It's 12 o'clock somewhere: The Young and the Restless Two Scoops for the week of December 30

What a (short) week on The Young and the Restless when the Newmans finally found out Ian was in town but kept forgetting that Sharon was missing.

New Year’s Week

It was New Year’s Eve in Genoa City this week, and everyone found a way to ring in the year and then some. The evening started out okay…Faith was going to go to bed early, Mariah was going to go to Society to be with Tessa at midnight, and Abby and Devon were still in honeymoon mode. But then, everything took a shift, and we time warped into the longest night ever.

Sharon told her kids that she was feeling pretty good and wanted to go out in public, so she said she’d just run upstairs and get ready real quick. She must’ve had a glam team on the retainer upstairs because she came back looking better than we’ve seen her all year. She was sparkled and glittery and ready for a night on the town. But Nick had shown up by then and put the brakes on that idea. After all, a killer is on the loose, and he hadn’t yet managed to secure free police escorts. He wanted Sharon to stay home, but Mariah reasoned they’d be in public at a busy restaurant. What could possibly go wrong? A moment later, they found out.

Nick only agreed to let Sharon go out if everyone kept an eye on her and she didn’t go anywhere alone. Not a nanosecond later, Mariah left in her own car, and Nick wanted to go see his mom and dad. Faith decided to go with Nick and that left Sharon to go out on her own. If that wasn’t enough of a head-scratcher, they all waited until nearly midnight to even leave the house. Sharon was just stepping out of her car as the 10-second countdown had begun, and Victor was toasting half of his family when the clock struck twelve.

Ian strikes out in Society

Over at Society, Abby didn’t know what she’d do without Tessa and didn’t realize she came pretty close to finding out when Ian arrived with poison in one pocket and the antidote inhaler in the other. While Sharon got nestled back in a hotel room, Ian defended himself while Mariah and Nick took turns yelling at him. Faith, who never misses a chance to yell at one of her parents’ enemies, even got in on it at one point. We still didn’t know what Ian’s plan even was, but at least he was consistently vague.

However, we finally found out what the plan was, even if it was a newly revised version that Ian had just thought up. So, the evil plot was to kill Sharon and frame Phyllis. Again…but why? But taking it a step back further, why did they kill Heather? Framing Sharon and her framing Daniel…was that part of the plan? How would that help Ian get back Mariah and Jordan get back Claire? Maybe one day it will make sense, but that day wasn’t this week.

So, after all the Ian drama out front, Faith pointed out it was way past midnight, and Sharon still hadn’t arrived, and despite having the most evil of all family villains between the parking and the entrance, no one batted an eye.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch

Nick and Faith came bursting into Sharon’s, slightly on high alert, and noted that Sharon’s car wasn’t there. Faith raced upstairs, but nope, Sharon’s glitter was all that remained. So obviously, they’d have put it together by then that Sharon was in trouble, right? You’d be incorrect. They went to the main house to tell Victor about Ian.

Not seeing a need to wake up Nikki even though he was specifically asked to, Victor was pretty clear-headed about the news. Faith asked if they thought Ian had taken her mom. Victor blankly stared at her and then went back to talking to Nick about Ian as if she never said it. And then, he pulled out his phone and started single-digit tapping the screen, claiming he’d just call someone to go get Ian and bring him over. No wonder they weren’t worried about Sharon. Victor could just call someone to find someone at any moment.

Jazz hands

For some reason, Danny making it to Genoa City before midnight was a major storyline this week, but worse, Michael is regressing to his high school era. Maybe the bleach in his hair got to his brain, but what has happened to Phyllis’ BFF? While Phyllis and her grieving family were just tables away, he didn’t bother trying to start the new year off on a good foot for them, instead, he was mocking her to Christine and telling Diane that he was her friend “forever.” Weird time to draw a line with Phyllis is all I’m saying. Yes, she’s done a never-ending list of deal-breakers over the last 30 years, but that’s my point. Now that she’s just devastated and grieving, now you’re over it? Bad form, Mr. Baldwin. And yes, of course, Phyllis came over after and gave Christine her best jabs and dissed Diane, but that wasn’t why Michael was being a jerk.

Although Jack and Diane revealed they were faking fighting mid-November, they haven’t told some of their oldest and dearest friends, so they had to explain themselves to Lauren and Michael. Jack boo-hooed Lauren’s feelings and asked her to make it trendy to be Diane’s friend, while Michael promised to be Diane’s friend through thick and thin. The irony of that dedication while letting Phyllis suffer was out of character, even for Michael. Right or wrong, the most entertaining bit of the whole night, though, was Phyllis’ snark.

Kyle and Claire

Here’s the problem with this couple. Okay, two problems. First of all, what are we calling them…Clyle? Kaire? It’s just a bad match right from the start. I’m going with Kaire, as in my Kaire factor is low.

But here’s the real issue. Kyle can be amazing as the brooding, sharp-tongued Adam version of an Abbott. As far as dastardly and ruthless go, he’s got that same, even-keeled eye-on-the-prize type of sting to him like Adam, but he’s got something that Adam doesn’t: an undertone of a hurt little boy. Paired with someone like Audra or Summer, his lock-jawed determination to be mean really shines through. With Claire, he’s vulnerable and boyish and has all the feels. And now that his softer side is showing, and he’s redeeming himself and healing his stuff with his parents, I’m starting to like him a little more, and you know what that means: It’s not going to last.

It’s almost like role reversals…Claire goes to the corporate world and becomes more cutthroat, Kyle falls in love and loses his edge…something happens where they have to choose between business and love, and Kyle, who’s protected his heart for so long, gets crushed by sweet, empathetic Claire of all people. And cue the return of Kyle's snide and jaded side. No matter what’s happening right now with them or what’s to come, one thing is guaranteed: if they’re too happy, it’s not going to last (heads up, Abby and Devon).

And it’s too bad because I do like nicer Kyle, and Claire is super cute around him when she’s not being childish. For a week-long run of episodes that all happened on the same night, it was sweet to see the way she showed up with some fun and flirty holiday accessories, and they rang in the new year using another time zone to be able to kiss at midnight. A year ago, Claire was in Fairview, transforming from corporate-assistant-slash-murderous-niece-of-Jordan into sweet, innocent Claire. This New Year’s, she’s sweet, less-innocent Claire, but transforming back into corporate-assistant-with-confidence Claire. Who will she be by next New Year’s? Time will tell.

Until next time!