Okay, we had a little break with the wonderful classic episodes, so wasn't it fantastic to have our stories back?! Thank goodness for the flashbacks, so that we could all be on the same page again. Oh, yeah, Billy and Lily were working together at Chancellor Communications. That could be good. I still think that Lily, Billy, and Amanda could make for a very intriguing triangle.
Lily's interviews for Kathrine's tribute also helped to catch us up. Sharon Case has been shining in Sharon's cancer storyline. And Victoria had been stabbed and had since been working toward getting "back to normal" afterwards. While we haven't been stabbed, we can all relate to part of her struggle, since we've had our own "new normal" to deal with. There was plenty of space between the actors in the newly produced scenes to safely bring us back our drama and intrigue.
Oh, that's right...Adam had played dirty by holding dirt over Victor's head to take control of Newman Enterprises. Victor's never been one to back down, so you knew that he wanted to deal with Adam in his own way. And Victor claimed that, as a boy, Adam had been the one to kill A.J. Montalvo to protect his mother, so Victor was able to brush off the dirt to come out squeaky clean. It was just ironic that Victor accused Billy of living in the muck when Victor has spent most of his corporate life there -- and Adam's had no problem with jumping in to join his dear ol' daddy.
Yes, it's been a year of ups and downs for all, but Devon was right in remembering that Katherine was a real trouper who could always find the humor and the bright side of things, and as Lily said, Katherine could always find the light in the darkness. Katherine's motto was "I'm going to live until I die," even if living meant facing many tough obstacles and battles. Jack recollected that Katherine was a dominant force, who lived life fully and embraced it deeply. It's just a shame that Dina couldn't also have had the mental capacity to overcome her disease so she could continue to live life to the fullest as Katherine had. Katherine was truly an inspiration, and it's no wonder why we are still paying tribute to her to this day.
As Jack stated, "Whatever lies ahead for Genoa City, though, it's sure to be unexpected and probably explosive," and Victor felt as if a storm was coming. That's what we're all counting on. Adam's head was still exploding from Victor's reveal that he was the one who had killed A.J. when Adam was eleven years old. Hopefully, Connor's days of possibly turning into a serial killer are behind him. But ironically, Connor was the reason for the truth to come out, because George heard Adam speak with love to his son on the phone. Although he had been about to head for the hills, George was ready to tell the truth due to a father's love for his son. It's just a shame that Victor didn't show that love more while Adam was growing up. That would have meant more to a small boy than anything else.
But Adam couldn't remember killing anyone when he was a boy, and Victor claimed to Chelsea that since Adam had only been trying to protect Hope, it was traumatic for him. That's very believable. Sometimes the brain will automatically block horrible events in one's life out to protect the person. As soapy as it can be, the traumatized person doesn't have to have multiple personalities for that to happen.
So, Adam could very well have killed to save his mother from the bad guy and not remember it afterwards. And, of course, Hope would have covered it up to protect her son. That only makes sense. Still, Adam might have been better off knowing the truth as a boy and dealing with it through counseling, instead of blocking it out. He then might have been more stable as an adult.
I have to give Victor credit, though. He believed it was time for the family to stop the cycle of revenge (although Nick and Victoria may not agree), and he vowed to help Adam as Adam tried to deal with what he had learned. Even if he wasn't there for Adam when he was a child, at least Victor was willing to be there for him as an adult. Adam felt only Sharon could comfort him, but he was unaware that she had just undergone cancer surgery. And while Sharon wanted to help, Chelsea desired to just leave the past in the past. Although it's understandable that he would want to remember it all, Adam didn't know if he could handle the truth, especially if it was worse than what he had already heard. Would the broken man turn into a monster if he believed he really was one?
The gloves were off again, and the truce seemed to be over between Jack and Victor. Hey, it was just a matter of time. But this time, they argued about whose son was better in business, as Victor reflected that Jack had always tried to take everything that Victor had, including his son Adam. But I recollect that Victor had done the same with Kyle at one point, when he tried to convince Jack's son that his future was with Newman Enterprises, not Jabot. It was just funny that Jack believed that Adam was toxic to Victor, and that Victor should just give up on his son. What a weird thing for Jack to say. But Victor vowed later that you never give up on your son, which may have been because of what Jack had said. Shoot, Jack's saying it probably made Victor more determined to help Adam.
Jack was right -- he was wrong for pitting Theo against Kyle, since there was no way that Jack would have favored a long-lost relative over his own son, anyway. However, Theo was probably better off, since he intended to go in a whole new direction -- something he was actually more interested in. So, in a weird way, Jack did Theo a favor -- if Billy would be willing to give him a chance at Chancellor. However, Billy saw so many red flags, he thought that bulls would be charging at any time. Yet Billy still allowed Theo to make his pitch. Even if Theo is "a square peg in a round hole," sometimes that's just the kind of person with a raw, undiscovered voice that's needed to create something new and exciting in a business.
And Billy agreed. Sure, Theo was "a little rough around the edges," but he understood the younger crowd and knew how to market to them. Plus, Billy was impressed by Theo for standing up and delivering his pitch to them with confidence, no matter what Billy threw at him. So far, Chancellor Communications has a creative and diverse team with strengths in all different aspects of the company: Lily, Billy, Traci, Amanda, and Theo under the occasional guidance of Jill. They could be a whole lot of fun to watch.
Lily's no dummy, and she saw that there was something going on between Amanda and Billy. But Billy claimed that he and Amanda were only friends and that he would respect their new professional dynamic while at work. I just hope their working together will bring them closer together personally. Even if Billy's life is a roller coaster, it might just be fun for Amanda to go along for the ride. Although Amanda claimed that her focus was on Nate, he didn't have too much of her attention at the bar, when all she could do was look at her phone as he talked to her. Oh, yeah, Nate had no chance for words of love, when all Amanda could speak was legalese. If she was so crazy about him, Amanda would have given him her undivided attention...but she made up for that later.
Phyllis did some digging in the dirt herself after she sneaked bones into her hotel room -- and Amanda made the discovery! Phyllis made no bones about it that she wanted the dinosaur bones to stay hush-hush. Well, sure, if she wanted her scheme against Abby and her brand-new, snazzy hotel to work. Phyllis even kept the fossils a secret from Nick, but he suspected that she was up to no good. So, Nick called Abby to save Phyllis from herself by offering Abby a new building -- anywhere else except right across from the Grand Phoenix. Oh, yeah, Nick was totally smitten with Phyllis again. However, Abby refused Nick's offer that would enable a cease-fire. Of course, she did. Abby was enjoying her feud with Phyllis way too much. It seemed to be Abby's reason for getting up in the morning.
Luckily for Abby, Phyllis probably made Nick's offer to his sister moot when she buried the dinosaur bones on the land meant for Abby's hotel, and the discovery immediately stopped the construction. There was no white flag being raised in this war. Oh, no, Phyllis took the first punch, and Abby will come back swinging, I'm sure. Phyllis seemed to be enjoying duking it out with Abby, even as Nick kept trying to discourage the tussle between the two. As Nick noted, and as I had stated before, Abby already had Society, and she had the money to have any glamorous place she desired, while the Grand Phoenix was Phyllis' baby. If Abby were a good sport, she would back down, even after Phyllis planted her new crop of bones. Financially, it wasn't exactly a fair fight.
Faith is getting to be quite a beautiful young lady who worried about her mother after her cancer surgery when Sharon returned home. And if Sharon didn't already have enough on her plate, Tessa let it slip that Nick had reunited with Phyllis (again). Shoot, Sharon's been wondering why Phyllis had been so chummy with her lately, although that had more to do with Sharon's cancer scare. Sharon was also concerned about her scars, which was a very normal thing to fear. Sharon had always taken care of herself, and she wasn't being the least bit superficial to be concerned about her looks. Yeah, Mariah, Sharon's scars equaled her strength and her bravery, no matter how hokey that sounded. Sharon's beauty on the inside would surely cover any imperfection on the outside.
In the first episode back, the closest I saw anyone get to another character in the new scenes was when Billy stood next to a column in Chancellor Park, a little behind Lily, until Devon and Elena sat on the couch next to each other and kissed. It's interesting to think that both Katherine and Neil were proudly looking down on Devon, as Elena and later Amanda both claimed. We all need guardian angels, and those would be two of the best.
Summer was right to just accept her mom and dad's reunion. Nick and Phyllis were going to do whatever they wanted to do, anyway. As Summer said, there are worse things than a Phick reunion -- and we are all aware of that, especially during these tough times.
It was pretty obvious that Elizabeth Hendrickson was out on maternity leave (congratulations!) when all we got from Chloe were her pregnancy food cravings (and antacid) texts to Kevin. Because of that, Esther and Kevin had some tender moments together, which were very sweet.
What a fantastic idea for Sharon to help Faith with her book report on Little Women. Not only is that a good reason for some mother/daughter bonding time, but it will give Sharon something to keep her mind off her fight against cancer for a while.
Who would have thought that Sharon and Victoria would become friends, especially after Sharon's past with Nick? Sharon's been needing a real girlfriend for many years, so I really hope this sticks.
And I hope that "Bixby" contains old movies of the Abbotts when they were children. Wouldn't those be fun to watch?
While, as Nikki stated, Genoa City was not a sleepy little town, George claimed that it was a beautiful town. Welcome back, Y&R!
Until next time, please stay tuned. And take care and please stay safe!
Teddi
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