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Week of October 26 - 30:
I'm enjoying The Young and the Restless a lot more now that there is a balance going on - there's been some romance, business, friendships, and parties featured. I couldn't be happier that those dominantly dark and maudlin stories such as 'haunted Ashley' and 'hospital tragedy' are a thing of the past. Now, if they could only get rid of Adam, give Sharon her baby, and find a way to keep Neil and Jill onscreen for more than one day every couple of weeks - I'd be ecstatic! I'm also missing Nina, Phillip, and even Heather, who really rocked the last scenes we saw her in. Here goes:
Victoria's Mess: Here's to 'hot when angry' JT decking Deacon - I love scenes like this! I'm also a fan of JT standing his ground with his spoiled, cheating wife Victoria - very satisfying!
Nikki/Victor: Wow. It's hard to stomach her turnaround inside of a week where Victor is concerned. Apparently, all it takes is a ring for Nikki to forget that the last thing Victor wanted to see on her was a toe tag! By the way, someone needs to explain to Victor that a real man takes responsibility for his actions and admits when he's wrong…mmm…maybe even apologizes to those he's hurt…just saying.
Jack/Dr. Peterson: Could be a hot match-up…waiting to see…
Ryder/Lauren/Jana/Amber: Didn't Jana give up Ouija boards? Anyway, I'm more convinced than ever that Ryder may be the offspring of Sheila - who is presumed to be DEAD. It's an interesting mystery developing, though, no matter who his mom turns out to be! Ryder is a great character because part of you feels bad for him, and he comes across so boyish and likable, but at the same time, you know there's an agenda under it all - kudos to actor Wilson Bethel who is doing a bang-up job in the role. Also, isn't it just great when Jana dislikes someone?! Did anyone else love how she glared across the room at Ryder and told him the little hot dog thingies came frozen from a box! Hehe!
Gloria/Jeff: The energizer bunnies of scheming, plotting and fortune hunting. Their shtick is getting a little humdrum though. Maybe the writers could come up with something different for them to do for once. As for Michael helping them - ridiculous.
Mad Mac: Well! The atmosphere at RS became really um, chilly, when Mac blew in to confront Billy about the Victor article! For once, Mac was somewhat interesting in a scene - she certainly got her displeasure across! I was disappointed that she went right back to defending Billy the next day (to Kevin), but I'm sure she'll revert to ice queen status when she learns that he wrote up some dirt on Victoria and JT!
Chloe: I get that she's loyal to Billy, but I'm finding that I feel annoyed by her always being right there at his heels and sticking up for his hot-headedness. I would much prefer that she blow him off and let him come looking for her for a change - peep - a little bird tells me he just might do that on Monday!
Billy Bungle: Stop the presses - I actually agree with Adam on something, namely, I can understand why Billy lashed out at Victor. Billy is the sort of person who has to express his pain and anger in this way. The death of Colleen was a horrible consequence of what Victor set in motion, and Victor will never really pay for it - Billy knows this - it's part of the frustration. Typically, however, Billy went about it all wrong. What's great is that as much as you watch Billy and think, "What an idiot," at the same time you can sympathize with the feelings driving his actions - three cheers for complexity! Good scenes with everyone confronting him too. You just know he's going to learn a hard lesson out of all this - maybe…
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Sharon/Adam: I think it's positively gross how Adam can stand in front of Sharon and let her refer to Faith as his 'new little sister'! Do I get a kick out of him irritating Nick? Sure. Did I enjoy seeing him come to Sharon's door dressed as a sly fox? Definitely. But I still have a huge problem with this guy as a potential romantic partner or a redeemable character - because the things he's done are not typical villainous acts or 'mistakes' - he seems to be a psychopath or sociopath - big difference!
Abby Goes Wild: Abby flirting with Ryder and pretending to be eighteen was too funny. The best part was Noah appearing with that sarcastic look on his face and saying, "Funny, two weeks ago you were fourteen." Burn! Anyway, her next move was to dress up and sneak into a bar with the mysterious new Daisy character (who was trouble from the word 'go'). So, it looks like Abby's going to be 'acting out'! Not sure I'm up for a crappy teen storyline surrounding Abby, but here's hoping there's more to this than meets the eye.
Victor's Message: Loved the flashbacks - they were really entertaining because there was such a mix of characters and eras. The whole 'message' thing was weird in itself though. He said he would be back, yet he was leaving her this adult-themed message that seemed like his last words to her. Strange.
Jack/Victor: I found it distasteful that they were hurling threats again so soon after their rivalry led to the death of an innocent young woman. You'd think they'd be able to contain themselves for, oh, a month or so!
The pace and balance of the current storylines has been really enjoyable, and there is a lot to look forward to down the road! Monday's show is quite good! Also, for those still wondering, Eric Braeden's Victor will be off the canvas for some time, but the actor did sign a new contract and Victor will definitely return to Genoa City!
Feel free to leave your own opinion about this week's storylines in the Soaps.com comment section below!
-Candace Young
