Sharon makes us question our reality: The Young and the Restless Two Scoops for the week of September 30, 2024

This week on The Young and the Restless, Nick found his car keys, Adam released some stress, Sharon remembered 30 years minus one hour, and Heather dove into a new future.

One day, we’ll laugh about it

I know we have a lot going on in the Romalotti apartment, but while Sharon was killin' it with her revenge plan, Daniel was at dinner with his mom and sister. Let's appreciate the comedic gift of the scene at the Athletic Club real quick.

Thanks to her new job and the flowing Champagne, Phyllis was flying high. I'm sure Phyllis was sincere, but seeing her mom trying to be loving and gracious while flamboyantly expressing herself was cracking up Summer. Add in some one-liners from Daniel, and Summer couldn't stop chuckling.

The sarcastic banter flowed seamlessly, and by the time Summer was howling behind her menu, I wondered if they were even acting at that point.

Daniel pranked his mom and said he, Heather, and Lucy were moving away. The practical joke wasn't that funny, and Phyllis wasn't laughing. But when she admonished him for pretending to disappear, he deadpanned, "Is she being serious right now?" to Summer, and it made me laugh out loud.

If reminding her kids that she faked her death wasn't enough, Phyllis outdid herself a moment later. Hearing about Phyllis' new job, Daniel and Summer rightfully warned their mom that partnering with Billy has been disastrous for her in the past, both professionally and personally. Phyllis' reaction was spot-on, giving Summer a look and nod. If you had forgotten that Billy had revenge sex with Summer after he found out Phyllis cheated with Nick, Phyllis' expression was an instant refresher.

To be honest, I sometimes find the three of them together to be a little much. Summer and Daniel might have some baggage with things that Phyllis has done, but their sarcasm can get too passive-aggressive and rude rather than funny.

This time, though, they collectively nailed it.

How To Get Away With Murder, we think

Okay, on to the good stuff. Or bad stuff, rather. Just when we were borderline ready to tell Sharon to kill someone already, she went ahead and implemented her plan.

Sharon broke into Daniel and Heather's apartment with Cameron hot on her heels. Sharon put an unnamed poison in a large bottle of whiskey, and I thought the whole storyline was going to turn into a wait-and-see-what-happens right there.

Sharon could have left, and we would have played Shot Glass Roulette with all the possibilities of who would end up taking a fatal sip. Oh, the possibilities!

Daniel and Heather could have clinked glasses in celebration, and both bit it. Or Lucy could have rebelled once again and drank from the bottle. Maybe the Romalottis would have had a dinner party. They might have invited Nick and Sharon over, and Sharon would have had to convince everyone to have wine with the steak instead. Or, my personal fave, they could have brought the bottle to a Halloween party, and one costumed person could have dropped dead. A whole whodunnit and who was it done to could've unraveled.

Alas, no. As Sharon put it, she "came to her senses" on her plot to murder Daniel and dumped out the bottle. Again, she could have just left. But she had a physical and mental tug-of-war with Cameron, and the apartment was a mess, so she kindly thought she'd clean up before leaving.

And that's when Heather came home.

The Plot Twist

This is where things for Sharon—and the audience—took another turn. Sharon had been desperately trying to "make things right" before she left the apartment, but she began to exhibit signs of her bipolar disorder when Heather came in. One moment, she was screaming. The next, she was sobbing. Sharon went from angry to softly whimpering in the blink of an eye. Heather didn't know for sure what was happening in front of her, but she knew Sharon needed professional help.

In a storyline that some of us didn't want to watch, about a mental health issue we didn't want to be displayed, and with a character we didn't want to become a victim, there it was, unfolding right in front of us. We rode the wave with Sharon and Heather as their conversation went in every direction.

Sharon's irrational explanations and her erratic emotions were incredible. Without explaining in words, Sharon (Newman and Case) expertly brought decades of the character's manic confusion to a head in that one episode.

Sharon knew she was out of control and tried everything from lying to pleading to trying to flee in an attempt to make her reality stand still. She couldn't go back in time but was desperate not to ruin her future. Whatever she dreamed while passed out, she woke up to a new nightmare.

And just like that, Heather was dead

Sharon's frenzied behavior came to a standstill when her vision went blurry, and she passed out. Somehow, she went from looking at Heather, who was trying to push herself against the back of the couch in fear, to sleeping on the sofa.

When Sharon woke up, Genoa City's murder mystery began. Even though we saw the dead body, we didn't know if it was real. Sharon woke up on the sofa and looked behind her to see Heather sprawled on the floor near the bar.

Neither woman was where we last saw them, but no viewer was sure of what we actually witnessed. Was this another one of Sharon's murderous nightmares? Were we viewing reality through Sharon's eyes, or was Heather really killed?

Sharon dumped something off the bridge. Presumably, it was Heather's body, as we saw her wrapped in blankets. And we're going to assume the trail of blood was real, as Sharon cleaned it up and has the towels in her car. Same with the broken glass.

The 30th Anniversary Flashbacks

Sharon went to the cemetery to visit Cassie's grave. There, she recalled conversations and events that affected her condition today. Friday's episode was a nod to Sharon Case's 30th anniversary on the show. Instead of the typical favorite moments type of flashbacks, Sharon's were more about her trying to understand where, why, and how many things derailed over the years, leading to this moment in her life.

The clips varied and jumped around the 30-year time frame, much like Sharon's mindset. There wasn't a progression of looks and fashion; the constant common denominator was Sharon, Nick, Cassie, and Sharon's mental health. It was interesting to see Nikki rip into Sharon and angrily describe her as manic. Villainizing someone's mental health or issues we don't understand was sad to watch.

The Timeline

We don't know if Sharon slept at the motel as Cameron told her to or what her real timeline was. According to comments made by Nick, Sharon, Faith, and Mariah, it was about 24 hours that Sharon was missing. Heather and Daniel had a fight but made up the next day. That same day, he went for dinner with his family. Meanwhile, Heather had an interview and then came home to Sharon.

Sharon asked Cassie to help her decide what to do next. Sharon said that her children were her pride and joy and then commented that she knew what to do. Sharon left the graveyard and presumably went straight home.

Team Sharon obviously wanted to know where she had been when she walked through the door. Sharon responded that she was okay, and everything would be okay, too. She said it so calmly and confidently that even I was comforted.

Wait, what? No, everything is NOT okay, Sharon. Either Heather is dead, or you imagined it all. If you're guilty of either, it's off to Fairview for you.

The questions that remain

Why the whiskey? I've seen Daniel drink beer, wine, martinis, and Champagne. Nothing memorable, other than "that night," of course, but did I miss him saying there's nothing better than a shot of bourbon after a long week? Or was the whiskey bottle a gift? Or was it simply representing Sharon's state of mind, and we're not going to understand why she thought that poisoning that particular bottle was a good idea?

Then there is the bag full of evidence that Sharon took from the apartment. We didn't see her dispose of it, but (spoiler) we will see her with it next week.

So, what comes next? There's been a murder, but we're not sure what exactly the mystery is. Did Heather really die? I'm pretty sure that's a yes. But did Sharon kill her? Pretty sure that's a no.

I have some ideas—click here to read them. Maybe you've noticed more than I did or thought of another plot twist or clue. Feel free to share your thoughts—I'm dying to figure out what really happened, too.

Elsewhere in Genoa City

With all that talk about Sharon and Heather, I nearly forgot the punch that was heard around the world.

We started the week with Billy and Adam going at it in Society, and Adam hauling off and hitting Billy so hard he knocked him on his butt. Later, he said to Victoria, “Adam’s fists started flying around, and my face got in the way. It’s all fine.”

Adam went on to show Faith some compassion, but he capped out quickly. When Faith told him that her mom was missing, Adam asked no questions. He immediately said that he wished he could help but couldn't. Relax, Adam, it's not like she asked for a ride to the airport.

Meanwhile, Chelsea leaned on Summer, and Sally went to Audra to talk about their heartbreak. Unsurprisingly, they got vastly opposite advice.

Cole's good-guy cojones are rubbing off on Victoria. No, not literally, that was last week. But Victoria's taking Cole's advice on ignoring Victor's wrath. She went to Billy to offer him a buyout instead of losing in the impending corporate war her parents are instigating. Billy said nah, and once again, Phyllis promised her dedication to the cause.

Until next week!