As Ashley’s on her knees in the office washing down her meds, Jack asks Neil what’s going on – why are they all kissing Neville’s ass? Something stinks to high heaven. Look out for Ashley. Neil will do so.
Back in Billy’s suite, Phyllis vows to bring the Abbott’s together for a Christmas miracle; at the very least Billy and Jack without trying to kill each other.
Strolling in the park, Kyle talks to Summer about his Mom being an architect. She loved it. He reminisces; one Christmas she took him to a construction site in San Paulo. It was pretty cool. All of a sudden, Santa stepped out with a bag of presents just for me. Yeah, my Mom was amazing ~hug~
Neil will handle the cash, write the checks, protect Devon’s investment, manage the media, the FDA etc. And Gwen reports to me. You don’t know anything about this specialty, Neville complains. No but he knows what success looks like, Hilary arrives – I’m patient zero. Gwen scowls as Hilary says she’s not only willing – she feels obligated to be part of this project.
On a park bench, Kyle and Summer go through her scrapbook. He can’t wait to see what comes next in the Summer Newman story ~kiss~
Back in the lab, Dr Neville finds a bottle of bubbly to toast with. Wait, Neil’s not sure it’s a good idea to put Hilary front and center. Hilary feels she can be a good spokesperson or take part in experiments. That’s not how medical research works, Ashley cautions. Neil’s not cool with using Hilary as a lab rat. We’ll find something for her to do. Bubbly is poured into beakers (Neil a bottle of water) To the future. Neil and a smiling Hilary lock eyes.
A festive Jack and Phyllis are at the cabin. There’s no time for sex – she’s invited the entire family up for an old fashioned Christmas. Unfortunately, the only one who can make it is Billy (who walks in with a pile of firewood) You set me up, Jack doesn’t look happy.
Next: So you’ll have a party? Faith looks hopeful. Nikki (seated beside Dylan) will talk to her Grandpa – she thinks he’ll agree – we’ll have to plan something very special … We’re going to get back on track – I need all of you here. Today? Abby asks. Today, tomorrow – every day until Newman is back on top.
My Thoughts: Neil’s doing a great job of staying away from Hilary. Good thing he told her ‘no more time together’ and stop trying to get me up to your suite… Jack JUST sat down for Summer’s birthday breakfast – would it have killed him to ask Ashley to meet him in an hour? I like how he makes Summer feel like it was her decision to send him off to Jabot (even though he’d already said he’s on his way) …. ‘Secure facility’? The lab is neither secure or a facility. For one thing, it’s a very, very tiny part of a huge office building, not an independent facility – and it’s ‘secured’ by a glass door that doesn’t even seem to lock …. What’s the deal with merging addictions? Having a gambling addiction doesn’t necessarily make one an alcoholic. Having an addiction to pain medication doesn’t necessarily make one an alcoholic. Billy’s questionable, but Jack is not an alcoholic (despite Billy jumping to the conclusion that he’d fallen off the wagon and was taking pills and drinking again) … Why did Hilary have to let Devon know that Neil stopped by her room? She didn’t need to specify where he talked to her …Oh – a scrapbook – just what Summer always wanted – complete with an old piece of string, stories from all her friends that don’t exist, and articles from the newspaper!? Like what? Summer’s brief stint as a model that ended in her nearly ODing on pills? The eenie-meenie-miney-moe of her paternity fiasco? The headlines of her marriage to a creep who was later murdered in her family cabin must make for good scrapbooking material … I thought Devon wanted to cut Dr Neville one check – now it’s a whole new business start up? It takes YEARS to get new treatment OK’d by the FDA. Dr Neville’s already using Hilary as a lab rat (and breaking laws) by giving her medication…. Is Jack just going to fire Jabot’s managers as he happens to randomly bump into them? Gwen would be at her job today if she hadn’t seen him at the club. Firing her a few days before Christmas, then having the nerve to say Merry Christmas? Classy .. Perhaps Gwen could wait tables at the club. They don’t seem to have any wait staff. Despite the club being nearly empty, Kyle had to go off to ‘put our order in’ – but for some odd reason doesn’t ask Phyllis if she’d like anything.