There is no question where I need to start this week's Two Scoop article. It was hard for me to decide who is the eviler one, Sally or Tara. Our sweet-natured and butter-wouldn't-melt-in-her-mouth Tara has turned into Cruella de Vil. Ashland had warned Jack and Kyle that they didn't know her, and he was so right. It was Sally's plan, but Tara was the one with the venomous threats -- and she did it with that sweet and innocent look.
Sally flew into Genoa City on her broomstick as Evanora, the Wicked Witch of the West, and has been stirring her cauldron ever since. She obviously saw a kindred spirit in Tara and someone she could align with to achieve her goal of becoming the creative director of JCV, Summer's job. Sally has gone above and beyond to make sure her goal was within reach. It looks like Sally's plan, with Tara's help, just might work, because Summer either feels very threatened, or she just found a way out of her situation. I'm hoping that Summer suddenly grows a backbone and reveals these two witches.
At first, I wondered why Tara would align herself with Sally. At first blush, it appeared that Sally hadn't left a good impression on Tara, so why have they become partners in crime? I believe Tara is a predator, and she saw an opportunity to get what she wanted with Sally's help. Tara has grown accustomed to the privileged lifestyle. She has lost Mr. Moneybags, Ashland, her shoe business is heavily in debt, but she bragged to Phyllis that she had moved her shoe business to Genoa City and that she would be working with Lauren. Tara is, for all intents and purposes, broke, and her previous alliance with Kyle is her gravy train for a lifestyle to which she has become accustomed.
I have a feeling that Harrison isn't really Kyle's son. That might be wishful thinking on my part, but my gut tells me he isn't. Tara is rubbing her hands together like the evil monster that she is, and she's determined to make sure that Kyle really bonds with Harrison and her. Ashland had said he'd been looking for similar traits between Kyle and Harrison, and he hadn't seen any. I believe Ashland. He was devastated learning that Harrison wasn't his son, and it would be natural for him to look for similarities between Kyle and Harrison. Is Harrison really Kyle's son, or has Tara been playing Kyle ever since she suspected her marriage was falling apart.
Sally had set this whole plan in motion, and I have to believe she gave Tara the ammunition on how to make sure that Summer took the job at Marchetti. Who is the bigger witch, Sally, for coming up with the scheme, or Tara, sweetly spewing her venomous threats? It's a toss-up for me. It seems that scheming and conniving to get what they want is in both Tara's and Sally's nature. According to Eric Forrester, Sally is a very gifted designer, so, why wouldn't she take that prestigious job at Marchetti, get out of Genoa City, and have a wonderful life abroad? What is keeping her in Genoa City? Becoming the creative director of JCV isn't a step up for Sally, since she'd had her own fashion house in Los Angeles. Why is she so fixated on JCV?
Sally doesn't have any friends in Genoa City, well, other than possibly Tara, and that, too, is questionable. Sally has managed to make an enemy of almost everyone she has been in contact with. Even Lauren seems to be a bit skeptical about her. Sally is very certain that when Summer takes the job at Marchetti, Lauren will hire Sally to fill Summer's vacated position. Wouldn't it just frost Sally's ass if Lauren decided to hire someone from the outside rather than Sally. Sally would have done all that scheming for naught, and now she would have to come up with a new plan for the newly hired creative director. What would Sally do with the next person who filled that position?
Tara is going along with Sally's plan because Tara is looking for that money tree and privileged lifestyle that goes along with it. I don't believe she'd ever been in love with Ashland or Kyle. Tara is in love with anyone who is monied because she loves all the perks that are attached to the green stuff. She is a barracuda in disguise, and she will latch onto anyone who lives that privileged life. Unfortunately for Kyle, Tara has him in her crosshairs. Ashland was a means to an end for her, and so is Kyle.
Phyllis obviously has Sally's number, and she also has Tara's. She told Nick that Tara was nuts. I have to agree with Phyllis, and I'm really hoping that at the last minute, Summer is going to tell either Phyllis or even Victor the truth about Tara's threat. I'm desperate to see Sally and Tara get payback for what they are doing to Summer. I'm not a Summer or a Summer and Kyle fan, but I absolutely hate what these two bitches are doing to them. No one deserves that, including our resident "Snowflake."
I would have preferred to see Summer end her relationship with Kyle on her own terms, rather than being run out of town because of a threat. Summer is all about Summer, and her insecurities always get the best of her. I believe she would have ended things with Kyle, anyway, because she isn't made of the same stuff as Phyllis, and she was already beginning to buckle under the pressure. She realized it would no longer be just her and Kyle, but it would become a foursome including Kyle's child and the child's mother, Tara. They would both be a constant in Summer and Kyle's lives, and there was no way that Snowflake could adjust to that. Phyllis would have fought tooth and nail to keep her man and work through her situation.
I thought Summer would have taken Phyllis' words to heart about some women using their children as bait to get what they want, but I guess that fell on deaf ears.
I want Summer to tell Phyllis, or Nick, or even grandpa about the threat so that one of them could take action, get a lawyer, and take away all of Tara's rights to Harrison (if he really is Kyle's son) without her knowledge, then serve her with the papers stating that she no longer had access to Harrison in any way. I want Kyle to secretly run another paternity test to prove whether or not Harrison is, in fact, Kyle's son, and if he isn't, have Tara run out of town. When all this hits the fan and Tara points her finger at Sally, Lauren will hopefully fire Sally, and voila! The garbage has been removed. That is my dream storyline.
I would like to see Nick and Phyllis stop butting into Summer's affairs. Summer is an adult and is making her own decisions. They should only step in when asked rather than trying to dictate to Summer. Nick, in particular, is really getting on my last very tired nerve. He just doesn't seem to know when to butt out. He needs to stop.
Speaking of buttinsky parents, when are Victor and Nikki going to stop butting into Victoria's life. She was born in 1982. That makes her 39 years old. How long are they going to dictate who she sees or marries? How about Nikki grilling Ashland? That was disgusting. Who does Nikki think she is? You expect it from Victor because that's just Victor, but Nikki grilling Ashland about his intentions like he was some 19-year-old kid. Geez, mom and pops, kindly back off!
Then we have Billy 2.0. He has thrown away his wicked ways and turned into ... this? I preferred him as an addict. He has become so annoying. Why is he meddling in Victoria's life? She is his past, and it's none of his business what she does or who she sees, yet he felt the need to threaten Ashland, stating he would come after him if Ashland hurt Victoria in any way.
Billy needs to take a step back and look at how many times he has hurt Victoria. Victoria was kidnapped and locked in a dark room by a convict who Billy had ratted on. Billy was asked to pay a ransom of two million dollars, and if Billy didn't pay up, Victoria would die. I guess in Billy's eyes, that didn't hurt much. How many times has Billy cheated on her or piled up enormous gambling debts? Billy has no right to threaten anyone, and he has no say in Victoria's life.
Billy seems to think he is Sherlock Holmes and can masterfully obtain information from Victoria or Ashland about their relationship or what they are up to. Billy is dealing with masters in their field when it comes to manipulating the press. Billy needs to back away because this is one time he won't win.
I'm really liking Victoria and Ashland as a couple. She seems to bring out the softer side of Ashland, and he brings out the playful side in her. At first, I had to wonder if either one of them was playing a game, but I have since changed my mind. They appear to care for each other. When Victoria asked for all the information on Ashland's company, I was certain she was planning a coup of some sort, but it turns out she is only trying to protect Ashland's company and maintain the legacy he'd built from the sharks when news of his cancer becomes public knowledge. Ashland seems to trust her business acumen and has warmed to the idea of merging his company with Newman Enterprises.
They have been very transparent with each other. This is refreshing, a couple with no secrets, lies, or hidden agendas -- at least that's how it appears at the moment. Being the optimist I have always been, I choose to believe this is them being honest. Victoria and Ashland, please don't burst my bubble.
I would love to see Ashland take one of the experimental treatments and beat the cancer. Then we can watch Victor squirm when Victoria and Ashland work together at the merged company. Will this happen? I have no idea; however, the spoilers indicate that Victor and Victoria have a major battle next week. Could this have something to do with Victoria and Ashland's planned merging of Ashland's company with Newman Enterprises, or could it have something to do with Victor making Adam an offer he can't refuse? Hmm ... Well, whatever the battle is about, I hope Victoria comes out on top. I'm just so tired of Victor always winning, so it would be wonderful to see Victoria win.
Look at Amanda go. She is one tough and relentless chick. With investigator Denise's help, Amanda now knows how much she'd been deceived by her "family." Amanda has done some deep digging, and she had a showdown with Naya about Naya's lies. Naya admitted she'd lied, but she was adamant that Sutton hadn't had anything to do with Richard's death.
Then we have Imani. Who does this rude, self-serving, and arrogant broad think she is? She arrived at Devon's penthouse, marched past Devon without so much as a "by your leave, sir," and demanded that Amanda tell her what she'd done to Naya because Naya had turned herself in to the Genoa City police and admitted she'd murdered Richard. Imani is obviously furious and worried about her family's reputation, which appears to be far more important than Amanda's probing into her past for the reason she'd been abandoned.
Imani grew up in a very privileged home, yet she complained to Amanda how tough it had been because any friend she wanted to have had to be investigated, and adults had to be investigated about which political party they favored. She complained how lonely her life had been. Please, picture my alligator tears for this wench. Imani wouldn't have survived in Amanda's shoes. Imani is a joke, and I really don't like her.
For quite a while, I have suspected that Naya had killed Richard, and the recent episodes confirmed my suspicions. Always feels good when you wind up being right in your suspicion, but was my suspicion correct? There always seems to be a twist, and it destroys my suspicion.
I am not sure I like this new and improved Adam. We have lost our resident villain; now we have all good guys on the show. Sally and Tara's antics are basically childish pranks when compared to what Adam had done. I wonder how long the writers are going to keep this Adam before Adam re-dons his black hat and slips back into his old evil self again.
At the moment, Adam is really concerned about Chelsea and Connor. He feels guilty because he blames himself for Chelsea's stroke and subsequent mental disorder. He knows he and Chelsea will not reunite, but he is faced with trying to find a way to tell Connor about Chelsea's condition. Okay, call me callous, but I don't feel sorry for Adam. Adam has been the author of his own misfortunes, and how he has survived this long is a miracle. I hope he finds peace, but I really want him back to his old villainous self.
Chelsea is really out of control, and she doesn't realize it. The paranoia has become very evident. She still believes she is fooling everyone, but everyone can see right through her. Chelsea's nightmares were disturbing, and I think they only added fuel to her paranoia. She is fixated on Sharon, in particular, and she has convinced herself that Adam and Sharon were/are having an affair.
I don't know how true this is, but I read that Chelsea was going to find a way to break out of the psychiatric hospital and head for Connor. If that rumor is true, it will be a good way for Melissa Claire Egan's exit for her maternity leave. I think I speak for all of us when I wish Melissa and Matt all the best for their baby's arrival in August.
Welcome back, Sean Carrigan -- "Stitch." That was quite the surprise to see Stitch back in Genoa City, and, of course, the first person he sees is his ex-wife Abby. They reminisced a bit about their good times then Stitch told Abby that his son hadn't improved and was still institutionalized. Stitch saw the picture of a pregnant Mariah, and Abby had to explain that Mariah was the surrogate for her and Chance's baby. That brought back a lot of painful memories for both of them, especially when Abby reluctantly informed Stitch that she couldn't have any more children. Stitch immediately knew it was because his son had caused Abby's miscarriage of their baby.
Well, enough about the short history, I want to know what will happen now. Is Chance returning? I saw that Chance was being recast, but was that rumor or fact? With Stitch back on the scene, maybe the recast was just a rumor, and they will declare Chance either missing or dead, leaving the door open for Abby and Stitch to rekindle that old feeling. It might be an interesting twist to this silly storyline, and it might pump some life into it.
The flashbacks between Abby and Stitch were interesting to watch, and they certainly brought back a lot of painful memories for both of them, but it didn't seem to diminish the fact that they still had deep feelings for each other. I wonder if this will blossom into something, or if Abby's love of her life, Chance, will return -- with a new face, of course.
I hope you have enjoyed my thoughts, opinions, and speculations about what has been happening around our favorite town. I would love to read your comments, opinions, and thoughts. Until next time, stay safe!
Nel
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