Remember that old saying, "Little pitchers have big ears"? Maybe only I heard it. But I remember people saying it when grownups were talking about grownup things or inappropriate things around little ones. I also know that even when people aren't saying anything, the kids are watching. I wonder what messages the little ears and eyes are gathering on The Young and the Restless. And how many of the young grownups picked up similar messages.
It seems the winner of the worst parent in Genoa City Award goes to Victor Newman. Many readers have very strong feelings about him. Here are a few of your comments from my last column.
Adult children often make the same parenting mistakes their parents did, and while I don't think Victor's children are anywhere near as bad as he is as a parent, I do think they're making some mistakes. Does Victor factor into it? Always, because that man cannot accept that his children are grown and can make their own decisions.
Victor seems to view his kids (and grandkids) as chess pieces to move around the board at his whim and pit randomly against one another. Which he seems to be doing more intensely now that there appears to be something very wrong with him. What is it? Is it something he'll survive? I know he takes leaves from the show, so maybe he'll go to Europe for treatment this summer, but one would think a parent would strive to unite his family in a crisis, not drive a wedge deeper between them.
I feel Nick should have told Chelsea about Adam, at least to give her a heads-up. He claims she doesn't need this nightmare, but it's not up to him. He is trying to control Chelsea's life. And what she doesn't know could hurt her.
Should Victoria have given Chelsea's phone number to Adam? Nope. Not at all. She shouldn't have even looked at Nick's phone. But that bell can't be unrung. Chelsea returned Sharon's call, which Sharon made for Adam. And Sharon told her there was something she needed to know.
I asked two weeks ago who shot Adam. We still don't know. One thing we do know? It's not the man police have in custody for it. Now we also know that Adam is searching for Chloe, but it seems he's verifying she's alive, which makes me wonder if she shot him or if he even remembers who shot him. I'm not sold on the new Adam yet. I haven't found anything likeable about him. That's the character, not the actor. But so far, there isn't something sympathetic for me to hold onto or root for.
As far as parenting goes, I do wonder who should raise Christian. Christian is apparently Adam's biological son, but I don't think he ever held the child, and there has certainly been no bonding. Nick's name is on the birth certificate. Adam changed the DNA to make it look like Nick was the father because that is how he wanted it to be. Did Victor also change the DNA, thinking he was helping one son or the other? I certainly wouldn't believe any results that exist at this time (and any other results would have to be very carefully obtained). I feel for Nick, who raised the child as his own and has loved him as his own even when he learned of the DNA results.
However, Nick ripped Christian from Sharon's arms when he found out that Christian was alive, and Christian was not a newborn when it happened. Yes, Sharon was in the wrong for not surrendering the child when she learned the truth, but she didn't know the truth when she took Christian ("Sully") home. This poor child has had an unsettled life, first bonding with Sharon and Dylan then with Nick and Chelsea and Sharon and Phyllis, but Nick has been a constant in it. And there's no doubt Nick loves Christian. In fact, he's the only parent other than Billy I see playing with a kid. On the rare occasions when we see children.
Are Chelsea and Adam still married? I would guess he was declared dead, but I don't know the laws around that. Is the marriage still legal? If I remember correctly, she was planning to marry Nick before her world fell apart and she slipped out of town to a place where even Victor can't find her. Will Chelsea want Adam back? My guess is that she will -- eventually. Definitely not right away, though. Will he be able to be a father to Connor, who likely doesn't remember him? Again, eventually. Is he the best person to raise a child? Oh, if little eyes are watching and little ears are hearing, I would say no. Not unless he has changed his ways, and I see zero evidence of that!
Here is an interesting, unrelated thing, and I may be completely off base with this. I wonder why they are bringing up Delia so much. They rarely mention people on a soap without it having some meaning, and I don't think she's returning from the dead. What if Adam never hit her? What if Nikki did? She had been driving drunk at that time and had been on the same road. What if Victor knew Nikki killed Delia and set Adam up to take the fall?
The damage to Adam's car wasn't that bad. I've seen worse when people hit a turkey, and a child would be bigger. All he had was a broken parking light. Yes, there was a scarf underneath, but that could have been planted (and would possibly have blown off when he drove home if it had been from the accident). After he hit something (possibly a piece of Nikki's car that fell off when she actually hit Delia), he stopped his car and looked around.
He would have seen a small child. I believe he would have helped her, and that extra bit of time might have saved her life. But whether he would have helped or not, there was no child on the side of the road when he got out to look and see if he had hit something. There is a possibility that Adam did not kill Delia, that he was set up for it, that he's been carrying guilt (and bearing the brunt of Billy's hatred) for a long time, and that there could be a revelation that would clear this up if he isn't at fault. Maybe Victor's guilt over this setup is why he wants to hand the kingdom to Adam. Of course, reminders of Delia might just happen because he's back, but they could be introducing a new plot point. We shall have to wait and see.
In Adam's circle, his strongest supporter is Sharon, who is currently firmly committed to Rey. I feel like Rey is more averse to keeping secrets than Sharon is. Now that they're living together, sanctioned by Faith, a kid who has seen her parents go through a lot of relationships in her short life, secrets could tear them apart. Especially secrets around Adam, who clearly has some (at least subconscious) attraction to Sharon. I was glad Sharon and Adam's sex scene was his dream and vision, not reality.
Sharon asked if Rey was channeling his inner bad boy. Sharon seems drawn to the bad boys (and honestly, sure they're a little sexy and exciting -- in theory, not so much in practice). All the more reason Rey should keep a watchful eye on the connection between Sharon and Adam.
One parent who, by all accounts, was not stellar is Dina. And yet, when it was her time of need, her children were there for her. They have kept her in the home long past the time when many people would have given up, but this week, the Abbotts realized they could no longer care for Dina and keep her safe. She had moments of utter confusion, not recognizing where she was or even being able to find a bathroom, and then moments of complete lucidity, calling Kyle by name and knowing they were putting her in a home. It was heartbreaking yet poignant.
Dina, who was always a bright woman, found a way to lock herself in a room long enough to escape, which is part of what they feared and was also the reason she had a GPS tracker, which she was able to remove. Tessa's singing in the park was able to calm her (and they should have put money in that guitar case).Tessa impressed me again (she's done that a lot lately) by saying she would go to the home to sing to Dina and her friends, and she said it both to Dina and then after Dina left. I think she'll do it if she can. And despite some rough edges and poor choices, Tessa seems to be doing better overall and helping people more. She stays calm in crisis, which is often a sign of someone who grew up in such mayhem that someone had to hold the world together. The writers may be redeeming the character.
But back to Dina. She's settled into a home. The Abbotts united to accomplish it. Ashley and Jack aren't fighting quite the way they were before, and Ashley even alerted Jack to the imminent threat Jabot Collective was facing. Family crisis can pull people apart. It can also draw them together, and in this case, even though the decision was hard, they made the best choice for everyone. Dina was getting physical, she was escaping, and she was becoming a danger to herself. Admitting you can't do what you wanted or hoped to do is sometimes a sign of strength, and in this case, the Abbotts made the difficult but strong choice. I hope it isn't a story that vanishes and that they follow it to the end, sad as that will be.
Mariah's stalker revealed himself, and let me say, that dude looked crazy. I've involuntarily hospitalized people whose eyes weren't like that. I mean, as far as acting goes, this guy has it down. I'm impressed! However, sending him on his way (bravo, Tessa!) is not going to stop him. They've got a first name. They've got a picture. Time to go to the police with that information, because stalkers, whether a real-life ex who won't let someone go or a person who has some fictional relationship with a celebrity, are not safe.
Tessa and Mariah going on with their lives as normal is not adequate. Mariah reexamining her life is not adequate. Changing her career path or approach won't make her safe from a stalker.
I'm glad Tessa is back to performing in the park (and it's kind of adorable that Mariah puts money in the guitar case when people walk by). It shows that her passion is for the music more than for the fame. I'm glad she didn't give up who she was, what she looked like, and how her music sounded for Ana. Seriously, she was hired because of who she was. If there are a million others that are malleable and can be transformed, use them. Why does Tessa have to be someone other than herself?
I am wondering what might happen when Devon finds out what happened with Tessa. He knew her sound when he signed her before, when she had a hit before. I suspect that was what he was signing up for when he signed her again. Sure, we need to be aware of public perception, but if people are all false all the time, they won't have staying power, and they'll be irrelevant sooner rather than later. And people can be forgiving, even for heroes who have fallen. Honestly admitting a failure and asking for forgiveness could pave the way for her successful reentry into the music world. I hope Devon is unhappy with this turn of events and brings Tessa on as herself.
This week, there was definitely one adult child who had an overall positive parent experience. Lily told Devon, before the reading of Neil's will, "I don't want Dad's money. I just want him back." She didn't have to fix all the bad things between them, because they were in a good place when he died. But he was her anchor, and he was devoted to her. Now, she's going on without both him and her husband, both at the same time, and that's a lot of change all at once.
Neil left Cane with forgiveness and the hope that Cane can earn the forgiveness of all those he has hurt, and that list is long. Let's look at a few things he's done.
He was involved with organized crime in Australia.
He lied about being Phillip Chancellor.
He lied about being Ethan Atkinson.
He demanded ransom money for Hilary's return, and was arrested for it.
He embezzled from Tucker McCall.
He faked his death. He gaslit Lily.
He slept with Juliet, and they had a child.
He destroyed Brash & Sassy because of his jealousy of and pettiness toward Billy.
This destroyed Lily's career.
He hid Lily's fault in the accident that killed Hilary, possibly leading to Lily's jail sentence.
He kissed Victoria. More than once.
He lied. Over and over. Over many years
The most amazing thing is that Cane has been forgiven so many times by so many people. Do I think he has a bad heart? Not really. Do I think he had terrible examples in parenting? Oh, yes. Yes, I do. The decisions the adults around him made (especially his father) contributed to many of his poor choices and bad decisions. However, as adults, we are responsible for our own choices, and he has not owned his full role, especially in the things that led to the end of his marriage.
As for parenting, where were Lily and Cane when Mattie and Charlie were growing up? Who helped them make the rapid SORAS leap from little kids to fairly well-balanced teens while Mom and Dad were busy pursuing each other, re-creating Paris, and sometimes pursuing others? Lily absolutely had an affair with Joe Clark. In Cane's drunken one-night stand with Juliet, there was no "did he or didn't he" question because there is a baby in Cane's house (possibly?) that has his DNA.
Where is Sam? We haven't seen or even heard of him in a while. We don't hear talk of a nanny caring for him. I hope he's okay and not home alone, raising himself and changing his own diapers. I suspect if we see him again, it may be soon. And he'll be in school. Cane has a new job and is downsizing his home, so the child has to factor in. I hope.
I am going to say it: I don't want Traci with Cane. I'm honestly not that interested in Traci's novel. But if we're going to see Traci with Cane, I hope it's only in her novel fantasies and not in real life. I like her in the counselor role with him. I really do. I'd like to see more of that -- her giving him advice to move on and heal and find love again, and then her using those tools to do the same with a good man who deserves her. Cane does not. Also, that might make a good book -- healthy advice for moving on.
Speaking of moving on, I think it's okay for Devon to move on. In real life, I'd think he should be single a little longer, give himself time to grieve. But characters on soaps go through the range of emotions a lot faster than people in real life do (although I've seen faster in real life, too). Devon did have a vision of Hilary on the stairs after he kissed Elena, but I hope that doesn't stop him. Hilary didn't want him to be sad and mopey and mourning her for the rest of his life. She loved him enough to want him to be happy.
And in other news of Neil's family, I think Nate and Abby are cute together. They compared dating horror stories, and he admitted he was ready to move on "because I found someone worth the risk." I liked Brooks Darnell in the role and thought he was a handsome man, but he didn't have the same sexy flair that Sean Dominic brings. I see good chemistry between Nate and Abby, and I like the slow start, including her kiss on his cheek to be clear they weren't rushing. He hasn't mentioned his dead fiancée, but that might not be ideal first date conversation. It takes the light banter to a darker level.
Phyllis is super obvious with slamming her electronic devices shut. I mean, I'm surprised Lauren is the only one who asked what she was hiding, it's that obvious. Why is she committing crimes in public when she has a perfectly good hotel room that would afford her some privacy? I suppose because she wouldn't have half the risk of getting caught in her hotel room, and where's the drama in that?
I'm a little confused by the Jabot men in this knockoff situation. So... someone breaks into the server, and they all stand around wondering who would do a thing like that. Maybe the person who is best at hacking and has the most grudge against the company? Hmmm... nope, wouldn't cross anyone's mind. Even when Jack caught her in the act of working out her orders with her business associate, he just asked to know more, didn't suspect for a moment that she was behind Jolie Chic Vision. And what exactly is the V in JCV for? Jabot CollectiVe?
Nobody is totally in the right here. Phyllis pointed out that "the last time I told you about my business plan, you stole it." He really could have had a cooperative situation with her, but he is just angry and wanted to punish her. She did use trickery to get the fake Kerry on board and didn't know Kerry was a fake or that the patents weren't going to Jabot, so she does need to be accountable for that. Whoever was CEO at that moment should have faced the repercussions. But Jack could have worked with Phyllis, and it might have helped both companies. Now, they'll both be hurt, I suspect. Because they both want to win and can't accept that they both could if they got over themselves.
I think Michelle Stafford will be back in June, so they're definitely setting Phyllis up for something, but I'm not sure what. That will be interesting to see, because obviously something about her will have to change with the transition. I also have a feeling this whole knockoff situation is going to draw Jack and Lauren closer, and I can't shake the feeling that they're heading toward an affair. I think we'll find out about that soon if it happens. Jack does seem a little smitten when he's been around Lauren.
Is Kyle really going to paint in a dress shirt? Lola used Kyle as a ladder, which is absurd. He had no specific tools for home redecorating and didn't know what a paint roller was, but good on him for going DIY instead of hiring, to increase her comfort level. Their painting and paint fight made me cringe. Yikes! I wouldn't want to clean up that mess!! They're settling into relationship comfort really fast, which makes me worry they won't get to enjoy it. But it's okay to be boring and happy for a bit!
I keep wondering, how spacious and "gourmet" is Rey's old/Lola and Kyle's new kitchen? To me, it looks like a tiny corner with a decent stove. Also, I would not be a happy camper if my boyfriend went out and bought paint for our home without consulting me. If either of us is going to do that, it will be me, and even when I pick a color, I give him some options before I purchase it! Sure, we've been lucky we agree, but still!
Mariah to Tessa, after Tessa sang for cash in the park: You made enough for two burritos and two soft-serve ice creams.
Lola to Kyle while they talked about his ineptitude with DIY projects: You are a business-manager-abs-for-days nerd.
Abby to Nate after he praised her: I look good on paper, but in real life? I have a lot of baggage.
Author thoughts: Don't we all, though? Some of us just pack it better.
Billy to Jack about Adam: There's only one of us that can be right. That's me.
Abby has looked pretty this week with the straight hair. Lately, the stylists have made it look like she'd had her hair in a ponytail and just let it down, so the bend where the elastic was looks unpolished (inconsistent with someone who has a stylist). Curled? Great. Straight? Great. Not quite finished? Not so great.
Next week's previews show Phyllis and Adam pairing up, which could be interesting. There is something wrong with Victor, which has been hinted at with Nate for a little bit. And Billy and Victoria are committing for reals but not marrying. We'll see how it all plays out.
Until we meet again in two weeks, happy viewing! I don't know what's coming, but I'll be right here watching with you.
Christine
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