On the outside, looking in

All the plotting and manipulation in Genoa City leave us wondering if the evil outshines the good. Tara and Sally keep scheming after ridding themselves of Summer. Tara is trying to lure Kyle back into her web of darkness. Sally wants to keep her job at JCV, but did Summer set up a plan to blow up Sally's coveted position? Will Ashland give in and treat his cancer? Will Tara get sole custody of Harrison? Is Harrison Kyle's son, or did Tara tamper with the DNA test? Join our Two Scoops columnist as she peeks into Genoa City and shares some of what she sees this week.

Good grief, where should I begin? Let's start with the witch's coven. Hmm ... Can two witches be considered a coven? I'm not up on my witchcraft, but it appears that Sally and Tara are. All their scheming seems to be unravelling slowly; however, these two foot-loose and fancy-free females believe they have everything under control. Little do they know they have a target on their backs, put there by Phyllis and Billy.

Phyllis and Billy know something isn't kosher with Sally and Tara and they are determined to find out what lies beneath those sweet smiles and innocent looks. I, for one, can't wait for them to be exposed. I wish I could blame Kyle for being an idiot and believing that Harrison is his son, but I can't. Kyle has done everything right. He immediately had a DNA test done which proved he was his son. Unfortunately, Kyle has been duped by Tara. I suspect Tara found a way to alter the DNA to prove that Harrison was Kyle's son.

We all suspect that Harrison isn't Kyle's, so who is Harrison's biological father? Could it really be Ashland? I'm not sure. Fans have mentioned Theo a number of times, and that's a possibility, since Theo and Kyle were friends and Theo always appeared to envy and want what Kyle had, and it is possible that he might have jumped into the sack with Tara. I have mentioned this previously that Tara had admitted she'd been lonely when Ashland had been away on business trips, and I wonder how many affairs/flings she has had during Ashland's absences. I don't believe Kyle had been the only one she'd slept with during that time.

I'm jumping into speculation about Tara's pregnancy. Let's suppose that when Tara discovered she was pregnant, she duped Ashland into believing he was going to be a proud papa. When things began to sour in their marriage, because of the prenup agreement, she knew she wouldn't receive a financial settlement from Ashland. She had to come up with a plan for her future. Kyle was probably the wealthiest amongst all the men she'd slept with, and her best chance of continuing the life to which she'd grown accustomed to. I recall Ashland telling Jack and Kyle that they didn't know what Tara was capable of, and that comment has been stuck in my head. Maybe I'm being overly suspicious, but she is a crafty one and this scenario wouldn't surprise me.

Every time I see Tara, I think how lovely she is and such a sweet smile, but then I realize that under that porcelain skin lies a wolf in sheep's clothing. It's hard to believe that Tara's cherubic face could be hiding her true evil and manipulative self.

Tara is focused on Kyle. She wants to win back his affections. Well, isn't that just dumb, since Kyle has already told Tara that Summer is the love of his life and what he and Tara had in New York had only been a fling. Sally told Tara she needed to speed up and make her move on Kyle. Sally also warned Tara that if one of them went down, so did the other.

Sally is another one whose smile is so sweet I get a sugar high, especially when she's around Jack. Sally really turns on the charm when she is near him. It looks like Jack is going to take a second run with Sally, believing she has mended her ways. I really hope this isn't the case. I would hate to see them reunite. Oh Jackie Boy, your heart is going to be shattered when Sally is exposed for her dirty little scheme of getting rid of Summer, all because Sally had been coveting Summer's job at JCV. Sally wanted Summer out of Genoa City so she could be the Queen Bee at JCV. I think that job is going to be short-lived because the truth is bound to come out, and all that plotting is going to come back and bite her in the ass.

Before Summer left for Milan, Summer made arrangements with Lauren to give her job to Sally. Does anyone believe that Summer did that out of the goodness of her heart? I sure don't. I think Summer put a plan in motion and Sally is going to get a taste of her own medicine. I believe that either Phyllis or Billy will discover what Sally had done. I can't wait to see both Sally and Tara crash and burn. Get the marshmallows ready to make smores. I would love to be front row, and center when that happens.

Phyllis has sharpened her claws and she is on the warpath with Tara and Sally. Phyllis is convinced that Sally and Tara conspired to run Summer out of Genoa City. In the previews for next week, Phyllis is apparently going to set a trap for these two ladies, loose use of the term ladies". Phyllis knows Sally's type because Phyllis admitted that she'd been Sally years ago, and Phyllis perceived Tara as a lunatic, and not right in the head. Phyllis has been making nice with Tara hoping to give Tara a false sense of security, but Tara doesn't seem to be buying it. Phyllis is like a dog with a bone. She isn't about to give up until she has ingested every little morsel. She is playing her little cat and mouse games with Tara because she is certain of a huge return in the end. Now, with Billy thrown into the mix, life for Tara and Sally is going to become very interesting.

Look at Amanda go! Her determination to bring Sutton down is palpable. She certainly isn't pulling any punches with him. Unlike Imani, she isn't afraid of him, because she hadn't lived under his thumb all her life. Perhaps he did her and Hilary a favor by allowing them to be placed in foster care. I loved that Victor helped Amanda get the evidence she needed to help bring Sutton down. Did you see Sutton's face when Amanda walked into the room holding her phone indicating she'd taped what he'd said? That look was priceless. You could almost see the wheels turning while he was trying to figure out how to extricate himself from that situation.

I have suspected all along that Sutton was behind Richard Nealand's death. He has always struck me as a callous and self-serving individual. He almost proudly admitted to Amanda that he'd kept tabs on her and Hilary as they grew up. They had both been placed with Rose, but when Rose couldn't care for both of them, Amanda was placed into foster care and Sutton hadn't stepped in to help Rose take care of both babies. He never contributed a penny to help them.

Sutton must be sweating bullets now that he knows Victor had set him up and Amanda had recorded him. I hope Michael can get that warrant to arrest Sutton before Sutton decides to run. Imani, who knew Sutton the best, claimed he was probably off somewhere licking his wounds and planning how to get out of the mess he is in. That was what he always did when something went wrong. What I don't understand is why Naya is adamant about not to allow Amanda to dig up anything on Sutton. That spoke volumes. If Sutton had nothing to hide, why is Naya so adamant about not investigating him? Why has Naya confessed to a murder she hadn't committed? She claimed that Sutton claimed her incarceration would be much shorter than his. Isn't that an admission of his guilt? I really want Amanda to hang this slimy snake to dry. I'm team Amanda.

I am not an Imani fan. She seems to have too many Sutton traits. She is aggressive and she doesn't seem to know her boundaries, or care whose toes she steps on. She jumps to conclusions and argues them when she clearly doesn't have the facts and she obviously has no respect in the fact that Nate and Elena are in a relationship because she blatantly flirts with him in front of Elena. Like Sutton, she wants what she wants and she will bulldoze her way to get it. I think if Amanda does start her own law firm, she will have her hands full with Imani as a partner, and few clients as a result.

Billy Boy Abbott. I hate that name, yet the Black Knight uses it constantly. I loved this new Billy and how Lily has been able to keep him under control, until now. In Billy's conversation with Sharon, he was spewing so much venom about Adam, it was shameless. Billy had first-hand experience with being the pariah in town, but everyone had given him a second chance, but somehow Billy doesn't think Adam deserves a second chance. Sharon pointed out to Billy that Adam had changed and that Adam had saved Faith's life twice. Billy's comeback was to say that Adam had taken Delia's life forever. When is Billy going to stop that? Even Chloe has come to terms with that.

I don't recall that it had been conclusively established that Adam had been the one that ran Delia down. Billy needs to give his head a shake because most of the blame falls on his shoulders. Has he forgotten that he left Delia alone in the car with a puppy on a dark night? If he hadn't done that, Delia would still be alive. Billy's negligence had put that scenario into play. Regardless, Adam didn't set out to kill Delia and it had been ruled an accident. Billy needs to put that into perspective. I have never been completely convinced that Adam hit Delia. Nikki had also been drunk and driving on that road at the same time that night. The next day her car was in the shop for repairs.

Speculation: Victor somehow got involved in trying to figure out who had hit Delia, and at the time, Victor and Adam were enemies. What if Victor realized that Nikki had been the one that had hit Delia, not Adam, and to protect Nikki, he let Adam take the blame.

Billy came across as a real jerk when he spoke to Sharon and when he approached Adam after speaking with Sharon. He threw accusations and inuendoes at Adam with a lot of misinformation. He said it was good that Chelsea had taken Connor and left town because Connor was better off with Chelsea than being with Adam or Victor. Well, that wasn't true. Adam had arranged for Chelsea to be released from the psychiatric facility and to leave town with Connor to take care of Anita. He also accused Adam of trying to cozy up to Sharon. Okay, that might be true.

I think this storyline is going in that direction, reuniting Sharon and Adam. I think Rey will see another side of Chelsea and he will become enamored with her. Sharon and Adam will not be able to resist the pull they have for each other and voila, one divorce in the works. I'm not in favor of reuniting Adam and Sharon given their past volatile history, but they have aged and matured, so it's possible that things might be different this time. I'm not holding my breath. A leopard's spots don't change and neither do Adam's in spite of what we see.

Why do Billy and Victor believe they have a say in Victoria's life? Victoria isn't too far from her fortieth birthday. When will she be free to make her own choices without interference from daddy or Billy? Billy had been determined to stay in Victoria's face about Ashland until he saw the closeness between Victoria and Ashland. Billy backed off and wished them nothing but happiness in the time they had left, but Victor is adamant that Victoria shouldn't be with Ashland. He'd rather she had an affair with Ashland than have Ashland move in with her. What business is it of his? This was Victoria's choice and he needs to accept that. Thank goodness Victor is on vacation in London and Milan. It gives Victoria a little breathing space.

It's obvious that Victoria is in love with Ashland and he with her. They bring out the best in each other; however, because this suspicious mind never stops working, there is that niggling at the back of my mind wondering if this is Ashland's way of getting back at Victor for what Victor had done to him over Cyaxares. Ashland isn't one to take that kind of treatment without retaliating, and so far, he'd done nothing. I hope he truly loves Victoria and won't break her heart, but something tells me there is going to be hell to pay for Victor. If I were Victor, I would tread lightly around Victoria and Ashland.

Now that Tara has filed for sole custody of Harrison, I wonder if Ashland is going to give in and accept treatment for his cancer. If the treatment works, it would give Ashland the opportunity of getting even with Victor. Alas, Ashland looks like he is on his last legs, so treatment might not be possible. However, look at Sharon's miraculous recovery from cancer. Perhaps a miracle cure is in the wings and Ashland will live another day to spread his cheerful tidings on Victor. That would be so delicious; the Great Victor Newman getting a taste of his own medicine. I think if anyone can bring Victor down, it's the Locke Ness Monster.

Where is Mariah? Next week's previews show that she is locked in a room yelling to be released. Who has her? It's unlikely that Stitch has her. He wouldn't have suggested they get an app that would help them locate Mariah through her text messages and he wouldn't jeopardize being hired as the Chief of Surgery at Memorial. Some have suggested it could be Nina, but she was as excited about becoming a grandmother as any grandmother could be, although, in retrospect, she kept telling everyone not to jump to conclusions, and when Stitch suggested the app, she claimed Mariah would feel smothered. Nina seemed to put a negative spin on any suggestions made by Abby or Tessa. I can't think of anyone else who would want to kidnap Mariah and for what reason. Hmm... are we about to get a surprise visit from Ian Ward?

This Abby storyline isn't getting any better. I thought they were recasting Chance, but to me it looks like Chance is going to wind up dead, and Abby and Stitch will rekindle their love. Won't that be exciting? Uh huh! Tie me down and force me to watch that please. I wonder if Ashley will try to renew her romance with Stitch again and create havoc for these two should they reunite.

Then there's the inane arguing between Tessa and Abby. Tessa is naturally worried about her girlfriend, and Abby always makes it about herself. I wish they would do something about this storyline because it's not getting any better. If the goal is to put Abby and Stitch together, I have to ask why. Why haven't they simply recast Chance, then the story would make more sense. At the moment that baby is Abby's and Devon's. I have a question since I haven't an iota of knowledge how surrogacy works. The child that Mariah is carrying is basically Abby and Devon's since he was the donor. When the child is born, and Chance does, by some miracle, return home, would he have to officially adopt the baby or is it merely assumed that he is the legal father?

How adorable are Faith and Moses? Moses has gone all out to show Faith how much he likes her. Faith really likes Moses, but she seems to be a little gun-shy at the moment. That was no little surprise he'd planned for Faith. How many of us wouldn't soil our drawers if we ever saw our favorite artist or group walk into your local coffee shop where you hung out? What a magnanimous gesture on Moses' part to arrange for Faith's favorite duo Tigerlily to be at Crimson Lights when Faith was there, and get backstage passes for himself and Faith, all with Devon's help. So cute!

Ever since the incident with Nate over his reaction to shell fish, Moses hasn't been sure about becoming a doctor. He told Devon he wanted to explore the music world with Devon, and Devon is leaving it up to Moses to make his own decision on which route Moses wanted to take. When Devon told Nate that Moses wanted to cut back on his hospital hours to spend time with Devon at the recording studio, why would Nate say he would have to think about it. What did Nate have to think about? This was Moses' choice and his career choice hung in the balance, but regardless, it was Moses' choice which road he chose. Why was everything put on hold until Nate decided which road Moses would travel? Nate is Moses' cousin; Devon is Moses' brother, so no matter what Nate's objections would be, I believe Devon would have the final say.

I hope you have enjoyed my thoughts about what has been happening around our favorite town recently. I would love to read your comments and opinions, and perhaps you might like to offer up some of your own thoughts. In the meantime, it's a wrap for me. Until next time, stay safe! Nel

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