Penthouses and mansions

Will Abby and Devon choose the mansion or the penthouse? Oh, what a tough dilemma! Will Kyle pick his flawed wife or the scheming floozy he took to bed? Will Billy land on Team Ashley or Team Jack? Will Lauren ever see the sexy skit Michael had planned for her? Or ever get those chocolate-covered strawberries?

Dear readers, deciding between living in an upscale luxury penthouse and an enormous free mansion must be a terrible burden. I can't imagine the torture that Abby and Devon face, having to make a monumental decision like this. I kid. I think it's hilarious that Chance is offering up the mansion to his ex, who cheated on him and the guy she cheated with, just so baby Dominic doesn't have to move from house to house. Let me ask you, do you remember any place anyone took you when you were two years old? Me neither.

I am no millionaire, but I spent the past month driving around the USA in my Ford Fusion and staying in Hampton Inns and old historic hotels. While they are not mansions or penthouses, it was a delightful way to spend my first official month of retirement. My relatives in their 90s told me I would regret every penny I spend now, and they are probably right. Because I will never have the option of living in an enormous free mansion.

Devon and Ashley talked about good and bad memories at each address. Hey, here's an idea: buy a new place all your own, have Dominic live there, and have a guest house for Chance to stay in when he finds the time to visit Dom.

But I digress. If Devon and Abby move to the Chancellors' estate, I hope someone else moves into their penthouse because I enjoy that set. Maybe Audra can use it for her seduction lair. She's already slept with Tucker and now Kyle, and it seems like she had Adam on her radar, too.

Or maybe Nate and Victoria can rent it out for their "afternoon delight" suite, so the entire office doesn't know every time they are banging at work in the "executive suite." I can't speak for any other companies. Still, every company I worked for had a plethora of cameras in the executive board rooms, so if someone was in there having sex, the security team would get to watch free porn on the cameras they monitored all day.

Readers, I am a little disappointed in Kyle. Yes, Summer was wrong to keep her mother's secret from her husband, but his first impulse was to cheat on her rather than get counseling and try to work through their issues. I understand that he was seduced, but it was his choice to give in to the seduction.

Audra (played by the lovely Zuleyka Silver) is an absolutely stunning woman. I can understand why Kyle would be drawn to her. But I'd like to think Kyle is smart enough to know when he's being played. Audra will absolutely hold their tryst over his head for leverage in the coming weeks and months. Maybe he's genuinely over Summer and won't care if she blows up his marriage. But I think Kyle still loves his wife despite the hurt and betrayal.

Audra always has a scheme or an angle. I have a hard time warming up to her. I haven't found the humanity in her character yet. Is that the point? She is cold and calculating, and every encounter she has is just a means to an end. She's been working with Tucker, Nate, Kyle, and Adam. Is her plan to sleep her way through all of them and have leverage against everyone?

I think Victoria is also being played. I keep wondering if Audra and Nate made a side deal that we aren't privy to? I don't totally trust Nate. I wonder if Victoria is merely a rung on his ladder to the top. I almost hope she is, and I know that is a terrible thing to say.

However, my loathing of Victoria grew exponentially when she forced Nick into a leave of absence so she could promote her lover to the COO role. She thinks she is the puppet master, and I hope she becomes the puppet.

I also hope an angry, vindictive Adam wins in his quest to best his sister and knocks Nate and Victoria off their smarmy perch.

Readers, as I mentioned, I have been traveling and was way behind on Y&R. We always pack our Apple TV to stream our shows in the hotels, but it seems some hotels have caught on to this trend and blocked the USB ports to try to force us to watch their Pay Per View movies instead. Boo.

Thus, I had hours of Y&R episodes to catch up on when I got home. I BAWLED when I got to the Adam and Sally losing their baby scenes. It was gut-wrenching, and Courtney Hope and Mark Grossman nailed every scene and poured their entire heart and soul into it. As sad and angry as I am that the writers killed Sally and Adam's baby, I can't deny how powerful those scenes were. I wanted that baby to live because I wanted Sally and Adam to live, and I thought that, eventually, their baby would draw them back together. Now my hopes are dashed.

In like manner, I assumed that the Nick, Sharon, Faith, and Cameron story would linger longer and that that harrowing experience would draw Nick and Sharon back together. I was wrong on both counts. Is that due to the writers' strike? Are new writers filling in who have ideas and are actively rewriting the actual writers' storylines? Possibly. But the damage is done. Baby Ava Hope is gone, and my dreams for a Sally/Adam reunion went with her.

Imagine all the scenes we won't see now, like Victor falling in love with his new redheaded grandchild and having to make peace with Sally, Connor becoming a big brother and learning to open his heart up to a sibling, or Nick and Adam becoming brothers as they co-parent together. Oh, such a waste!

If Adam is filled with rage, as we assume he will be, I hope he turns it all on his sister. She bugs me. I can't remember the last time I liked Victoria. Oh, yes, I can; it was when Victoria fell for Billy in Jamaica in 2010, when Billy was played by Billy Miller. So, it's been a minute.

I predict Adam's heartbreak over losing his baby will cause him to throw himself into work. I am rooting for his success in bringing McCall back to life. I hope that, down the line, Sally will be grateful to still be alive and forgive Adam for sparing her life over the baby's life. Personally, I think he made the best choice. There was no reason to believe the baby could survive being born so early. As Adam noted, choosing the baby probably meant he would lose them both. I can't imagine that Sally will hate him forever. But what will it take to turn the tide? Hopefully not a pregnancy with Nick.

Don't get me wrong, I love Nick Newman. He's my favorite member of his family. I liked Nick with Sharon, and I liked him with Phyllis. Maybe now that Summer has let Nick in on her mother's secrets, Nick will want to be on the rescuing Phyllis team. It's not that I dislike Nick and Sally; it's just that I like Adam and Sally more.

As to Nick's other ex, Sharon, Cameron was a total creep, but he wasn't wrong about everything he said to her. Clearly, some of his words resonated with her. She repeated his taunt that she is meant for more than slinging coffee and listening to people's problems. I hope Cameron's words, as unhinged as they were, will prompt Sharon to examine her life and set out on a new path. I'm tired of only seeing her at Crimson Lights all day with that creepy puppet.

Despite her protestations, I can't imagine that murdering Cameron won't creep up on her in some way. Who will be there to comfort her? Faith fled town, Noah was nowhere in sight, and Mariah was busy with her new baby. Sharon supports everyone, but who will be there to support her? I still think it might be Nick.

In my favorite funny scene this week, Michael had the scene all prepped for sexy time with Lauren, and in waltzed Phyllis. I was delighted to see Phyllis (the spectacular Michelle Stafford) in a scene with someone other than Summer. It's time to bring her home in whatever manner necessary. Just imagine Phyllis in prison for a month. It would be hilarious. She would probably end up being the head of a prison gang. She's badass.

I love that Michael and Lauren are devoted to helping her. Even though she screwed up fantastically, they are still looking out for her best interests. Readers, help me out here. Did the EMT ambulance driver see the scuffle between Phyllis and Jeremy Stark? I watched so many episodes so fast that I wonder if I missed something. I thought Jeremy and Phyllis were alone in that shady motel when she killed him.

Meanwhile, the intended victim of her scheme, Diane, is living large. Every night, Diane and Jack are out on the town canoodling in some swanky restaurant or bar and gloating about their great love and success. To be honest, it's getting a little boring. I love Jack with all my heart, but I think I like him better when he's sparring with Victor. Ashley and Jack sniping at each other aren't very enjoyable to watch.

I absolutely loved the memorable episode where Traci brought the family together and reminded them they were the children of John Abbott, the best soap dad of all time. Oh, my, was it great to see Jerry Douglas and younger versions of our favorite Abbott kids. It was a delightful tribute to a legend but also a great way to move the plot forward -- if only they would take Tracy's message to heart.

Readers, what do you think? Is Tucker sincere in his love for Ashley, or does he have something sinister up his sleeve? This new company the two of them plan to start -- will it be a success for the two of them, or is it meant to compete with and crush Jabot?

There are so many moving pieces in the corporate world of Genoa City right now - there is drama at Newman; if Summer and Kyle split, Jack suggested to Summer that Kyle needs to be the one to leave Marchetti; Adam is about to take over McCall Unlimited; and Jill, Devon, and Lily have a new understanding about the partnership between Chancellor and Hamilton-Winters. I'm dizzy trying to keep track of it all.

But wait! There's more! Crazy Cameron Kirsten left his company, Kirsten Incorporated, to Sharon! Think about a man leaving his company to the chick who sent him to prison for 20 years. I almost pity him for being so hopelessly devoted (I miss you, Olivia) to a woman who despised him. But this presents an exciting opportunity... Nick is officially on a leave of absence, and the previews show Sharon asking Nick if he wants to get his hands dirty. Does this mean Nick and Sharon are going into business again?

This might be fun. Let's imagine that Nate is a terrible fill-in COO. Victoria begs Nick to return. Still, he's found a happy job and enjoys turning Cameron's company around -- success is the best revenge. He can change the name to something like "Shick Unlimited" (Sharon/Nick) or "Faith Incorporated" or something. He can wear flannel and a backwards baseball cap like Luke Danes on Gilmore Girls. I can see it all now, including the guilt trips from Nikki and Victor about leaving his sister to twist in the wind. The thought of it is starting to make me giddy.

Meanwhile, Jack had one-on-ones with both Summer and Kyle to try to encourage them to work through their situation. But it won't be that easy. When I saw Audra walking over to the table where Michael and Summer were having breakfast right after Audra banged Summer's husband, I was screaming naughty words at my TV.

Kyle seems infatuated with Audra right now, and his inclination to work things out with Summer vanished when Audra purred about how convenient it was to have a room right upstairs. I think she will easily be able to manipulate him.

Kudos to Michael Mealor and Allison Lanier for their excellent work this week. They have both been so believable in their heartbreak and confusion. I never thought I would be able to get over Hunter King leaving the role of Summer. Still, Allison Lanier became Summer so wholly that I had to google Hunter to remember what she looked like. These two young actors are so promising and engaging; I hope we get to keep them.

Another great scene this week was when Billy saw the press release that Jack had promoted Diane without his input -- Jason Thompson has so much fire inside of him. Anytime they allow him to let it shine, he delivers. I have loved him since he was Patrick Drake on General Hospital, and I will follow him into any role he gets. I think Billy may be ready to switch sides to Team Ashley. Jack may have pushed him too far this time. I am anxious to see what's next.

But as for Billy's love interest, I am tired of the writing for Chelsea. Chelsea's entire storyline boils down to, "Oh, no, Connor is acting out again. What should I do?" Get Connor a shrink, and get back to living your life, Chelsea.

What will happen tomorrow? Will Chloe unveil the new design for the Chancellor lobby so Sally can rip it up and say it's trash because she's mad at the world? Will Cameron deliver more packages to Sharon from the great beyond? Will anyone buy Faith a new dorm cat to compensate for the dead cat? Will Summer find out Kyle slept with Audra and get revenge by sleeping with the dashing Chance? Will Diane and Phyllis rumble when Phyllis gets back to town? Will Tracy succeed in reminding her siblings to ask, "What would John do?" before they rip Jabot to shreds, trying to best one another? Will Chelsea play her own game to learn to deal with her feelings about having a surly child and allow herself to enjoy a hot night with Billy?

Only tomorrow knows, dear readers, and I will tune in tomorrow as long as there are tomorrows.Tamilu

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