Who walked in?

Restless Rant for August 10 – 14:

There have been too many letdowns and too many characters acting unlike themselves to further plot-driven stories in Genoa City recently. We’re beginning to wonder if there are more doppelgangers on the loose. “The Young and the Restless” is also paling in comparison to sister soap, “The Bold and the Beautiful,” which is a comedown for the once-iconic soap. Thoughts:

The killer revealed.
After all these months of the dreadful cabin killer storyline centered around the deaths of two characters viewers didn’t really care about, the big payoff is that a recurring character, a detective we’ve barely seen in months, is revealed as the killer? Doing the bidding of a South American drug lord no less? Ugh. Adding insult to injury, Harding is actually a character that many felt had the potential to be developed into a main player, unlike so many of the characters currently featuring despite not ‘clicking’ with the fans. A fail all around, and we’re not even surprised.

Paragon Project.
Regardless of who ends up being behind this plot we never heard of before, the idea that Victor put a diabolical plan into motion that would put Jack’s life in grave danger and put Phyllis at the mercy of Marco, a dangerous criminal, based on an assumption is nothing short of insulting to the character. Now that Victor knows Jack wasn’t behind it (because he asked Phyllis!), he is accusing every Abbott that walks through his office door of being the mastermind behind the plot. Seriously? Perhaps there is a Victor doppelganger too because it’s basically inconceivable to think that the all-knowing Victor Newman wouldn’t have been able to pinpoint exactly who was behind the Paragon Project as soon as he learned of its existence. The fact that after all of these months he still is floundering around with no idea who he’s up against is kind of unfathomable. Also, as we’ve said before, Victor never would have put Phyllis in the position he did knowingly – in the past his plots have cost others dearly, but it’s always been when things have spun out of his control. The whole doppelganger storyline gets more obnoxious the more you consider it.

Not up to hearing it.
So, is Abby too self-centered or too vacant-headed to give Stitch intelligent and compassionate feedback on his troubles? It’s odd to write her as ‘killing it’ as a C.O.O. and savvy enough to bluff her way through meetings and conventions, yet not able to do the same in her relationship – she’s either on the ball or she’s not. Either way, as we’ve known all along, he’s better with Ashley, who can ‘handle’ his adult issues and doesn’t just try to distract him with sex.