As time grows near for the changing of the guard for Phyllis from Gina Tognoni back to Michelle Stafford, I must reflect on Ms. Tognoni's time on our beloved soap and what she brought to the character of Phyllis. Even if her hair coloring hasn't always been consistent, Gina Tognoni was able to make "Red" her own character, as she shone with her very own passion, vitality, and...well, yes, stubbornness. Gina's Phyllis was flamboyant to the core, even if she ended up being the one who would sometimes go down in flames. So, though she has aired for the last time, Gina Tognoni's version of Phyllis Summers will not be forgotten.
Come on, even when Phyllis had practically lost everything, she was still scheming and conniving to exact her revenge, no matter if it ended up hurting the ones she loved the most, including herself. Revenge may best be served cold, but nothing about the fiery Red could ever be considered cool. Phyllis tends to be her own worst enemy, and she has never learned from her mistakes. Phyllis didn't seem to care after Lauren pointed it out that she would risk hurting her best friend and her daughter by establishing her Jabot reproduction line with the bargain basement prices on her copycat website. And you know that Jack would love to give Phyllis another chance if she would only help herself. A piece of Jack's heart will always belong to Phyllis, even if she's too willful to see it.
Phyllis doesn't like to lose, and she was determined to make everyone she felt had done her wrong pay. It had to grind her to see Billy moving on with Victoria and for Jack to take charge of Jabot again, two prizes she had already staked as belonging to her. However, it was Billy who had given her the chance to build a brand-new business by handing her the funds she needed, so he found it rather ironic that he had given Phyllis the money to start "a company whose sole purpose was to take down Jabot." Shoot, if Phyllis was bitter about Billy and Jabot, she sure wasn't thrilled to learn about his planned recommitment ceremony with Victoria, where they would be celebrating life, love, and their commitment to each other. And you know she wasn't on the guest list.
Yet, Phyllis could have healed from her pain by pouring all of her energy, focus, and creativeness into something innovative and positive that could have lured in a whole new market in fashion. But instead, she chose to wallow in the negativity of getting even by creating a fraudulent website meant to destroy Jabot. Phyllis could have finally found her way toward happiness instead of carving out a path of destruction and misery, but she was bitter and determined to take everyone she loved or had once loved down with her. As Phyllis stated in her toast, "may each and every one of you get exactly what you deserve" -- and she didn't mean that in a good way. How sad for her.
And on her way down her newly constructed dark trail, Phyllis stumbled upon Adam, who also was bent on getting back at those he thought were keeping him from what he wanted most. Because even though he had never before been intent on being the fatherly role model for his kids, Adam had decided that he should now be the one raising both his children, Christian and Connor. Adam didn't seem too concerned that Nick had been the one constant in Christian's life and that Connor's mommy had been the one who had always been there for the boy. Chelsea had even remarried, and she and Connor had a happy new family with a loving man who had adopted the boy. But Christian and Connor were Adam's, so Adam wanted what Adam wanted, and that was all that mattered.
No, Adam didn't even bother to consider what was best for his sons. He and Phyllis were two souls crashing through the highway of life, but Adam and Phyllis joining forces was surely a devil's bargain, since their only motives were for purely selfish reasons. Red must have grown bored playing with the Abbotts, because she decided to move on to fresh blood -- Nick. Well, okay, Adam enticed her with sweet talk of them both being the "unwelcomed outsider" plus a whole lot of money, but Phyllis held a grudge against Nick, anyway. After all, Phyllis sure wasn't going to get much respect -- or even legitimacy -- if she agreed to partner up with Adam, but maybe she had a shot at success. That was the only thing she could hope to get from their unholy alliance.
Although Victor may have strongly suggested to Adam that he let Christian stay with Nick, there seemed to be more to the story, which made Nick suspicious. As always, Victor goes by his own agenda, especially regarding Adam, who'd already threatened to cut ties with his father (again). Adam claimed he had no stomach for Victor's games, and really, does anyone? Nick grew weary of them ages ago. Victor's the only one who enjoys playing them. But he has always favored Adam, so why did Victor not jump on Adam's bandwagon to help him gain custody of his son? Could Nick be Christian's biological father, after all? (Weirder things have happened on soaps.)
Nick certainly had no intention of letting "Farm boy" fill the void left by Chelsea and Connor with Nick's son Christian, and he pretty much told Adam that in no uncertain terms at Billy and Victoria's recommitment gala. Now that would be the ultimate human sacrifice, wouldn't it? Aww...Victoria and Billy's gathering would have been so romantic if only Adam and Phyllis hadn't crashed the party. They did rather liven things up, though. If Adam and Phyllis hadn't already felt like "pariahs in paradise," that gathering certainly did the trick. Phyllis decided, then and there, that she needed to be a Phoenix rising from the ashes, probably from all those bridges she had burned, to take control again. And she listed Nick as number one on her acts of betrayal list.
Phyllis and Adam looked to be on the same path; however, they also both seemed to be wearing the same kind of blinders. After all, what would they both have left after it was all said and done? Even if Adam was able to steal custody of Christian away from Nick, it wouldn't guarantee that he would have the boy's love. Plus, it appeared he would never be able to regain what he had once had with Chelsea and Connor. But by also turning on Victor, he almost guaranteed that he will receive a comeuppance from his dad in the future. And Phyllis had always had Summer, Lauren, and Michael at her side, no matter what, but she risked losing them, too, due to her diabolical actions. Seriously, those two are taking a page right out of Victor's script. Well, they learned from the best.
But Adam and Phyllis didn't let a little, piddly thing like a conscience deter them from their goals, by golly. With Phyllis' help, Adam learned that Nick was up to his neck in debt at Dark Horse. So, Adam bought the debt, intending on trading it for Christian. But as much as Nick loves Dark Horse, he would never let his son go. Right? Adam gave Nick 24 hours to decide, but surely he'd choose Christian. Right? Whew, well of course, he did. I shouldn't have been the least bit concerned about that. But Phyllis must have pushed her luck a little too far, since some mysterious guy dressed in black injected her with a needle in the neck. Yeah, like we all didn't know the guy was Kevin. I mean, we knew he was returning to Genoa City.
Kevin's return must somehow involve Chloe, since she still has a grudge against Adam for killing Delia. Kevin and Chloe could feel that kidnapping Phyllis would stop Adam from hurting another innocent child -- Christian. As it happened, Adam was also on the hunt to find Chloe, perhaps as a way to find Chelsea. He's a busy guy. Now that Elizabeth Hendrickson is done with her D.A. gig on General Hospital, the odds are that it won't take long for Chloe to resurface, too. A little bit of Chloe goes a long way, and I'm not sure I'm ready to watch Chloe constantly use Kevin again. He's no saint, but it's always been obvious that he loves her more than she loves him. However, Chloe will certainly stir things up again, plus she does usually have some good one-liners.
Man, what is it about romantic festivities that cause other couples to break down and propose? Although it still concerned a Rosales, this time it was Kyle doing the proposing at Billy and Victoria's ceremony. After Summer flaunted Theo right under his nose, Kyle suddenly couldn't wait to pop the question to Lola. In fact, Lola described Summer as "an emotional vampire," in that the more attention she received from Kyle, the more she craved. Hey, if the fangs fit. But it's just possible that the ploys Summer used to have Kyle notice her were working. Summer could practically smell the blood in the air. Or not, since Kyle was elated when Lola actually said yes. I was surprised, but it's possible that Summer's cravings convinced the saucy girl to accept. That would be rather ironic.
It was rather brave and scary of Kyle to ask Rey for Lola's hand in marriage. And it was so sweet and romantic, too. Very old-fashioned. But that's the way to win a lady's heart, guys. Make her feel special. Kyle knows how much Lola's family means to her, so he included her brother in the talk concerning their union. Still, it all could have gone very wrong. Rey tends to be very judgmental, even though he has no room to talk, going by his prior (and current) relationships. But Rey reluctantly blessed their union, which put Lola on cloud nine.
Just like her mother, if Summer desired something, or in this case, someone it appeared she couldn't have, she was all the more determined to get him, even if he wasn't good for her. Summer and Phyllis were both stubborn, and Summer tried to bait Kyle by clinging to Theo, since her claim that they made a great team didn't seem to carry much weight with Kyle. Although she had caught Kyle's attention earlier by pouring down the liquor, it wasn't the right kind of attention, and Summer's actions proved just how little she cared for her own self-respect. For two beautiful women, Summer and Phyllis didn't look so pretty on the inside, especially drowning in all that booze.
Victor finally admitted to Nikki that he had a rare, life-threatening blood disease, where the red blood cells in his body were being destroyed -- but was that the truth? With Victor, you never know. But that may explain why he has been acting strangely (for Victor) lately. When Nate prompted him, Victor refused to reveal his condition to the rest of his family, and Nate's lips were sealed due to doctor/patient confidentiality. Victor was hoping the treatment would work and there would be nothing to reveal. Besides, Victor wouldn't go down without a fight -- and I'm sure he'd win, just like he defeats every other opponent. I'd certainly bet on him.
Rey saw Adam as an "intense" threat to his relationship as he spied on Sharon with Adam through Adam's window. But even after all of Sharon's denials, Rey just may have something to worry about when it comes to Sharon and Adam. (Hey, I'm hoping, okay?!) At one time, even though it was quite some time ago, Sharon and Adam were very close. It was actually pretty sickening. If Sharon still saw Adam as a damaged soul, and because of that, she felt they were kindred spirits, maybe she wasn't as stable as I thought she was.
I'm still open to a Traci and Cane romance, even with the age difference, since they started out as very good friends. It would be a little scary, though, since Cane could very well be on the rebound, although wouldn't it be interesting to have Lily and Traci dueling it out over Cane? But even Traci had trouble writing Flynn, Iris, and Bella as a triangle in her novel, so it's possible she was trying to protect her own heart. She'd be wise to do that.
I was a little sad to see that Mariah was leaving GC Buzz, but it must have been difficult for her to work there with Hilary no longer around to terrorize her. Shoot, Mariah should put together a thanks-for-the-memories clip of some of the shows she and Hilary did back in the good old days. The GC Buzz fans would love it, and Mariah could witness for herself just how far she has come. But Devon gave Mariah a new goal and mission in life -- running Power Communications. It's always exciting -- and scary -- to start a new project, but I'm sure she's up to the task.
Man, that would be pretty freaky being all lovey-doves to another woman, while the spirit (or vision or ghost) of your deceased wife watched. Just that Devon kept seeing Hilary made it pretty clear that he was not quite ready to move on yet. Grieving will last for as long as it lasts, and he won't be able to rush the healing process. But if Elena was patient enough, it might just work out in the end. Devon may still need more time. Someday, he may see a smiling Hilary right before she fades completely away forever, and then Devon will know he is ready for love again.
Hey, I don't know. For Billy and Victoria's invitations, I rather prefer the wording of "y'all come" over "honor of U." It just sounds so Texan. (Yes, I live in the Lone Star State.)
I couldn't help but notice Phyllis' phrase that Lauren was in bed with Jack, even if she meant business-wise. But, hey, was there just a bit of a spark between Lauren and Jack? Maybe Phyllis knows more than she thinks she does.
And I truly appreciated Adam's wording, when he informed Phyllis that he wanted to set the town on fire and asked if she would be the match to light his gas. Oh, no, they had absolutely no intention of serving a dish cold to anyone.
Abby hit the nail on the head when she described her father as "a riddle wrapped up in a mystery inside an enigma." Oh, that description certainly fits Victor down to a tee.
However, if Abby insists on closing her new club early, when the place is obviously hopping, every time she has an emotional crisis, Society is doomed. Since she's both a Newman and an Abbott, the place would never be open.
One has to wonder why on earth Victor Newman is doing a food pick-up at Society under the name of Mr. Smith. Was he afraid of being poisoned by his own daughter's club?
Being reminded that Adam took Faith from Sharon when the young girl was born gave me the willies and made me angry all over again. I hate baby-swap storylines. They are my least favorite of all, and the one on The Bold and The Beautiful is driving me crazy right now. It's just so stupid. Here's hoping that one will come to an end soon -- and that it will be a long while before another one pops up.
As you probably have figured out by now, in addition to my love of Y&R, I am also a General Hospital fan. I attended the 2019 General Hospital Convention over the weekend, and Michelle Stafford honored her commitment to appear at the event even though she's exited the show. Michelle was as gracious as ever, even claiming, "Daytime television fans are truly awesome." Ms. Stafford, who is even more beautiful in person, was joined in her Q&A session by her good friend and former coworker, James Patrick Stuart (Valentin Cassadine, GH; ex-Will Cortlandt, All My Children), who stated that when he sang his song, "Nothing Without You," at the 2019 GH Nurses Ball, Valentin was not only singing it to Nina, James was singing it also to Michelle, since he knew by then that she was leaving the show. Michelle confided that she was back filming for Y&R, but she wasn't sure when her first air date would be. While the GH fans are truly going to miss her, Y&R fans will surely welcome back Michelle Stafford as Phyllis Summers with open arms.
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