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From the March 3, 2009 issue of Soap Opera Digest (pp. 42-45): She's Come Undoneby Devin OwensY&R's Sharon Loses ControlSharon has taken some pretty big emotional hits lately (her marriage to Jack tanked; her son, Noah, almost died; she made love to ex-husband Nick, who decided to stay with Phyllis; and Brad died) that are taking a toll. Not only is Sharon dealing with guilt, rejection and grief, but the beleaguered heroine has been drinking and swiping items that don't belong to her. Is she on a downward spiral? "Sharon's life is spinning out of control because there's so much going on with her," observes Sharon Case (Sharon). "There are so many crazy possibilities going through her head of what's right and what's wrong, but none of those matter to her."
That would include her drunken one-night stand with an equally soused Billy. "Sharon has been treated badly by Jack and crushed by Nick, so you can only imagine the place that she is in emotionally," notes Case. "It makes sense that she would foolishly reach out to the next person she could just to feel something."
Case finds the hookup intriguing. "It's kind of nasty," she smiles. "They're both technically unattached and consenting adults, so they can do what they want. But what I love about Sharon and Billy is that their sex is very naughty. It's sex, not making love, but that can be dangerous because you don't know if it's going to turn into something deeper for one of them. It's a scary ride, but Sharon is always going on scary rides."
And it continues when Sharon shows up at the Abbott mansion to retrieve some personal effects because Jack isn't the only one present. "She runs into Billy, too," Case giggles. "They haven't spoken to each other since that night. They both have a bunch of crazy going on in their lives, so they weren't exactly sitting by the phone waiting to hear from each other. When Jack leaves them alone in the room, it's a bit awkward at first. Sharon doesn't know how she feels about him, how he feels about her and was it a mistake? She stands there and looks at Billy, waiting for him to say something to her. He's the guy, so he should make the first move, right? So Sharon challenges him a little more by crossing over, stands in front of him and waits for him to say something. The he finally says, 'About last night...' and that's all she needs to hear. She cuts in and says in a sexy way, 'Don't tell anybody about this.' She's not cross or freaked out, but she doesn't want Jack finding out. She's being flirtatious but open with him. I don't think the sex ended up being a bad experience for either one of them. The way she sees it, it's the only thing positive going on for her. She speaks to him intimately because that's their relationship now. He responds in kind and touches Sharon's shoulder before he leaves."
Jack returns and tries to apologize for his sins during their marriage. "She stops him because at this point, she doesn't want to hear any more apologies," sighs Case. "It doesn't matter anymore, they're getting a divorce. In her heart and her mind, she's moved on. Also, it makes it uncomfortable to hear an apology now because she slept with his brother."
Sharon leaves, then heads to the bookstore to make some purchases for Noah. There, Sharon gets sticky fingers again. "She takes some books from a display and puts them into Noah's book bag without paying for them," says Case. "It's almost like she doesn't know what she's doing. She then gets a call on her cell phone and hands the bag to Noah."
The call turns out to be from the hospital with news that Sharon's mom, Doris, has been admitted. "Sharon tells Noah, he hands the bag to Eden and he rushes out of the store with his mom," Case explains. "Eden tries to leave, but the sensors go off, so the security guard checks the bag and finds the books that haven't been paid for. So Sharon has really left Eden holding the bag [
chuckles]. Eden professes her innocence, but of course, no one believes her."
After Sharon and Noah confirm that Doris is going to be okay, Sharon has a minimeltdown while her son is out of the room. "She tells her mom that she blanks out sometimes and loses track of time," sets up Case. "It's just a few moments and she doesn't remember what she did."
That's when Doris brings up a painful subject. "She says it has happened before, but Sharon doesn't want to talk about it," says Case. "She doesn't want to admit that it has happened before. Her turmoil is so great that it's almost impossible for her to speak about it. When she does, she feels like her mother is equating it to a long time ago. Sharon is feeing like no one is really listening to what she's saying."
Meanwhile, Nick calls Sharon and says the bookstore manager wants to prosecute Eden for shoplifting. "That's when Sharon finds the ceramic elephant," notes Case. "She doesn't know why she has it, but she knows it came from Brad's house."
Sharon returns to the bookstore, where she loses her cool. "She's really harsh with Eden and Phyllis," says Case. "Then Nick tries to calm her down, but she goes off on him and tells him to leave her alone."
Next, Sharon drives over to Brad's house. "She knows the secret place where he kept his key and lets herself in," Case explains. "While she's there, she has a panic attack. She gets really paranoid and panicky that somebody might come in and find her. She just wants to get out. From there, the story gets really complicated and dramatic. She's definitely in trouble."
The above article was typed up and posted at The Colonnade Room, with credit given to its source.
