To begin a blog on The Young and the Restless now, as the show is in the midst of a murder investigation, Jill and Colin are still in the midst of a breakup, and Kay is still in the midst of dismantling Tucker’s corporation, is truly beginning in medeas res (as we used to say in my Lit classes). Where to begin commenting? Probably at the places ripest for speculation…so let’s get started!
Who in the Sam Hill killed Diane Jenkins Abbott Newman? Could’ve been anyone, really—as detective Malloy so aptly points out, at least nine people had means and motive (heavy on the motive—there wasn’t anybody Diane hadn’t p****d off). Me, I’m waiting for the big surprise—like the one they pulled when it was revealed that Jana was the one who had really killed Carmen Mesta in a fit of brain-tumor-induced mania. Who would ever have thought of Jana and Carmen? But of course, that was the point—total surprise.
I mean, the most obvious suspects are really too obvious, aren’t they? Adam—the ultimate sociopathic double-crosser? Victor—Mr. “You’ll Regret Messing With Me”? What a letdown if either of them had really done it. What’s the mystery or shock in that?
Jack? Nicholas? I’m sorry…those guys are lovers, not fighters. Probably not even Tucker. So far, his bark has been much worse than his bite. In the world of cut-throat business tycoons, Tucker doesn’t seem to be even the same league with Victor. He’s having trouble doing battle with his mother! As for protecting Abby from Diane, I think we will find, if we haven’t already, that Tucker will have no trouble hanging Abby out to dry if Ashley refuses to patch up their marriage; he would not have killed Diane over spoiled little Abby.
In addition to the fact that Abby was probably too bombed out of her mind to have aimed and hit Diane repeatedly, she is so tiny that Diane would simply have had to hold Abby’s head at arm’s length while Abby swung at empty air until she collapsed from drunkenness or exhaustion or both. And Ashley, sweet, will o’ the wisp Ashley, could she really hurt a fly, much less bludgeon a person to death?
So, whence cometh the surprise of Diane’s murderer(ess?) revealed? To pick the minds of the writers, one really has to think outside the soapbox and ask who DIDN’T have motive? Or means?
My personal pick is Billy. Now, I realize that all the actors have to take a vacation at some point (why else has Nikki spent all summer in rehab?), but I thought it was pretty fishy that Billy was flying out of Genoa City just as they are fishing Diane’s corpse out of the creek in Town Park. He probably had means, but what would his motive have been? Anybody have any ideas? I’m all eyes!
Of course, there’s also Deacon—who certainly seems to have a lot of inside information. If he was in the park and “saw what Phyllis did,” then he also had the opportunity to steal the mounted camera pointed at the crime scene, as well as to find Ashley’s phone with the incriminating message from Nick. But he knew Diane and, it would seem, liked her, as one shark likes another. Did he have motive to kill Diane? Yes, Diane had some goods on Nikki and Victor, but would Deacon be protective enough of Nikki to kill Diane over that? Naaah. Then again, if he WAS at the park and he DIDN’T kill Diane, why didn’t he rescue her when someone else was in the process?
Phyllis, I think, would be too proud to kill Diane over mere jealousy of her relationship with Nick. Paul is the perennial good guy; he couldn’t have done it. (Right? I mean, cops don’t commit crimes, do they?) Michael was her friend, so he’s out, right?
Think, people, think!
Well, you know what’s most likely, don’t you? Actually, I think two scenarios are equally likely:
1. A completely new character will be introduced with some heretofore unknown connection to Diane who was secretly in Genoa City, following her around, waiting for the opportunity to off her and finding it in Town Park after every other enemy Diane has ever had has come to see her. That’s why everyone else has to look guilty right now—and think that everyone else is guilty and needs to be protected by all these intertwining alibis—so that when this previously unknown assailant comes to light, it really will have been a mystery solved. Otherwise, almost everybody else is just too obvious, ya know?
But think about it: Adam and Diane were plotting to fake her death and, somehow, Diane thought it would be cool to involve everyone she knew—perhaps it was her intention to make everyone look potentially guilty. But obviously, someone as narcissistic as she never actually intended to die—especially not in her $400 dress! (I could write more on the implausibility of that given the tackiness of the dress, but that is old news…)
So, did the deception actually take place? WERE Diane and Adam successful in faking her death? If so, whose body was that floating in the stream (and where did they find a matching $400 dress for her that tacky)? One of those previously unknown twins that soaps are fond of concocting after years of knowing a character as an only child? (Think Cane.) Was it the twin who was actually killed by Adam and Diane in order to frame Victor—and everyone else in town? Gosh, the more I write about it, the more plausible it becomes! That’s the tragedy of soaps—that their plot twists are so predictable AND stretch too far our suspension of disbelief.
Which brings up another question: if Diane is alive, where is she? And why hasn’t she tried to contact Kyle in Switzerland. No…she must really be dead…right? Please tell me she’s really dead. And that she’ll stay dead. Can anyone promise me that?
So, I’m watching with bated breath. Can’t wait to find out whodunit. And it’s nice to have Ronan Malloy back in town, getting the skewering from his family he so rightly deserves as he employs his considerable talents at sleuthing. But if they have Heather fall back into his arms, I will have to barf. Where did they find that replacement for the original Heather?? The original was SO much prettier and SUCH a better actress. (Always wondered the same thing about why they replaced the original Adam. Perhaps the Powers That Be thought he was too cute to play the evil sadist that Adam was to become. (Or maybe the Original didn’t want to play the gay scenes that took place so soon after his departure.)
In fact, I’d like to do an installment in which I speculate about some of the characters who have come and gone (and in some cases, come back again) over the years. That could take a while.
In the meantime, keep watching, keep guessing and write me about your questions. What makes you watch, day after day? Do you watch during the day when it comes on at its regular time? Do you DVR your Y&R? Do watch on SoapNet at night? All fodder for discussion!
And who will turn out to be Tucker’s long-lost son? A new character, or someone we already know? I thought it was going to be Sam, but I think he’s probably too old, based on the time frame they’re talking about for his conception. Another intriguing question: will Nikki turn out to be the mother of the child who gave him up for adoption before she met Victor as a stripper?
And what is the shameful secret in Phyllis’s past? (I mean, besides trapping Danny Romalotti into marriage and fatherhood?)
Will Lily and Cane reconcile? Seems obvious, since she’ll also break Danny’s heart in the process.
Will Chloe fall for Ronan again, only to have Chance arrive back from the Middle East to break them up again? Will Chance rip out Ronan’s liver? (Just kidding; Chance is too much of a Boy Scout to do that.)
I know you have questions, too! Drop me a line, Genoa City Fans! Write me at lisalea10@yahoo.com
Texas Missy, the 35-Year Fan
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