Our past is never done with us

Last week on The Young and the Restless, the past came back to haunt Jack and Ashland in ways that are sure to shape the future of Genoa City forever! Join our columnist in examining those big reveals and what they could mean for the future -- plus, all the week's other exciting happenings in Genoa City!

My, how times have changed in Genoa City. Yes, that was Victor and Jack spotted at Society having a drink together and enjoying one another's company. It was only a few years ago that these two were still waging war on one another whenever they had the chance, but it seems these former rivals have done some maturing in their older age and have found some common ground. I don't know if I'd start throwing around the "F word" (friend) yet, but it's been really nice to see these two soften toward one another more and more recently. Their scene was short and subtle, but it was undoubtedly one of the standout moments of the week.

During their conversation, Victor lamented to Jack that "as much as we would like to be done with certain parts of our past, our past is never done with us." And this was certainly true for Jack this week as he revealed to Traci and Phyllis that he has not been in touch with his son Keemo for years, and he has been lying about being in touch with him on a regular basis. In fact, almost as soon as Keemo left town years ago, he told Jack that he wanted nothing to do with Jack because of the lies Jack told him about his mother's health before she died.

Jack was forced to reveal this truth because of some mysterious text messages he has been receiving that seemed to be linked back to his estranged son in some way. Phyllis was on the case and used both her tech and sleuthing skills (and "other resources") to start to get to the bottom of who was sending these strange texts to Jack. The texts indicate there is something missing in Jack's life, which he can find at an address in Los Angeles. The mystery got even stranger as the address was revealed to belong to Jack's former father-in-law (Keemo's grandfather Hau Nguyen), who is deceased! Naturally, all is not as it seems...

As Phyllis and Jack continued to investigate who could be sending the texts, Jack revealed that Keemo had changed his last name to Nguyen to honor his mother's family -- and it seems he may have also changed his first name to match his grandfather's, as well! Sadly, their search for Hau Nguyen in Los Angeles led them to a recent obituary that displayed a photo of Jack's son.

I'm not sure how I feel about this twist. While I am sure this story is leading somewhere big, I can't help but be saddened that we won't see Keemo on our screens, interacting with the rest of the Abbots again. I started watching the show after Keemo had already exited, and I have always hoped that his character would return one day to mix it up with his family again. I'm disappointed in that regard. However, this plot with the text messages is fun, and I'm very curious to see where it all leads.

Does Jack have a grandchild out there somewhere that he doesn't know about? And, if so, who is sending him these text messages? It seems to me that if his potential grandchild wanted to reach out to him, they would just do so outright rather than being so cryptic about it. So, I'm leaning more toward the idea that someone else is reaching out to Jack (especially since they seem to wish to remain anonymous).

Who, then, in Los Angeles could be trying to alert Jack? Could it be someone we know from The Bold and the Beautiful that may have been friendly with the Nguyens and put two and two together? That's just my first thought, but, of course, it may not (and likely won't) connect to anyone on Y&R's sister soap. It just struck me as odd that the address happened to be in Los Angeles, which is where B&B takes place. The writers literally could have chosen any other city/state/country for Keemo to have died in, so I'm curious if there is some sort of B&B crossover on the horizon again as Jack and Phyllis continue to unravel this mystery.

Now, before we dive into the other big reveal we got this week regarding Ashland (yes, he has another big secret!), let's talk about some of the other happenings in Genoa City!

In a blink-and-you'll-miss-it storyline, Dominic got his bone marrow transplant from Devon this week, all went well, and he seems to be on the road to recovery. So... what was the point of this storyline? I feel like there has to be more to it than what we have seen so far. Or do the writers just love torturing Abby, Chance, and Devon?

I can't help but remember the doctor told them all that it is usually a sibling -- not a parent -- that is a match for a bone marrow transplant. Since Dominic doesn't have any siblings, I thought this story was going to be dragged on for a long while as they searched for a donor. I was even imagining Abby and Devon trying to have another baby together to give Dominic a sibling that could be a match! But then, Devon was revealed to be a perfect match right away. So... something seems off, right? Will some mix-up in the past come back to haunt this trio as they learn Devon is a sibling, rather than a parent, to Dominic? What happened at that sperm bank?! I honestly don't know what the writers are doing with these characters right now, so anything seems possible! Nel had her own ideas on this last week.

Elsewhere in Genoa City, Mariah and Tessa continued to plan their wedding. It's great to see them so happy, even though Tessa's past (Noah) always seems to be right there in their faces. Noah certainly doesn't seem to be done with his feelings for her, but he does seem to at least be trying to move on now. And I take solace in the fact that Tessa has been nothing but firmly committed to Mariah. It's a relief that we haven't seen her second-guessing who she should be with or fretting over which sibling to choose.

I really hate that I even have to keep mentioning Noah in relation to their storyline, but it was good to see him engaging with the rest of their family as they brainstormed ideas for the venue and theme of Mariah and Tessa's nuptials. Regardless, though, I just really want to start seeing him in his own storyline, separate from his family -- especially when it comes to Mariah and Tessa! I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they make it to their April wedding without any interference from him. It's time for him to make a new life for himself in Genoa City, which he claims was the point of him moving back home in the first place.

Speaking of making moves, Nate decided this week that he was putting his past of being a surgeon behind him and moving on from his job at the hospital to take a job in the corporate world. Although some of his reasoning didn't make a ton of sense (does he not think he'll be doing a lot of paperwork in the corporate world?), I get why he would want to distance himself from hospital work in general, since he can no longer operate due to his injury. He claims he is moving on because he is not passionate about how much administrative work he is doing in his new position at the hospital, but it has got to be tough for him to be working in that environment when he physically cannot do what he is truly passionate about there.

I thought for sure Nate was going to take the job at ChanceComm with Lily, and then we would start seeing him interact more with Imani there; however, by the end of the week, it seemed like he was set on taking Ashland up on his offer and joining the team at Newman Locke instead. I'm still keeping my fingers crossed for a storyline involving Imani/Nate/Elena/Noah where these couples get tangled up, though, so I am patiently waiting to see what happens next to get Imani and Nate in each other's orbits. Since his job offer came from Ashland, perhaps Nate won't have a job at Newman Locke for very long once Ashland's latest secret comes out...

I guess I jinxed myself in my last column when I joked about how many secrets of Ashland's have been uncovered in the past year because we got another one this week! At least, we think so. Michael was able to get a confession out of the Peruvian doctor who had supposedly manufactured Ashland's cancer diagnosis, which indicates that Ashland was never ill to begin with. Just like Victor and Nikki, though, I am not taking the shady doctor's word for it just yet. I am glad that Victor and Michael are trying to come up with more proof before they reveal to Victoria what they have learned.

I'm very curious about what end Ashland's lies could serve, though. What is his endgame? He seems to genuinely love Victoria, but is that all an act, too? Or was falling for her not part of his original plan, and now he's trying to have it all -- the girl and the company? Whatever his reasoning, I fear Victoria is headed for yet another heartache.

Maybe Adam will be able to find out something more about Ashland's secrets now that he has decided to keep an eye on Ashland for Victor on his "own terms." Although Victor thinks he is hot on Ashland's trail and doesn't necessarily need Adam to "spy" on Ashland anymore, the way these two argued back and forth about it makes me wonder if Adam will stumble across something substantial that will blow Ashland's lies out of the water.

Speaking of Adam, I would be remiss if I didn't mention how great Sally has been for him in his "redemption arc" storyline. He has been really great for her, too, and I've never liked her more. I'm really glad that he has someone in town that he can talk to that doesn't judge him for his past. Sharon used to be that person for him, but there was always so much drama surrounding their relationship. It's nice that he is able to put his past behind him and find something real that he can hold on to and have someone to lean on now. The same could be said for Sally, too, which is why they are so perfect for one another. Although, as a wise man once said, "our past is never done with us..."

That's all for this week, folks! Don't forget to hit the comments and share your opinions, too!

Until next time, Vance

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