Adam Newman may not be an alley cat, but like they are purported to, he must also have been allotted nine lives at birth. I don't know how many lives he's used up so far, but he's apparently enjoying the current one on a sunny beach of some unnamed city. Yes, as many fans have speculated from the moment the "burned beyond recognition" body turned up in the Athletic Club basement, literally stuffed with clues pointing squarely at his enemies, it wasn't Adam who met his maker that fateful night of the Policeman's Ball.
The night Adam met the man we now know as Richard Hightower in that Minneapolis diner, the unexpected sight of the man's small son seemed to have caused him to hit the pause button on the diabolical plot that began with him donating his bone marrow to Hightower. But, in the end, he was apparently able to shove aside his squeamishness to save his own worthless hide. Even though many of us had already figured out this particular twist, I still thoroughly enjoyed watching the Newmans find and fit all the pieces of the puzzle together. I suspect, though, that the fun we've had so far is not the end of the story, but the beginning of a whole new tale.
When Adam was gaslighting Ashley, stealing Sharon's baby, shoving Dr. Taylor into traffic (yes, I still believe that was intentional, not accidental), and committing other assorted atrocities that pointed a finger of blame at others for his evil deeds, he was clearly the most hated man in Genoa City. Fans supporting this monster seemed just about as scarce as those clichéd hen's teeth some of us have heard about. Not anymore. I don't know if the tide of fan sentiment turned after the intervention or slowly shifted as disgruntled, dissatisfied fans fumed or yawned their way through the double doppelganger disasters. Whatever the reason, it seems this scheming scoundrel has managed to collect quite a fan following.
So, now that Adam has crawled out of his grave, what will he do for an encore? Does his return just mean more headaches for his Newman family members or have the scribes written a redemption in his future? But is it even possible to redeem a man who is as flawed as Adam? How can our scribes, talented and creative though they've proven to be, whitewash a man who cold-bloodedly murdered a doting father? Well, just off the top of my amateur brain, it could involve another dreaded double. Many of us don't want to believe that a boy raised by a woman like Hope could possibly have turned out so hateful and horrible. So, here's my idea.
Remember eons ago when Hope contacted Victor about their son's disappearance? The details are foggy, but I seem to recall it involved Adam getting mixed up with some unsavory characters, perhaps even being held against his will. Victor set off to find him, but returned empty-handed and nothing much more was said about Adam until Hope landed unexpectedly on her deathbed. And hovering right next to her was the formerly missing Adam, a Harvard graduate now working for some prominent New York firm. Maybe I've just forgotten or catnapped through it, but I don't remember any mention of where he'd been or how he got out of whatever it was. Was that just another dropped storyline or a red herring scribes purposely placed along Adam's past path to explain some future twist? Is it possible the Adam some hate, but many love, is not the real Adam at all? I know, I hear the swell of outraged fan groans from here, but hey, I'm just saying. It could be a workable way to keep him around.
Although Adam has somehow managed to find fan favor, the same cannot be said about NuMalcolm, as he is not so fondly referred to. Ugh! Why is he being played this way? Malcolm is supposed to be an extremely successful, presumably near world-renowned photographer. So why is he walking around with that huge chip on his shoulder? He used to snap pics of runway models, rubbing shoulders with the rich and beautiful. Now, he hangs around Genoa City, scowling at the world, mumbling about his shattered dreams (the implication being that somehow it's Neil's fault he blew out his knee and lost his), and apparently actively nursing a large yen for his brother's life. He sampled the wife, fathered the daughter, and now is in hot pursuit of adopted son, Devon. "You seem to get me," Devon recently told him, managing to convey that Neil apparently didn't. Well, let's just see how enamored Devon continues to be with Uncle Malcolm when he finds out Judas Malcolm is working with Tucker, and presumably against dear old Dad.
Don't get me wrong. I like the Winters family and am happy they're getting some air time, but I know I can't be the only fan who thinks their storylines are usually ... well ... kind of sucky. Professionally, Neil always winds up playing second banana to some rich gazillionaire who treats him like a doormat. And in his personal life, when he does manage to get a girl, he rarely gets to keep her. Son, Devon, fares no better. The letter his mother wrote to his father could have perhaps begun a perfect storyline opportunity for Devon to stretch his acting muscles. But instead, we get him cheating on his girlfriend with the woman his Daddy's also doing. Eeeyuck! And now, he's reduced, along with Daddy Neil, to being a support post for Lily to lean against.
And that's another peeve of mine. Lily looks much too healthy and beautiful to convince me she's the stricken cancer sufferer who claims she hasn't enough energy to walk one tiny little dog. I hope I don't sound cold and callous when I admit I just want the scribes to wrap this one up and move on to something else. It has been dragging on forever, with Lily hosting pity party after pity party. Just my opinion, but I think the scribes could have done so much better with this one; it seems they didn't even try to make it realistic. I hope the twins are born early, both because I'm tired of hearing Lily moan about how she might not be around to raise them, and also because I'm just as sick of Mac lugging them around. I'm simply amazed she has the strength to carry twins and that heavy angel halo at the same time!
Speaking of perfect people, who aren't, brings J.T. Hellstrom immediately to mind. Isn't he turning out to be quite the sanctimonious hypocrite? I want him to lose custody of little Reed in the worst way, or at least be forced to share it. On and on he went about the impact, presumably bad, exposure to Victor would have on little Reed. Well, considering he is contemplating betraying Reed's mother because the equally-as-unscrupulous-as-Victor Tucker told him to, makes him no one to be much admired either. Plus, I'm rather amused by J.T.'s anger because Victoria got involved, first with Deacon, then with Billy, while still wed to him. Where was all that outrage when he was the other man in the marital bed she was still legally sharing with Brad? I don't recall hearing a single squeaking word of protest pop out of his mouth when he was planting that baby seed in Victoria's still married belly.
He and Mac need to get back together. The two paragons of perfection fully deserve one another. Mac just better get up early and stay up late to make sure her halo is kept perfectly polished at all times. Because if she makes a misstep, like she did the first time she was involved with J.T. Unforgiving Hellstrom, she might once again find herself and her belongings piled on the knocking side of the door before she can say, "But wait, let me explain." Regardless of what happens or doesn't between Mac and J.T., I hope J.T. gets himself back into my good graces soon by telling Tucker to ... well, you know.
Sigh! I see Jack is in begging mode once again. It was déjà vu for this fan watching Jack plead with Emily to let him back into her life. As I listened to him, Sharon's head kept superimposing itself onto Emily's body. Because this is exactly the same tone and manner he took with Sharon when trying to convince her to remain his wife and let him play Daddy to her unborn child. There's no child involved with Emily, but Jack's methods are exactly the same. There's no Nick in Emily's life, so it's possible Jack could walk off with the lady prize this time. But somehow I doubt it. Who is the mysterious man who has suddenly appeared in town and seems to be keeping stalker tabs on Emily? A former lover from her past perhaps? I guess we will see.
Abby, my how you've changed! And not necessarily for the better. So she's what you get when you mix an Abbott with a Newman, huh? An attention-seeking, spoiled little brat who leaps before she considers the damage her Jimmy Choos will inflict on her victims. I don't have much of a problem with her treatment of Mom and Dad, after all, what did they expect from a daughter lavished with more money than loving attention? I have to admit it was quite hilarious watching her tell them off and leave them speechless. But she didn't have to simultaneously toss both her half-sister and her uncle to the proverbial wolves for the price of a few more mouse clicks.
Billy and Victoria are one of the highlights of Genoa City life these days, and I couldn't help but feel just a little bit sorry for them after Abby's very public outing of their relationship. Especially if it causes J.T. to further restrict Victoria's access to her son. I am a bit of reality TV junkie, and most of the ones I've watched focus mostly on the celebrity themselves with bit parts played by their friends or family. In Abby's case, however, it seems to be the opposite. Given the fact that there is nothing much interesting about Abby, she might want to change her show's name from the Naked Heiress to the Follies of the Naked Heiress' Family. Or, assuming a romantic hookup is in the near future between newly free Daniel and the recently SORASed Abby, perhaps it could be called Family Tree Impossibly Entwined.
Rafe's party was a nice close to the week. As usual Billy's irrepressible antics were good for a belly laugh as he delivered the best line of the week commenting that all his favorite ladies (translate: bed partners) were all in one place. Hilarious! Chloe's jealousy, though probably justified, wasn't nearly as funny. How can two cuties like Chloe and Chance come across so bland and, well, rather boring? Will Chance ever loosen up or is he forever destined to be at soldier attention or still on guard at ease?
Still plenty to say, but out of time to say it all. One of the things I'm looking forward to is the Jana/Kevin/Ryder triangle. I feel bad for Kevin, who is one of my favs, and am a bit perplexed by Jana's unfeeling woodenness where she can remember, but can't care, but I like the unexpected tie between Jana and Ryder. I hope I never see Daisy's vapid, vengeful face again, although I'm positive we haven't seen the last of her. Wouldn't you think Genoa City would be the first place she'd go if she decides to look for her brother? But I can live with it if Ryder is redeemed and brought into the Fisher family fold. Maybe he can even win Lauren over if Daisy returns and goes after Lauren and he rides in and saves the day.
And lastly, there is Tucker. It seems Victor may finally have met his match. Or at least a more worthy opponent than poor Jack has managed to be. Looking forward to more clashes between these two Titans.
Until it's my turn to come back and share my thoughts in a column, here's a quick look at the e-bag.
