Poor Jill! She kept trying so hard to believe that Colin could change and become the man who was worthy of her love, but it was just never meant to be. Why do women always think they change the men they love? It rarely happens. So, Jill discovered Colin was still the two-bit con man he has always been, which totally and literally broke her heart, only this time she didn't just have heartburn. Yes, Jill suffered a heart attack at the same time her heart was shattered to pieces, which, I guess, is apt and quite appropriate, considering it was Valentine's Day. It was also sad and ironic, since a lady's heart should be bursting with love on that very special day, and Jill's was only...well, bursting. How could Colin do this again to Jill? And how could Jill ever expect that he wouldn't?
Jill was absolutely ready and willing to pay the big bucks for Fenmore's, if only to get Jack's clawing paws off of it. She was even ready to take all of her retirement funds out to put toward getting majority ownership of Fenmore's -- if she'd had any retirement money left, that is. It was such a sight to see the expression on Jill's face when she realized that Colin had screwed her again by wiping out all of her personal accounts. How could she ever trust someone who would leave her in such dire straits? Colin constantly claims he loves Jill, but he has a funny way of showing it. In Colin's world, Jill's love always has a fee payable to him attached.
I had to give Jill credit when she admitted in the hospital that she had always known Colin would never change. She just thought he would never target her for his cons. Silly girl. But Jill's heart attack was not silly and was not only a wake-up call for Jill to fully understand what her husband was capable of, but also of her actual physical condition. As much as Jill denied it, she had heart disease and needed to do whatever was necessary to recover and to make adjustments in her schedule to help her live a fairly normal life. Of course, Jill was scared. Who wouldn't be? But Jill's always been a fighter, and she was in the fight of her life.
Jill needed to be realistic about her heart problems and about Colin, especially if he was a hindrance to her recovery. As much as she loved Colin, he was harmful to her health. And even though Colin loved Jill, he couldn't help but hurt her both financially and physically. It was just in his nature. Colin and Jill had been able to laugh off her prior heartburn, but heart disease is no laughing matter. Jill's condition was serious enough to involve stents. Since heart disease is the leading cause of death for women, it was time to take it seriously. Thankfully, Jill had her loved ones to help her realize the gravity of her situation.
Jill's crisis has certainly given the fans an education about heart disease. After Billy revealed that an estimated 44 million women in the world are affected by cardiovascular disease, Jill quipped that she had always believed she was one in a million. It was good that Jill could still joke at such a serious time. A positive attitude is essential for healing. The reason why Jill had not known she had suffered a heart attack was that the symptoms for women are different than for men, and sometimes the symptoms can mimic the symptoms of another medical affliction. Jill was fortunate the doctors diagnosed her problem while she still had time to adjust her diet and exercise. Some people aren't so lucky. Jill would need to limit her stress and alcohol also. No more wild parties for Jill. And she would need to back off her battle with Jack, who had other things to worry about anyway.
G-L-O-R-I-A, Gloria. Jack had shouted it all night, and now he would like to shout it every place -- in anger and frustration. Somehow, I doubt if The Shadows of Knight had imagined this kind of spin would be put on the lyrics of their song. But really, what's a poor blackmailed sap to do? After all, Jack is the cause of his own headache. When he was pouring down all that liquor, he never dreamed his wild, passionate romp in the darkness would turn into his most frightening nightmare. The memories could be enough to haunt him for the rest of his life. But Jack only has himself to blame. His former stepmother is crafty, and she's not above taking advantage of each and every favorable opportunity that comes her way. And Jack handed her the goose that lays the golden eggs.
Not that being Jabot's receptionist was all that glamorous, but Gloria had bigger things in store. She was certainly on the bottom rung of the ladder with her newly acquired position, yet she intended on climbing and clawing her way up to the top. And nothing seems to faze Gloria at all. Come on, everyone knows that there is no love lost between Gloria and Jack, and in fact, they were, at one time, bitter enemies. So, of course, anyone who knows their history would be wondering what Gloria has on Jack. It wouldn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that Gloria was holding something over Jack's head. Or a receptionist either. That observation would be as plain as the nose on one's face. But Gloria doesn't care, as long as she gets what she wants, even if it is only as the person answering the phone at Jabot. Why, Gloria doesn't even have a closet office.
So, where does that leave Jack? He finally thought he was moving on from Phyllis by putting all his focus on the new kingdom he had created with the merger of Jabot and Fenmore's. Even if he only had 49% of Fenmore's, he made it perfectly clear he would not be a silent partner, and with also being in control of Jabot, Jack had the power. But there was no glory for Gloria in Jack's world, and the very vocal vixen made it clear she wanted her place at Jabot. The only way Jack could keep the muzzle on the sly fox was to give Gloria what she craved. But you know she will only want more. There's no denying it. Honestly, as the former owner of Gloworm, I thought being the Athletic Club manager would have been perfect for Gloria. She could have mingled with the upper class as she tried to blend in with high society. But apparently, being a receptionist trumped that. Go figure.
Even with all the voices (including Jack's) in her head calling (or shouting, in Jack's case,) "Gloria," I would say that everyone had her number. The late, great Laura Branigan could almost have been singing about her, if the song wasn't from back in the 80s. Gloria's innocence slipped away years ago, and it wasn't coming back anytime soon. Hey, she had even been willing to marry for the money to achieve her goal of becoming Jabot's receptionist. It's all been just a little weird. But once Gloria planted herself at the front desk of Jabot, along with her numerous potted plants, nothing was going to unearth her. Her roots were entrenched firmly into the ground, and she wasn't going to let even Ashley dig her out.
Jack had been becoming just a teensy-weensy bit tyrannical, so the return of Gloria has given his character some welcomed humor, whether he wanted it or not. Gloria's plots always fail, so it's just a matter of time when her keister will be tossed out of Jabot -- again. Yeah, although the humor between Jack and Glo may be welcomed, Michael and Kevin's mother certainly has not been. But with Gloria come some chuckles. I mean, Chloe couldn't carry all the comedy by herself with her one-liners. It's funny how two people who are associated with Kevin, Chloe and Gloria, have the funniest lines. Actually, three if you count Michael. There was one exchange between Michael and Gloria from years ago that had me cracking up like crazy. I just wish I could remember exactly what it was. Oh, and I can't forget the funny scenes between Kevin and Mariah. Hmmm...there seems to be a common thread here by the name of Kevin. Now with Gloria back, Kevin should be showcased with her more. We can always use a good laugh.
Back to Chloe, I had speculated that Y&R brought her back to Genoa City because they were carrying a terrific storyline in their hip pocket, and I have been waiting for the writers to pull it out, dust off the lint, and use it, since her return. Okay, maybe they were waiting for some time to pass after the whole Sully/Christian upheaval, since that also featured a question about paternity (and even maternity, in that case.) But since, apparently, there won't be a big reveal or fallout from Adam actually being Christian's biological dad, there's no reason not to kick-start Chloe's "Whose the daddy?" storyline back into gear.
I give Chloe credit for admitting, right up front, that Kevin is not Bella's father -- unless, of course, he really is. But I don't think he is, since Chloe had so desperately wanted a Delia 2.0 before she left town. Or because Chloe had been so determined to have Billy's child, maybe she's just convinced herself that Bella is an almost clone to the daughter she had loved so dearly and lost, that she denies Kevin is her papa. See, wouldn't this be a great storyline?
If Billy were to learn he was Chloe's baby daddy, at least he could stop bouncing back and forth between Victoria and Phyllis. The continuous flip-flopping is starting to make my head hurt. It truly does seem like he's just waiting for one of them to give in. The first one to do so is the winner. Or the loser. Billy is a complex character, so he needs more to do than to just sit around and wait for one lady to crack. Billy's more of a mover and a shaker, even if his actions can leave the earth quaking a bit at times. Being Victoria's henchman at Brash & Sassy does not do Billy's character justice. It's possible that if his focus suddenly shifted to Bella, Billy may achieve his heart's desire of attracting Victoria's attention again.
So, now that Billy and Phyllis' tryst in the elevator didn't happen and he went back to pursuing Victoria, could the former "Red" have an interest in the obviously younger Ravi? The tech guru sure seems to have a thing for older women, and Phyllis could make for an interesting "cougar." Ashley may even wake up and smell the cappuccino as to Ravi's true desire. Gloria even pointed out to Ashley that it was Ravi and Phyllis' first date! Oh, yes, Gloria can always be counted on to stir up the trouble. But Phyllis and Ravi could really shake it up on the dance floor. No wonder they caught Billy's eye.
Jack sure didn't seem all that pleased with the idea of Phyllis being on a date. I think Ashley hit the nail on the head when she tried to pound into Jack's head that he missed Phyllis, no matter how much he denied it. Nothing seems to be going Jack's way these days. Maybe he should turn to Billy's vice, gambling, since he has no luck when it comes to the affairs of the heart. You know, lucky in cards, unlucky in love. At least, then, he would have something going on. Ashley keeps hounding her brother at work, so he has no peace of mind there. Jack might be better off turning back into Mr. Nice Guy in the hope that something will finally go his way.
I can't really blame Jack for not wanting to let Fenmore's go for the bottom dollar. Look at the price he had to pay to just get 49% of it -- Gloria forever breathing down his neck. Jack truly deserves to skyrocket the cost for that alone. And he's absolutely right that the value of something is what someone else is willing to pay for it. It's the same concept for all types of auctions also. Even if you see an item listed at a certain price on eBay, that doesn't necessarily mean that is what it's worth, until someone actually bids on it or buys it at that price. If Jill is willing to throw the top dollar at Fenmore's, that's what it is worth to her at that time. This could be such an interesting hypothesis to further research. Calling Ravi to the rescue to crack another code!
And have no fear -- Ravi had no interest in Phyllis, other than as a fellow coworker, since his heart still belonged to Ashley. Ashley and Ravi are sweet together, but there is that somewhat huge age difference. Ashley might be one of those rare soap characters who tends to get younger as the years go by. I know that would tend to happen with Erica Kane of All My Children. Erica never aged, and I suspect the same affliction has grasped our Ashley. Sure, she is still older than Ravi, but probably not as much as she should be. There was no SORASing in this case. I am certain Ravi appreciated John's nickname for Ashley. "My beauty." Ravi probably wishes he could call her that.
While Ravi's romantic desire eluded him, Cane's professional dream escaped him. I do feel bad for Cane. He even had both Jill and Lily on his side at Brash & Sassy, but in the end, it didn't really matter. The big bucks called the shots, which left him pretty much empty-handed. I thought it was outrageous, though, when Victoria was outraged that Cane and Billy had scheduled a photo shot without her permission. She wasn't the owner at the time. She had no reason to expect that. Victoria said she wanted Cane to be a team player, but I didn't see a lot of that coming from her either. And Billy just sat next to her as her handy-dandy yes-man. He's too good for that. Surely, he can find other, more interesting things to do than to just be at her beck and call.
If Cane doesn't watch out, he's going to lose the very thing that many people search their entire lives for -- the love of an adoring and supportive spouse. Sure, the earrings were gorgeous, but Lily wanted the attention of the man she loved on their anniversary, which also happened to be Valentine's Day, and she was unable to get it. Sad. Cane really needed to leave work at work for their romantic dinner. I find it rather ironic that Billy would be the one to say he only cared about things that mattered, which did not include work. But that did not impress the "stone cold" Victoria, who just pushed Billy away again. It was almost a bizarre triangle with Victoria and Cane pursuing Brash & Sassy, while Billy and Victoria continued to play their cat-and-mouse game with Lily looking in from the outside.
When I heard Billy use the term "stone cold," I couldn't help but be reminded of another "stone cold" soap character. Spinelli actually awarded the nickname of "Stone Cold" to Jason Morgan of General Hospital. Hmmm...the soap Jason Thompson left as Patrick Drake to come to Y&R to play Billy Abbott. And the current "Stone Cold" on GH had once been the face of Y&R's Billy Abbott. And the original "Stone Cold," the one Spinelli gave the nickname to, just left Y&R as Dylan McAvoy. It's just a vicious, never-ending cycle, isn't it?
Wasn't it funny that once Victoria called Billy out on what he believed his future role at Brash & Sassy would be, he went running to Nick, complaining of the same thing Cane had? Billy had really thought he and Victoria would walk hand in hand, forever together as equal partners, at the company Victoria had just bought on her own. How unrealistic can he be? Once he realized they would just be employer/employee, then Billy saw Victoria as her father's daughter, who had sabotaged Billy and Cane and left totally them in the dark for the buyout. It was good enough for Cane, but it was an absolutely atrocious act in regards to Billy. Okay.
Victoria didn't waste any time taking her victory dance over to Victor's. And Victoria seemed perplexed that Cane and Billy were not happy about her being their new boss. Of course, Victor just saw Billy's displeasure as being another reason for Victoria to dump Billy Boy. Leave it to Victor. However, Victoria and Nikki only saw the double standard that if a female executive made a tough decision, she was a "cold and unfeeling" bitch, while a man would be looked at as being strong in business. That's been going on for years, although it has improved somewhat. I have had my share of male and female bosses, but I only look at the leadership they provide to their employees. Maybe one day, this type of view will become the norm rather than the exception to the rule in the corporate world.
Victor had rather an impromptu dinner party, and all the Newmans were invited -- except for Noah, who crashed the party as Abby's guest. Apparently, even though Noah's bartender status didn't rate high enough to get a Newman party invitation, his Newman name was enough reason for Noah to unexpectedly join the festivities. Chelsea had the Newman name, also, so she was excused for her sudden appearance with Nick. Faith was unhappy with seeing Nick and Chelsea kiss, so she asked Nikki, at the last minute, if Faith could request that her mother attend also. Really, what was the point of the invitations, if anyone could just pop in anyway?
Faith was not happy seeing her dad and Chelsea kiss and act like a couple, and you really can't blame her. Her parents have been on a merry-go-round with their romances, and it must be confusing for such a young girl, especially since their relationships seem to always be on a roller coaster ride of highs and lows. If she uses Nick and Sharon as examples, Faith will never know the thrill of finding that one and only love of her life. When Faith voiced her concern to her grandfather, Victor acknowledged that "matters of the heart can be very difficult, very complicated sometimes." Jill would know that better than anyone.
Man, Ravi went way overboard with decorating Phyllis' former closet office with the hearts, didn't he? How heartbreaking it must have been for him to hear Ashley call Valentine's Day an overhyped non-holiday.
I wonder if Chelsea's "liquid magic" could be a cure for Nick's sick bartender. She sure took the club by storm. Chelsea should be careful about the power of her potion, though. That drunk dude sure had "the hots" for her, toddler puke and all. No wonder Chelsea joked with Nick about her potential dreamboat afterward.
Did Noah and Chelsea really think Nick would choose his son over his prospective girlfriend or vice versa in the bartending mix-off? Naturally, it had to end up in a tie. Nick would have been crazy to pick one over the other.
After Ravi commented that online dating was done by trial and error, Phyllis had it right when she added, "and error and error and error." Phyllis has definitely seen her share of mistakes in all her "trials."
Sometimes Jack looks like the cat that ate the canary, when he's the one who should be worried about being gobbled up. He had that same look when he automatically assumed Victoria had fired Billy once she bought out Brash & Sassy. You know what they say about people who assume, Jack. It can make an "ass" out of "u" and "me." (I saw Tony Randall's Felix spell that out on an episode of The Odd Couple.)
I am actually okay with the new opening credits. I do rather miss the mysterious lady walking sleekly in her slinky dress at the beginning, but at least they kept her at the end. And I appreciate the color and the additional shot added for each actor shown. It was a little weird seeing Phyllis back to being "Red," though. Still, nice job, Y&R!
Until next time, please stay tuned.
Teddi
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