Crazy is as crazy does

Few Genoa City residents do crazy as well as Patty Williams. You'd better hide the hair dye away and keep away the newspapers and crafts. But the question being asked in this week's Two Scoops column is: Haven't we done this before?

That's the phrase that immediately came to mind as I watched Patty's antics during the week. What other words could so succinctly describe Patty's all-consuming obsession with Jack? Perhaps there's such a thing as being too irresistible. If so, then it appears that Jack may be plagued with that particular trait. How else to explain how, after all these years, Patty would continue to go to such lengths to resuscitate a love that apparently existed only in her poor, demented mind.

While Patty's Jack-obsession hasn't been the worst tidbit ever placed on my Genoa City plate, neither has it been the first portion I forked into my greedy mouth. A little of Patty can go a long way, and, unfortunately, I was served a little more of her than I could comfortably digest. I must give credit where credit is due, however, and tip my top hat to Stacy Haiduk, who plays crazy Patty so convincingly that even after this second, heaping helping of Patty-cakes, I still can't tell when she's playing crazy or actually is.

All through her scheming, crafty Patty has been smart like a fox, instantly wafting from place to place like a time-traveling ghost, able to get in and out of monitored places without ever being recorded on camera, or accosted by watchful, paid personnel. She had the knack of being invisible in plain sight, despite being adorned in attire that should have instantly drawn every eye in the room. She's been devious and painstakingly thorough, always one step ahead of her pursuers.

Yet, the moment she's captured, she instantly and conveniently reverts to a childlike state that can't possibly be prosecuted. And winds up straitjacketed in a padded room, instead of in the eight-by-eight cell her crimes rightfully deserve. So, is she truly crazy, or just really good as playing so?

As entertaining as some of this has sometimes been, I do hope this is the end of the road for crazy Patty. It's time for her to get cured or be locked away forever. If she gets sane while playing crazy one more time, and escapes for a third reign of terror, I swear I'm using my fast-forward button.

For Paul Williams, Patty's capture, unfortunately, may not mean the craziness will end. Clearly the bad blood that flows through the veins of this family isn't limited to just Patty. It seems her nephew, Ricky, may also have a few twisted branches distorting his family tree. For those of us who were watching Genoa City things back then, Ricky's mother, Isabella, was a pathological liar and a wee bit demented herself. This was a woman who left a pool of blood behind to implicate her romantic rival in her murder, among many other questionable actions. The last we saw her, she too, reclined, straitjacketed, in a padded cell, crooning a nonsensical tune.

No doubt feeling abandoned by Paul, a man who unfortunately has a history of siring children he's too easily convinced to not help raise, Ricky has no allegiance to any of his so-called family members. He barely blinked at betraying his sister, Heather, dropping his vow to make Phyllis pay for her part in Heather's downfall the moment it served his selfish purpose. And clearly, he's eager to use all the information he tricked out of Patty to see his name in inch-high print. Despite Phyllis' refusal to let him air the family's blood-spattered laundry in the pages of Restless, I doubt that will be the end of the story for Ricky. I suspect he may hack into the magazine and print it anyway, perhaps leaving Phyllis to temporarily take the blame.

Though it was decades in coming, karma has paid Jack a visit, and he's paying a hefty price for his long-ago betrayal of Patty. Shot for the second time by Patty, this time the diagnosis is dire. Jack may be running his beloved Jabot from a wheelchair. But it could be worse. He could be dead like Diane. Seriously, though, does any fan really believe that Jack is destined to spend the rest of his life looking up at his equals? No, I'm convinced that Jack will walk again.

While this medical crisis was an unexpected turn of events for Jack, at least he has plenty of support in his time of great need. After learning Genevieve bought Beauty of Nature right out from under Jack, and then unknowingly left him at the altar to face Patty's vengeful rage, the ladies of the Abbott clan immediately formed an impenetrable barrier blocking Genevieve's access to Jack. I couldn't help but laugh out loud at the shocked look on Genevieve's face as the Abbott hens tore into her. All that prior sister-in-law camaraderie shown to Genevieve was but a memory. And Nikki, whose sudden chumminess with Jack felt more than a little contrived to this fan, was right beside them, throwing wood on the roaring fire with great relish.

Is this newly regurgitated relationship between Jack and Nikki just to give her something to do while Victor pulls out every stop he can think of, which could include romance, to somehow wrest Beauty of Nature from Genevieve? Why have Victor and Nikki been so secretive about their relationship? Not even Nick and Victoria know what Nikki and Victor were up to while Sharon was up to the exact same thing with Adam.

In their ongoing vendetta of each always wanting something the other has or owns, Jack could grow romantically closer to Nikki while Victor pursues Genevieve. We know Victor isn't really interested in Genevieve. At least not yet, but that could change if he thinks Jack is going after Nikki. But, beneath his anger, does Jack still love Genevieve? How long before he begins to wonder whether he can still have a piece of the Beauty of Nature pie if he reconciles with Genevieve? Yes, I'm probably snatching at straws, but hey, it's a possibility of things that could come.

Speaking of Victor always wanting Jack's things, what is with his inexplicable interest in Kyle? Come on. Victor hated Diane and he hates Jack. And he's in love with, and will presumably one day remarry, the woman who killed Diane. His relationship with his own kids is rocky at best, yet he wants to now meddle in Kyle's life. Why? Just to get under Jack's skin?

Jack wasn't the only resident to feel the painful pinch of karma this week. Before visiting Jack, a maniacally giggling agent of karma also swooped by and smacked Adam with a double dose -- one for each eye. But unlike Jack, the only person perched anxiously by Adam's bedside is fellow town pariah, Sharon.

I know, I know. To many of you, Adam's a bad, bad man. You're glad he's been blinded and probably hope the condition is permanent. He deserves to be tarred, feathered, and run out of town on a rail. For what he's done, he should be hated from this day forward and anything short of his very painful, extremely drawn-out death, by the worst torture imaginable, would be too paltry a price to pay for his bad deeds. And to those same fans, Sharon deserves an identical fate for loving him.

Okay, sometimes I feel like I must be a terribly confused person for liking the Adam character. He's done some awful things, but he's so good at selling himself, he's dragged me over to the dark side. He's hard to like, after the things he's done, even to the only person, besides Hope, that he seems to care about, but still, I can't hate him.

I freely admit that Adam has been wrong. He toyed with Patty's already broken mind and muddled it further. He helped her escape to cover his own behind, though he knew what she was capable of, because if he didn't kill Hightower, he knew Patty undoubtedly had. And once he realized she had returned to Genoa City and was running amok, he still kept mum, again to keep his own skin intact.

So I'm not championing Adam because I think he's a good person. But he's not all bad, either, and there's plenty of room to expand the good and shrink some of the bad in him. We've seen how well he can do bad. Am I really the sole fan who would be interested in seeing how well he can play, if not good, then at least, better?

For instance, was Adam only added to the Genoa City canvas so there would be one person everyone except Sharon could hate? If that is all he is going to be, there are only so many ways you can come up with a scenario to put Adam and Sharon against the world. How many times will we hear Victor insist Adam is no son of his, announce he'll hate him forever, and then hatch yet another plan to make him pay? How many more ways can Adam side with Jack, for instance, to take Victor down in some elaborate plan that will ultimately fail? We've been there and done that multiple times. We want to see something else.

Bad son or not, Adam is a Newman child, and like the rest of the Newman seedlings, should someday be granted acceptance. Yes, Adam tried to frame Victor for murder, just as Victor sought to implicate him. And Nick would have cheered to see Daddy sent to prison for decades. Abby, Nickm and Victoria sued dear old dad and took him for a billion plus. All has since been forgiven. So when it comes to Adam, can not a single scribe think of a way to write him into his family's good graces? Scribes, you created this mess by bringing this Adam villain to life. Now you owe it to us loyal Adam fans to creatively write him into acceptance. Earn those big salaries.

For example, Adam and Nick are dynamite together. We've seen glimpses of how well they play off each other, both visually and otherwise. I'm a girl whose heart can easily be bought by the right heart-tugging, tear-summoning moment, and I long for a snippet of grudging liking to be shown between brother and brother, or brother and sister. Perhaps there can be the tiniest of softening between father and son, other than Victor secretly calling in some medical specialist. According to your words, scribes, Adam is supposed to be a business whiz kid. Prove it by pairing him with his brother or father. Maybe he can help get back the Beauty of Nature jewel he sold from the crown.

Now don't get me wrong. I'm not looking for instant or total acceptance. After all, Adam has done a lot of damage. I just think there are plenty of ways to move on to something new and different in this character without taking away his edge.

So, we now know that Genevieve didn't buy Beauty of Nature to present it to Jack as a wedding present. Nothing personal, she says, just business. Though I don't agree with Cane's decision to basically disown his mother, like him, I have to wonder what the heck she was thinking when she outbid Jack. The fact that she knew what Jack's offer was only made what she did that much more despicable. Why would she do that? She herself insisted she didn't need money, and she didn't especially want to work for a living, so to buy the one company her husband-to-be wanted almost more than he wanted life itself, made absolutely no sense.

For what Genevieve did, she deserved to lose Jack, and I felt no need to offer her a Puffs to blot her tears or pat her sympathetically on the shoulder as her lower lip trembled. I hope that business she wants to run keeps her as warm at night as Jack's embrace would have.

Having said all that, however, the first picture that formed in my mind as Cane lectured Genevieve about her lack of honesty was of a dented, scarred pot aiming flame-tipped words at a burned-bottom skillet. It was an exhibition of the usual Genoa City hypocrisy. Cane was glad to receive forgiveness for his many sins but refuses to return the favor. Okay, Cane, maybe you might want to talk to Jack or Adam about karma. Yours could come, as well.

Well, granting the wishes of scores of fans, the murder mystery is official over. Yeah, yeah, I know, Spencer still refuses to drop the charges against Nikki, but we know he is brainless. He'll drop them eventually, and when he does, we'll all have a good giggle at the pieces of egg sticking to his face.

Now that all the pieces of the puzzle have been accounted for and snapped into place, it's time to move on. I have to admit, I found parts of this murder mystery particularly good, although it sagged a bit in other areas. And while some parts of it were a bit unbelievable -- Deacon nonchalantly having a conversation with an unknown, strange woman while busily cleaning up evidence of a bloody murder immediately comes to mind -- all in all, I was quite satisfied with the outcome. The bottom line? I found it entertaining, and that's ultimately all I require from my televised viewing.

Well, that's what I think. What follows is how a few of my fellow fans feel about Genoa City things. Step up on the soapbox, fans. It's your turn now.

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Adam is no more of a victim of his 'beloved' father than I am an alien from outer space. Adam purposefully lied to the cops about seeing Victor murder Diane. So what if Victor told him to lie, Adam claims to despise Victor, so why would he do anything Victor says, especially if it would cause him to get into trouble? Because Adam wanted to frame Victor out of pure hatred and revenge, that's why! Adam also put a syringe in Victor's safe, further incriminating dear ole dad for Diane's murder. Lastly, Adam conspired with Tucker to illegally sell him Beauty of Nature. So please tell me where Adam is the victim in all this? Also, those crocodile tears Adam shed were just that ... baloney! Adam even said it himself, like father like son! In my opinion, there was nothing heroic about Sharon running to Adam trying to 'save' him yet again! In my opinion, she looked foolish! Whatever Adam's future fate is, it won't be good enough for me! He'll probably weasel his way out of whatever it is anyway, the way he always does! - Carolyn

Adam has done a lot of bad things but I have never seen Adam as bad, or a bad seed. I see Adam as the unwanted child of the rich man and his rich, spoiled family and Adam has had to crawl from day one to get an inch from Victor or the self-righteous Newman's and when he didn't get what being Victor's son should have given him he lashed out in vengeance and hateful ways at everyone Victor loved. Adam's like that big, floppy-eared, lovable puppy that runs at the sound of its master calling him. All Victor has to do is call Adam with a bone or a snack of treats and Adam thinks every things okay. Then, just as he thinks daddy is finally gonna give him a real chance, Victor pulls the rug out from under him. No wonder the poor guy has gone to the extremes of crimes. In my humble opinion, Victor's cruel treatment of Adam far outweighs Adam's sins. - Nonniepat

I fully understand why the character Sharon would continue to love Adam and do like seeing those two together. She redeems him and he strengthens and supports her independence of mind, something that none of her prior lovers or husbands ever did for her. Their bond is special and should be applauded. It is also understandable why Adam behaved the way he did destroying the evidence that would have exonerated Sharon. His broken heart was beyond devastation, it broke him as a human being. She is the only one who can reach and recognize his humanity and the good in him. She was so right to describe him a little boy lost in many ways. - Maria