James Patterson gave us The Women's Murder Club about women who solved murders. Genoa City, on the other hand, boasts "the Ladies' Murder Club" which commits and conceals murder. Where else but Genoa City would four fine upstanding citizens like Nikki, Victoria, Phyllis, and Sharon decide that covering up murder would be better than going to the police?
Considering Paul and Christine's track record, Nikki was probably right to be concerned that she might be railroaded by her good friends, the chief of police and his wife, the D.A. After all, look what they put their good pal Jack through before even checking all the evidence thoroughly. After about 30 seconds, Christine would more likely believe that Nikki had meant to kill J.T. than that Nikki was just trying to stop him from hurting Victoria. Both Christine and Paul might have accused Sharon and Phyllis of lying to protect Nikki. And to be fair, neither Sharon nor Phyllis has the best reputation where truthfulness is concerned, so maybe, in the short term, the Ladies' Murder Club was the best solution.
I did expect that J.T.'s story would end with his death, but I was surprised by his murder. I fell for the red herring -- J.T.'s explanation about his weak heart -- and expected that to do him in. Silly me. Who knew that a wimpy blow with a poker by an MS sufferer could result in instant death. Not even a drop of blood, and J.T. was a goner before Phyllis could take his pulse. How convenient! No need to call the pesky paramedics to try to resuscitate J.T.; just assume you have enough medical knowledge and pronounce him dead, like Phyllis did. Voila, problem solved! Well, sort of.
Once the ladies made the decision to cover up the crime, the next logical step was to conceal the body, and what better place than popular gathering spot Chancellor Park? Does that mean that the next time Reed asks about his dad, Victoria can say that J.T. is busy making fertilizer for the flower garden in the park or helping Nick with his vegetable garden, depending on whether it's flowers or vegetables that get planted -- along with J.T. -- in the park.
I do think the ladies could have found a better location for the body, like under a cement slab or temporarily in a locked freezer in some remote building on the Newman ranch until a somewhat less harebrained disposal plan was hatched. They could have just left J.T. in his car at the airport and replaced Victoria's fireplace set with another. In my opinion, it's doubtful that Paul and Christine would have figured out what had happened without a lot of help from the guilty parties, which they may still get if Phyllis and Sharon keep hanging out and freaking out around Nick.
That's the problem with guilt. A guilty person always believes that everyone knows what they feel guilty about, so they start denying their guilt before they are actually accused. Sharon assumed that Nick wanted to meet at the park because he knew that J.T.'s body was there instead of assuming that he wanted to meet there because it was the most popular outdoor place in town to meet. Again, not a wise location for the body. The next big question is who will break first. I don't think it will be Nikki, but Victoria is ripe for the plucking, especially with Reed applying pressure. Phyllis and Sharon will be competing to see which one can act the guiltiest without giving anything away.
I am wondering how the body will be discovered. I favor a hand slowly rising through the soil and taking its place among the flowers (or vegetables) in the garden until someone, other than one of the ladies, notices it. I do think that J.T.'s body needs to be found, just so his children can have closure and the opportunity to mourn him. J.T. wasn't always bad. Life handed him some bad breaks that he didn't handle appropriately, so he became bitter and selfish, which is sad, but it doesn't mean that he should be relegated to an unmarked grave in Chancellor Park under Nick's proposed garden.
I do like that the ladies of Genoa City are bonding, even if it is over murder, instead of fighting each other over the men. This is more appropriate for modern women. When soaps began on radio in the 1930s, most women were stay-at-home moms because there were few other choices. Society judged them by the men they married, so it made sense that they would compete for the best mate. That is not the case today. Women find value in themselves and their choices, including those women who have the option of being stay-at-home moms.
I love Phyllis and Sharon together. They are my favorite "odd couple" at the moment. They are so busy telling each other what to do and cautioning each other about their "secret" that I can hardly wait to see which one gives it away first.
Last week, Teddi pointed out all the reasons that Jack needs to stay a blood Abbott and why Y&R should not rewrite history. I agreed with her completely. I don't like where this story is headed, and I hope that Y&R finds a way out of the corner that the writers are painting the Abbotts into. I don't mind if the Abbotts believe Dina's tale of infidelity for a while -- it would serve smug Kyle right -- and we get a good story out of it, but I don't want it to be true, ultimately because it will destroy the Abbotts as we know them and Jack's character as it's been written since the beginning of the show.
Note to Abby: Next time you want to destroy a memory card, try scissors or, better yet, wad it up in a paper bag and toss it in the kitchen trash when no one's around. Building a fire on a warm day is bound to interest Kyle, and nothing ever burns or even melts in a soap fireplace. You would have been better off using kitchen tongs and a Bic to melt it first, or you could have locked it in your jewelry box, where Kyle's prying eyes don't go.
I do think that Jack was out of line with Victor when Jack verbally attacked him while Victor was still recovering from a stroke and a life-threatening fall. As angry as Jack was, he still needed to wait for Victor's health to improve. Jack has a tendency to blame Victor for everything, but Jack brings a lot of his trouble on himself. Jack thinks it's okay to mess with Victor -- e.g., date Nikki, befriend Adam and Nick -- but Jack screams "foul" when Victor responds in kind. My old granny used to say, "If you don't want to get eaten, don't poke the bear." Jack should listen to my granny.
Pretty Kitty just reminded me to say how much she's been enjoying Eric Braeden's performance as a stroke victim. He is so believable that both of us forget that he is acting! I hope he submits those scenes of Victor trying to tell Nick that J.T. was responsible for Victor's fall on an Emmy reel. Braeden is so good that we take him for granted. It's easy to forget that he is playing Victor, and we can easily fall into the trap of believing that he is Victor instead of an actor portraying Victor.
I don't for a second -- well, maybe a second -- believe that Victor is having an affair with Jabot chemist Helen. I think it's more likely that Helen is the conduit between Kyle and Victor. I am not sure about who is gaming whom, but I will be very disappointed in Kyle if he sells out his family and their business legacy. Even Ashley hasn't done that, and she works for Newman and has a bona fide reason to be mad at Jack.
One woman who is not a member of any ladies' club is Hilary. She is out in the cold again after getting jealous and crowing about her relationship with Devon to Simone. According to Friday's previews -- (by the way, I like the daily recaps with following week previews on Fridays; now I wish all the soaps had that format) -- Hilary is set to announce her pregnancy. I'm going to predict that Hilary is either overly optimistic (lying) or will lose the baby. Meanwhile, I think she will pretend to be pregnant as long as she can while trying to find a baby she can pass off as Devon's. Hilary desperately wants to be part of Devon's orbit, but is it because of Devon's money or because of Devon's character? The jury's still out on that one.
Pretty Kitty has just informed me that it's time to pay attention to her. She wants to watch her favorite soap: Meerkat Manor on Animal Planet. I told her that meerkats aren't related to her, but Pretty Kitty said that doesn't matter because she's entertained, just like I am by Y&R. I guess she told me!
Thanks again for letting me share my thoughts with you. As always, fellow fans, I welcome feedback about this column in the section provided below. I enjoy all your comments, even when you don't agree with me. Please return in two weeks for another edition of Two Scoops.
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