The Young and the Restless Recap for Friday, December 20, 2024: Tessa meets Ian, Daniel brings the Christmas spirit to Lucy

At Crimson Lights, Phyllis and Sumer talked about doing what they could to make Christmas bearable for Daniel and Lucy. They got a text from him asking them to come over right away.

At Daniel’s apartment, he dragged in a tree as he called out to Lucy to come to see it. She didn’t think they were going to have a tree that year. He said it might feel weird to do it, but it would feel awful not to celebrate Christmas. “Your mom’s gone, and it hurts, but nothing is going to change that,” Daniel told her. He reminded Lucy how much Heather loved everything about Christmas and that as Lucy was always her helper, it would be good to continue the tradition.

Lucy knew Daniel had gone through a lot of trouble, but she didn’t think she could get the Christmas spirit. Daniel wanted to try even though he knew it was hard. Lucy thought it felt wrong to try to have fun without Heather. Daniel insisted Heather would want them to be happy. “How about I keep going with decorating the tree, and when I’m finished, if you hate it and want it gone, I’ll throw it in the trash,” Daniel promised. He said he understood how she felt. “But if this helps us feel closer to Mom right now, I could use that. You could use that too,” he said, and Lucy agreed. Daniel promised no pressure and told her to put on music and get food going. “And we’ll see how this goes,” Daniel said hopefully as he went to work on the tree.

Daniel put the lights on the tree and saw Lucy looking tearfully at the snow globe Heather had given her. Phyllis and Summer came over and realized they’d been called in as reinforcements. Daniel quietly told Phyllis his plan wasn’t working, but Summer called him out for putting two identical ornaments next to one another on the tree. Phyllis pointed out another faux pas, and soon, Lucy was helping decorate.

When they were done decorating the tree, they all stood back to admire it. The conversation turned to Heather, and Lucy got tearful as she noted that her mom would have loved the tree. “I’m sure she does,” Daniel said confidently as Phyllis hugged Lucy.

Lucy had more ornaments and asked Phyllis and Summer to stay to make a new tradition. Summer took an ornament and said it was a reminder to love and support one another a little extra this year. Next, Lucy made a wish on her ornament that her mom stayed in her heart. “And that she guides me down the right path and that I don’t forget how her voice sounded when she told me she loved me,” Lucy added.

Daniel took an ornament and said that Heather saw the worst sides of people in her job yet continued to see the goodness. “That’s my wish: that I can lead with kindness and understanding,” he said as he hung the ornament on the tree. Phyllis said that her wish was that Heather could rest in peace, knowing there was justice.

At Sharon’s, Nick asked if she was okay after coming out of hypnosis. He offered to bring Alan back if she needed him. Sharon said she needed to piece things together in her mind. Michael suggested she talk about it while it was fresh in her mind. Sharon recounted how she was arguing with Heather and pushed her, but Heather got up. Sharon remembered someone touching her. “Someone else was there,” she said.

Nick repeated that Sharon couldn’t have killed Heather, given the events she remembered. Sharon said the guilt of thinking she was the murderer was eating her up. She thought that she was having blackouts from the guilt. “What if I was wrong all along?” Sharon wondered.

Michael told Nick that the hypnosis was promising, but they needed more. Unsubstantiated new memories weren’t enough. They needed to corroborate that there was someone else in the room. Sharon said she was sure someone had grabbed her shoulder. Nick was adamant that the police needed to find the other person who was in the building that night.

Sharon ran off a list of possible ways the person had gotten into the apartment. She knew that whoever it was had already been in the apartment when she and Heather were arguing, as Heather wouldn’t let her leave. Nick wondered if the person who was there had followed Sharon to Daniel’s apartment.

Nick was fired up and suggested that the meds, running Phyllis off the road, and Heather’s death could all lead to one person. Sharon wondered how they would find them.

All Sharon could remember was that the person was wearing a glove. Before leaving, Michael said he would call Chance and get him working on the case again. Once alone, Sharon admitted that she was scared that all they had to go on were vague and confusing memories. Sharon said she couldn’t get her hopes up that the nightmare was going to be over yet. She worried that if she did and it all fell apart, she might not survive.

Nick promised they would find whoever was responsible because it wasn’t Sharon. He said he knew she couldn’t have done those things, no matter that she confessed. Nick added that it wasn’t wishful thinking, it was the truth. Crying, Sharon hugged him.

At Society, Mariah told Tessa she was nervous about the hypnosis, but it was working. Mariah was dying to know what Sharon would remember in her latest session. Outside the window, Ian was spying on them.

Mariah didn’t want to jinx it, but she was a little hopeful that Sharon was getting some answers through hypnosis. Tessa told her it wasn’t jinxing — it was faith. Mariah picked up the food she ordered and left. Ian took her seat at the bar next to Tessa.

Ian chatted with Tessa and said it was his first time there, but he had heard the food was delicious and wanted to try it. He introduced himself as Warren Masters and said he was a chaplain in the state prison system. He said he had come to Genoa City to start a new life for himself, and Tessa thought he was in the perfect place for it.

After talking for a while, Tessa felt compelled to show “Warren” a picture of her daughter. He told her she was blessed, “And Mariah is as well,” Ian added.

After Ian left, Mariah returned for her phone. Tessa told her about meeting a new person in town who had twinkling eyes and the whole bit. She said he reminded her of a Christmas movie angel that was getting his wings.

At the motel room, Jordan returned and took off her disguise. She poured herself a drink and took a sip as she remembered meeting Ian in prison. “You come here and hang out with convicts, and you don’t bat an eye,” she recalled saying to Ian. “I don’t scare easily, friend,” Ian had replied. “Friend? There’s a concept, Jordan told him. She had told Ian back then about being caged by Victor and was betrayed by Claire. “If you were to return to Genoa City, what would you do with your second chance?” Ian queried. “You want me to say I’ll repent and turn the other cheek. Grovel and make amends with the Newmans,” Jordan mused. Ian noted that that would be what God would want, but he also knew that wasn’t what Jordan wanted.

Jordan said all it took was a family of billionaires, and she lost Claire. “If somehow I could get a one-way ticket back to Genoa City. I want revenge. Not forgiveness. I have deep, deep wounds,” Jordan added. Ian told her he understood everything she was saying and feeling and thought it was all justified. Ian confided that he never got rid of his anger either. “I embraced it!” he shared. In the motel room, Jordan recalled that pivotal moment and said to herself, “I’ll drink to that.”

Jordan recalled how Ian told her he was at war with himself but allowed himself to feel again, even though his feelings were of rage and not forgiveness. He’d said he couldn’t tell just anyone that. Jordan understood and asked him the same question he had asked her. Ian told her that if he could go back to Genoa City, he would punish everyone who had harmed him and take back what was his. In the motel room, Jordan drank the rest of her drink.

Jordan poured herself another glass of whiskey as she recalled Ian offering to find a way to get her out of prison so she could exact her revenge. She talked to herself in the motel room and said that he still owed her a miracle. “Tick tock,” she said menacingly.

Ian came into the motel room, and Jordan told him she had been recalling how they met. She told him that although the details might differ in their plans, they had the same goals. “And I am grateful to you, Ian Ward. You set me free,” Jordan told him.

Jordan noted how Ian found a woman who was willing to take her place in the penitentiary. Ian said the woman was terminally ill, and the money he paid her went to the woman’s family for financial comfort. “So, we made a dying woman happy, and we found your path to freedom. C’est la,” Ian justified. Jordan said only a man as brilliant as Ian could have thought of that. She noted he could anticipate how people will react to things. “I finally found a man I can admire. Someone I could really trust. I’ve waited a lifetime for you, Ian Ward. And it’s been worth every minute,” Jordan told him. Ian agreed he had no idea they’d be such kindred spirits and was grateful for Jordan as well. “It’s a rare and wonderful bonus to our joint venture,” he said. Jordan agreed but said there was a concern about the police and assorted busybodies. “This has to go precisely as planned for it to work out,” she noted. Ian told Jordan that she had put her faith in him until now and advised her to hold on a bit longer. “And we won’t need a miracle this time. We will get everything that we want,” Ian added before they started kissing.

Tessa gushed about Warren and marveled at what his life was like as a prison chaplain. Mariah teased that she sounded like she’d met a talker. Tessa admitted she’d shown him a picture of the three of them, and he said they were blessed. “We are! Sounds like this reverend is a wise man,” Mariah agreed.

Next week on The Young and the Restless

Claire and Victoria come bearing gifts at the ranch house and walk in on Nikki and Victor kissing by the tree. “You must be really feeling the holiday spirit. You’re not even under the mistletoe,” Claire teases.

“To overcoming challenges with courage and determination in true Abbott fashion,” Diane toasts at Society. Tracy looks unsure, but Ashley raises her glass and says, “Yeah, cheers to that.”

Upset at Society, Lauren tells Phyllis, “We will never, ever stop caring about you!” Michael says nothing as Lauren adds, “But there are things about this case against Sharon that you don’t know about.” “What do you know? Tell me!” Phyllis asks.

At Sharon’s, Mariah, Tessa, Faith, Nick, and Sharon laugh and happily sing Deck the Halls together.

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