't sitting well with him. Nikki asked if Victor had given any thought to where Adam would fit into the company long-term, but Victor said he didn't want to make any decisions until he spoke to Victoria. Yes, Victor is in on Victoria's con, I'm sure of it.

When Adam and Sally celebrated their win, I found it hilarious that Adam told Sally that Victoria had always wanted to impress Victor and gain his approval. Hmm, Adam fought harder than anyone to impress Victor and to win his approval. Victoria already knew she had Victor's approval and his trust. Victor trusted him enough to make him CEO of Newman Media, but I guess that wasn't enough approval for Adam. I can see Adam reverting to his dark side in the not-too-distant future if Victor pulls him out as CEO of Newman and provides him with a different title or returns Adam to Newman Media as CEO.

Jack is the patriarch of the Abbott family, and I think he'd been doing a great job in that role until Diane. Diane hasn't changed one iota. She's only perfected how to better manipulate everyone to the point that people actually believe she's changed. She is winning Jack over, and she knows it. Diane believes she can have the family she's dreamed about, but I'm really hoping Jack will finally see through her.

The Abbott family seems to be having their own dramas. I can hardly wait for Diane to be exposed for the fraud she is. Diane also never misses an opportunity to subtly stick it to Phyllis, and Jack chafes every time Diane mentions Phyllis, which is always in a demeaning way. Who is Diane to put anyone down after what she's done to so many people? And why isn't she facing charges for faking her death?

Michael told Diane that Nikki had asked him to do a deep dive into Diane's life in Los Angeles, which Michael was reluctant to do. Diane told Michael he wouldn't find anything under Taylor Jenkins, the name she'd been known as in L.A. Very nice. Diane carefully planned by steering Michael away from checking out anything under the name Diane Jenkins. I suspected all along that Diane had been up to no good in L.A., and this was her way of running away from those misdeeds. That's just something rattling around in my head, but it is a possibility.

In the meantime, Phyllis poured her heart out to Jack, but he claimed she was insincere and that there was nothing left to say. Jack left after that. For the moment, it looks like Phyllis and Jack are done, but I don't believe that will be the case down the road. When Diane reveals her true colors, Jack will see that Phyllis was right all along, and they will patch things up -- at least, I hope they will! Jack hasn't had any luck with women since he and Phyllis divorced, compliments of Victor. However, it has been years, Jack and Phyllis have grown, and maybe, just maybe, they might finally be good for one another.

Diane lamented to Jack that she might have overstepped with Kyle by asking him to help her find a job, and she wondered if Kyle had said anything to Jack. I have to say, I cheered when Jack (the consummate diplomat) told her he wouldn't share anything Kyle had said with her. He has no intention of helping Diane in any way, and he is determined not to influence Kyle in any way. I don't think Jack was very happy about Kyle offering Diane a job at Marchetti, and I wonder if he might have a little chat with his number one son about it. I hope Jack can shed some light a on a not-so-great decision.

When Phyllis arrived at Society and saw Jack with Diane, Summer, and Kyle at a table, celebrating, her face dropped. Of course, Diane had to tell Phyllis they were celebrating her getting a job at Marchetti. That wasn't how Diane lured Jack into joining their celebration. She'd asked if Jack would miss an opportunity to celebrate Kyle becoming CEO of Marchetti. Damn, she's quick on her feet. Jack remains cautious around Diane while keeping a close eye on family members.

Chelsea and Chloe have been best friends for a long time, and they are close enough to consider themselves family to each other. They have always looked out for each other, so imagine my shock when things between them blew up. It was no surprise when Chloe didn't respond well to Chelsea telling Chloe that she'd been asked to design for Marchetti. I'm team Chloe in this instance. Chloe bent over backwards to make sure Chelsea had a safe place to land and that she felt secure when she returned to Genoa City.

When Chelsea returned to town, she never struck me as being fully recovered. First, Chelsea obsessed over Adam, believing they could pick up where they'd left off. After she accepted that Adam had moved on with Sally, she became obsessed with Rey Rosales, and since he died, Chelsea hasn't been able to come to terms with his death. Along came Kyle, and it looked like she might have set her sights on him. Then Billy showed her kindness, and she became enamored with him. This all struck me as a little odd. Chelsea was always very independent, but at the moment, she appears to be extremely needy -- and she wants a partner by her side.

Chelsea seemed to take everything Chloe said out of context, and she really saw herself as the victim, which she wasn't. Chloe has been desperately trying to get Chelsea on track, but Chelsea seems to have swept everything Chloe has done for her (or anything she's said) under the rug. Chelsea has put her own spin on things and claims she's been under a lot of stress; well, so has Chloe, but Chelsea turned a blind eye to that.

There seems to be a glimmer of hope that Chelsea and Chloe will make up, thanks to Billy. After Chelsea had a chat with Billy, she realized that perhaps she'd projected all her troubles onto Chloe, and what Chloe had said had made sense. Chelsea realized she hadn't wanted to admit that Chloe had been right. Chelsea and Chloe better get their act together, or their partnership will be kaput, especially with Sally's determination to hire Chloe as her COO. What will happen if Chloe decides to take Sally up on her offer? Would it be the end of that friendship? What would it mean for Chelsea's career?

I agree with Adam -- Chelsea wants to bury herself in work to ease her pain, but she is disregarding her limitations and really believes she could design for Fenmore's and Marchetti. Both Adam and Chloe are right; Chelsea is trying to take on too much. I really hope that Chelsea and Chloe can get past this, that Chelsea realizes that Adam and Chloe are looking out for her, and that Chelsea will get her emotional turmoil under control. Chelsea and Chloe do make a great team, and I hope they can remain that great team.

Amanda and Imani seem to have grown closer since Naya's stroke, and it was wonderful to see how Amanda prepared Imani for the shock of seeing her mother attached to all the machinery and how still her mother was lying in bed.

Those were very sweet scenes between the sisters, but to say it bothered me to see Imani going after Nate like a barracuda would be an understatement. Lately, whenever Imani was around Elena, and Imani opened her mouth, out popped Grandpa Sutton. Like Sutton, Imani became arrogant and entitled, and she didn't concern herself about hurting anyone's feelings because she was determined to get what she wanted. Grandpa Sutton taught her well. It looks like Imani is going to try to stop Elena from signing a contract with Hamilton-Winters and working so closely with Nate. Imani will stop at nothing to get what she wants, no matter what it takes or who stands in her way, just like Grandpa Sutton.

I was very happy to see Devon chew Nate out for stepping out of line with his speech at the launch party. Imani gave Nate some bad advice, and if she keeps doing that and Nate keeps listening to her advice, Nate's job might eventually be at risk.

Last but not least, we visit the little family of Tessa and Mariah. All that tea sipping didn't cure Tessa's sore throat, so she finally saw a doctor who diagnosed her with vocal cord nodules and said she needed surgery. True to form, Mariah encouraged Tessa that things would work out, and no matter what, Mariah would be there for her. Luckily, Tessa asked Elena for a second opinion, since Elena's uncle had had the same condition; after surgery, he had gone on tour and was still going strong.

That's it for me and my opinions and speculations, and I hope I have given everyone thoughts to ponder. Until next time, stay safe!Nel

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