Why you shouldn't miss an episode of The Young and the Restless

New characters, old plots, and psychological mysteries are keeping The Young and the Restless fans on their toes.

The Young and the Restless has pulled us in recently with emotional stories, outstanding performances, and a multitude of Ashleys who leave us wanting answers.

Leave it to the great Victor Newman to pull out his old bag of tricks and come up with the one that started his tenure in Genoa City. Decades ago, Victor locked his first wife's lover in a cell in his wine cellar, and now he has done the same thing to "that Jordan woman."

Jordan Howard, the woman who knocked Nikki off the wagon after giving her an I.V. full of vodka, is now getting a taste of her own medicine. While the rest of the Newmans think that Jordan is dead, Victor has her locked in a cage in the wine cellar, where he is supplying her with vodka as her only beverage. Watching Eric Braeden and Colleen Zenk spar is magical as two daytime powerhouses engage in a game of wits.

It took months, but Nikki Newman finally agreed to go to rehab. Too bad it took Jack Abbott making a rash move to get her to finally admit that was necessary. Jack took a trip off the wagon himself in solidarity with Nikki. He drank with Nikki, called his old dealer, took some opioid painkillers with alcohol, and promptly passed out.

Jack gave Nikki quite a fright and scared her into getting the help she needed, but now Jack has to deal with a very angry wife. Diane walked out on Jack when she learned what he'd done, making us wonder if Jack will turn to drugs again to dull the emotional pain.

Ashley and her alternate personalities have been making their presence known for months, but until recently, her loved ones didn't know that was what was going on. They just knew Ashley seemed distraught as she exhibited strange behaviors.

While we can't wait to get to the bottom of why Ashley's personalities split and how long ago it really happened, the Abbotts might want to stop a murder first. "Ms. Abbott" seems to be plotting the demise of Tucker McCall, and it might be up to "Belle" to make sure that doesn't happen.

There are a lot of misconceptions about obsessive-compulsive disorder that Y&R is trying to dispel by telling the story through the eyes of an adolescent and his parents. Connor has had a rough childhood, and his emotional problems have been exacerbated by his mother's mental health issues -- especially when Chelsea attempted suicide in 2022.

Connor's plight is now becoming more serious as he engages in self-harm, and his parents are beside themselves. Watching Adam and Chelsea navigate their own feelings as they try to be there for Connor offers the compelling drama soaps are made for.

Summer and Kyle are supposed to be done and over, right? After all, they signed the divorce papers, and she is supposed to be madly in love with Chance. However, Summer definitely does not like the attention that Kyle is giving to Claire Grace.

Summer doesn't trust Claire at all. For now, that is under the guise of being a concerned mother, as she is not sure she wants someone who was recently being treated in a mental ward around her stepson, Harrison. However, can some of that mistrust stem from jealousy? It wasn't her idea to split with Kyle, so old feelings might still linger.

Do you agree with our five reasons? What is your favorite current story on Y&R? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.