Games of Chance

Gambling fever has hit Genoa City this week. Abby gambled that her husband, Chance, is still alive. Billy admitted he was gambling with his blackmail scheme against Adam, Victor, and Newman Media. Adam and Sally continued to gamble with their hearts. And Phyllis began pondering whether she should gamble on a future with Jack again... Roll the dice in Two Scoops.

Okay, well, first off -- I need to admit that I was wrong regarding Chance's fate. I'm glad I'm not a gambling man because, as you will already know if you've read my previous Two Scoops columns, I was convinced that the writers had written Chance off and that we wouldn't see him again in the near future. Although I had suspected that he was likely alive (like most soap characters that are only presumed dead), I didn't expect that we would learn of his true fate so soon. I would have lost money on that bet, for sure.

There are so many storyline directions the writers could have taken -- and were presumably setting up -- if Chance was out of the picture. I was convinced that an Amanda/Devon/Abby love triangle was in the works and that Abby would turn to Devon in her grief from losing Chance. It seems the writers had other plots in mind, though, as the show scrambled to recast Chance amidst all the drama unfolding in Genoa City.

I was stunned when Abby showed up at Devon's doorstep and told him to take Dominic while she tried to handle the loss of Chance. But when Devon questioned her about whether she was going to go out of town to look for Chance, I could tell that she was lying when she told him that was not her plan. The episode where she rummaged through Chance's old war memorabilia was really interesting, and I have to hand it to Abby for figuring out who from his past to reach out to that he might have gone to for help.

If Chance knew where to go for help, though, why didn't he also have the wherewithal to reach out to Abby and his family to let them know he was okay? The contact that Abby reached, Kim Dunaway, called her back (after initially insisting to Abby that she had the wrong number) to tell her that Chance was alive, in a bad way, and that he needed Abby. Is Chance still in danger after his undercover operation went bust? Is that why he didn't reach out -- because he didn't want to alert the people who tried to kill him? There are so many questions left unanswered after this past week -- and I'm loving all of it!

Will Mariah fight for custody of Dominic because of how Abby treated the baby as a second thought in her grief over losing Chance? Will Devon fight for custody now that he has gotten a taste of fatherhood? He certainly hasn't been shy about voicing his opinion regarding Chance's decision to take an undercover assignment while he and Abby were awaiting the birth of their child.

I'm not sure exactly when the new actor is set to debut as Chance (articles say this month), but his first airdate can't come soon enough! I need answers to these questions! Jack and Ashley are on their way to Spain to find Abby, who is already making her way there meet up with Chance, so, I'm hoping that we get these answers before November Sweeps wraps up. Fingers crossed!

Speaking of Jack, he might be wrong in thinking that now is a good time for him to get out of town for a change of pace. Phyllis is starting to realize what Jack has already felt in his own heart -- that perhaps the two of them belong together. I'm guessing that Phyllis will try to find him to tell him how she is feeling, only to learn that he has left town in search of Abby. So, Phyllis may need to wait a while before she can pour her heart out to Jack -- or will she soon be making her way to Spain, as well?

Lauren's conversation with Phyllis was great this week. This is another great friendship that I really enjoy on the show, and it's always fun when they have scenes together. I was glad Lauren pointed out to Phyllis that she and Jack clearly have unresolved feelings for one another. Their conversation was a little confusing, though, because she seemed to be pushing Phyllis toward a reconciliation with Jack and remarked that those two have never truly let the other go in their hearts.

This was confusing to hear from Lauren because earlier in the week when she was chatting with Jack, she seemed to be pushing Jack away from a reconciliation with Phyllis and remarked that it would likely be a mistake. She had told him that, although she loves them both, she wasn't sure it was a good idea for them to revisit their past love after all the heartache they have been through. I, for one, am excited to see Jack and Phyllis give things another go, and I hope it doesn't end in heartbreak this time.

Lauren wasn't the only one sending mixed messages this week. I couldn't keep up with Mariah's attitude changes regarding Abby from her interactions with Jack and Ashley, Devon, and then Noah and Tessa. She was very understanding and filled with concern for Abby when chatting with Jack and Ashley. And then with Devon, she seemed to be more concerned with why she wasn't "the chosen one" to watch over baby Dominic.

With Tessa and Noah, though, Mariah was very quick to judge Abby and condemn her for her decision to leave town. I found this to be a little two-faced of Mariah, because she didn't hesitate to jump at the chance at offering to watch Dominic and let Abby go out of town in search of Chance when Abby first mentioned the idea last week. I suspect that if she had been chosen to babysit Dominic, she would be singing a different tune and telling Abby to take all the time she needs to look for Chance.

I was at least glad that Mariah seemed to agree with everyone when they pointed out that Abby is grieving, and people process grief differently. I think Mariah really wanted to demonize Abby so that she could have some leverage if she decided to pursue a custody battle. I was happy that Mariah ultimately seemed to listen to reason when Tessa and Noah pointed out that she was perhaps being a bit harsh.

Speaking of Tessa and Noah, I'm getting serious vibes that he still has feelings for her. I was a little bit irritated that the writers seemed to be leaning toward another Tessa/Noah/Mariah love triangle at first, but now I think I am coming around to the idea of it. I'm really like this new actor playing Noah. He is very likeable, and you can't help but want for someone to mend his broken heart and keep him smiling more.

I have nothing against the previous actor that portrayed Noah, though. I've always liked Noah as a character and have been anticipating him becoming a more prominent character on the show. He had some small storylines here and there but never really got a chance to shine before. I really felt for him years ago when Tessa left him and ended up with his sister Mariah. But I was always rooting for Mariah and Tessa back then. I'm not so sure who I'm rooting for now, though. They are all at different crossroads in their lives, and maybe Noah is a better fit for Tessa now.

Sure, Tessa doesn't want a child (at least not now), and Mariah is clearly longing for one of her own, but won't Noah want to have children at some point, too? I think he would ultimately want children, but I also don't think he is in the right headspace to even consider having them at this point, which could draw Tessa closer to him if Mariah persists in her demands that she and Tessa have one of their own (or if she pursues custody of Dominic).

What do you all think? I really can't say for sure yet -- my loyalties are split right down the middle on this one. Hit the comments and let me know if you are Team Tessa/Mariah or Team Tessa/Noah. Or do you just not care about this storyline in general? I think the story is a nice change of pace, and I'm curious to see where the writers are taking these characters.

Elsewhere in Genoa City, Billy and Lily are facing the ramifications of going up against Newman Media as Billy's blackmail plot against them failed in spectacular fashion (as we all knew it would). Adam and Victor proved to Billy yet again that he is no match for them, and, honestly, I'm really glad that they put him in his place. Jack was absolutely right when he told Billy that he shouldn't have gambled on the information he had about Ashland's past in the way that he did.

I do feel for Billy, though, because I think he was trying to do the right thing. I certainly wouldn't paint him as the bad guy in this situation, but I also don't think it was his place to try to "protect Victoria." Victoria does not need saving. When she told Billy that she already knew the truth about Ashland's past and had come to peace with it, that should have been the end of Billy's involvement if it truly was about protecting her.

Billy's intentions were clearly also about sticking it to Victor and Adam so that he could score a victory in their never-ending feud. The gambling man in him just couldn't help himself but to use the truth about Ashland against Victor and Adam in some way. He didn't have it in him to just admit defeat and give up on his crusade against Newman Media.

Now, Billy is in danger of not only losing his job at ChanceComm but also of losing the relationship he has been building with Lily. I loved the way that Lily held her own this week with both Ashland and Billy. Her reaction to the fallout of Billy's scheme is completely valid. I can understand why she was both frustrated with Ashland for using the truth about his past against Billy and frustrated with Billy for how he handled the fallout of the truth being exposed. He absolutely should have talked with Lily before going to Victor and offering to leave his job if they dropped the lawsuits against ChanceComm.

This has been a stellar week for Adam, though! He is reveling in the fallout from Billy's scheme blowing up in his face. Adam knew just how Billy would react and used that against him with perfection. To me, Adam is the true protector of Victoria here because he made sure that she and Ashland would not be affected by the fallout of the truth about his past coming out. He played both Jesse and Billy like a fiddle, and they danced right along to every note Adam struck with them.

Adam had a lot to be thankful for this week. Not only did he succeed in thwarting Billy's blackmail plot, but he also continued his flirtation with Sally. For as much as these two insist they shouldn't date, they sure do go out of their way to go on "non-dates" frequently. I like the bond they are forming, and I really enjoyed their scenes this week. I hope we see them get closer before Chelsea returns to town to inevitably wreak havoc on their growing relationship.

Lastly, in the spirit of the season, I want to wish you all a happy Thanksgiving. I love this time of year because it provides a great reminder that we should try to reflect on and appreciate everything we have in our lives to be thankful for, which many of us don't do enough.

In regard to Y&R, I am thankful for many of the recent storylines we have been given. I'm actually feeling really invested in the show and the characters currently, and I'm looking forward to each new episode. What are you all thankful for on the show right now? Drop some love in the comments (or critiques, if you wish) to let me know what you are most thankful for (or what you're not so thankful for). I'll start!

• Adam being accepted by the Newman family (finally!)

• Jack and Phyllis' love story

• Girl Power! Loving the friendships of Phyllis/Amanda, Phyllis/Lauren, and Sally/Chloe

• Lily becoming a major power player in the Genoa City business world

• Gloria is back next week! Happy Thanksgiving, indeed! She's always fun.

• Mariah's bad attitude toward Abby

• Where is Jess Walton (Jill)?! She should be part of this Chance storyline.

• Potential Nick/Sharon/Rey love triangle

• Jesse Gaines. I hope we've seen the last of him after this week (nothing against the actor, though, because he has been great in the role -- I just don't like the character!)

• Only three new episodes of Y&R next week because of the holiday (boo!)

Well, that's it for me this week!

Until next time, Vance

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