Young & Restless Fireworks: A Cheating Scandal Set to Explode – Plus, Sparks Fly Between Nick and [Spoiler]
Credit: CBS screenshot
Young & Restless shows no signs of backing off of business storylines, but has dialed up the interpersonal drama within them. Here’s a look at what happened this week and what’s coming up.
Building Drama
A falling out with Nikki over her remarks about Diane has been added onto the growing pile of Jack’s woes, even as Victor works a revenge scheme against him involving both Adam and Kyle. The preview with Jack hollering at Kyle indicates that the Abbott family fracture is only going to widen, which means Traci will be bringing Alan home to a real mess. Speaking of the Parisian pairing, how amazing is it to see our beloved Traci finally get another shot at love and happiness?! I hope they’ll show the progression of their romance and not just relegate it to mere mentions.
Squid Games
It’s always lovely to see Tessa and Mariah, it was a nice gesture to mark the anniversary of their first date, and the squid hats were adorable, but I’d like to see them involved in some real drama, either together or separately. It’s been a while since they’ve had a signficant storyline or had anything to do other than prop other characters.
Going to the Chapel
Devon’s proposal may have been something of a knee-jerk reaction to what was happening with work/Lily, but there’s no doubt he would have popped the question to Abby at some point soon anyway. They’re a good couple, if not a boring one, but all that could change if history is anything to go by. Abby has a dismal track record with romantic relationships, so I’d expect things to start going sideways before too long. In any case, the engagement gave us some genuinely heartfelt scenes, the ones between Abby and Kyle notwithstanding. Yike.
Custody Chaos
Why the writers spoiled the potential and momentum they had with Claire in the wake of Jordan’s reign of terror by wedging her in between Summer and Kyle as a nanny, of all things, is arguably one of the biggest mysteries — and failures — of the soap right now. There is drama in watching “Skyle” do battle, but Claire has become all but unwatchable as the prim and proper mediator. This character should be wrestling with her own internal struggles right now, navigating the ups and downs of integrating into the volatile Newman family, and at the very least going down some questionable paths as she acclimates to her newfound “freedom”. The custody story would have made more sense if Audra was involved as a potential evil stepmommy to Harrison so Summer had a legit reason to be up in arms. This is a misfire. Find out why I think (and hope!) Claire will soon return to the dark side again.
Set to Explode
Both Adam and Chelsea came close to coming clean about their tryst this week, and if the new preview is anything to go by (and it is), it’s only a matter of time before the scandal is blown sky high. Chelsea is completely unable to hide her guilty feelings at this point (so much for her legendary con artist skills), and Adam has made things exponentially worse by not only covering up his actions, but doubling down with a lie about what went down in Baltimore. Past experience tell us that Billy will not take this well. Remember him dumping Phyllis on the spot when he found out she’d slept with Nick in a “moment of weakness”? Sally, meanwhile, has given Adam ample opportunity to ‘fess up and he’s veered the wrong way at every turn. The reveal is bound to trigger the old wounds from the last time he did her wrong, so it’s not looking good for them either. Prediction: Adam and Chelsea will have sex again soon. You know, because the pressure of the guilt is too much to bear.
In related, a Young & Restless viewer posted an old clip of Melissa Claire Egan from her All My Children days that illustrates perfectly why this soap should be playing her as the pot-stirrer she was intended to be rather than a tragic romantic heroine. Watch for yourself and see if you agree (or just watch it because it’s delicious, includes the iconic Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, and there’s a slap)
Sparks Fly
Should Billy begin spiraling over the news that Chelsea cheated, it won’t bode well for him on a personal or professional front. Little does he know he’s already in the fight of his life to keep Chancellor out of Victor’s clutches.
As for Lily, well, she’ll have her hands full with an off-the-rails Billy whilst getting blindsided by the news that the company she chose over the family business (who can blame her for not wanting to work with control freak Devon?) is facing a hostile takeover. As it turns out, she may have some comforting arms to turn to in her time of need. Whose? All one needs to do is read between the lines of the preview for next week… Victor wants to know where Lily’s loyalties lie, and will ask Nick to try and get a read on her. Sparks will fly between the singles and we’ll finally get to explore the chemistry teased in a fantasy sequence that aired years ago, in which Lily was Nick’s wife.
Full Plate
If Lily becomes a romantic distraction for Nick, then he’s looking at a full plate in the weeks and months ahead. Why? Phyllis has somewhat unwittingly made matters worse in Summer’s custody battle with her advice, so he’ll be trying to clean up that mess, and Sharon is on a downward spiral that involves hallucinations of them getting back together. Should his ex become jealous… well, we’ve already seen Moody Sharon, and she’s not someone we’d want to tangle with! Find out why we think Young & Restless is set to revive Sharon and Phyllis’ iconic rivalry (with a giant twist) here.
