Restless Rant
Week of February 15 – 19:

Hoo boy! There’s certainly been a lot going on in Genoa City this week. The Young and the Restless is definitely keeping it interesting as numerous storylines are threatening to break wide open! Snippets of romance were once again spotted, particularly on Monday (thank you Michael and Lauren), and there’s even been some comic relief. The writers seem to be trending toward the gothic/outlandish big stories again, though. Here’s how it all looked from this end:

Beach Blooper: Wasn’t it great how Jack bluffed his way through the major blooper of being caught taking his new bride to the same resort where he’d previously holidayed with Sharon?! How funny was it when Sharon raised her eyebrow in amazement as Jack claimed to all and sundry that he and Sharon didn’t have a happy time there anyway?! Funny!

Imposter in Paradise: Well, Jack may have inadvertently married the wrong woman, but between the constant sex, and his wife’s sudden willingness to do his dirty work with him, he’s having the time of his life! Methinks when the switch is revealed, Jackie Boy’s gonna have some ‘splainin’ to do! While at the resort, Patty messed up on numerous points, but Jack was too busy ogling her ‘identical-to-Dr. Pee’ bikini body to notice! Jeeze, don’t these women have different birthmarks or something? I also couldn’t help but wonder if the sex was reminiscent of, oh, I don’t know – sex with Mary Jane Benson (Patty), perhaps?! Anything ringing a bell, Jack?! On the whole, it’s so ludicrous you just have to give in and let it take you where it will…

No More, No More Secrets: So Boy Wonder finds Phyllis’s Harvard ID card and confronts her about it. Let me tell you, I was prepared for the umpteenth rehash of their patented ‘we can never keep secrets from one another again’ argument, but was relieved and gratified when they wound up having a different sort of discussion. Sure, Phyllis started out with that ‘I’m a bad girl, and I’m caught’ look on her face, but they ended up revealing what they’d been keeping from one another, and each understood why the other had done it – end of story. So refreshing not to have another stupid round of making promises they won’t keep! Great, too, that Nick believed her dish on Adam later in the week and actually went and told his father and sister the information – usually soap characters keep everything to themselves until we’re ready to burst with frustration.

Phyllis Newman P.I.: In true Phyllis fashion, she is grittily determined to find the truth about Adam – which will ultimately bite her in the butt, as she will learn that Nick’s child with Sharon is indeed alive. I’m wondering if she’ll be tempted to keep that nugget to herself when she finds out!

And the Walls Close In: Beginning with Patty getting in Adam’s face at the resort, the week went downhill for our resident scoundrel in a big way! What’s really interesting is that the scenes in which he cries, or moans about the mess he’s in to his mother (feeling sorry for himself), don’t make me sympathize with him – instead, they drive home the point that he had a great childhood in spite of Victor’s absence, and there is nothing to justify the horrific things he has perpetrated on others! Just thought I’d point that out in case the writers think the Hope connection is helping to redeem him. That said, Michael Muhney is doing an award-winning job of playing this dastardly character – if he weren’t we wouldn’t all be so wildly anxious to see him brought down! Sharon Case is also giving a great performance as Sharon goes along on this roller coaster ride. I love her facial expressions and body language when she’s exasperated – good stuff!

The Big Guns: Such a sweet scene when Father Todd brought Nina to the hospital to take Paul on an outing! I loved the way he ran to her and hugged her on sight, as well as their easy interaction in the movie theater. I still don’t feel any sexual chemistry between them, but they sure do have that ‘deep connection’ vibe. Nice.