How's this for a happy June storyline? The art gala turns into a fiasco, one woman is murdered in a back alley, another is nearly abducted, and a third jumps in a trunk to stage a kidnapping! That's entertainment. And just for kicks, let's finish off the week with murder and fireworks! Actually, all that action was riveting and worthy of a sweeps event, and the capper was that it all came to a climax on Friday.
Ah, Friday... Remember when you could count on a Friday soap episode to keep you on the edge of your seat? The kind of plots that left you hanging onto the remote in anticipation of what would happen Monday? We haven't had many of those lately, but this past Friday was a doozy! Kudos to Maria Arena Bell for channeling her inner Alfred Hitchcock to serve up a true psycho killer in Ricky Williams.
We've known for a while that Ricky was twisted and evil. It's been clear that he's got a screw loose. His interaction with Aunt Patty was proof positive that he had no conscience. But who knew that he was so diabolical and lethal? There were very few hints that Ricky was a violent man. You never saw him kick a cat or choke a chicken.
In fact, just like Anthony Perkins in Hitchcock's classic Psycho, Ricky seemed like a regular Norman Bates. Weird and spooky, yes, but not necessarily a killer. Even when Paul had questions about Craig's car crash, there was little evidence that the accident had been a homicide or that Ricky was anywhere near Craig's car.
So, for all intents and purposes, Ricky might have just been a sociopath; you know, kind of like Adam before his transformation. It took Daisy finding the video of Ricky killing Rachel to reveal the truth about Paul's son. One look at that and you knew he was a candidate for Criminal Minds.
About that video, the first thing that struck me was just how disturbing it was. Maybe I've blocked it out of my memory, but I don't recall a time when I've seen a murder like that on a soap opera. The fact that Ricky filmed the killing -- and kept the tape -- was even more horrific. It takes a really sick mind to want to watch something like that over and over again. Like Nita said last week, it was like a snuff film. What would have compelled Ricky to keep a copy of it on his laptop?
Also, I don't know about you, but when I have something on my computer that I don't want anyone else to find -- pictures of me without makeup, the numbers to get into my Swiss bank accounts -- I hide them in folders that you'd never be tempted to open. Apparently, Ricky wasn't worried about someone finding his murder reel! Daisy didn't even seem to have to search; it was just there. Based on that, what on earth made Daisy think she had time to arrange a meeting with Michael to tell him what she knew? Daisy could have just as easily have said to Michael, "Pick up Ricky Williams now; I've seen a video showing him killing a woman on his laptop." Do you really think Michael would have ignored her or said, "Make an appointment with my secretary?" If he was ready to meet her in an alley behind a warehouse, he could have listened to her about Ricky.
But no; that's too logical. We had to create a dangerous situation so that Daisy could walk right into it. But about that video, I have a few questions. Rachel's murder seemed like an act of passion. Ricky had been rejected and could not handle her saying that she wanted him out of her life. She was also in the most vulnerable position imaginable -- naked and in a bathtub. What could she have done to defend herself, pull the bathmat out from under his feet? Pummel him with a pumice stone? Wrap the soap on a rope around his neck? Was there a knife hidden in her loofah?
No, Ricky had Rachel right where he wanted her, and the murder was fairly easy. But when Christine gave Paul the medical examiner's report about Rachel's death, it said she was drugged and there was no evidence of a struggle. From the film, Rachel sure looked like Ricky was roughing her up as he held her head under the water. And they never explained how he got out of the bathroom when it was locked from the inside...
Since we're dissecting -- pardon the pun -- Ricky's murder skills, what did he do with Daisy's body? Presumably, he killed her in the alley. But the impression given on Friday with Eden is that Ricky dismembers his victims with that big-ass knife. Are we going to find out next week that Ricky cut up Daisy into convenient chunks and deposited them in dumpsters all around Genoa City?
There's no doubt that Ricky is dead. Paul shot him in the chest, and if that didn't kill him, the fall from the hotel room to the alley below should have done it. My heart breaks for Paul because he's really a good guy. Not a good father, obviously, but a good guy. He's going to be guilt-ridden for the rest of his life.
It isn't just that he killed his son, it's that before Ricky died, he blamed Paul for turning him into a psycho killer. Ricky exonerated Isabella, his violent mother who is certifiably insane, and chose instead to drop all the responsibility for his miserable childhood on Paul. Even though I think that's a lot of horse manure -- after all, plenty of people overcome bad parenting without becoming killers -- you just know that Paul is going to believe it. He may never overcome Ricky's rebuke.
But like I said, this is all a crock. Ricky's more likely to have had a mental defect like Isabella (and Patty) than to be the product of Paul's neglect. I'm really hoping that somebody, maybe Dr. Petersen, consults with Paul and makes him realize that Ricky was predisposed to mental illness, and he did not become a vicious killer because Paul didn't visit him enough while he was growing up.
If there's something good that'll come out of Friday's show, it's that Daniel will be released. Paul will testify that Ricky admitted to killing "crazy Daisy" before he died. And Daisy's cell phone and wallet will be found in the maid's cart. Now I'm waiting for Kevin to apologize to Daniel for believing that he'd harmed Daisy in the first place.
I don't know about how you guys saw it, but I was really ticked off at Kevin. First of all, Daisy was only his sister biologically. They shared nothing in common except Terrible Tom's DNA. For Kevin to act all rattled and worried about Daisy's fate, and Chloe to feel like Kevin was going through so much agony, was ridiculous.
Daniel was right to point out to Kevin that he's hardly in a position to judge anyone else's suspicious behavior, especially not his best friend's. Kevin has gotten himself into more hot water than a ballpark hotdog, and yet he was so judgmental and quick to doubt Daniel's veracity that I was shocked. It made me angry.
Then there was the Daisy email, which really was a convenient plot device, don't you think? There was no proof that she ever sent the email. Kevin had never received it. How could Michael have not suspected that perhaps writing the email and leaving it on the computer was part of some scheme that Daisy was plotting? Her checkered past wasn't even held against her in the rush to arrest Daniel as a potential killer.
Avery impressed me because she was the only one that articulated the most salient point of all -- there was no body! The only proof that Daisy might be hurt was the scarf. And it was Daniel's blood on the scarf, not Daisy's. In the alley, there were no signs of a fight, no scuffs marks... Did Genoa City CSI check for fibers? Blood splatter? Anything? Nope, nope, and nope.
It was amazing; Daisy was missing less than 48 hours and still Heather, Michael, and the "authorities" were calling Daniel a killer. For once, Phyllis had the right to be overemotional. Speaking of Phyllis, why was she so weird with Daniel earlier in the week when they talked about the gala? It was like they both suspected each other of having done something to Daisy even though -- again -- there was nothing to indicate that Daisy hadn't just skipped town. Are we going to find out that Daniel and Phyllis saw Ricky dragging Daisy away and did nothing about it? How's that for a call to duty statute?
The spit is going to really hit the fan now for Phyllis, just you wait and see. Since Ricky was investigating her and now he's dead, the cops will search Ricky's stuff and find the Phyllis files. Perhaps she'll think she's in the clear when she hears that Daisy is dead, but the smoking gun is still out there -- that car rental receipt -- and Mrs. Nicholas Newman is going to be in big trouble when the cops find it.
The redhead will have a lot of 'splainin' to do in the wake of little Ricky's death. (And just to keep the I Love Lucy reference going... is Kevin going to make a play to adopt Lucy from Daniel because of Daisy's email? Babalu, you bet he will!)
In other, less violent stories, we had Adam proposing in the rain to Chelsea. While it was sweet and touching, I don't buy this love story for a minute. Adam was passionately and fervently in love with Sharon. I don't think he's over her. Chelsea is an interesting companion for him -- fun and cute. But where's the angst? Where's the drama? Are we being set up for these two to be hustled out of Genoa City? Are they dumping cast members again? Gosh, I hope not. I prefer Adam mixing it up with Victor and Nick and Jack... He can still be a reformed man, but let's make him a player again!
Harmony crashed the twins' birthday party -- sort of -- and made peace with Devon. That was nice. Devon needed someone to tell him that he was being a sanctimonious jerk. Thank you, Ana. For a change, they let her talk and didn't force her to sing. Of course, now that her brother has had his hearing restored, it might have been appropriate for her to croon "Happy Birthday." I'm just saying...
However, if I'm Mattie and Charlie, I'm wondering why there aren't any kids at the birthday party? The heck with the adults, bring on the toddler set! Those kids need some social interaction. Or maybe nursery school? Yes, that's the ticket. Then Lily could actually do that job she has at Restless Style as a photographer. Remember that? I think they mention it occasionally, but does she even own an Instamatic?
Ronan is back for a spell. His hair is longer. His love life is a shambles, however, because Chloe and Phyllis are both married now. Guess he's going to have to mix it up with Heather if he wants to get any nookie... Hey, you think Sharon might catch his eye? Wouldn't Victor love competing with a stud like Ronan! If Ronan's back, Nina can't be far behind. I predict a week or so. She'll want to see her wayward son, natch, but I suspect Paul is going to need her shoulder to cry on, too.
Finally, I guess I have to talk about Carmine and Abby. Haven't we done this story before? Couple that seemingly hates each other is forced to hang out together in a desperate situation and fall in love? It feels just like Angelina and Kevin, only with a few variations.
Here's what I would do if I wasn't a bonehead like Carmine; I'd wrap up Abby in a bedspread, stick her back in the trunk and drive to Genoa City with a busted tail light. As soon as a cop pulled me over, I would surrender and tell the entire truth to the GCPD! Carmine trusting Abby, and letting her decide when to return, is ludicrous. He's putting his life at risk, and she's playing games. He could even turn himself in to a newspaper or TV station and have them tell his story. There's no reason for him to dance to Abby's tune.
As for Abby, she needs a spanking. The kid is a brat. I like her, but she's inconsiderate and childish. Her motivation for staging this "abduction" was selfish. So what if the gala was a flop; is that a reason to implicate a man in a felony? Does she realize that Carmine could do prison time for this nonsense?
Of course, how stupid was it that he grabbed Chloe in the first place? He'd already delayed the trucks to the gala, wasn't that suitable revenge for Kevin going off with Angelina? You know what, both Abby and Carmine are boneheads. He's got a great body and she's cute as a button, but they're idiots. They must have been at the back of the line when the brains were being passed out!
I think that about covers it; not much to add about Sharon and Victor, Nikki and Jack... the story goes on and on, right? I don't see a reconciliation on the horizon for Tucker and Ashley, since she's leaving the show. Doesn't it bug you when they throw these characters back together when there's no way we can believe it's going to last? As for Nick and Phyllis, I see trouble in their future. He may say now that nothing can change his love for her, but attempted murder might make him see Phyllis in a new light. But that's still a few weeks away...
So that's it for this week. Please feel free to write me with your insights and thoughts. We love hearing from you -- and your comment might be posted in a future column!
Best,
Allison
PRINTABLE VERSION View a printer friendly version of this article
