Love the close moments! (Soaps.com)

August 11th-15th (Warning! Contains content from Friday, August 15th episode!)

Well, I started the week off confused about Nikki proclaiming to the FBI that she is Mrs. Victor Newman. Guess that’s how she thinks of herself, whether Victor likes it or not! I was also taken aback by Jill’s tepid response to finding out about the fix Cane is in. This woman lives for the moment she gets to unleash her inner rage on someone, but she barely raises an eyebrow when Cane relates how Chloe has ruined his life?! Where was the Chloe/Jill showdown featuring an irate Jill in ‘mother bear’ mode warning the little gold digger she has messed with the wrong family etc, etc? I’m loving the conflict over Newman Enterprises though! Here’s how the week looked to me:

The Jabot Intrigue: I was glad to see Nikki confront Brad and Jill and hold her own. She’s been downtrodden enough. It was fabulous to see Traci – they should make her comeback permanent! I thought Ashley should have been there though. The stockholder’s meeting was ridiculous, with no one making a peep about the blatant nepotism of Jill appointing Cane, never mind his non-existent experience! At least Brad got up and walked out in protest! It looks like the best of this tale is yet to come – I can’t wait to see what is in that file he gave Jack! Additionally, if Jack decides to throw in with Jeffrey and Gloria, this is going to get even juicier! Mostly because Peter Bergman (Jack), Judith Chapman (Gloria), and Ted Shackleford (Jeff) create magic in their scenes together!

Phyllis and Sharon: So, the viewers complain that these two are being too nice to one another, and the writers fix it by giving them both permanent PMS?! They seem to be snarking over the small stuff, and it’s irritating, rather than creating viable conflict. How about Phyllis throwing Amber out of the penthouse? Her over-the-top hatred of Amber is hard to understand, given that once she was a lot like her. I say to Phyllis, “Be careful! You could end up with the endlessly bitter and snippy Colleen as a replacement!”

Cane/Lily/Chloe: Cane! Why not ask the doctor how far along the pregnancy is and shed some more light on this mystery?! Don’t get me started about Lily nobly telling her betrothed that he must now marry Chloe! Who would do that in this day and age?! Yeesh! Katherine was the only one making sense this week – Hello? You can marry Lily and still be a part of the baby’s life! Heck, go for custody even! And what’s up with Neil and Devon? Boy, did those holier-than-thou guys ever turn on a dime once the DNA results rolled in! It’s sure gonna’ be awkward if Cane somehow proves he was telling the truth all along!

Tyra/Ana: Of course, now we know that Ana is the sketchy Yolanda’s daughter, not Tyra’s at all. That’s one kid that will be singing the blues when she finds out the truth! I’m just wondering how Neil fits into all of this? Will he be forced to adopt Ana to keep her safe? Will he marry Tyra for good measure? It is nice, though, for Devon to get a real sibling. The problem is, it’s hard to get too excited about it – I think it might have something to do with Devon having such an off-putting personality. Just my opinion.

The Case of the Missing Mogul: Kudos to the writers! They’ve had Soaps.com readers guessing all week long who Victor was calling, as well as the identity of the man that Victor was looking for in Mexico. Turns out it’s Walter he’s there to find – that works for me! I’m anxious to see what information will come out when Victor and Walter face-off. Still no reveal on who Victor is keeping in contact with – I’m on the proverbial edge-of-my-seat waiting to find that out! Now that Paul has discovered Victor’s location, I wonder who will be seedy-bar bound? Here’s hoping the writers do us proud with some good old-fashioned intrigue and danger!