We are family — I've got all my Abbotts, Newmans, and everyone with me!
The Young and the Restless has stayed on top all of these years because it feeds its audience a steady flow of familiar favorites. Plus, the show introduces newcomers (who quickly become new friends) while keeping in mind the need for drama and twists and turns!
The week started on an optimistic note: Amy is showing signs of progress in her fight against cancer. She, Nate, and Damian bantered back and forth over favorite basketball teams, a nice reprieve from the heavy drama regarding her health. Most everyone has lost a loved one to cancer. Let's hope Y&R has Amy make a full recovery!
Amy may need her rest, but the show is wisely keeping her in the middle of things. She's determined to make sure her son and his half-brother get along.
The mystery of Alan (or is he Martin?) continued to build, and the man in question wasn't even on the canvas! We hate that Traci is being used (or is she?), but her being in danger was a reminder that the Abbott clan is one of the strongest, tight-knit families on soaps.
Jack and Kyle have Traci's best interests at heart, which is how people in families should feel about one another. Also, we saw Diane lend support to her sister-in-law once she realized she was stressing about something.
Even though Traci didn't open up to Diane, the scenes between the two women were compelling to watch. We saw Diane's genuine concern for Traci. Oh, sure, there was that pesky business about Diane having faked her death for a decade or so. But Y&R deserves big kudos for taking a leap of faith by bringing Diane back. Sure, it stretched credibility, but who cares if the payoff is having this dynamic character back on the screen. Diane has loads of history with the Abbotts, Victor Newman, and others. She's a smart cookie, so when Traci told her that she wanted to talk to Jack alone, Diane's suspicions that Traci needed someone to discuss something important with were confirmed.
Diane was just a smidge disappointed to be proven right. She does want to be Traci's pal, and hopefully, that will happen.
Y&R kept the anticipation of Alan's supposed double identity going throughout the week. We saw Traci growing more and more worried. And can we just say how great it is to see Traci in a front-burner storyline all of her own?
Traci has been the family "talk to" for decades, lending support to her siblings, her niece Abby, her nephew Kyle, and many others. As this story continues, Traci is now the lead heroine in her own drama. It's where she belongs. The only problem is that Traci's not writing one of her novels. This is her real life! We're confident that the Abbotts will rally around her, and reinforcements are coming, as Ashley was seen in next week's preview.
Perhaps Ashley will be able to provide that support to Traci that she's just not ready to accept from Diane yet. We love that Diane is trying hard to be a true member of the family. But Diane's smart to pull back. She knows it won't happen overnight.
Jack supporting his younger sister wasn't the only familial dynamic we witnessed last week. Victoria lent an ear to Claire. Sally caught up with her BFF, Chloe. Also, Jack and Kyle continue to get along swimmingly — as fathers and sons should!
Y&R also treated us to some unlikely scene partners last week. Sally and Adam are no longer a couple, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't see them catch up with each other. Ditto Billy and Chelsea. Currently, these four are with the partners that many fans feel they deserve to be with forever. But forever is a long time. We could easily see some additional re-mixing and re-matching taking place down the line.
One constant that Y&R viewers have come to appreciate the most on the show is the character of Victor Newman. Is there a deal going on in Genoa City that he doesn't know about? Is there a relationship he doesn't approve of that stands a chance? We saw Victor dole out information to Lily Winters — the daughter of the late Neil Winters, a man Victor respected as the mystery of Aristotle Dumas continues. (Just who the heck is this guy anyway?)
Victor may not always say much, but people certainly know how he feels about something. The mogul is Team Summer when it comes to Kyle and not Team Claire. But, knowing Victor, he's just going to change his mind if and when Kyle and Summer reunite. Maybe he just likes to push some Abbott buttons solely to get a rise out of his adversaries!
Victor barely looked at Kyle when he first encountered him and Claire at Crimson Lights. He knew he was getting under Kyle's skin, and he loved it! Victor being opposed to someone in the Abbott family is practically a Y&R tradition. The show has infused this dynamic with new blood, thanks to the Claire/Kyle/Summer triangle.
Armed with Victor's knowledge, Lily took action and confronted her cousin Nate's half-brother Damian with what she knew. But there's always more to the story in Genoa City, as evidenced by Damian's steadfast stance that he has not been playing Nate, Lily, and Devon.
We love seeing Lily as a savvy businesswoman. Her gut is to trust Victor, not the newly arrived Damian. But that same savviness she has will help her keep an open mind. How will she pivot if both Damian and Victor are telling the truth?
Y&R has always been known for its "look:" top-quality production values. It's terrific to see that in this economically challenging era, the show looks as sharp and upscale as ever.
We see the spacious Genoa City Athletic Club, the intimate Neil Winters Jazz Lounge, and the upscale Society all in the same week. Genoa City is a city with a lot of business going on. It only makes sense that there'd be multiple watering holes, too. And let's not forget Crimson Lights, a set that's been around for over 30 years!
The one set we'd like to see more often is the Chancellor mansion. As that's not being used, the show has wisely placed fan favorite Esther Valentine at Crimson Lights. Familiar set. Familiar face. Win/win.
We also saw the underused Chloe (now Sally's BFF) and got a Kevin shoutout, too! It'd be great to see Chloe and Kevin appear more regularly.
A case of new but familiar was the encounter with Lauren and Nikki. We know that the two women know each other and have for decades. But they haven't worked too much together one-on-one. But it's common knowledge that their husbands (Michael and Victor) are as thick as thieves. Michael knows where all the bodies are buried. Lauren, however, does not want Michael to become one of those corpses!
It's been said that behind every great man, there's a great woman, and that's certainly true with Victor and Nikki and Michael and Lauren. But the two women are more than great; they're influential. Lauren knew the only way to make a real impact was to go to Nikki directly. Who else has such direct access to Victor?
Y&R knows how to throw us a curveball when we think we know where a story is going. We're practically screaming at our TV sets that Traci's in danger. And then, she hears Alan call her "wildflower," something that he did before he and Martin theoretically switched places.
As much as we want to believe Traci's going to get a "happily ever after," we can't help but feel Alan (or Martin) is two steps ahead of everyone.
And just when we think Victor is going on one path, he'll take us on another. His wanting to meet with Audra Charles came as a surprise. Victor's the master chess player. How can anyone second-guess what he's doing when he's three to four steps ahead of everyone?
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The show's building anticipation with several storylines right now. Some are big, like Alan's true identity. Some are "small" — we can't wait to see Diane's handiwork on the Abbott mansion be unveiled. Despite going through a hard time right now, Traci was spot-on when she lovingly referred to the family home as a bit "musty."
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