That's what Phyllis hoped anyway -- that tomorrow was another day with a chance of winning the love of her husband back. You know, Phyllis reminds me a lot of Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind. Not only are "Red" and Scarlett adorned with such vivid and vibrant names, but both ladies also believed the grass to be greener on the other side of the fence, and after they found, to their dismay, that it wasn't, their leaps were cut in midstride once they tried to jump back. When it came to affairs of the heart, Ms. Summers and Miss O'Hara (oh, all right, Mrs. Hamilton Kennedy Butler) misjudged badly and ended up losing the very thing they had sought so hard to get, which was a true, deep, loyal, and abiding love.
With Ashley Wilkes, Scarlett put all her faith and adoration into something that had never existed. In a sense, she wasted many years on something that never really was. Even if Ashley had really loved her, as Scarlett had wished, she would never have been happy. Her strengths always completely bulldozed over his weaknesses. Scarlett would have gotten bored ordering Ashley around and would eventually have grown weary of the simpering fool. The spark that fueled Scarlett's desire was that she wanted what she couldn't have. But isn't that what I have been saying about Phyllis and Billy all along? Well, for Billy anyway. For Phyllis, their affair was simply an escape of the nightmare known as Marco, and Jack was just too much of a reminder. So, just as Scarlett tried to capture the nonexistent love of a man who was no good for her, Phyllis also ran to an illusion she had created in her own mind. And in both cases, that ended up being their downfall.
It's strange that their relationships almost mirrored each other too. While Scarlett continued to chase after Ashley, even as Rhett offered Scarlett her heart's desire, Red ran away from Jack's neverending devotion, straight into Billy Boy's arms. And both Ashley and Billy were too self-involved to turn the fiery ladies away. Ashley could have stuck to his guns and turned Scarlett away for her own good, but he kept leading her on by keeping quiet about being totally devoted to Melanie. And Billy...oh, my gosh. He has given a whole new definition to the word selfish. It was like Billy never really considered Phyllis or her feelings at all. He didn't care that Phyllis still loved Jack, even after she admitted it numerous times. Billy only wanted to get the win over his brother, and as a result, all three of them -- Billy, Jack and Phyllis -- became the losers.
A quality Phyllis shares with Scarlett, though, is stubbornness, and I don't see Phyllis backing down anytime soon. Not as long as there are more tomorrows to give her hope. I was crossing my fingers that her strategy of being around Jack at the office would work, but so far, it seems to be backfiring. However, Phyllis doesn't appear to be ready to throw in the towel just yet, even though Jack is making it very difficult for her. I mean, just what does the lady have to do to melt the gentleman's heart? (Not cheating on him in the first place would have been a good start, I guess.) I still think she should have decorated her little hovel with pictures of happier days they had shared together, but seriously, I doubt if Jack would trudge his way down into that deep, dark dungeon to see her anyway.
But Jack had no qualms about sending his sister Ashley into Phyllis' "cozy, little closet" to work on an innovative strategic marketing plan to counter the competition from Brash & Sassy. As much as the two butt heads, Phyllis and Ashley are two brilliant, independent ladies who wouldn't mind kicking some rear and taking names. And Phyllis and Ashley had Phyllis' new gift from Summer, a figurine elephant, to give them much-needed luck, although most of the luck would be needed to keep the two fiery women from killing each other.
However, Phyllis seemed a bit distracted by Jack's distraction, which was due to some mysterious messages from some unknown person. How sneaky and clever of Phyllis to hack into Jack's computer so she could keep tabs on everything he was doing. After all, she had to use any method available to regain the love and trust of her man, since she was the underdog in the fight. You know the saying "All's fair in love and war," and Phyllis was taking that completely to heart, since it was appropriate for both. Phyllis could score points both professionally and personally by following Jack online and offsite. She definitely had the right look as she watched Jack meet with the stranger in the park to swap suitcases. I loved the sunglasses. So ultra-chic and perfect for her mission. Phyllis looked the part of the secret agent, sans trench coat. She is truly proving to be "resourceful and invaluable."
After Ashley caught on that Phyllis was the hacker, Phyllis had to come clean and change her approach to make amends with Jack. And what better way than to join him in bringing Victor down? Hey, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. With two such powerful forces, Victor will have his hands full. If Jack and Phyllis had worked together as an avenging team against Victor in the first place, they probably wouldn't be headed to divorce court. Phyllis turned to Billy because she had thought her husband didn't understand, so if his mindset had been then what it is now, more than likely, there would have been no affair, and Red wouldn't now be a scarlet woman. It's rather ironic now that Jack and Phyllis have the same agenda and goal.
Victor was fully aware there was a target on his back and was pretty certain Jack's arrow was aimed, dead center, at the bull's-eye. Again, Victor used Summer to try to gain information through her mother, but his granddaughter was no help. For someone who claims to love his family so dearly, Victor continually uses them as tools and weapons in his battles. It's already obvious Victor considers his wife, children, and grandchildren as property, but it almost seems like he looks at them as things sometimes too. But no matter, as Victor prepared again for war with his very secretive phone call.
Back to Billy...what is going on with that guy? He just seems to sink farther and farther into his own ego. First, he loved Phyllis so much that he didn't care that their affair would end up hurting her. Then, in an instant, Billy's totally concerned about Victoria's relationship with Travis. Why? I thought he loved Phyllis with his whole heart and soul. If that's the case, why can't Billy let his ex-wife go so she can be happy with her life? Since he seemed to have lost Phyllis, was Victoria now his consolation prize?
Victoria wouldn't want to play second fiddle anyway, but she had already been wise to move on with Travis. Victoria saw that the wonderful chemistry and the laughter she had once shared with Billy was gone...with the wind (and with Billy Miller). Travis can make her smile again, which is something Billy hasn't done in a long time. I don't know about you, but I would rather laugh than cry. I can't blame her for making a new start. When Victoria was at the jail, I found her choice of words interesting when she told Jill she would bail Travis out but that Billy was his mother's problem. Well, of course, why else would Jill be fighting, until the end, to reunite the two? Jill didn't want Billy ending up to be her problem for the rest of her days.
Jill believed the only prospect Billy had for a successful life and career was with Victoria, no matter what the costs were to Jill's ex-daughter-in-law. Jill had seen for herself that Billy was happy and fairly stable with Victoria and wanted to give her son the best chance at life she could give him. That, of course, meant handing over her son's problems to someone else. Jill was tired of fixing Billy's mistakes, and who can blame her? But she should realize that it's time for Billy to grow up and take responsibility for himself and for all the messes he makes. That's the only way Jill will ever rid herself of her trouble named Billy.
However, that didn't stop Jill from her quest to reunite her son with Victoria, as the launch for the new Brash & Sassy drew near. Jill did everything under the sun to get Billy and Victoria alone together, but Victoria sidestepped Jill's every effort. For Jill's toast to Brash & Sassy's new product, BARE, she declared, "To true love. Once you find it, you can never forget it, no matter how hard you try," while her eyes followed Billy, as he walked around the room. Jill was one determined woman. But why did Billy suddenly leave on the elevator, and where was he going? Wouldn't it be funny if his reason was to be the mysterious phone caller on the other end of Victor's phone? But, no, that would be stretching one's imagination a little too far. But it would be interesting to see those two pitted against Jack and Phyllis, wouldn't it? Enemies united to fight against a common foe. Mind-boggling!
Sadly, for Delia, there are no more tomorrows, as her loved ones paid tribute to the girl, who had been wiser than her years, on the anniversary of her death. While Chloe went around proclaiming she had been able to finally move on after her darling daughter's death, we all know that hasn't exactly been true. What Chloe did to Adam proved that much, even if she didn't personally blow up the cabin. Did Chloe get enough vengeance to finally face her life without Delia? Bella should certainly help, as long as Chloe doesn't try to mold Bella into Delia's image. The fact that Chloe had to constantly tell everyone that Bella is her own person was scary enough. It's almost like Chloe had to keep reminding herself of that.
Strangely, all Billy could see was that Chloe had been successful in going on with her life without Delia, just as Billy had not been able to rebuild his own. Billy claimed he could only remember Delia's play, her costume, the dog, and ice cream on that fateful night, while he hoped the ambulance would arrive at the accident scene in time. Billy kept remarking about how Bella was almost the spitting image of Delia, but frankly, my dear, I don't really see it. However, because I really want this story to get going, I can suspend my disbelief and pretend I see the resemblance, so yes, Billy, Delia and Bella could practically have been twins in regards to looks.
Billy also recollected the time when Chloe had requested his sperm in order to try to recreate another Delia, but then Victoria entered the room and interrupted his chain of thought. Rats! I hope this story doesn't drag on forever. We have already waited a long time for this to unravel. Could Chloe possibly give Billy hope and the chance of being a good father to another one of her daughters? Would this wake Billy up and help him to finally grow up and think of the consequences of his actions? Nothing else has worked so far.
It was no surprise Chelsea was mourning again over the death of the precious girl, since all it took to remind her of Delia was to look into Connor's eyes. But Chelsea shouldn't feel guilty about the fact that her son was alive and Chloe's daughter wasn't. Chelsea had nothing to do with Delia's death. Chelsea was only guilty of not seeing that Chloe had not completely healed over her loss, and unfortunately, Chelsea ended up losing Adam because of it. I'm glad Nick is with Chelsea, since she will need his strong and caring shoulder to lean on when the truth comes out about Adam's "death." And please, please, please let the truth come out sometime in the near future.
The biggest surprise on the anniversary of Delia's death came from Victor, but I guess I shouldn't have been all that shocked. Victor always had a place in his heart for the adored child. Other than the mustache, Victor isn't all that much like Clark Gable, but he has a lot in common with Rhett Butler when it comes to the sweet, innocent babes. Bonnie Blue had Rhett wrapped around her cute little finger, and Victor showed he was willing to do anything for Delia, even though she was only his step-grandchild. What's even weirder was that not only was there not a lick of Newman blood in the young girl, but Delia was the biological daughter of Billy Boy Abbott, the guy Victor looks down at in contempt and disgust. So Victor does get a little credit for not holding Delia's parentage against her.
And speaking of questionable parentage, a bipolar-medicated Sharon still found herself spinning out of control after Patty said that the cat got her tongue -- only under the condition that Sharon could grant Patty her freedom. Mariah, again, pleaded with her mother to reveal the truth so she would have better control of the outcome, but Sharon would have none of it. Instead, Sharon came up with a cockeyed, cockamamie scheme to get Patty transferred far, far away to never-never land. She just had one itsy-bitsy, teeny-weeny little detail, though. Somehow, Sharon had to convince Paul that Patty was dangerous to herself and to others. Good luck with that. As much as Paulie loves his Patty Cake, that's going to be a tough order.
I absolutely love any scene Doug Davidson's Paul is in with Stacy Haiduk's Patty. Doug does some of his best acting in those scenes. You can always see Paul's eyes get a little teary-eyed with sorrow over seeing his sister trapped within the confines of her mental illness. Paul wants so badly to help the little sis he has protected throughout the years, and he is frustrated that he is unable to. I am never sorry when Patty returns to our screens, because I know we will be able to witness more of Doug's excellent acting. Who knows? Maybe Mr. Davidson will be nominated again this year for another Daytime Emmy award.
Sharon won't be able to cover up her dirty little secret much longer, especially since Nick was unknowingly under the same roof as his biological son. So, while Sharon tried to keep Nick preoccupied with busy work, such as addressing and stamping birthday party thank-you notes, Mariah was the one playing hide-and-seek with Paul at Patty's facility. I can't believe Patty fell for Sharon's plan to have Patty use her own brand of "inner crazy" in order to get the kitty lady transferred to another, supposedly less secure, institution. Even with all her delusions, Patty is a smart little cookie. She should have suspected something was up when Mariah told her Sharon practically wanted to send her as far away as Timbuktu.
You know all of Sharon's plotting will end up blowing up in her face and destroying her marriage to Dylan once he learns the truth. And by golly, it appears the truth will be revealed sooner than later with the news that Steve Burton will be leaving the show once his contract is up in December. Sharon had better enjoy living in her dream world while she can. She doesn't need a prophet to tell her that the end is near. Sharon's world is about to implode, and it's a good thing she still has Mariah nearby. Nick won't feel so close to Sharon once he realizes the reason for Sharon's sudden desire to be a matchmaker for him and Chelsea.
Please tell me -- just who is that woman calling herself Mrs. Devon Hamilton? I swear, she's the spitting image of Hilary, but no. That can't be Hilary. She almost seemed sincere as she tried to put a positive spin on the new and improved GC Buzz. But surely, that's only a mirage in the heat of all the filth and sludge mucked up within Brash & Sassy. Why, it's almost as big a charade as Ashley's deep love for Scarlett in Gone with the Wind. Hilary will show her true colors again, and in fact, we saw them peek out briefly when she started her "Brash & Sassy or Bruised and Nasty" story. Devon did his best Jiminy Cricket impersonation of being Hilary's conscience, but only time will tell how long that will last. Devon had better hope he has enough money for a lifetime to keep his wife in line.
Money may not be enough to placate Hilary, however, after she read the fans' comments regarding GC Buzz's videocast about Brash & Sassy. "Snoozefest." "Boring." Yeah, I would say those pretty much hit the nail on the head. Okay, maybe Hilary could have lived with that, but for "the trolls" to insinuate that Hilary was talentless and humorless when compared to the last host? Well...she almost flipped her lid. How dare they?! You know it won't take any time at all for Hilary to revert back to type as a nasty, vindictive, and manipulative gossipmonger. Are you kidding? That type of job was just made for her. Hilary could be a star. If that were to happen, Devon wouldn't have enough money to stop Hilary in her tracks.
And if stardom is what Hilary's shooting for, she had best stayed glued to Billy's side, because he's practically a ratings shoo-in. With Jill cheerleading her son's reunion with Victoria, something juicy is bound to happen. There would be no puff and fluff with Travis still in the picture. It's no wonder Hilary waited with bated breath every time she saw Billy and Travis anywhere near each other at the roll-out. The sleazy side of Hilary was just waiting to jump out again to grab the news, the glory, and especially the dirt. Let the mud-slinging begin.
Apparently Billy's vision was, at long last, clearing when he admitted to Jill that he looked into the mirror at his bloodshot eyes and saw the mess he had made of his life. Even if he said it wasn't exactly a moment of clarity for him, Billy finally saw what almost every other person in Genoa City has been seeing for quite some time.
Abby was torn with confusion over her feelings for Ben, which is a pretty real thing. It's natural for a person to be mixed up about being in love with someone versus being in love with love. Abby claimed not to know what love felt like, but she didn't need to have "the thunderbolt" moment to indicate she was in love. There are all different types of "real love," and it's possible she really was in love with Ben. Thunderbolts striking could indicate a hot passion that could be easily extinguished with time, while a true love will endure. Just ask Phyllis.
Kevin was the one to reach out to Mariah after Chloe indicated she needed alone time with Bella on the anniversary of Delia's demise. It's a good thing Kevin still cherishes his friendship with Mariah, because he's probably going to need it down the line when Chloe breaks his heart again. It's just a matter of time.
It was nice seeing Esther and Jill playing nice and bonding together as they remembered their precious granddaughter. Delia must have been smiling as she gazed down on them from the clouds.
I can almost picture darling Delia standing hand-in-hand with Adam up in heaven. I say almost, since I am hoping that one day, Adam will turn up very much alive again in our fair city.
Until next time, please stay tuned.
Teddi
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