The son also rises

Happiness and tragedy collide in this week's Two Scoops as sons rose and suns set for the citizens of Genoa City. Corporate intrigue pitted father against son. Viewers predicted the future in a spoiler alert. One resident lapsed into a coma as another began to emerge from one.

I apologize to Ernest Hemingway for this column's title, but I couldn't resist making that pun when the search for Nikki's son rose to center stage last week. In a testament to the writers' ability to drag out a story, I wanted to scream at Paul and beg him to ask the child's name as he questioned the sister of the woman who had adopted Nikki's son. He finally did ask, but the episode ended, and we never found out what it was.

Next came scenes of Nikki with Stitch and then scenes of Paul and Nikki interspersed with scenes of Stitch and Dylan, teasing us, trying to convince us that Stitch might be the long-lost heir. (I'm still hoping that Paul turns out to be the father, despite Nikki's statement that it was Ian Ward!)

A few viewers do think that Stitch will be Nikki's son. Here's what Rita said:

To the contrary, I think Stitch is Nikki's son.

Lisa agreed.

I also think that Stitch could be the baby. It would keep him in town if he had family. We haven't seen a lot of him.

Lisa and Rita will probably be disappointed. I can't see why Y&R would spend all that money for Steve Burton and then give someone else the plum role as Nikki's son. It would be like paying millions of dollars for football quarterback Peyton Manning and expecting him to sit on the bench while another player took his place. Not going to happen. Thursday's episode seemed to indicate that Nikki was trying to work herself up to telling Dylan the truth when Victor interfered and warned Dylan off.

I admit that I had not thought about potential conflict between Dylan and Victor, but I think Dylan could hold his own with Victor and might even beat Victor for once. A lot of you would really like to see Victor taken down a peg or two. Here's what Joan said:

I would JUST LOVE to see Victor get what's coming to him just one time in 40 years! JUST ONCE!

Frances had this to say:

I do not like how Victor pits his children against each other. Adam only wants to be part of his father's inner circle. He does not trust his father because of the past history they share...Victor reminds me of my mother-in-law, he is not happy unless everyone is praising him and dancing to his tune. If not he finds ways to make them dislike each other.

Yikes! Maybe I shouldn't have referred to myself as "Victor in a dress!"

Cathey isn't a Victor fan either.

Am I the only viewer who is soooo tired of Victor Newman? "Got that?" and all his usual demeaning phrases. Personally, I prefer Jack and always root for him. Why do the writers always make Victor come out on top? I just want to yell at the TV screen -- Grow up, Victor! I love Adam and I resent the way he's always been treated by Victoria and Nick -- before he ever hatched his first rotten plan, Vic and Nick treated him like the gum on the bottom of their shoes. I will always root for Adam and don't care one whit about the "real" Newman children, who think the sun revolves around just them.

No, Cathey, you are not alone. In my soap-fueled brain, Adam and Dylan put the past behind and team up to defeat Victor. (Aside to Cathey: Maybe Victor always wins because it's written into Eric Braeden's contract -- LOL!)

I was touched when Adam told his son, Connor, that he would give him the "sun, moon, and stars." I finally saw the Adam that so many of you root for. Adam's admission to Chelsea, that he recognized that it would be cruel to Connor to cut Chelsea out of her son's life, finally made Adam more than a one-note character and showed just a hint of the tremendous acting range that I sense his portrayer is capable of. I suspect that we will get a chance to experience Michael Muhney's talents in the coming weeks. That will make fan Lisa as happy as it makes me. Lisa wrote:

I hope the new writers allow Adam to have a soul again. I would hate for him to become one dimensional, especially as the actor is capable of giving the character depth. I love Y&R simply because it is a welcome escape from all the scary stuff going on in the world.

Unfortunately, things are about to get scary for Adam. Not only does his son need cornea transplants, but also he is about to find out that he is responsible for Delia's accident. How will Adam handle that? Will he own up or try to cover it up? What he chooses to do will say a lot about Adam's character and show just exactly what kind of man Adam is.

I was kind of annoyed when Friday started with the same scene that ended Thursday's episode. I was even more annoyed when I realized that the whole episode was going to revolve around Delia and Billy. I got over that pretty quickly, and I was bawling my eyes out by the end of the episode, which was so warm and fuzzy that I couldn't do anything else! It brought back some memories for me -- as I'm sure that it did for many of you -- as I watched Billy Miller give a tour de force performance as the perfect dad to the perfect daughter.

I really enjoyed watching Delia grow up, and it didn't matter that neither my father nor I were as perfect as Billy and Delia. I hope that those of you who did not have a father figure, or had an abusive one, got as much vicarious pleasure from wallowing in an idealized version of the real thing as I did. Though I do have to say that, in hindsight, Billy made a very poor parenting decision when he got that dog, which I hope, does not come back to bite him.

Now I'm going to issue a POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT. DO NOT READ PAST THIS POINT (CLICK HERE TO SKIP AHEAD) UNTIL THE SPOILER ENDS IF YOU DON'T WANT TO READ WHAT VIEWERS ARE PREDICTING!

Until I got the following emails, I was absolutely clueless that the sun might set on Delia. I thought that the elaborately filmed sequences were just feel-good time-fillers to cover while other actors vacationed! I was sure that Delia would recover.

But then came Linda#1:

Today's episode -- your story line for Delia to die so eye transplant can happen for Adam's son -- come on? Why are you doing that?

What? What? Delia dying? Cornea transplant!! Does not compute! Does not compute! Nuts, yes it does, yes it does! Followed by this from Teresa:

I watched today's episode and it's a repeat of the Colleen saga, only with Delia, if this was a big dramatic scene, it fell flat for me, I have watched the Y&R since Julia and her lover were locked in a cage, the writing has gone down hill since then, why kill off the young ones, Cassie, Colleen and now Delia, why not get rid of Kyle and get someone who can act?

(Note to Teresa: I think it's hard to find "tween" actors, so they either age them or kill them off. I liked the older Delias. I say, "Keep one of them!")

I so agree with the following from Ann:

I am SO upset that Y&R is doing another "dead child" story -- it's so depressing. I couldn't watch Billy at the side of the road with Delia today, and I can't bear the thought of watching all the grief to come in the next few weeks. For goodness sake writers, we watch this soap to escape! This is not fun.

For me, I prefer crying because I am happy, not because I am sad. And finally, Beverly said:

I am getting so tired of Y & R killing off a young person. Delia is the third one since I have been watching. It may be enough to make me stop watching the show. It seems that when they need excitement they kill someone off, but then they can always come back as a ghost. That was okay with Jack Abbot's father, but Cassie is a little much.

(Note to Beverly: I think Cassie is a hallucination, not a ghost, but who knows, Jack might be hallucinating, too!)

If these quick responses to Friday's episode are any indication, then not many of us want to see Delia die. Surely there is another solution to the cornea transplant problem that has not been done before on this or any other soap.

With all due respect to viewer Linda#2 who wrote:

I know our soap is boring but could you and the other two scoopers please stop referring to GH/SB to take up space in the Y&R column. By this time SB should own his role as Dylan and Jason should be dead and forgotten like Deacon when like everyone calls him AJ (not ex Deacon/ Y&R/B&B) on GH. The only time the other TS have talked about Y&R is when Jeanne Cooper died and if there is a cross over.

Again with all due respect to Linda#2, we don't mention other soaps to take up space. Lots of us are fans who watch more than one soap, and we notice the picky little similarities in storylines. I think it's perfectly respectable for the Two Scoops scribes to occasionally share information that interests those crossover fans.

For instance, if Delia does die and Connor gets her corneas as Linda#1 suggests, then not only would it be a repeat of the Colleen saga, but it would mirror the B.J./Maxie transplant and the Jake/Josslyn transplants on GH. Another farfetched similarity is that Jake was killed by his grandfather, who thought that he had hit a pothole, not a child. Adam didn't seem to notice that he had hit anything either.

Why can't Y&R do something more original than copy itself or another soap? I could think of a better solution than killing Delia off in the same way that Jake died.

That said... please, dear fans, tell me what you think, not only about this potential storyline involving the death of another child, but also about referencing other soaps in the Two Scoops columns.

The sun is rising for Phyllis. It looks like she'll be up and around in time for November sweeps. Have I "lost" it, or does anyone else think that the new Phyllis will be Cynthia Watros, complete with flaming red hair? She's a powerhouse talent, and I can't see her being wasted on a supporting role.

SPOILER ALERT OVER.

A recovering Phyllis is good news for those of us who are ready for the Summer paternity saga to end, though I still wonder why Jack has not conducted an independent paternity test of his own. Of course they can always drag this drama out by giving Phyllis amnesia for a while after she recovers, or continuing to let her twitch. By the way, did anyone notice how quickly Jack got back to Genoa City from Georgia? That must be one very fast jet.

Personally, I'm ready for Sharon to get some help and get back on her meds. I think most of you feel the same way and are ready for the sun to set on this story. Here's what Gerry said:

Will the real life Miriam Carey story make the producers of fictional Y&R think more than twice about continuing the storyline of Sharon not taking her medication for bipolar disorder and the already horrible effects on others and the possibility that she could do something much worse?

Gail also had a comment about Sharon.

I don't understand why you are always making Sharon the bad person. She can't ever catch a break and she is never on anything or at any functions. Why should Victor get everything? That is not fair. Phyllis got away with everything and poor Sharon can't get a break. Give her something special and see her happy for a change...

Sharon supporters and Sharon detractors are running neck and neck in the email bag. I'm with the contingent that wants to see Sharon redeemed because I'm a Sharon Case fan. I'd like to see her eventually paired with Dylan. That would make the sparks fly between Nikki and Sharon. They could be the new Katherine and Jill. In soaps, like in life and fashion, whatever is old can be new again!

Another sun that just won't set is the Winters saga. It would be really great if they could find a decent storyline for these people. I am so tired of Cane referring to Lily as "smoking hot" that I could eat a bug... well, maybe an ice cream sandwich. It makes Lily seem so objectified. I know it's meant as a compliment, but surely the writers could come up with some other synonyms.

Michael is another father who loves his child, but he probably made a very bad decision when he rose to his son's defense. After finding Fen's sobriety chip next to Carmine's dead body, Michael jumped to the conclusion that Fen must have killed Carmine, so he framed himself for the crime and took the blame. He fired a shot and wiped the fingerprints off the gun, making it impossible to determine the real killer.

Michael showed an incredible lack of faith in Fen when he jumped to that conclusion. I also wonder if it is right for a parent to shoulder the blame for his child's behavior, especially a young adult who at some point has to take responsibility for his own actions. Is Michael being fair to Fen? If Michael covers for Fen now, won't Fen expect someone to cover for him every time he gets in trouble?

The other thing is, Michael is a great lawyer. Surely he could get Fen off, not to mention, isn't there a case to be made against the rehab facility that let Fen out too soon, because, obviously, Fen did not pass go before turning directly to drugs.

Not that I think Fen is guilty, because I don't. Michael's hasty actions have made it harder to find the real killer, who is probably the person that Alex said helped Carmine escape from the prison van, make that video, and assemble Carmine's police disguise. It could also have been Raven, Fen's druggie friend. She could have found Carmine menacing Fen in the alley, grabbed Carmine's gun, and shot him. Fen could have blacked it out with drugs. Raven could also be Carmine's partner in crime.

Incidentally, I think that it was very brave of Fen to want to confess. I suspect that the bumbling cops will figure out that Michael framed himself to cover for Fen, and Fen will confess, even though he doesn't remember -- sound familiar, crossover fans? -- and be arrested before the mystery is eventually unraveled. Viewer Freeman had this to say about his favorite couple:

Michael and Lauren are the only couple I care about at all. I'm glad there's a bit more story with Carmine...Christian LeBlanc is the only actor who IMO deserves an Emmy nomination for his work in 2013...

The sun sank in the west for Newman Enterprises as Chancellor Industries gobbled it up. Victor told Jack and Adam to stick it where the sun don't shine, although in a very nice way. One viewer questioned why Victor had such an easy time destroying Newman and suggested this twist! You go, Joe! What a creative suggestion.

I am not sure if this is the right place to leave an opinion about the script of the y&r but I have been thinking that it seems that Victor has again toppled Jack and Adam ...I think it would be a good and great story twist if it came out that the letter from Katherine was not for Victor Newman ... But for Victor Newman Jr. (ADAM). That would really put the screws to the all mighty Victor.

Even before I got the following email from Dayzee, I wondered how a small town like Genoa City could support three major, billion-dollar, businesses.

OK, I know it's fiction and that writers take poetic license with facts all of the time, but this is just too much. For years, there has been competition between Jabot and Newman for cosmetics and fragrance. We know that Newman has other divisions and products, but no specifics have ever been mentioned. Never have I heard that there is any competition between Chancellor and Newman, the "Industries" and "Enterprises" in the names almost lead me to believe they are in entirely different lines of business. Now, we are supposed to believe that the customers and suppliers for Newman have moved their business in mass to Chancellor and will provide the same products and receive the same services as they had with Newman? Get real!! Also, since it was mentioned that they had all signed long-term contracts with Chancellor, are we to believe that a company such as Newman would not have had them under contract? Businesses do not break contracts on a whim, it is an expensive action. I hate that Victor is winning again, he needs to be taken down a few notches, I can barely stand to watch the show when he is on.

(Note to Dayzee, you are right about those contracts. Maybe that means that Adam and Jack weren't as sharp in business as everyone thought they were! How great was Newman, anyway, if it could be toppled in a day.)

Despite being a Victor supporter, I could not help but feel that it was way too easy for him to get the best of Jack and Adam. Victor is not perfect, and he needs to pay for his sins just like everyone else! I watch sports, and I would love for my team to win all the time, but that is unrealistic and eventually boring. The same is true for Victor. Like I said earlier, I'd like to see Victor get tag-teamed by Adam and Dylan. Those guys could show us some really great acting, assuming that they got some really great writing. Not everyone likes Dylan, though. Freeman gave me a chuckle with this comment.

I especially dislike Dylan. He's a monumental bore; the only reason I don't wish for him to leave is because then he might go back to GH!

Rita is a fan and had this to say:

...I've only started watching Y&R recently, but I've been watching GH for almost 48 years. I've been watching Steve Burton grow since he was a kid on an outer space sitcom. On Y&R, they could definitely find him in a better story line...

This comment about the Victor/Jack relationship from Y&R fan Denise makes a lot of sense:

...Victor comes off as a bully and Jack as a moron EVERY time they go up against each other and feels to me like that is getting old and tired. Can't Jack win once? This isn't a looney toons cartoon. The writers can change things up once in a while. I am just so sick of how stupid Jack always looks. The writers need to make him a pure moron or stop acting like he is a businessman because I am starting to be really bored with the lack of development for established characters. More thought has gone into Chelsea and Dylan then anything Victor has done in the past year. I want to find something that makes me root for him or even care if he is around but he is such an amoral creep that I think the show would be better without Victor.

Maybe Jack is a moron. He didn't get contracts and he didn't get a paternity test!

This week's email bag proved that Victor is the guy we love to hate and the guy some of us love to love. The Rant-of-the-Week Award goes to Carolyn for this verbal beauty:

Hello Boone. I just finished reading your two scoops column. I have a comment about Adam, Jack and Victor! I wholeheartedly agree with viewer Lauren...Adam had NO good intentions when it came to taking NE away from Victor. I had to laugh at how angry Adam and Jack got when they found out that their plan failed! So they are mad that they weren't able to publicly humiliate Victor by taking away the one thing he loves the most? (Jack's words) What a crock! Jack keeps saying that he was the silent partner only because he was trying to help his 'friend' Adam have a relationship with Victor! Puhleaze!!!!!!!!!! Taking NE away from Victor had absolutely nothing to do with an Adam/Victor relationship. Both Jack and Adam are liars and con artists! Adam never trusted Victor; he wants revenge for not being raised as a Newman! Hope is dead and Victor is the only one left to strike out at. Adam needs to grow up and get over himself. If he is such the Harvard businessman he keeps claiming that he is, then he should take Jack's advice and make NE bigger and better than it was before...for his sake, not for some lie like 'I want my daddy's approval'. How do you go about getting your father's approval by lying, scheming and conniving? You don't! Jack has Jabot...why isn't that enough for him? He's hardly seen in the office these days! He should focus on his father's company and stop worrying about besting Victor...because he never will! Adam has a son now...you would think his son would be first and foremost on his mind, yet he is still putting his vendetta against Victor before his family. The boy has a lot to learn about what should be most important in the world...and it ain't revenge! May he and Chelsea have a long, miserable life together! On another note, my heart is still breaking for Dylan and I applauded Avery for tearing into Chelsea for all of the damage her lies did to Dylan! May Dylan soon find the happiness he so richly deserves!

Well ranted. Now, take a deep breath, Carolyn, and repeat after me, "It's just a soap!"

Keep those emails pouring in. I love hearing your funny, intelligent, insane, insightful, and inventive comments about the show that brightens our day and momentarily lightens our load.

Until next time, dear fan addicts, as always, may the soaps be with you.

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