Another Chance and Caffeine Addictions: The Young and the Restless Two Scoops for the week of December 2, 2024

What a week on The Young and the Restless when Chance finally got a clue. Like literally. It was handed to him. And — spoiler — he figured out what to do with it.

The best part of waking up…

…is Folgers in your cup? Or Crimson Lights dark roast? It seems the first thing that Phyllis did after being released the hospital was to go get a coffee from the place that her archnemesis owns and works.

So, sure enough, Phyllis and Summer were just sitting there, drinking their coffee without a care in the world, when Sharon had the audacity to come into Crimson Lights. “Of all the coffee shops in the world, you had to walk into this one,” she says.

Phyllis didn’t justify if the hospital coffee is as bad as the food, she was too busy yelling about no one believing her but Sharon being guilty, and telling her take her punishment like a big girl and go get herself locked up forever like she deserves.

Surprisingly, Sharon agreed with her and tried her sorta best all week to make it happen, but Michael and Nick fought that every step of the way because…feelings. Ok, so Michael thinks that something’s off with Sharon’s confession, as does Nick. Maybe they’re right, but where were those feelings when Phyllis was telling them something was off with Sharon? Love or hate Phyllis all you want, but the cherry-picking of info that people absorb about Sharon is real.

Second Chance

So now that Sharon has confessed to the murder, Chance can finally put that file to rest, right? Wrong! When he has someone who is clearly being framed, he ensures an arrest. When he has a confession? He bends the rules to accommodate her ex-husband to taint the evidence trail so it can’t be used in court.

Chance’s latest head-scratching move was to meet with Nick and agree to take a bottle of Sharon’s meds from the garbage can and run them through the lab. Helping Sharon aside, where was this reasonability for Daniel and Lucy? Chance was in a serious relationship with Summer, and he turned a blind eye every single chance he got (no pun intended on that one) to ignore clues and facts right before him. Flat-out refused.

But when Daniel was the suspect, Chance took Sharon’s word for it when she was a key witness, without proof, in a clear case of he said/she said. From that moment, Mr. “There’s No Evidence To Support That Claim” wanted Daniel’s head on a spike, or as he puts it, “I just follow the evidence, and there was none.”

But now that the (gum)shoe is on the other foot, he’s all in to not just consider another suspect, but he’ll break the rules to do it? Come on, Chance. Pick a rule and stick with it. Just. One. Time.

Nick's explanation for Chance's behavior was interesting. He told Michael that Chance would do him a solid because he was his friend. His friend? Summer would like a word.

Not Silly

I thought that Billy and Sally had spent some time getting to know one another better before hitting the sheets. I mean, there were dad jokes, and clown car stories, and they even got the best couple name in history. But apparently, if you don’t say I love you within three days of the first compliment, you’re friend-zoned (take note, Claire).

So after they didn’t have revenge sex, Billy was satisfied that Adam knew that they did the deed and was all “whew, glad I’m not in a serious relationship” mode? I’m disappointed, even if Sally claims she’s not.

BUT…that doesn’t mean they’re over. And with Phyllis involved, and Billy’s need for attention and drama (ok, maybe not need, but he is a magnet) might check some boxes if he was juggling both redheads. Not giving up on Silly or Philly just yet.

Reunited, and it feels so good

Jack and Diane saw no reason to hide the fact that they were back together, or still together, and figured out where Nikki and Victor were dining so they could prance by. They got exactly the type of reaction they expected, but Nikki did this weird, jealous thing.

One thing we’ve never seen is Nikki play poker, and I know why. She could not hide her emotions if her life depended on it, so I guess finding out that Jack and Diane were good at faking it got her goat or something.

Still wondering if they cracked up during the read-through when Nikki told them that she didn’t know they were good actors. Or maybe she ad-libbed that, and they threw it into the scene.

It’s your move

Jack managed to one-up Victor by buying up all the bits of Glissade that he’d sold off, only Jack got them back for a discounted price, so that was a bonus. And considering he didn’t have to buy Glissade, Victor just handed it over, so I guess it was a deal? Seems so, as Jack’s pretty smug about it…and Victor seems ticked.

Although, it could be that Victor was just so miffed to find Jack in his shiny new house that he, like Nikki, couldn’t hide his anger, and Jack’s strategic move didn’t bother him as much as it seemed.

Anyway, the feud ain’t over…I mean, 40 years later, why stop now? But it is kind of ludicrous that Victor is playing these brutal games with the Abbotts, determined to destroy them, all based on the night that Jack and Nikki were in the hotel room. And it’s not even because he thinks Jack’s version of Scared Straight was dangerous and could’ve killed Nikki, it’s more about Victor not knowing whether or not Nikki and Jack were makin’ bacon in that room overnight.

But, Jack could easily end the war on that note, letting Victor know that he’ll never really know whether or not he and Nikki got it on for old times’ sake. But alas, he took the high road and went for Victor’s other jugular — the pocketbook.

New and improved?

Kyle and Claire. Sigh. I think I might have been so used to Kyle being a complete and utter jerk for so long that I’m not sure I even like Kyle 2.0

Not that I have an issue with Kyle being a better person, I’m just not sure that he actually is. Claire’s been great to him, listening to all of his problems, smoothing over his clashes with everyone from Summar and their custody war, to this battle royale with his parents. But going from angry lasher-outer to calm and comforting world of Zen guy is too extreme. As much as Kyle seems to be trying to be more Claire-like, he’s got this underlying vibe of rage, like it’s just under the surface and looking for a reason to rear its ugly head.

So it makes me wonder if he’s as willing to make things right with his parents, or if it’s just a temporary thing and then he’ll turn back into the power-hungry head-butter again with his mom. Or Jack. Or maybe Billy will make a return to the Jabot-verse and they’ll clash.

As for Claire, I’m still not buying it that she’s going to do this Pollyanna routine much longer. Regardless if she never actually changed since she was with Jordan, Claire’s tougher than she acts. Summer said right to her face that she wasn’t a challenge, and Claire barely flinched, but I think Summer might have underestimated her. Not only does Claire have it in her, as we saw when she first came to Genoa City, but Kyle would get bored with someone like Claire otherwise.

When Kyle suggested they take the party up to the bedroom, and Claire wanted to get cookies from the kitchen instead, that was just cringe. I’m starting to think that Claire herself will be the catalyst for returning Kyle to his villain arc. Maybe he will go all in, fall hard, and think that all he’s ever been missing in life was a good woman. Maybe Summer will have zero effect on him, and maybe, just maybe, Claire will turn out to be the driven executive who cheats and manipulates instead.

But first, Claire lost her virginity to Kyle. And then told him afterward. And now they’re semi-playing it cool in public and being mindful of not using labels for whatever this is that we’re witnessing.

Elsewhere in Genoa City

Ian and Jordan are pretty low-key for two people with some master plans. Ian’s obsession with knowing the opinions of Sharon’s family is giving us no clues. And Jordan’s blatant reaction to seeing Claire in the coffee house was odd. For someone lacking genuine feelings and on a covert mission, she was obviously upset, and anyone who pays attention to others in Crimson Lights would have definitely noticed. If the staff were keeping an eye out for new customers coming in, or if they weren’t distracted by the murderer serving them, I guess.

Esther has become the ears about town. Between eavesdropping not-so-subtly in the coffee house to being the receptionist at Chancellor, she’d be a valuable source of information — or possibly a target for Ian Ward to charm? — to get intel on the enemies, whoever exactly they may be for his master plan, whatever exactly that is.

But he’s about to get out there and re-acquaint himself with some Genoa City residents, so I guess we’ll find out soon.

Until next time!