Let the games begin

Son against father and daughter against Dad are only two of the conflicts ahead in Genoa City. With battles abounding, it's every man and woman for himself. The end of the year is almost certain to end with a bang!

At last. A new dynamic between Adam and Victor. Tired of the same old merry-go-round where Adam emotionally abuses some poor, unsuspecting woman who blindly trusts and adores him, I have long been ready for something different. So, even though it seemed odd that Victor would suddenly bring Adam back to Newman Enterprises -- even to keep his sworn enemy closer than a best friend -- I was willing to buy that bag of groceries if it meant I'd soon have something different to dine on.

I didn't have to wait very long for my meal. With Victoria un-enamored of her Daddy (for the moment) and Phyllis, I mean, Nick, running Restless, Adam is in a good position to take over the company, if he succeeds in framing Daddy for Diane's murder. I really wish Adam hadn't moved so quickly to frame his father, though. But he didn't have a lot of time or options after finding Patty's evidence in his desk, with Ronan already racing toward the executive offices.

Obviously, Victor will smell a rat, and will likely immediately suspect the odor is coming from Adam's office, so it's hard to see how this will work in Adam's favor. But, I guess I'll have to wait and see. After all, Nikki has returned, and her rumored big story is bound to tie in with her un-alibied absence during the crucial moments of Diane's murder. Plus, we all know Genoa City law enforcement must always have at least one wrong perpetrator in their sights.

So while Victor fights to clear himself, or an unlucky loved one, will Adam try an unfriendly takeover of Newman? And if he does, will Nick return to Newman to battle his brother and somehow convince his sister to help him?

Along with scores of other like-minded fans, I finally got to exhale as Billy and Victoria found their way back to each other, despite Daddy's meddling. While Victor's heart might not have grown as many sizes as the Grinch's did that long-ago Christmas morning, Delia's distress clearly caused him to change his determination to exile Billy to a monk's life in India. I was a little worried for a moment as Victoria flip-flopped between forgiveness and anger. Thankfully, forgiveness won out. At least where Billy was concerned. The same did not apply, however, to Victor, and for now I doubt Victoria will be clicking "Like" on any of Victor's Facebook statuses for a while.

Unlike his vengeful father-in-law, Billy proved yet again that he's a class act and the real McCoy when he urged Victoria to go easy on her overly possessive Papa. For now, Victor is mostly off the hook for his shenanigans. Billy, Kevin, and Cane all seem willing to let that sleeping dog keep dozing, but I doubt Victor will be running to them with grateful thanks. No, he will likely continue trying to discredit Billy. I wouldn't be a bit surprised to see the missing Chelsea, at Victor's invitation perhaps, soon surface in Genoa City. At the time, Victor seemed convinced Billy's transgression was so awful, his entire family would be so ashamed they'd never care to see him again, so we likely haven't yet heard all the chapters of this particular tale.

Kevin was another class act in this kidnapping mess. Even though he undoubtedly had no desire to bring the wrath of Victor down upon his hapless head, Kevin unflinchingly spoke his mind anyway. Had Victor not decided to let Billy come home, I'm not convinced Kevin would have continued to keep mum about the matter. Kevin also took the bull by its sharp horns and came clean to Chloe. As expected, the tiny elf morphed immediately into raging, shrieking, shrew mode, blaming Billy and banishing Kevin for about an hour. Been there, heard that, didn't matter what she said.

I'm just glad Billy is finally reunited with Delia and Victoria. As for Chloe and Kevin, who knows? Now that Kevin didn't save Delia, at least not with his bone marrow, I wouldn't be a bit surprised to learn the wedding has been delayed indefinitely. Oh well, I'll take the new friendship between Billy and Kevin as a trade-off.

Maybe little Moses will make this one all better, but I still see no heat between Neil and Sofia. Silly Neil, proposing to Sofia just to make a family for Moses. Neil no more wants to marry Sofia than I do. It took Lily and Devon all of two seconds to see this marriage-to-be for exactly what it wasn't about. Love.

As for Sofia, I'm nearly at a loss for words. And that rarely happens. She's not stupid. She knows Neil didn't invite her to live with him, or propose marriage, because he's head over heels for her. So why is she suddenly laying her head on his chest, kissing his cheek and acting all love-struck? Clearly, she loves him, but just as obviously, he's not feeling the same vibe. At least not yet. Her behavior just makes her look a little bit silly and a lot desperate.

When Sofia agreed to marry Neil, you could almost see the little gear in Neil's head grinding, with him wishing time travel was possible so he could bite back those let's get married words. And the way he's treating Harmony seems to point a big red arrow to a future pairing between those two. Remember when Neil met the street-smart, rough-edged Dru? Harmony is in a similar situation, with Kay in charge of Harmony's eventual transformation into someone of whom Devon and Neil can be proud. But has Harmony really changed? Or will we soon discover she is no more in recovery than our lady of the manor, Nikki? I guess time will tell.

Patty's antics are a hoot-and-a half. As insane as she's always been, Patty must also own a cloak of invisibility. How else to explain how a woman in an oversized floppy hat, a scarf wrapped thrice around her neck, and an overcoat likely borrowed from Lieutenant Columbo's closet, doesn't draw a single suspicious glance in a town where women regularly prance around with most of their assets on display, no matter how brisk the north wind.

Poor Patty. The sole inhabitant in her own crazy, little fantasy world, and still yearning for Jack some thirty plus years after their parting. But I have to admit, I was cackling like I was the crazy one when Patty picked up Genevieve and tossed her off Jack like she was a lumpy sack of potatoes. It wasn't nearly as funny seconds later, though, when Patty clambered aboard the near-comatose Jack and commenced to rubbing his face and body. Ewww. I really wish the scribes would cease using that move, because it adds nothing to any of the stories. It was distasteful when Tricia mounted Victor; it was ugly when Chloe climbed Cane, and it didn't improve when Patty crawled atop Jack.

What was much more enjoyable, however, was watching Patty fashion herself into an irritating thorn pricking Adam's side. Oh, I am still entertained by Adam, bad man though he is, but it was a bit of poetic justice that he should find himself sort of at the mercy of a woman who will clearly stop at nothing to get what she wants. Sound familiar, Adam?

Based upon the story so far, I refuse to pay my ticket to board the Poor Phyllis Express. While I thought estranged siblings, Phyllis and Avery, did an excellent job portraying their emotions, I was left utterly unmoved by the bare-bones explanation of why Phyllis departed and disowned her entire family. In fact, this lame background story was a neck-and-neck tie with Ronan's skimpy excuse for the reason he turned his back on his liver-donating brother and loving family, without so much as a word of thanks or farewell.

Considering the many mean and nasty acts Phyllis has committed since she first showed her crafty face in Genoa City, I find it impossible to believe that this lying, cheating, manipulative woman -- who has single-handedly ruined relationships, destroyed reputations, and murdered many with her poison pen pieces described loosely as journalism -- would be so offended by dear old Dad's lying, cheating, thieving, and assorted acts of amorality. Judging by her behavior, Phyllis is a chip right off the old butcher block, and is definitely so much her daddy's daughter, she ought to disown her own hypocritical self.

Maybe there are fans out there who adore this story, but Angelo, his mob-like behavior, and his Kevin-craving, tone-deaf, daughter, Angelina, are all leaving me shivering with uncaring cold. I'd rather have Jeffrey back, even with his mostly unfunny jokes and his thieving manner. I liked Jeff and Gloria together. Angelo is neither amusing nor endearing, and if his presence has a purpose, I guess I'm just too blind to see it.

And now the credits for this week's column are about to roll. Now that I've had my say, it's your chance to speak up. Send me your thoughts by clicking on the Feedback option at the top of the page, or just by clicking here. Your comments could appear in a future Two Scoops!

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I know the pacing on soaps is supposed to be slow. But these days, they are milking some stories way too long. The soap pond is small and shallow, so when a stone is thrown or skimmed, it has to ripple. Too many stories come and go self-contained, while others have no groundwork and bam its climax time. Victor needs a serious dose of comeuppance courtesy of Jack. Maybe Billy and Jack can use this debacle as leverage to pry Beauty of nature from Victor. One thing they are doing well and neglecting is the murder of Diane and Patty's return. The pacing is erratic. Diane was murdered months ago and the story is barely moving. It's a good story with great twists so far. But one week on full throttle and then not a peep for a week and then picked up again. It's too uneven. I initially thought Diane was still alive, even with her body face down in the pond. But then the specter of Patty's shadow started to show. Placing her with Genevieve was a great twist and perfect placement. Her harassing the entire canvas is perfect. I love Stacy but hate the character of Patty. While she is being used perfectly, the Jack obsession is long over-played. This would be a great time for Ricky to get caught up in his crazy aunt's plots. -- Joe

Hi Nita - It's been awhile, but I'm still a faithful reader of the Two Scoops written by yourself and Allison. Always an awesome job. Is it just me, or are the writers relying heavily on having many of the cast members ripping each other's clothes off and then falling (literally) onto whatever object might be handy. In a police station? - no problem - there's a nice comfy desk right there. Spontaneous sex can be used occasionally, but now it seems as if MAB is running out of ideas and so these scenes fill up time without having to be creative at all. There comes a time when spicy becomes mundane. Come on writers; let's get back to great storylines and writing. -- Trish

I would love to see Victoria get wise to Victor's ploys, and band together with Adam to take Victor down. How could she forgive Victor for having her arrested on her wedding day? Her constant acceptance of Victor's horrible actions towards her and Billy just give him permission to do even more horrible things to them (and he has!). Adam and Victoria could kick some butt together, and Victor has it coming. Also, Adam is always more entertaining with a partner in crime, and he and Victoria would butt heads enough to keep it interesting. -- Annie