The Young and the Restless recap, April 8: Ashley and Alan are back

At Society, Summer and Chance continued to talk. Summer told him that she wanted to be mature and gracious, but she was jealous that Claire got to see Harrison more than she did and that Kyle has her on a pedestal. Chance appreciated that Summer was being honest with herself and him, but he wondered where they went from there.

Summer wondered if Chance felt the same way when he saw Abby and Dominic. He told her he didn’t, as he wasn’t jealous and didn’t feel threatened by Devon in Dom’s life. Summer wanted to postpone the conversation but Chance said the issue had been ongoing for too long to not be ready. He told her she needed to deal with her feelings on her own. Chance got a call from the station, and while he stepped away, Summer left.

At Sharon’s, Phyllis felt like they were close to getting answers about their kidnapping. Nick explained they were going to go to London to reassure Noah that the danger was behind them. Phyllis pointed out that London was just a quick train ride to Paris, and they could be in more danger. Sharon was disappointed when Nick suggested they call off the trip temporarily, but Phyllis was relieved.

Sharon and Phyllis agreed that they couldn’t piece together why Alan would target them. Sharon noted how helpful and professional he had been when he hypnotized her months prior. Phyllis said that psychopaths knew how to fake sincerity for a while at least, and no one would ever figure it out until it was too late.

Nick agreed that whoever kidnapped them was someone who could pretend they were normal and not threatening at all. Sharon still struggled that it was Alan. Nick researched him online and discovered the story of Martin and how he’d died the year before.

Chance came to Sharon’s and told them that he had an update: the gas control valve purchase wasn’t authorized by the psych unit he’d traced it back to. He told them there was another unauthorized purchase for a lease of a farmhouse outside of Genoa City.

Sharon wondered if Alan was being set up. Nick asked Chance if there was something he wasn’t telling them about Alan’s connection to the case. Chance needed some pressure before he cracked and told them what he knew.

Phyllis and Sharon implored Chance to tell them if Alan was a legitimate suspect. “If he’s Alan at all,” Chance said. He divulged that Traci was concerned that Alan was actually Martin. “The twin that was in and out of psych wards,” Nick added. “Like the one we were trapped in,” Phyllis gasped.

In her Athletic Club hotel room, Traci hoped that she was wrong about Alan. Jack called her for the umpteenth time to check in on her. She told him that she hadn’t heard from Alan and wasn’t sure he was really flying back the next day. Traci poured herself a drink after she hung up. As she drank it, the door opened, and Alan was standing there.

Alan was happy to see Traci and told her he wanted to surprise her. Traci worried he was upset by Jack’s call and request to change the wedding in Genoa City instead of Paris. Alan assured her that he felt like a member of the family being asked to have the wedding in the Abbott home.

Alan sensed that something was off with Traci and wanted to know what it was. Traci said everything was so whirlwind; she worried their romance was happening so fast. She wanted to plan their future and take their time. Alan asked if something had happened to scare her off of a future with him.

Traci explained that her heart had healed being with him and that she worried he’d change his mind about her when he knew her better. Alan insisted there was nothing she could do or say to make him not want her. He thought he was content until he met her. Traci assured him that it could all still be the future they wanted; she just wanted a little time to both be absolutely sure.

Alan kept asking if it was Jack who got into Traci’s head and changed her mind about him. Traci insisted she just wanted to slow it down slightly so it would last. She told him that they loved one another and asked him to respect her feelings and give her the time she was asking for.

Alan told Traci that his love and respect were what gave his life meaning and why he left his life in Paris. Traci said she just wanted to relish every amazing moment with him and assured him that the timetable was all that had changed. She insisted she was still the same woman who loved him and wanted a life with him. Alan told her that he knew her better than she thought he did and knew she was holding something back.

Alan told Traci that the mind was his area of expertise and he could read people. “And now you’re involved with a writer, and I’m an open book to you,” Traci told him. Alan told her that something about her eyes was different. Traci said it was love, but Alan wasn’t buying it. He said her body language was pulling away, and there was suspicion in her eyes.

Downstairs in the jazz club, Jack was surprised when Ashley walked in and joined him at his table just after he hung up with Traci. He welcomed her home and then asked if she saw Alan when she was in Paris. “No, was I supposed to?” she replied.

Jack reluctantly told Ashley that he and Traci were concerned for everyone’s safety. He asked Ash if there was any chance Martin survived the fall in Paris.

Ashley didn’t want to consider that Alan was Martin as it was so far-fetched. She said that Alan became a psychiatrist because of watching Martin slip into psychosis. Jack noted that he also said that Martin used to imitate Alan and take on his persona. Ashley agreed that she experienced that first-hand. She recalled how Martin tricked her when she reached out to Alan during her time with Tucker, only to find out he wasn’t her friend, and how Martin attacked her in Paris.

Ashley was aghast that Jack thought that Martin was alive and pretending to be Alan. Jack wondered if everything was too perfect and happening too fast, but Ashley wanted Traci to be happy. If Alan was Martin, she said they’d been in danger for months.

Jack told Ashley that Sharon and Phyllis were abducted while she was away, and how their story set off alarms for him and Traci because of the same-timed alerts on Alan’s phone. Jack explained that Alan was away making plans for their wedding, which sounded romantic at the time but now they wonder if he was the one being the kidnapping.

Jack assured Ashley that he had added security for the family just in case. They both hoped that it was a terrible misunderstanding, but Jack said the longer it went on, the more he was concerned that Alan was a serious threat.

Jack thought it was too late to call Chance, but he wanted Ashley to talk to him so she could share anything she could remember about Alan, even if it was just a gut feeling. Ashley said if Alan turned out to be Martin, she’d kill him herself. Jack thought they should get some sleep and call Chance in the morning. “If Alan comes back tomorrow, things could get ugly very fast,” he noted. Ashley wanted to see Traci and comfort her.

Jack asked Ashley to wait. He thought it was better to let Traci get her rest, but Ashley disagreed. As they debated whether or not to go see Traci upstairs, Traci was pleading with Alan not to read into anything. “I am not backing away,” she insisted. She apologized for hurting him. Alan menacingly asked if there was something about him that she doubted. Traci reached into her pocket and covertly called Jack. He answered it and asked if everything was okay. Instead of Traci responding, he heard Alan’s voice. “Answer me, Traci, what have you found out? Why do you seem so afraid of me now?”

Watch new episodes of The Young and the Restless on Paramount Plus.