Modus soaperandi

Everyone has a reason for doing the things they do, from covering up a death to protect a loved one to telling a former love a secret. We might think we know the reason, but that's not always the case. And people often don't get the outcome they were hoping for... especially on a soap opera.

It's been a busy week in Genoa City with what seems to be half the population hiding their nefarious agendas and their motives for doing so.

It appears that Chance isn't going to close the investigation surrounding Ashland Locke's death anytime soon. He feels there are far too many holes from the time Ashland fell to the time Ashland crashed his car into a ravine and was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash. Chance knows that whole situation is centered around Victor and his security guards. Even after Chance confronted Victor, Victor seemed very confident he wouldn't be implicated in any way in Ashland's death.

Chance is like a dog with a bone -- he isn't letting Ashland's death slip through the cracks, knowing there is more to the story than he has been led to believe. He also wants to live up to Rey's very high standards and to solve the mystery surrounding Ashland the same way Rey would have done. Now, that is real hero worship. Good for Chance.

Kevin has been helping Chance with his investigation and has found additional information that poked more holes in the theory that Ashland died in the car crash. Chance knows Victor had a hand in it because he wanted to protect his children. Instead, Victor has managed to make matters worse. What a surprise!

Once Nick knew the truth, he shared the information with Victoria, and now neither of them has plausible deniability. Victoria then put Nikki in the same position when she shared the information with her, and Nikki had Victor confirm what he'd done. Now, the crime has been split four ways; if and when they are found out, will they all go to jail? If they all go to jail, then it opens the door for Adam to run the company the way he's always dreamed of doing. This is so silly. Had Ashland been left where he fell, Nick wouldn't have been charged because it would have been ruled self-defense, since he was protecting Victoria from Ashland's attack on her. Victor just doesn't know when to leave well enough alone.

Chance knows Victor is hiding what he and his security team did, but he has no proof to make an arrest. I, for one, hope Chance finds the proof he needs and arrests Victor. Victor has gotten away with too much over the years, and it's time the piper was paid. I say go, Chance and Kevin.

However, here is where I have questions about Chance. Aren't detectives' professions like doctors', where they aren't allowed to investigate a crime when family members are involved, just like a doctor can't treat a family member? If that is the case, then Chance shouldn't be investigating his in-laws for Ashland's death, which involved his father-in-law, sister-in-law, and brother-in-law. Is Chance the only detective in the Genoa City Police Department, and wouldn't his investigation be seen as a conflict of interest? I don't think Chance should be on this case at all. Too bad Rey isn't still around, or he would be the lead investigator.

Does the evidence seem lame to anyone? It does to me. The cigarette butt that was found around where Ashland's car had been parked presumes that only one person in Genoa City smokes and that the cigarette belongs to one of Victor's security guards. Of course, that security guard was suspect because he smoked at the police station while being interrogated. Even if it belonged to the security guard, would he have been smoking while helping to get Ashland into the car and sloppy enough to leave the cigarette butt at the scene? Because they are Victor's security guards, I have to assume they are trained professionals and wouldn't be that careless. This hardly seems like conclusive proof. Plus, if he lives in town, he might have tossed a cigarette butt somewhere. It's outside, not in the car or something more definitive.

What about that grainy video showing that there was more than one person in Ashland's car? Because the video was such poor quality, who is to say that wasn't Ashland driving the car? This isn't proof, either. Chance is putting two and two together and coming up with nine. He is trying to fit the cigarette butt and the grainy video into his theory. Just because he's right doesn't make the evidence fit.

Was Victor protecting Nick from believing he'd killed someone, or was he protecting Nick from the police? I think Victor wanted to make sure that Nick didn't believe he'd been responsible for killing Ashland. Adam still carries the scars of Victor's cover-up in Kansas after Adam killed A.J. Montalvo when Adam was an eleven-year-old boy. I believe Victor didn't want Nick to go through the same trauma that Adam went through.

The big cover-up now is hiding Victor's involvement in moving the body. I don't believe that Nick would have faced charges for stopping an irate and unhinged man from terrorizing or possibly killing his ex-wife, whom he was furious with. Ashland had been in a dangerous frame of mind, and he would have remained a danger until he wasn't, and now he isn't.

Phyllis and Diane are playing their little games; however, I see Diane's faade slip-sliding away. I had to laugh at how her sweet demeanor completely left the building when Kyle informed her Phyllis had been hired to work at Marchetti. This was the first time I had seen Diane's face completely lose that phony smile -- at least since she returned from the dead.

Diane's careful plan to manipulate everyone around her has just been blown up by Phyllis being hired at Marchetti. Diane shouted at Kyle that Phyllis hated her and that Phyllis' motive was to sabotage her in any way she could. Why would Diane automatically jump to that conclusion? I think it's either because of Diane's own guilt, or she knows that Phyllis sees through her -- and she is terrified that the ground she has gained would be for naught. Phyllis will be in close proximity to Diane. Diane is an unhinged, manipulative, vindictive woman with an agenda, and she realizes she's made a mistake by showing her anger. Diane is now backpedaling by trying to put doubt in Summer and Kyle's ears about hiring Phyllis.

Phyllis seems to think her plan will work, but she also appears to be a little too cocky about it. We all know how Phyllis' plans usually turn and smack her in the face. At times, she looked a little hesitant when Summer was mentioned. With Phyllis, her motive is always to get to her goal, damn the consequences of her actions. She has never stopped to look at the ramifications, but only at how to achieve her goal. On the one hand, I'm hoping that Billy has opened her eyes to those consequences, but on the other, I am really hoping Phyllis will succeed in exposing Diane for the fraud she is. I loved how Billy played the devil's advocate with Phyllis, and I believe it has given her pause for thought.

Phyllis has a definite plan, so she isn't up in arms, and she might succeed. Diane doesn't know what's coming, and she is unsteady in her efforts at convincing everyone that she has changed.

It appears that Adam, too, has his own agenda and motive. Why is he so curious about Ashland's case? He is digging around for information on how Victor was involved in Ashland's death. He failed to get any information from Kevin, Sally, or Abby, and now he has asked Chance to let him into the investigation on the pretext that he would be able to provide Chance with inside information. How is Adam going to do that, since he has cut ties with the Newmans (once again)? He is trying to play Chance in the hope that Chance will provide him with all the scuttlebutt about Ashland. Adam wants that information so he can use it against the Moustache in some way. I'm really hoping that Chance will stick to his guns and won't agree to an unholy alliance with Adam, but they do have a mysterious Vegas connection.

Going to Sally for information about Ashland was really low after he'd broken her heart, even if that had been well intentioned. He knows how hurt Sally is, but his ego is so big that he really thought she would be gracious and give him the information he was looking for. Who knew that Choe would turn out to be such a stabilizing force for Sally. Chloe seems to know how to rein Sally in when Sally begins to have doubts about running Newman Media and about Adam (I guess she had ample behavior management practice with Chelsea). Chloe reminded Sally that she is in the CEO chair because of her determination and her brilliance and that Nick and Victoria recognized her potential and wanted to see more. Chloe also warned Sally not to let Adam steal that opportunity from her.

I was moderately impressed with Sally until she told Adam she would tell him what she knew about Ashland if Adam told her why he'd broken up with her and that he still loved her. Why, Sally? What difference does it make? You have split, so why keep asking him to admit something he never will? He's a nogoodnik and out of your life. Keep him there. Adam has an agenda and will use Sally for his own benefit.

Chloe was spot-on when she told Sally that Adam would make it his life's mission to retaliate if Sally went ahead with her little scheme to tell Adam she didn't have any information after Adam admitted he still loved her and broke up with her so she could keep her job. I'm happy that she is confiding in Chloe with any decisions rather than jumping straight into the fire without forethought. I have to give Adam and Chloe credit for that. Sally is still very aggressive, but at least she asks for a second opinion before she leaps. I really hope that she and Chloe can make Newman Media a success.

I do kind of want to retract that after seeing the last scene on Friday's episode. Sally has gone against Chloe's warning about trying to fool Adam, and she sent him a text saying she would give him the information he wanted for his confession. That was a very dumb move on Sally's part.

Moving on to that entitled wench Imani... She can manipulate people with the best of them, and she is weaving her wicked web around Nate. It's obvious she wants a romantic relationship with him, and she is providing Nate with long strokes to his ego and is, in turn, giving him bad advice. Here is a situation where Nate has a good angel, Elena, on one shoulder, trying to steer him in the right direction, and the devil, Imani, on the other shoulder, doing more harm than good. Nate is loving the attention, and he sides with the devil because she puts into words what he is thinking. Nate wants to make a name for himself and to show Devon up.

Nate seems to forget that he answers to Devon, not the other way around, and Nate is supposed to be guided by the head of that company, who is Devon in this case. Nate believes that because he had a business education and because he ran the surgical department at the hospital, he is well versed in corporate ins and outs. Whether Nate wants to admit it or not, his ego is tripping him up. Nate isn't listening to anyone (except Imani), and he is in for a huge fall.

I think Nate wants what Devon has, money and power. Is he going about it in the right way? I don't think so. Is Imani undermining Devon by whispering everything Nate wants to hear in his ear? I believe she is, but Nate thinks Elena is undermining Imani. Too bad Nate can't see what everyone else sees. Is Imani undermining Elena? Big time. Imani hasn't been in touch with Sally about Elena's contract because she doesn't want Elena working at Chancellor-Winters; instead, she arranged a romantic dinner for her and Nate. I have said this before: Imani is irreverent, and she will break all barriers to get what she wants with no regard to who she steps on to get it.

As an aside, it has been announced that Trevor St. John has joined The Young and the Restless family as a mystery man. Well, golly gee, who is he going to be paired with? Will he be Sharon's new love interest or the return of Dylan, or will Sharon reunite with Nick? How about Chelsea, or does she have her sights set on Billy? If Billy falls for Chelsea's advances, how about pairing Trevor up with Lily? That might be interesting, but I can't see Billy leaving Lily. Well, what about Princess Victoria? Hmm, I think that might be too soon after her tragic year with Ashland Locke. Then there's Sally, but is she still too much in love with Adam to give the new guy a chance? I guess we will have to wait and see.

When Michael Muhney left this soap as Adam, there had been speculation that Trevor St. John would have been a perfect recast in the role of Adam, and I agreed. Michael and Trevor's acting styles are very similar, and Trevor seems to have that same brooding attitude that Michael's Adam had. Well, those were just my thoughts at the time. Nevertheless, welcome to the family, Trevor, and we look forward to seeing you in September.

Until next time, be safe!Nel

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