Adam is a four-letter word

A wacko character's surprise return had some of the town folk shaking in their shoes. Could she hold news to send Billy's world quaking off its axis? Neil declared again (and again and again) that he would get Hilary the medical attention she needed. Enter Tad ''the Cad'' Martin look-alike, Dr. Simon Neville. But just what kind of help will he offer? Take a walk on the wild (and crazy) side and read Two Scoops.

"If it weren't for bad luck, I'd have no luck at all." Although Adam is probably thinking that these days, it couldn't be farther from the truth. Actually, Adam has been the luckiest guy around if you think about it. He's been fortunate enough to find the perfect woman for him, Chelsea. She's been patient and forgiving and has always accepted Adam completely for who he is, both the good and the bad. All she asked for in return from him, besides his love, was that he not lie to her. But apparently, that was too big of a price to pay because he just couldn't help himself. Adam let his hatred of his father control and conquer his love for his wife and son. Again. Sad.

Some believe you control your own destiny while others feel your fate is completely out of your hands. I believe it's a combination of the two, and while unexpected circumstances may happen in your life, you still have the power to decide which path to take, as Ian would say. Even if Adam was swamped with negativity, he totally failed in his reaction or response to it. Let good conquer evil, Adam. The virtue of your love for Chelsea should put the demons of your hatred into a vicious headlock and then wrangle it down to the ground. And I'm not even a wrestling fan.

Don't get me wrong. There is another saying which fits Adam to a T. "Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't out to get you." Ha, I love that one! It's been my motto lately. Yeah, it's a rather lengthy and strange motto, but luck hasn't exactly been on my side recently. The trick is to battle evil forces with positivity. "If you can't change your fate, change your attitude." Amy Tan sure hit the nail on the head with that one. Nothing Adam has done so far has made him happy, so maybe it's time he got smart. "The happiest people don't have the best of everything. They make the best of everything." Revenge won't bring Adam the satisfaction he craves, no matter how much he thinks it will. His perception is truly out of whack.

Michael was spot on when he told Christine that the greatest threat Adam posed was to himself. Yes, after Adam's poor judgment in decision-making, just about everyone in Genoa City was gunning for him, especially once dear old dad paid his good friend the judge to arrange for Adam's bail. You know, the same loving pop Adam so fiercely and furiously despised. After all, what are loving fathers for? Of course, there was a method to Victor's madness. He claimed he just wanted Adam to take the Paragon virus off the Newman Enterprises computer, but I suspect Victor had an ulterior motive. After all, Adam makes a much more worthy adversary for Victor out of jail rather than in it. Victor does appreciate a challenge, and if nothing else, Adam certainly provides that.

But who else does Adam have left now that Chelsea has turned against him? Connor would probably give his daddy a chance if Chelsea would let him. I don't think that's happening, plus he's rather young. Thank goodness Adam has Michael, or he'd have no one. But I have to wonder right along with Lauren why Michael is helping him. Sure, each person deserves proper legal representation, but that doesn't really explain it. Michael used to work for Victor, and he even tried to warn Adam about making a deal with the devil. But silly Michael -- that played right into Adam's hands. The best way for Adam to get his vengeance against Victor was to partner up with him. Have your friends close and...well, you know the rest.

And Victor spared no expense to get Adam released either. Ten million dollars! But, of course, that's a drop in the bucket for Victor Newman, and Victor has never had any problem spending the bucks for his kids. His main difficulty has been showing them his love -- a love that always seems to come with a price. I wonder if he even considered Nick and Victoria's feelings when he arranged for Adam's bail. It's highly unlikely. As Jack stated, "What Victor wants, Victor gets," and hasn't that always been the case? Adam is the exact same way. Damn the consequences -- and the torpedoes! With Adam, everything is always "full speed ahead."

Adam has broken almost every rule in the etiquette book, but slipping off to attend Chelsea's tree tribute in Katherine's park just about topped them all -- especially since Jill had just declared that Adam was a four-letter word not to be mentioned during the ceremony. Heck, the curse of Adam can always be felt all over Genoa City-land. But Adam seriously pushed the limits of tacky, since his interruption was just to plead with Chelsea. Sheesh, no wonder everyone is up in arms over Adam.And it was a wonderful tribute to a darling, cherished girl that Adam had unintentionally taken from her loving family. Yes, unintentionally, because no matter how often they talk about how Adam mowed her down and left her to die, Adam did not know he had hit Delia with his car at the time. His crime wasn't an intentional act of running over Delia; it was that he had not admitted to it once he realized what he had done. And despite seeing all the pain Delia's family was put through, he continued to hide his horrific but unintentional deed. It was a terrible shame, and he should feel the shame.

But since "New Face, Old Crime" Adam never seems to be able to foresee the consequences of his actions, he witnessed the planting of the tree in Delia's honor, which another secret guest also observed. I knew Chloe would be back. It was just a matter of time. And she returned with a vengeance -- and a gun aimed right at Adam's heart. Or his head. Or another one of his body parts. And she was dead serious. (Sorry, I couldn't help myself.) Thank goodness Chelsea was around, or Adam might have had to go through another facial plastic surgery -- if he survived the shooting, that is.

Chelsea reminded Chloe that kind, caring, sweet, passionate, and forgiving Delia would never have wanted to see her mommy filled with hatred. You know, Chloe said several times that she had gotten what she wanted by seeing the fear in Adam's face that must have been on Delia's when he ran her over, but I watched that scene several times, and I saw no fear. I only saw sadness and regret in Adam's face when he told Chloe she should shoot him. So, if witnessing his fear was her motive to return, Chloe's mission has not yet been accomplished.

I am all for Chloe's return as long as they don't put her back with Kevin. He deserves better. Kevin needs someone who really loves him. I was relieved to hear his mention of Mariah to Chloe, which I hope indicated he had moved on from his ex-wife. Does that mean there is still hope left for Mariah? She truly cares for him in a way Chloe never did. Chloe could never get past her "me, me, me" syndrome, and Kevin was always available to enable her. Mariah actually sees Kevin as the person he really is, whereas Chloe was always too selfish to even care. Kevin was more of a good friend to Chloe than the love of her life, which was sad for Kevin. I hope he finds the love he desires, even if he doesn't find it "the easy way."

But I am curious to know whatever happened to that little bun Chloe had in the oven the last time we saw her. Wouldn't it be interesting if the child turned out to be Billy's, especially since Billy and Victoria have reunited? Hey, those two cannot be happy for too long. It's just not possible in the soap world. I was glad Billy remembered and enlightened Victoria about Chloe's special yet strange request for his sperm. But then we (and Billy) overheard Chloe asking someone on the phone to keep "her" a few more days. Was Chloe's latest arrival another darling little girl? And if so, did Chloe name her Delia 2.0? Come on, that seems to be the rage these days. There's no such thing as Part II or Chapter II anymore. But if you do decide to develop a second part to a project and name it such-and-such 2.0, make sure you have Ian write a little ditty for it. He's good.

I have to give Adam some credit for appearing to let Chelsea go. He only asked that she remind Connor from time to time how much his daddy loves him, and if Adam was sincere, he earned a couple of points with me. But I can't help but wait for the other shoe to drop. However, in the meantime, Adam will need to find a way to get that pesky virus off of Victor's computer, or it will be back to prison for him.

Victor may be the least of Adam's worries because Chloe has gotten very scary. Sure, she told Billy she was only kidding about forming her Delia Justice Team to wipe the disgusting, evil, selfish, and cruel varmint Adam off the face of the planet, but I don't know. She looked pretty serious to me, especially after she promised her deceased daughter she would make everything right by her. Chloe has always been on the brink of tumbling off the edge into insanity, but it's possible she has done a complete free-fall. Ha, I had to laugh at the name of her "little bundle of fur," Hazelnut. Or Nut for short. How appropriately hysterical! And it's even better than Delia 2.0. You don't suppose she really named her daughter "Nut," do you?

While Adam was running around everywhere, trying to put out all the fires of his own making, Chelsea was doing what she could to run as far and as fast away from him as she could. But Chelsea's swift feet and her airline tickets weren't speedy enough to evade Adam's subpoena. I knew Adam wouldn't let Chelsea get too far away. Talk is cheap, and when Adam declared Chelsea was free, they were just mere words. As long as there is breath left in Adam's body, he will never let Chelsea and Connor go. Wow, that was rather Gone with the Wind-ish. After all, tomorrow is another day. Adam can only hope there will be with a crazed Chloe still in town.

So, Ashley had supported Billy the whole time he was acquiring all the Newman Enterprises acquisitions. Interesting. I can't believe Jack was as outraged as he was. It's no wonder why Jack can't beat Victor in any of their battles. Victor is always willing to take advantage of any golden opportunity to one-up Jack, but Jack refused to kick Victor when he was down. Shoot, that's the best time to get Victor. The odds are a little more even at that time. I don't blame Phyllis for being upset. She has seen Jack get squashed by Victor time and time again. Haven't we all?

Boy, Neil just seemed to be digging himself in deeper and deeper. He even knew the kidnapper was a phony, but his mouth continued to remain closed about Hilary's whereabouts. Neil has been saying for what seems like an eternity he was going to reveal her location so she could get the kind of medical help she needs, but that has not happened yet. Oh, well. At least he tried to protect Gwen so she wouldn't be named as an accessory. Either that or he tried to dump her again. But then Gwen came up with a bright idea, and you could almost see the light bulb click on over her head. Next thing you know, in rode brilliant but disgraced miracle worker Dr. Simon Neville to the rescue.

Funny thing, but Simon bore a striking resemblance to a snow-covered Tad "the Cad" Martin from All My Children. Welcome, Michael E. Knight! The gray hair is very distinguished. If the shamed doctor is even half as interesting as Tad when he was at his best -- or worst, depending on how you look at it -- we should be in for a fun ride. I wonder if this guy will try to seduce a mother and daughter at the same time. (I loved the Tad/Liza/Marian storyline on AMC.) Well, shoot, if the writers could somehow bring Cady McClain's Kelly back from the dead and Darnell William's Sarge back from wherever he has vanished to, they could have a little AMC reunion. Hmm, would Simon and Kelly have made a good couple? I guess we will never know, since Kelly bit the dust not so very long ago.

Oh goody, Dr. Neville didn't appear to have any ethics either. Exactly what the doctor ordered. And Simon warned that he had no tolerance for family members on an emotional roller coaster ride who may want to slam on the brakes once treatment was started. Very clever. I'm going to like Dr. Simon Neville. He will fit right in with his questionable character and dubious past. "Simple minds. They stifle creativity and limit possibilities." Oh, yes, I am going to enjoy watching this annoyingly stuffy and pompous jerk. I bet he would be fun to write for. I just hope he doesn't bore Hilary to death with his over-inflated ego.

Dylan must be slipping. I can't believe he hasn't found Hilary yet, even with his super detective skills. That doesn't mean that his papa can't be proud of him anyway, though. Paul's face was practically beaming when he boasted about Dylan's idea of using the serial numbers on the ransom money to track the fake kidnapper. Hey, wait a minute. If Dylan's so good, why hasn't he figured it out yet that the kidnapper is a phony? Man, Dylan, you are letting me down. Maybe the bundles of cash in Cane's gym bag will give Dylan a clue. (Colin, anyone?)

Just what happened to Dylan's superpowers anyway? Why can't he see there is something very suspicious about Dr. Anderson? Even Patty can see that, and her vision hasn't always been the sharpest. The doctor explained to both Dylan and Patty that Sharon was groggy, confused, and vague due to her new medication, but Patty was the only one who was certain the doc wasn't on the up-and-up. I have a funny feeling Sharon's not pregnant at all, and the therapist was using "the baby" to keep Sharon in line. Just who is the deceitful doctor to Sharon, and what does she have against our sleepy-time gal? Dr. Anderson even made a special trip to check on the condition of Sage's baby, which Nick thought was strange. Unfortunately, this wasn't enough to set off any real red flags. Dylan may just need to hang up his cape.

Even after Noah informed Dylan about the no visitors form Sharon had signed, Dylan still wasn't alarmed enough to rush over to the institution and demand to see his fiance immediately. Dylan is starting to scare me. Did he really think a phone call was going to do the trick? How was Dylan supposed to discern through the doctor's expressions if she was telling the truth if he couldn't see her face over the phone? Apparently, Dr. Anderson could just lie to his face and tell him anything, and he would have to take what she said at face value. And Sharon was so drugged up, she couldn't face the truth.

It's a refreshing change of pace to have Sharon as the victim instead of the perpetrator. And it's rather weird to have Patty acting as Sharon's savior, although I like the dynamic. Patty is another character who has been shown as a villainess, and it's rather fun watching her try to help Sharon. Maybe she shares some of the same qualities of a champion as her brother. Paul would really be proud of her if he only knew. He has always adored his Patty-cake and would love to see her in this new light. I hope we get to see more of this in her.

I thought Noah's words to Christian were sweet. He has always been a great big brother to Faith, so Christian should be in good hands. I snickered when I heard that Noah was going to teach his baby brother about women until he remembered he didn't know a thing about them himself. His relationship with Marisa is proof enough of that. Marisa seems to be very wishy-washy with Noah. She pushes him away then she draws him back in. Luca was probably a reason for that. And Luca had more influence over Marisa than she even knew about when he suddenly revealed he had discovered the whereabouts of their daughter.

Noah sure has a lot to learn, and he had best be careful. Luca appeared to hold all the cards. It will probably come down to Luca and his powerful family facing off against Noah and his powerful family. With Victor as a weapon, Noah would have the definite advantage -- except, of course, for the fact that Luca was actually in cahoots with Victor to keep Marisa away from Vic's young, nave grandson. Victor's cash proved to be the catalyst for Luca's sudden desire to reunite with his ex-wife. It sure wasn't because Luca wanted to be a devoted and loving hubby and daddy, or he would have already rescued his sad-eyed daughter.

I love it when the writers get into some kind of quirky jag. The phrase for one day: a done deal. First, Chelsea and Anita talked about Chelsea's move being "a done deal," and later, Victoria saw that Billy's idea of a tree tribute to his daughter was "a done deal." "A second chance" was the choice for another day when Gwen and Neil acknowledged that everyone deserved "a second chance," and a short time later, Adam hoped for "a second chance" with Chelsea. It's pretty neat when you can catch the cleverness in a soap's writing.

Jack is so observant when it comes to anything but his own life. He remarked at her tribute that Delia would have seen the best in Adam, not the worst, and that was so true. And Delia probably would have written an inspirational sonnet for Adam too.

Phyllis didn't do too badly herself when she noted the more Jack tried to protect his loved ones, the more he resembled Victor. Jack had better be careful, or he may just become an Abbottized imitation of "the mustache."

I couldn't help but notice Cane's arm looks perfectly fine. I read he broke it while filming a fight scene, so I am just waiting to catch the moment of the break. At long last -- a realistic skirmish. Maybe next time, Cane should stick with bowling or going to the gym. You know, activities Cane and Lily claimed Devon and Dylan had taken up.

Adam was his normal, colorful self when he stated he could feel Victoria giving him the stink eye that was burning a hole in the back of his head. Adam, quit whining. Victor was right. No matter what you get, it's never enough. You should be grateful it was only the stink eye and not a bullet!

Seriously, who would ever trust Marco to find a loving home for a newborn baby? Marisa must have had a fierce love for Marco if that love blinded her to his true character, or she was a big-time party girl. Either way, not exactly mother material at the time.

I love the dcor in Patty's room. Kitty pictures all over the place. Meow!

Until next time, please stay tuned.Teddi

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