The taking of Newman 1-2-3

First, Adam was taken to prison as fast as Christine could get a broomstick in the air; second, baby Christian was taken and presumed dead; third, the company computer was taken over, which left the Newman corporation on life support. Hilary discovered a doctor who made house call while Cane blamed Joe for framing him. Listen up, y'all, as Boone tells all in this week's Two Scoops!

It was as easy as one, two, three or A-B-C when the vultures descended to start picking the bones of Newman Enterprises. First, Adam was hauled off to prison quicker than Michael could say, "appeal." Baby Christian was snatched by Dr. Anderson's minion, the corporate offices and computer system were destroyed, and Nikki was devastated to learn that Victor had engaged in an affair with Elise Moxley many years before. The Newmans are down for the count, but I suspect that they are not out, no matter how much Billy and Phyllis plot and scheme to make it so.

When last we saw Newman employees, they were desperately trying to "make do" with the third floor of the Jabot building, which was deemed too small to house the Newman management staff, all five that I've seen. Come to think of it, Jabot has about the same number of managers in their offices also. Hmm, maybe American corporations could learn a thing or two about economy from Victor and Jack, but I digress. Billy and Phyllis are no match for Victor, and they ought to know that by now. Victoria is going to find out what Billy is doing, and we all know where her business loyalty lies, so be warned, Billy, and beware!

I can understand why Phyllis would be driven to avenge herself against Victor for what he did to her when he substituted Marco for Jack, but Billy's rabid need to destroy Victor and Newman Enterprises by any means possible seems very mean-spirited, considering his declared love for Victoria and the fact that he will also be destroying a sizable chunk of Newman cash that has been earmarked for his children's future.

I really don't like where Billy is headed, but since Burgess Jenkins is headed out the door and yet another Billy will be headed in, I guess this behavior was inevitable for Billy. Because I don't like his behavior that much now, I won't miss Billy when he's gone! I get the sense that a lot of you feel the same way.

I love Adam, totally and completely, because he's the real deal: tall, handsome, and heroic, willing to leap into burning buildings to rescue Abbotts and defeat evil villains. So, I ask myself, why doesn't Adam get more than a moment of happiness? I cried when I thought that Adam and Victor had reconciled and I saw a glimpse of what a powerful father-son force they would be, but alas, it didn't last. Before I could say, "Patty rescued Ian," Victor, Paul, and Christine jumped to the worst conclusion possible -- that Adam had lied about Ian. Instead of a cushy hospital bed, Adam quickly wound up wearing an orange jumpsuit in a dank prison cell. At least he doesn't have a cellmate named "Bubba." Well, not yet. Adam has already taken a beating, and the way he was holding his side makes me wonder if Adam will land in the prison infirmary next.

I do think that Victor will heed Chelsea's impassioned plea. Victor wants to believe in Adam and be close to him, so Victor will call in whatever markers he has to in order to free Adam. Whether or not they resolve their issues and can work together remains to be seen. Nick is the one who will be most affected. Just at the time when he needs family and his work to help him through the loss of his infant son, Nick may be forced to play second fiddle to Adam. I don't believe that will sit well with Nick.

I think Kelly Sullivan is doing a terrific job portraying all the stages of grief and loss. I felt grief, anger, denial, pain, and all the other accompanying emotions right along with Sage and Nick. I have to say I was wrung out after they finished that counseling session. My deepest sympathy goes out to Sage, even though I still want Sharon and Nick together! Great acting, Kelly! You had my heart breaking for Sage.

Who is Dr. Anderson, and why has she stolen baby Christian? My best guess is that she is connected to the girl that Sharon mentioned last year, the one that had been seriously injured after diving into the Newman pool when Nick was a teenager, and this is revenge. If so, and revenge is a dish best served cold, then this dish is frozen! It's also a repeat of the oft-used "stolen baby" storyline that is such a staple on Y&R.

The real loser is Dylan, who will be duped once again into bonding with a child that he believes is his, only to find out later that it isn't. Dylan has already been through that with Chelsea and Connor, and it will be no less painful when this secret emerges. The fallout will be even greater when the baby daddy is revealed to be Adam, though it could take years for that to happen!

Sharon did get a grasp on reality long enough to realize that she was not pregnant, but I have no doubt that the good doctor will dupe Sharon as easily as she has doped Sharon thus far. Sharon, of course, will discover the truth first, but she will dither about telling, for fear of hurting Dylan, while ignoring how much she is hurting Sage and Nick. Eventually, Sharon, not the doctor, will bear most of the blame for the baby snatch simply because she withheld the truth once she knew it. That's what I think, anyway. Poor Sharon. When given the opportunity to choose between telling the truth and telling a lie, Sharon deludes herself into believing that the lie hurts less. It never does, and she never learns.

I learned a valuable lesson from watching soaps, and that is to always tell the truth, no matter what. You should do it in the kindest way possible, but it is always better to tell the truth than it is to tell a lie. The corollary to that is that the most successful liars are those that tell the truth, so the best way to lie is to always tell the truth! (If you need extra advice about that, see me after the Soap-aholics Anonymous meeting.)

Is yet another divorce in the works for Victor and Nikki? Nikki was not happy to learn that Victor had done the horizontal mambo with Judge Moxley several years ago during a time that Victor and Nikki were divorced and Nikki was married to Jack. Makes me wonder if Nikki is mad that Victor was unfaithful during their divorce or if she is upset that Victor is using his influence to spring Adam. I also wonder if she would be upset if it were Nick, Victoria, or one of the grandkids that Victor was helping out by blackmailing his good friend. I do hope that Victor and Nikki survive yet another crisis. They are both too old to go looking for love, especially if they have to troll the Internet!

The Newmans aren't the only ones with the sharks circling. The Winters clan is also headed for a meltdown. Not only has Hilary forgotten her love for Devon, but Gwen, the woman scorned, is about to force Neil to reveal his part in Hilary's disappearance. If Devon was hot before, he's going to explode now -- talk about your chicken with its head cut off! Devon is nothing if not hotheaded, oblivious, and ignorant of the obvious, but when he finally wises up, boy, can he talk tough. Will it be enough to win back Hilary, or will Hilary continue to vacillate between father and son? My prediction? She'll keep working it -- or the writers will -- as long as they can. Hilary is a "desperado" who always wants the one that she can't have.

This whole storyline has been preposterous from the beginning, and most preposterous of all was that any doctor would make a house call. Last year, Jack couldn't find a doctor anywhere that could cure Phyllis. Victor supposedly searched far and wide to locate the only doctor doing the cutting-edge work that could rouse Phyllis from her coma, and Victor paid through the nose for those services. This year, Neil found a disgraced doctor lurking around Genoa City Memorial, a doctor who is apparently just as skilled as the fancy-schmancy one that Victor found, yet one who works for free using drugs pilfered from the hospital. He's too good to be true, but Dr. Neville is comic relief nonetheless, and I want more of Dr. Neville. I hope he evades arrest until Hilary regains her memory.

It is not looking good for Cane and Lily, as their battles get uglier and more public. I am sure that Joe is framing Cane for the ransom attempt, but by the time Lily finds out, it may be too late to save their marriage. I do think that Lily was awfully quick to jump to the conclusion that Cane was to blame for the kidnapping and/or ransom demand. I also think Cane is mistaken about who locked him in that storage closet. I believe it was Ian Ward, not Joe. I do hope that Cane and Lily manage to keep their marriage together. It would be nice if one set of kids in Genoa City didn't come from a broken home.

I've been very impressed with the color schemes recently and how everyone's clothes match perfectly with the walls, furniture, and curtains. Most impressive was how Hilary's hospital blanket, blouse, and lip gloss were all shades of the same lovely purplish color. I know from experience that most hospitals don't have colored blankets; they don't even have new blankets, just plain, white, sturdy, sterilized cotton ones, but I didn't mind that touch of color, which looked absolutely beautiful on Hilary.

The reason that I'm so familiar with hospitals is that my brother has been in and out the last few weeks for an undiagnosed, unresponsive, debilitating illness. Three weeks ago, when he was finally diagnosed, he was helicoptered to Seattle, where he underwent open-heart surgery, and I was with him the whole time. He is out of ICU and recovering nicely now. He is especially grateful to all who sent him prayers and well wishes through the cosmic Wi-Fi. I add my thanks to his.

Until next time, have a most happy Thanksgiving, surrounded by your friends and loved ones, even the imaginary ones. This is a great time to reflect on all the good things that have happened in our lives during the year. I know I will because I have so much to be thankful for, including all of you who read my scribbled thoughts about our wonderful, enduring, and imaginary friends permanently ensconced in Genoa City.

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