Holding out for a hero

Victor's world finally came crashing down around him. Will he lose the love and support of his wife and his entire family? And even more important (to him), will Victor have to face the loss of the beloved company he holds so near and dear to his heart and that he has treasured above all else? Read Two Scoops as we also wonder, where have all the good men gone?

It seems all the fair maidens in Genoa City are holding out for a hero, but the guys just haven't been quite measuring up lately. I actually heard Bonnie Tyler singing "Holding Out for a Hero" on the radio the other day. When I listened to the words, my first thoughts were of our handsome leading men, and I tried to equate the words with each of their individual qualities. Seriously. It's almost as if my every thought is of The Young and the Restless in my daily, humdrum life.

Okay, I won't go that far, but like Ms. Tyler, I also wondered, "Where have all the good men gone?" That would certainly be the question for Nikki about Victor. Come on, Nikki should have been disillusioned about Victor ages ago. What's taken her so long? We all know Nikki is notorious for blinding herself to Victor's actions. She keeps wanting him to change, but she should have realized by now that he never will.

Nikki is in love with the person she wants Victor to be, not the man he truly is. She can see the potential Victor has, but I believe she is also impressed by his power and by the authority he carries. However, if Nikki is holding out for the hero she believes Victor can be, she's going to be waiting for a long time. Victor doesn't seem to be all that willing to change, even in the name of love. So, don't hold your breath, Nikki. It ain't gonna happen.

The biggest battle Nikki has faced to put Victor up on her pedestal of honor would be that Victor has no conscience. At one time, I thought he must have some sense of morality, but I am beginning to see I was almost as delusional as Nikki. His claim of "for the protection and love of family" has always been his justification for all the rotten deeds he has done. Victor's kin never wanted him to constantly seek battle against the rival Abbott family. It's strange that Victor has never seen that. Or it's probably more that he just doesn't care. I doubt if even Nikki realizes the extreme lengths Victor would go to to get what he wants.

To say Nikki was stunned when she heard about Victor's plot to have Marco impersonate Jack would be an understatement. She knew her husband was manipulative and conniving, but I don't think she saw just how diabolical he could be. It's not like Victor has been hiding that side of his nature under a bushel, though. Au contraire, Victor has always seemed so very proud of every fiendish plot he has ever hatched, especially when it came to pulling one over on the Abbotts. And since he always gets away with his bad acts, Victor has had every reason to believe he was doing the right thing. But anyone with any kind of moral sense would have known better.

I have to say Victor let me down with his fake chest pains that sent him to the hospital. It seemed like the coward's way out. There are many uncomplimentary words to describe Victor, but coward is not one of them. Unless the chest pains were real, of course, but it looked more like he was avoiding a stay in prison. It didn't matter that his entire family worried over him while he lay in his hospital bed. Even after everything Victor has done, his family still loves him -- and that's probably Victor's biggest crime. He tends to use their love against them.

In the jail holding cell with Summer, Victor compared his life to the Robert Frost poem "The Road Not Taken." He pointed out he could have taken the other path and could have simply walked away from his loved ones. Then he pictured their lives without him, where Nikki was a begging, drunken bum who flitted from man to man to get her next drink. Wow, Nikki would be very insulted if she knew that Victor thought so little of her. He believed she would be weak and desperate on her own. Victor's mind is just a wee bit warped in his own little world.

Sadly, Victor has always only seen what he has done for Nikki, never what she has done for him. Nikki has tried to be Victor's conscience, because without her, he has none. Victor only talks about his family and protecting them, but Nikki has actually been the glue that holds them together. Nikki may just have been able to find a man who truly loved her for herself if Victor had trodden down the other path. Although Victor would never believe it, Nikki might have been better off without him.

And Victor felt that both his daughters, Victoria and Abby, would have been very lost if he had deserted them -- they would have jumped into bed with any man that came within their radar. So, let me get this straight -- if Victor had left during the hard times, Nikki, Victoria, and Abby would all have been left with an emptiness that could only be filled with sex. (Oh, and drink in Nikki's case.) Like mother, like daughters, I guess. And Nick would have been ruling Newman Enterprises with an iron fist without a care in the world and with no need to find love in his life. It's rather ironic to think Victor believes his family would have been just like him if he had not been in their lives.

I laughed when Summer stated Victor had always been her hero, the one she looked up to. Summer should have held out a little longer in her search for a hero. Instead of accepting responsibility for the harm he had caused others, including his loved ones, Victor only saw that "unforeseen events sometimes have problematic consequences." Hey, none of the wrongdoing was Victor's fault. Sometimes bad things just happen. At least Victor could claim he was the reason Summer's mother was still alive and well and not in a coma.

However, after Victor talked about all the risks he had taken to save Phyllis, Summer also had a good point when she asked her grandfather how he could have then put her mother's life at risk with the whole Marco debacle. Victor kept trying to whitewash all he had done, but that didn't stop Summer from questioning it. She had always believed that Victor was the warrior who had always slayed the dragons for them. Yet Summer was starting to see her grandpa more as a mercenary who had gone too far and was not willing to say he was sorry. Victor had no remorse because he has always justified every horrible thing he's ever done. That won't change.

In Victor's mind, his entire family would live a life without love -- except for Adam. If Adam had never met his father, he could have lived happily ever after with Chelsea on the farm. But my question is how on earth would Adam even have known Chelsea if Victor had not been around? That would be one huge coincidence for Adam to have met Chelsea in Kansas. He could never have met her in Genoa City, and Victor was the one who played a major part in Chelsea's being there. I guess Victor can have whatever scenario he chooses play out in his head. It's still a bit bizarre, though, that Victor believed Adam would have been happier if he had never met his dad.

I can't believe Victor thought Billy would be a gambling murderer in a world without Victor Newman. Shoot, Victor should have just made Billy Boy a serial killer while he was at it. And Victor noted that Delia would have still been alive because Adam would not have been in Genoa City for the notorious hit-and-run. Boy, if Victor were smart, he'd never mention that to Billy. Actually, Victor could torture Billy with that fact, knowing the pain it would cause the father of a precious, darling girl. But since Victor has no conscience, he simply wouldn't care --unlike Jack who cares too much.

And that has proven, time and time again, to be Jack's biggest downfall: his conscience. Phyllis believed she had found her hero, but sadly, Jack would rather keep the peace -- as well as keep himself out of prison. But Billy is right in that sometimes you just have to throw caution at the wind, especially when it comes to love and to the honor of your woman. Without her "street-wise Hercules to fight against the odds," Phyllis found the courage, on her own, to face the shame of not having seen through Marco, since Jack had been unable or unwilling to help her. Jack has always been one of my favorite characters, but he has let Phyllis (and me) down. Not exactly hero material.

But Jack tried to make up for lost time, once the entire truth about Marco came out. Christine learned that there were no casualties from the ship's explosion and that Kelly's death was a result of self-defense, since she had kidnapped Jack. This whole thing could have come to an end ages ago with no repercussions to Jack. Victor should already have been paying for his crimes. See, that's what happens when there are so many lies and secrets. Jack had feared he would not be around for Phyllis, but that was not the case. All that worry for nothing.

I give Jack credit, though, for wanting to come clean with Ben about Kelly's death. Of course, Abby had spun it to make it appear Jack was entirely to blame for Kelly's demise. She was still covering for her father. Old habits die hard, I guess. That's another thing. Victor never even batted an eye whenever his family felt the need to cover for him. It was all just part of being a Newman. Anyway, Stitch did not take the news about Kelly well, to put it mildly. Even after Phyllis stressed that Victor had been the one pulling the strings, Ben still appeared to put all the blame on Jack -- and Jack was willing to accept it. Jack is just too nice for his own good. Fortunately for Jack, Ben's mind will be on other matters going forward, such as a child abuse claim filed against him by the school.

However, Phyllis seemed to be spinning out of control. Her request for Michael to represent Victor and then throw the case was outrageous, not because it was the wrong thing to do. On the contrary, Victor would totally have it coming to him after his flagrant disregard for Phyllis and the position he had put her in on her wedding day. She unknowingly slept with a criminal, believing the man to be her beloved husband. It was rape, and I can't blame Phyllis for being bitter. Her request was appalling because Michael was her dear friend. She was asking him to put his job, his reputation, his entire career on the line. Phyllis' lack of respect for Michael was almost as bad as Victor's for Phyllis. She was not being the same kind of friend to Michael that he had always been to her.

Then we have Billy. Where Jack's a little too cautious, Billy can be a teeny bit impetuous and can act way too quickly. "Isn't there a white knight upon a fiery steed?" As much as Victoria needs Billy as her champion, Billy has a nasty habit of keeping secrets from her, and his latest secret will most certainly do him in. Don't get me wrong. I want Phyllis and Billy's scheme with Natalie against Victor to succeed. I want to see Victor taken down a notch -- or fifty. Sure, Victoria did find out that Billy was Natalie's new boss, but she didn't know the entire story.

If Billy believes everything will be all "sunshine and puppy dogs" now, he is still living in Dreamland. What a wonderful world it would be if the Newmans and the Abbotts could work together in harmony, even as adversaries. They could sing a couple of bars of "Kumbaya" with each other at future social events or business meetings. It could all be so beautiful, but it's unrealistic. It's only a matter of time before Victor returns. Plus, there's still Natalie's project, which both Newman Enterprises and Jabot covet. The plotting to gain control of the project has gotten quite convoluted, especially when adding in a wildcard, Luca, who probably has his own agenda anyway.

Luca took the bull by the horns once he learned Natalie had let Kevin and Mariah back into the inner circle. Luca strongly advised Kevin and Mariah to take a buyout on their "iron-clad, written-in-blood agreement" with Natalie, but Kevin refused. I don't get why Luca is being so heavy-handed about the project. I mean, isn't there enough money for all of them? Luca's not exactly the most popular person in Genoa City, so you would think he would want more allies around. Victor may be gone for the moment, but I doubt if he is down for the count just yet.

I really did think of all our G.C. guys as I paid close attention to the words of the song, "He's gotta be strong and he's gotta be fast and he's gotta be fresh from the fight." Right now, I'm not sure I can say that much about any one of our men -- not even Dylan, who oozes the very idea of bravery. However, courage is more than just talking a good game. What heroic deed has Dylan done lately? Other than hauling around a big, heavy police procedures book to throw at Noah, I can't really think of anything.

I can remember when Sharon used to almost swoon at the sight of Dylan, back when he was the Boy Wonder to Paul's Batman. At one time, Dylan was here, there, and everywhere, solving all the crimes in the land, rescuing damsels in distress as well as cute little kitties caught up in the trees. His Aunt Pattycakes would have been so proud. "Racing on the thunder and rising with the heat, it's gonna take a superman to sweep me off my feet." Oh, okay, technically, Dylan is not really Superman -- but as part of Genoa City's dynamic duo, he comes close enough. But we just haven't seen that much of Dylan's special superpowers recently.

Even Sharon expressed that Dylan used to give people the benefit of the doubt, before he got the badge. Hey, that's it! The badge must zap away all of Dylan's special powers, just as kryptonite did to Superman. When Samson's long locks of hair were clipped, he waved bye-bye to his strength, and the same could be said for when Dylan puts on his badge. Dylan then has to go by the book, and therefore, loses the advantage he once had of not playing by the rules in a police investigation. Now, Dylan is just another cop.

Is Sharon becoming less enamored with Dylan, and could she be turning to mere mortal Nick? She sure seemed comfortably and safely tucked away in Nick's arms in front of the fireplace. It wouldn't be that surprising if Sharon's heart had melted a little, since she has always depended on Nick's support. And Nick has always been considered somewhat noble, although even I have to admit, when talking about the Newman menfolk, Nick has pretty much been the one shining beacon in that family when it comes to integrity. Victor most certainly can never be accused of teaching teamwork through leading by example to his children.

Sage probably wouldn't be too thrilled with a Nick and Sharon reunion, since she and Nick were trying to adopt the baby of a teenage girl. It was interesting to hear Nick say the reason for the adoption was because Sage needed it. Really? That's the reason to accept the responsibility of raising a child for the next 18 or so years? So, Nick was just going along with it because his wife needed it? Sharon was absolutely right when she asked Nick what would happen to Sage if the adoption fell through. Sage is still grieving over the supposed death of Christian. Could she cope with the loss of another child?

The teen seemed to be more interested in giving her child to Nick and Sharon though. And Nick didn't really appear to want the adoption at all. For someone who wanted to adopt the girl's baby so desperately, Sage was rather rude to her. I couldn't believe she criticized the pregnant youth for being late for the appointment. Sage sure didn't score any points then, and she already was behind in the game. Luckily for Sage, Dylan redeemed himself with Sharon and claimed he did not want Noah to go to jail. He sure knew the right words to melt the lady's heart.

For Chelsea, no matter what he does or how hard she tries to deny it, Adam will always be her illustrious soldier "fresh from the fight." Chelsea will forever hold out for a hero, who may not ever exist. She is stuck in her belief, much like a needle on a broken record. "And he's gotta be larger than (bump)...and he's gotta be larger than (bump)...and he's gotta be larger than (bump)." It's just the same song and dance over and over again. Well, to give Adam some credit, not only is he larger than life, he has even been honest with Chelsea lately. But just how long will that last? Not long, I'll bet. After all, Adam is Victor's son.

Maybe, just maybe, if we (oh, and Ashley too) are lucky, Ashley has found her hero, her Prince Charming. Ha, Prince Charming would be rather a contradictory term, since Simon appears quite awkward and unsure in the ways of love. But strangely enough, that's exactly what makes him charming. Our dear Dr. Neville touches Ashley's heart in a way no other man has. Well, of course, the doctor's desire to save her life doesn't hurt either. It appears Simon's head (and heart) may be turning, just a bit, away from his work and toward the lovely lady. Yes, Ashley may just prove to be Dr. Simon Neville's angel of mercy when it comes to affairs of the heart.

It's a good thing Ashley has Simon on her side because she's going to need him, thanks to Hilary power-hungry strike for control of the company. Oh, yes, the nasty Hilary we all know and can't stand was back, and she was as manipulative and selfish as ever. If anyone else had learned of Ashley's medical condition, he or she would have been sympathetic and supportive, but not Hilary. Oh, no, all Hilary could see was the ammunition she could use to force Ashley out as head honcho, and Hilary used it.

Devon, I hope money-hungry, power-hungry Hilary makes you happy. As Ashley pointed out, Hilary didn't know the first thing about running a huge company, but that has never really mattered on soaps. And with Hilary's glowing rsum as an executive assistant, Dr. Neville will be in good hands, right? Even Devon could see Hilary was climbing to the top over the people he loved, first Neil, then Ashley. Hilary was so obvious. Ashley just pleaded with Simon to make her well so they could fight "Lady Hamilton" together. Guess whose side I will be on.

Was Chelsea right? Was Adam becoming "a newer, shinier version" of his father, as she claimed? Or was Adam one of Victor's "nearest and dearest," who had turned against his father, as Adam believed? Time will tell.

After Billy informed Phyllis that Victoria had the evidence against Victor, who can blame Phyllis for stating, "Blood is thicker than evidence." That sure has proven to be the case in the past with the Newmans.

Sharon, who has also had her share of similar experiences with Victor and company, told Sage that the Newmans were circling the wagons. And she should know, since she had been in the center of the circle many times.

I have to say, Marisa sure holds true to form. Noah had to practically beg Marisa to tell Dylan the truth about Marco. Once a liar, always a liar -- and Marisa has the art of lying down to a science. Looks like she will need a quicky divorce now, so she can forever call herself Mrs. Noah Newman. Since she's such a worldwide traveler, you'd think she would have heard of those. She could then lie to and deceive her nave husband for the rest of their days.

Michael had the best line of the week. "Welcome to the world of Newman, where the fix is always in." How true.

Until next time, please stay tuned.TeddiTeddi

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