Wow, all that was missing this past week on The Young and the Restless was a priest to hear everyone's confessions! It must be November Sweeps or something?! The show was firing on all cylinders as it served us confession after confession from our favorite characters (some confessions were more shocking than others, of course).
Let's start with the least shocking and discuss Tucker and Ashley. Tucker confessed his secrets about his relationship with Diane in Los Angeles, but it was more of a recap for viewers that already knew the details he filled her in on. Tucker is playing Ashley to win her good graces, and Ashley is playing Tucker to get more dirt on Diane, so I do love that aspect of their scenes, but this "reveal" wasn't anything new to viewers who heard Diane spill the same secrets to Jack last week. Sure, we got a few more details here and there but, overall, it didn't serve much more purpose than simply reminding us what both of these characters' agendas are toward one another.
I am loving how much Ashley has been involved in this storyline, though, and I am excited to see where this story with her and Tucker is headed. I actually really like the two of them together. Wouldn't it be crazy if Ashley ends up with Tucker, and Jack ends up with Diane?! Even though Tucker and Diane are sort of at odds with one another in their various schemes, it would be fun to see them both get what they want. Even though Tucker and Diane are hiding more secrets that we are not privy to yet, I don't think either of them has any ill will toward Ashley or Jack. They seem to genuinely want a happy relationship with each of them. I'm withholding my judgment until we see how it all plays out, of course, but I wouldn't be opposed to these pairings (mostly because I love the chemistry between all the actors)!
One couple I don't want to see reunite, though, is Adam and Chelsea. I loved their scenes this week when Adam finally learned the truth from Chelsea about her attempted suicide, but I hope he remains as more of a friend to her than anything else. I loved these two together back in the day, but Adam absolutely belongs with Sally, and I am anxiously awaiting their potential reunion.
Melissa Claire Egan knocked it out of the park again this week as Chelsea confessed her suicidal intentions to Adam and clued him in to what has been going on with her. She absolutely better win a Daytime Emmy at the next awards ceremony! Melissa does a great job of showing us Chelsea's vulnerable side, and her portrayal of someone dealing with suicidal tendencies was right on the mark as Chelsea confessed to Adam all that she has gone through recently. Mark Grossman was great, too, as Adam showed empathy toward Chelsea and never made her feel worse about herself as she divulged her struggle with the demons she has battled.
I loved these scenes so much! I have suffered from depression from time to time, and my husband suffers from clinical depression, so this storyline with Chelsea has really hit home for me and made me very emotional. I can't wait for Chelsea to hear from both her sons that they do not blame her as harshly as they did when they first learned the truth about being brothers and that they understand now why she did what she did when she gave up Johnny.
And while I appreciate Billy's role in helping Chelsea find the help she needs to work on her mental health, I wish he would confide in Lily a little more about what exactly he has been helping Chelsea deal with lately. I get why Billy is protective of Chelsea and her mental state, but I don't think Chelsea would fault him for cluing Lily in on the specifics. And Lily would certainly be more understanding of the situation if she knew the full truth about why Billy has been spending so much time with Chelsea. It's almost like Billy wants Lily to find a reason to leave him because he doesn't have the strength to leave her himself. Or maybe he just doesn't want to face the truth that they are not a great fit for one another. I don't know if it's just me, but Billy and Lily just don't feel right together. They have been pretty much a snooze-fest since they started dating, and there is no real passion there that I can see. Their relationship was cute and kind of fun in the beginning, but it doesn't feel like one that will last.
I almost wonder if Billy's decision to quit Chancellor-Winters was somewhat related to some subconscious thoughts that he may have about his relationship to Lily. If he leaves the company that they both run together, then it will certainly be easier for them to end their relationship, too, since they won't have to worry about running into each other at the office every day. Maybe that kiss Chelsea planted on him earlier this year made more of an impact than he wants to admit? With Lily's first love, Daniel, returning to Genoa City soon, I would be totally okay with Billy and Chelsea getting back together (once Chelsea works on her mental health issues, of course, because love is the last thing that needs to be on her mind right now).
Speaking of Daniel, how great is it that his dad, Danny, will be returning to Genoa City this year, too?! I am looking forward to seeing both of them again, and I am curious what storylines are in store for them. I'm not sure if Michael Damian is back in the role of Danny for a long stint or if he is just returning for the holidays, but it's always nice to see him. I hope he has some scenes with Christine, but I'm sad that Doug Davidson (ex-Paul) likely won't be a part of any of it. Gosh, I miss Paul a lot.
There could still be some exciting stuff coming up for the returning Daniels, though. If the rumors of a B&B/Y&R crossover revolving around Sheila are true (something that has been on my wish list for a long while) then it would be fun to see Danny involved in that somehow. If any of you missed the Halloween episode of The Bold and the Beautiful this year, which featured Y&R's Lauren, and you have Paramount+, then do yourself a favor and go check out the October 31st episode that celebrated Kimberlin Brown's 30th anniversary in the role of Sheila -- it was a real treat!
But back to Daniel. I really hope to see a reconnecting of him and Lily on Y&R because they were one of my favorite couples back in the day. Whether Daniel returns and makes his way into Lily's orbit or not, Lily will certainly have her hands full at Chancellor-Winters, so we are likely to see a lot more of her in the coming months! I loved her scenes with Jill this week, and I was so happy to see Jess Walton back as Jill again! Jess is the gift the keeps on giving, and I really hope she returns to the show in a more full-time capacity in the near future. I was absolutely thrilled when she and Sally shared scenes at the end of the week (more of this duo, please)!! I really hope that Jill gives Sally a job at Chancellor-Winters. I didn't see that coming at all, and I was elated by the prospect. Sally and Jill are certainly kindred spirits, in a way.
It was also great to see Jill wrangle a confession out of Lily regarding Billy's exodus from Chancellor-Winters. And it was even more satisfying to see Jill get real with her son about his ever-changing plans for his future. Don't get me wrong, though, I'm all for Billy leaving Chancellor-Winters to find his true passion (even though I understood where Jill was coming from). Jill is right to be worried about her son and his future. Billy always seems to be in a state of "in-between-ness" when it comes to determining what he wants to do with his life. In fact, it seems like the only thing he is ever sure about is that he is not sure about where his future is headed.
I do relate to Billy, though, in regard to never feeling fully satisfied -- I just don't necessarily empathize with him. I wish I came from two wealthy families and could take the time to pick and choose what I want to do with my life without worrying about the financial consequences. I am not satisfied in my regular, full-time job (I manage a call center, which is about as glamorous as it sounds) but I stick with it because it is really my best option at the moment, and I don't have the flexibility of a trust fund or inheritance to lean on that would allow me to change careers on a whim (as I'm sure most of us can more easily relate to). I guess I'm envious of Billy in that regard, but that also only allows me so much empathy toward his plight (even if I do understand how he feels in general).
Someone I can't relate to at all, thankfully, is Noah. He just learned that Audra was pregnant with his baby and had a miscarriage! I did not see that coming, but I am glad that the writers took this step to add more weight to the Audra/Noah/Allie triangle they have been building. Noah has been forthright with the fact that his relationship with Audra did not come to a satisfactory ending and that there were still lingering feelings there, but his new relationship with Allie truly seemed to help him get beyond all that baggage he had and allowed him to move forward. This latest twist with Audra's confession, though, is going to bring a whole new layer to the storyline and complicate things for the trio.
The writing was on the wall when Allie walked in on Noah and Audra in a solemn embrace at the end of Friday's episode. The love triangle that has been simmering between these three has definitely been kicked up a notch now! Noah will almost certainly start to second-guess the way he left Audra high and dry in London now that he knows what she went through in his absence. The loss of their child could even bring them closer together now that they are able to mourn together and wonder what might have been. I do love Allie and Noah as a couple, though, so I hope they end up together in the end.
But why talk about love triangles when we have a "love square" that just exploded this past week? Yes, I'm talking about Amanda/Devon/Abby/Chance and all the drama that they brought to our screens! Yowza! I had mentioned in my last column that I thought Abby and Devon would be a better couple than Abby and Chance, but I did not expect things between them to ignite as quickly as they did! Kudos to the writers for giving us viewers some shock value as the friends-turned-lovers had spur-of-the-moment sex! And to have Chance and Amanda walk in on them naked on the couch together just doubled down on the shock-and-awe of it all! I was loving all of it!
First of all, let's talk about Abby and Devon's off-the-charts chemistry as they threw each other around Devon's penthouse during their sex-capade! I may not be attracted to Devon's self-righteous attitude that he carries around with him, but I am certainly attracted to the actor himself, so these scenes were fun to watch just for that alone! It's always nice to have some eye candy on daytime television, right?
I thought the lead-up to Abby and Devon's tryst was good, too, and I understand why they found solace in each other's arms after recounting how many times they have been there for each other over the years, while also commiserating over their current woes. It helped to remind us that their connection has been a strong one for years, and, like Chance, they should have seen this coming. They may have professed to Amanda and Chance that it was a random incident and didn't mean more than two friends finding comfort with one another, but the truth is that there has been something simmering between them for a long time.
I do feel bad for Chance and Amanda, though, because they didn't really do anything wrong in their relationships that would warrant this type of betrayal by their significant others. Abby wants to make it sound like Chance did something wrong by supposedly putting his work before his family, but Abby knew all along what she was getting into when she married someone in law enforcement and the type of demands that would be expected of him. Him deciding to stay home with her instead of going to work at odd hours could literally be life and death for someone else that he could have helped had he ignored his responsibilities and civic duty.
I felt the worst for Amanda -- "the poor man's Hilary" (ouch!) -- in this whole situation. She has been nothing but supportive to Devon throughout the whole sperm donation storyline, Devon cheating on her once before with his ex, and the fact that she is the identical twin sister of his deceased wife! They have been through so much together, and for him to betray her in this way is such a big slap in the face. I loved Devon and Hilary together and always disliked that he ended up with her twin sister (even though I was glad the writers found a way to bring the actress back after killing Hilary off), but I still hate that things are ending this way for them (even though I am loving the entertainment value of the storyline).
I think it is pretty obvious that the writers wrote this tryst between Abby and Devon as a way to write Amanda off the show now that the actress has gone off-contract, so I do appreciate that, and I am obviously loving all the drama that it is causing. While it's hard not to feel bad for Amanda, I am glad that she is leaving town with her head held high and on her own terms. She absolutely should walk away from Devon after his betrayal, and it makes sense that she would want to go be with her mom as her mom recovers from her near-death experience.
I was actually sadder about Amanda and Phyllis' farewell than I was about Amanda and Devon's breakup. Amanda and Phyllis have been a delight to watch on-screen as best friends, and I am so sad to see Phyllis lose that close friendship now that Amanda is leaving town. Their scenes were some of the best this week, and I was so happy that the writers took the time to honor their friendship and give them a final episode together.
What do you all think about the twists and turns that Y&R threw at us this past week with all these confessions?! That's all from me for this week but don't forget to hit the Comments (here on the site and/or on social media) to share your opinions, too -- I'll see you there!
Until next time,
Vance
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