Medical mayhem

The town of Genoa City is in desperate need of better healthcare services.

When you watch the news, night after night we're hearing about President Obama's efforts to ensure every American gets healthcare. I think the Prez needs to start by fixing the medical mayhem going on in Genoa City! Have you ever seen such massive malpractice grip a soap town like this one? Think about it. How is it that Olivia has gotten Lily into the hospital and has discovered a mass on her ovaries that is likely cancer, while out at the Newman ranch, Ashley is blissfully in denial about having had a miscarriage. You may buy this hysterical pregnancy crapola, but I don't. Here's why: Ashley is not a dummy. In fact, she used to be one of the smartest women on Y&R (and The Bold & the Beautiful, too). She's a scientist, for goodness sake! She has also had a few pregnancies in her time (and a grown daughter), so it's not like she doesn't know what her body goes through when having a child. I don't believe for a second that Ashley's fall down the stairs didn't leave behind some suspicions.

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Oh, sure, Dr. Taylor was there this past week with a pseudo sonogram machine. Who on earth would believe a doctor making a house call and pretending to be able to read a sonogram with the precision of a trained specialist? Victor, for all his wealth and influence, should be taking Ashley to the finest obstetrician/gynecologist in the country. Come on, Vic, Genoa City is not exactly Gotham City. Put Ashley on the corporate jet and get the Mayo Clinic to check her out. Remember, too, Ashley is no spring chicken. Women who are having a late in life baby need special care. Victor hasn't even hired a full-time nurse to take care of Ashley. No, instead he leaves her alone or with the duplicitous Adam as her confidante. Does any of this make sense? No - or as Victor would say it, "God damn it, no."

Let's talk about this Victor Newman for a moment. He's a hell of a son of a bitch, and I say that in the words that he would most likely understand. Once upon a time, there was a book written about Victor called "Ruthless." I don't think that begins to describe him. Never has there been such a bizarre dichotomy as there is with this man. He can be sweet and loving and gentle, like when he sat at Summer's bedside and urged her to get better so she could come to the ranch and swim in the pool and ride the horses. He was the essence of the generous grandpa. However, this is the same man who brought psycho Mary Jane/Patty to Genoa City with the intent of vexing Jack Abbott. Jack's his enemy, I get it, but if for no other reason than his love for Ashley, couldn't Victor have left Jack alone. You know, a dtente? No fighting, no feuding, no attempts to destroy the guy...at least for a little while? No, not Victor; he has to escalate the war.

This week Victor showed his ugly side again by scheming against Colleen. Why destroy Colleen's reputation just to get her off the Newman board of directors? For a man who has had his own reputation slandered, you would think he'd have some empathy for Colleen. After all, Colleen is only on the board because her father died and she's taken his place. She has received advice from Uncle Jack, but has she really done anything to warrant Victor's hatred? I would have had more respect for Herr Newman if he had come up with a business tactic or strategy to oust Colleen. That would have shown me that Victor is the brilliant corporate scion he's supposed to be. Instead, he hires Gloria and Jeffrey, who are practically con artists these days, to smear a young woman's reputation. How would Victor like it if Glo and Jeff had been hired by Jack to do that to Victoria? Where's the humanity?

This past week we also got to hear the truth from Phillip Chancellor. He's gay. ...Is that it? That's the big reveal. Am I supposed to be shocked by that news? I wasn't. However, I was shocked that something like sexual orientation (notice that I said orientation, not preference) was Phillip's reason for faking his own death. Sorry, Phil, that's not a good enough reason to bribe morgue officials, fill a coffin with sandbags, and let your family believe that you were six feet under. Oh, I heard Phillip's explanation about how tortured he was in the 1980's with his homosexuality, how he became an alcoholic over it, how he couldn't love Cricket in a heterosexual way, how he was driven to leave Genoa City. That's all understandable. Many, many people who face similar situations leave home to start life in another place. BUT THEY DON'T FAKE THEIR DEATHS TO DO IT!!

What was even worse, though, was Phillip's complete disregard for Chance. Why make your son suffer for your selfish decision? That wasn't brave or courageous or noble. It was cruel to your flesh and blood. Chance may never forgive you.

It's still too soon to tell if Chance will be a fun character. I'm hopeful, because the return of Deacon is just not working for me. He's pure evil. He's smooth and slick, but are we really supposed to believe that he's destroying Daniel just to get Amber in the sack? Really? Was she so amazing that it's worth all this to-do? Of course, I get the impression that Victoria and her millions might be Deacon's ultimate goal.Are you as sick of the dead Kitty as I am? What a strange, strange sight, that poor stuffed pussycat. It's like the scene from James Bond - the villain playing with the kitten - only it's just disturbing with a stuffed feline! Mary Jane is not like Sheila Carter, if that's what they were going for. Mary Jane is too wacko to be saved. She's never going to gain my sympathy, even after Paul and Jack find out that she's Patty. I don't want to like Mary Jane. She needs extensive therapy. She needs Paul to put her into a hospital where she can deal with her psychotic behavior. Again, this goes back to Victor. He should have left Patty alone.

But how ironic is it that Victor freed a psycho to go after Jack, but he doesn't realize that he invited just as twisted a psycho into his home when he allowed Adam to move into the ranch? Could Victor have ever imagined the lengths Adam would go to in his attempt to get even with his father? Seriously, Adam's litany of evil is epic - the Sabrina assault(s) on Ashley, framing Estella, seducing Rafe, lying to Heather, blackmailing Dr. Taylor, covering up Ashley's miscarriage! Adam cannot justify all that - and now manipulating Mary Jane - just because he wound up in prison. Hello? It was Jack who got you into the publishing scam, and it's not like he twisted your arm. Adam needs to take responsibility for his actions.

Well, last - but not least - let's turn to Nick and Phyllis and Sharon. Sharon has gone noble, giving up Nick for the sake of Phyllis and Summer. Noble is not the right vibe for Sharon. She's going to discover that while it might have seemed like the right thing to do, lying is never the answer. Sometime down the road, the truth will come out and everything will blow up. It'll be blow up big time and everyone will get hurt. Nick, in the meantime, is like a crazy ping-pong ball, first he's committed to Sharon, then he's giving Phyllis his promise to stay with her. Back and forth, one woman then the other. Ping, pong, ping, pong... This is ridiculous. He's an emotional bopper. Enough. Why not just commit to being a good father and steer clear of any woman's bed? Maybe that'll force him to man-up!

That's all for now, fellow Y&R fans! Till next time, please keep reading and commenting. All of us here at Soap Central love your input.

Best,Allison

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