The Young and the Restless recap for Monday, March 17, 2025: Alan lies to Traci to cover his tracks

In her hotel suite, Traci stared at the message on Alan’s phone about a security breach. Alan emerged from the bathroom and stopped in his tracks when he found Traci holding his phone. He demanded to know what she was doing. Traci apologetically swore that she hadn’t been snooping, but Alan’s phone had been making a strange sound, and she’d thought something was wrong. She referred to the alert about a security breach and precautions being enacted.

Alan snatched the phone away from Traci and read the message. She hoped she hadn’t upset him. He claimed that he didn’t know what the messages were about, but he’d started receiving alerts a couple of days earlier, so he’d stopped opening his phone because he feared it had been hacked. He begged her for forgiveness for overreacting when he’d seen her with his phone.

Traci readily forgave Alan and apologized for not considering that what was on his phone might be private. She suggested he get a new phone if he was afraid a hacker might access his data. Alan admitted that it had been silly of him not to open the phone, but he’d wanted to be extra careful. Traci remembered that he’d sent her a text message from his phone after he’d bought the engagement ring. Alan chalked it up to being so excited to get back to his beautiful fiancée that he’d forgotten about the risk.

Alan figured it was too late to do anything if he’d already been hacked, but he thought it might be interesting as a therapist to find out what it felt like to have his identity stolen. Alan imagined it had to be psychologically devastating to be victimized by being stripped of who he was by a criminal using his identity for nefarious purposes. Traci pointed out that it had happened to him when Martin had pretended to be Alan.

Alan turned the topic back to the wedding. Traci contemplated whether to have the event at the Abbott house or in Paris. She acknowledged that not all of Alan’s memories from Paris were wonderful. Alan swore that Traci had given him such joy that the bad parts had been forgotten, and they kissed. He declared that he didn’t care where the wedding happened as long as he was marrying her. Alan’s phone began to ping with more security messages, and Traci pondered what kind of hack it could be.

Alan testily asked why Traci kept asking questions about his phone. He then turned it off so it wouldn’t bother her anymore. Traci defended that she’d thought it would bother him, and he apologized for snapping. Alan insisted that all that mattered was that they were in love, engaged, and about to spend the rest of their lives together. He proposed that they jump on a plane to Paris and check out venues.

Daniel and Summer were overjoyed to reunite with Phyllis at the Athletic Club. Over a burger and wine, Phyllis reveled in having a choice of food that wasn’t poisoned. Summer encouraged her mom not to pretend that all was fine, and Daniel prompted Phyllis to tell them everything. Phyllis recalled waking up in the abandoned psychiatric clinic with Sharon and being unable to find a way out.

Daniel pointed out that there had been no ransom request and questioned whether the kidnapping had been a sick game. Phyllis informed her kids that it had been a weird experiment where the captor had forced her and Sharon to work together to get free. Summer fretted that the culprit hadn’t yet been caught, so Phyllis was still in danger. Phyllis assured her children that she had police protection.

Daniel worried that the person behind the kidnapping had evaded authorities, and Phyllis vowed to hunt the person down herself. Daniel warned her against going vigilante, and Phyllis begrudgingly promised to let the police handle it. Phyllis revealed that the captor had known about her decades of hostility with Sharon and had given them riddles and tests based on their history. Phyllis explained how she and Sharon had saved one another’s lives.

Daniel inquired whether Phyllis and Sharon had been able to work through their mutual anger by working together. Phyllis conceded that she and Sharon had a new appreciation for one another’s strengths. Summer asked if there was a chance Ian Ward had survived and been the one behind it. Phyllis relayed that Chance had assured her Ian’s body had been cremated. She was clearly shaken that the kidnapper hadn’t yet been found.

At Billy’s house, Sally was in disbelief over Billy’s account of his role in tracking down Sharon and Phyllis. He contended that he would have done anything to save Phyllis. Billy considered himself a jerk for assuming Phyllis had gone rogue on him and taking her name out of the press release instead of trusting her. Sally urged him not to blame himself, but Billy regretted not realizing something was wrong sooner. He expressed relief that he’d gotten there before Phyllis and Sharon had succumbed to the intentional gas leak in the room.

Billy bemoaned that it wouldn’t be over until the kidnapper was caught. Sally rubbed Billy’s shoulders and lauded him for how much he’d risked to help his friends. Billy wanted to nail the person but was also happy to hand in his cape and let Chance handle it while Billy took Abbott Communications into the stratosphere. Sally cooed that not wearing a cape didn’t make him any less of a hero and they kissed.

When the doorbell rang, Billy and Sally attempted to ignore it, but Phyllis called out to ask if Billy was there. Billy let Phyllis in and observed that she looked better than the last time he’d seen her. He voiced surprise to see her out and about before she requested to have a conversation with him. After Sally left for the office, Billy asked what Phyllis wanted to talk about. Phyllis stifled a sob and admitted that she wasn’t fine. She continued that she needed her life back and he was the only one who could help her.

Phyllis swore she was ready to jump into Abbott Communications and have the “biggest, baddest launch ever.” She apologized for delaying the timeline, but Billy urged her to take some time after they’d almost lost her. Phyllis became emotional as she described getting through her ordeal by thinking about seeing her kids again and getting back to Abbott Communications. Phyllis envisioned building something strong and changing things for the better with her son by her side. She stressed that she needed it right away because it was the only way she’d get past what had been taken from her.

Billy advised Phyllis not to take on more than she could handle right then, but she maintained that she needed the excitement and energy of launching their company to get her past it. She suggested they start with the press release. Billy confessed that he’d sent out the release without her name attached to it when he’d thought she’d disappeared on him. Phyllis stammered not to worry about it.

Billy admitted he’d made a mistake because he knew Phyllis would never bail on him or the company. Phyllis questioned whether he really wanted her on board or if it was a “mercy thing.” Billy proclaimed that he needed her fire and she was the only person on the planet he wanted to launch the company with. He asked if she could forgive him. “Of course I forgive you. You saved my life,” Phyllis cried as she hurled her arms around him.

Chance instructed a group of police officers to search the room where Sharon and Phyllis had been held and look for leads about who had kidnapped the women. Chance doubted they’d find fingerprints other than those of the victims, but he hoped to find evidence that would help them find out who had done it and explain their connection to Phyllis and Sharon. Later, Chance found a device attached to the gas line.

At Crimson Lights, Nick presented Sharon with a latte and a brownie. He wondered if she’d rather be home getting some rest, but she asserted that she was exactly where she wanted to be, where everyone was happy and free. “And now I am, too. All because of you,” she gushed as she squeezed his hand and gazed into his eyes.

Sharon recognized how much she’d taken simply living life and making basic choices for granted until the control had been taken out of her hands. Nick asked if she remembered anything that might give them a clue about who had been behind the kidnapping. Sharon recounted that she and Phyllis had wondered if it was someone they knew, like one of their own kids who’d been trying to teach them a lesson. Nick countered that none of their kids were capable of doing anything like that. Sharon agreed, with Nick calling it extreme therapy. Sharon compared it to an attempted exorcism, and Nick inquired whether it had been successful.

Sharon found what she and Phyllis had gone through to be ironically cathartic since they’d had to work together to solve riddles to win the game and go home. Sharon contemplated how much the captor knew about not just her history with Phyllis but also their personalities and what made them tick. She suspected the person had experience in psychology because they’d known how to pit her and Phyllis against one another and compel them to confront their hatred and distrust by making life-or-death choices. Sharon compared it to aversion or desensitization therapy as if it had been some sort of twisted therapeutic intervention.

Chance entered the coffeehouse and informed Nick and Sharon that he’d bagged a number of items at the scene. Chance divulged that he’d been able to trace the purchase of a remote control attached to the gas line, and he’d confirmed with the landlord that it hadn’t been there before. Chance reported that the device had been purchased at a hardware store not far from the clinic. He intended to analyze the store’s security footage and see if there was anyone on it who Sharon or Phyllis recognized.

Sharon thanked Chance for being thorough and expressed faith that he’d catch the monster behind the kidnapping. Chance pointed out that no one would blame her if she got out of town to clear her head. Nick suggested she go to Europe with Faith to visit Noah. Sharon agreed to go on one condition – that Nick join them.

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