New Year, new Genoa City dilemmas

The New Year is here, and with it comes a whole new slew of dilemmas for our favorite Genoa City denizens to fret over! Join our Two Scoops columnist as he breaks down all the drama that played out during the first week of 2023 on The Young and the Restless!

Happy New Year, indeed! I was thrilled that the writers wasted no time in letting us know that Sally was pregnant during the first episode of 2023! I'm surprised that I didn't see this coming, but it gave us Adam and Sally fans just the glimmer of hope that we needed to carry us into the New Year! Hopefully, this is the writers' way of apologizing to us for all the torture they put us through in 2022 (that is, assuming the child is Adam's, of course).

I would be truly surprised if this baby turns out to be Nick's because it feels like an obvious Adam/Sally reunion plot device. However, I've learned not to get my hopes up when it comes to Adam and Sally because they seem to be the writers' favorite couple (and fanbase) to torture! But, hey, the news of the pregnancy at least makes it easier for me to sit through all the Nick and Sally romance/dating scenes because I know trouble is on the horizon for them!

It is nice to see Sally happy, but I'm just sick of seeing her happy with Nick! I enjoyed the few moments she shared with Adam at the coffee shop this week more than any of her time spent with Nick. It's obvious that Adam still cares deeply for Sally, even though she was doing her best to push him away and avoid the topic of what was bothering her. I understand why she doesn't want to tell Nick and Adam about the baby until she has a chance to come to terms with it herself and get confirmation from a doctor. I'm very much looking forward to seeing where this twisted triangle ends up once all the baby drama wreaks its havoc on the trio!

Nick and Sally aren't the only couple facing relationship troubles in the New Year, of course. It looks like Billy and Lily might finally be over, despite their attempt at tackling their problems in couples counseling this past week. By the end of Friday's episode, it looked like Lily has already decided that there is no point in them continuing to fight for what they once had together.

I feel for Billy because it seems like he really is trying to fix things with Lily, but I don't think his heart is truly in it. It's not that I think he is being disingenuous or purposefully misleading Lily, but it just feels to me like he is trying to salvage their relationship because he feels like it is the right thing to do and not because of how much he loves her. The dynamic between them has changed, and if they are not feeling committed to one another deep in their hearts, then Lily is doing the right thing by walking away. It's not a good idea to be in a relationship with someone just because you don't want to break up -- there has got to be more substance than that to build a relationship on. Methinks they've lost that loving feeling.

And are Kyle and Summer headed in the same direction as Billy and Lily? They have been arguing more and more about their mothers' ongoing feud, which is an interesting turn of events. Summer has been mostly supportive of Kyle supporting Diane up until now, so it was good that she had a talk with her brother Daniel this past week so that we as viewers were able to understand where she is coming from and why she feels the way she does now. I can understand why Summer is frustrated about the rift that is forming between her and her own mother as a result of Diane's past coming back to haunt them all (even if Phyllis brought on quite a bit of the drama herself).

I have always enjoyed the mother/daughter relationship of Phyllis and Summer, so I would rather there be more drama between Summer and Kyle if it means Summer can salvage her friendship and closeness with her mom. And I'm happy to see Kyle getting a second chance of having a relationship with his mother, too, since Diane "returned from the dead," so I am not mad about him sticking up for her and wanting to support her, either. It was inevitable that Kyle and Summer would end up in this situation once Diane returned to town because the battle lines between Diane and Phyllis were drawn immediately, and the war is far from over. Whether Summer and Kyle's relationship will be a casualty of their mothers' war or not remains to be seen. But does anyone care if their marriage survives?

I haven't been as invested in Kyle and Summer as a couple since they returned to the show. I suppose it's been somewhat entertaining to see them argue more lately, since I don't much care about the outcome. I could take them or leave them as a couple. They are far more interesting in their scenes with other characters than they are in their scenes together, so at least the arguing has given them a bit more depth and entertainment value! Aside from the impact to Kyle and Summer, I'm curious to see how Diane's plot against Jeremy Stark is going to come crashing down around all of the Abbotts -- and the Newmans!

I couldn't help but chuckle when Diane settled on targeting Nikki as part of her plot to gain Jeremy's trust now that she has to "do something big" to prove to him that she is serious about teaming up with him again. When she and Jack discussed the idea of larceny as a way of proving herself to Jeremy, Diane was having a little too much fun contemplating whether to steal from Phyllis, Ashley, or Nikki. She didn't have to go after "the coven," but she isn't wrong that using one of them in her plot to trick Jeremy into going back to jail would be poetic justice, since they have all been trying to run her out of town!

For entertainment value alone, I have to say that I am glad she settled on Nikki! For some reason, I find the fighting between Nikki and Diane to be more fun to watch. And I always enjoy when Nikki gets a storyline that doesn't involve Victor, so I think it is going to be a lot of fun as Diane carries out her plot (although I'm sure once Victor learns what is going on, he will be involved in some capacity). It will be interesting to see how it all plays out, since Diane has to commit a real crime in order to trap Jeremy, which means that Diane is essentially giving Nikki ammunition to send her to prison, too, if things go awry. But, yes, targeting Nikki was absolutely still the right decision to make (since they were seemingly only choosing between her, Phyllis, and Ashley).

All of Nikki and Diane's current drama is based on past grievances, since they don't really have a reason to be in each other's orbits now, so this will help to make their current rivalry a little more relevant. In regard to Phyllis, there's too much drama between her and Diane already without adding larceny to the mix. And Diane was spot-on when she surmised that Phyllis is too much of a wild card to use in her plot against Jeremy. As for Ashley, she and Diane already have drama, too, because of how Diane is slowly but surely settling in as a member of the Abbott family (much to Ashley's chagrin)!

I hate when Jack and Ashley are fighting, so I hope Ashley softens toward Diane in the future -- especially if Jack and Diane become a couple this year! How cute was their New Year's Eve kiss?! Jack deserves love in his life, and Diane truly seems to love him. I never thought I would be rooting for Diane over Phyllis as a romantic pairing for Jack! My, how times change.

Jack and Diane weren't the only ones feeling the love in the New Year's air. Devon and Abby crossed the "friends" threshold yet again, and Abby even spent the night at his place! I am actually really happy to see this pairing come to fruition. I have wanted these two to get together for years, and I'm looking forward to seeing how their coupling plays out this year. Here's hoping they make it to 2024 as a solid couple!

Chance seems to be moving on from Abby, too, as he and Sharon hung out and had dinner together. Sure, it wasn't an official date (and they haven't even discussed the possibility of being anything other than friends yet), but the writing seems to be on the wall for these two -- especially since they planned to have dinner again next week, too! I enjoy their scenes together, and I think they could be a good couple. I'm not excited about them yet or even rooting for them to get together yet, but I'm anticipating seeing how it goes and withholding judgment until we see more. Who knows? Maybe they will be a favorite new couple of 2023!

And what was going on with Christine and Danny this past week? There are certainly still sparks between them, and it's clear that they still hold deep feelings for one another, even after all these years. But I was glad to hear Christine tell him that things are still good between her and Paul (even though we NEVER see either of them around town together, which is a shame). I miss me some Paul and hope that the show can work something out with his portrayer, Doug Davidson, this year to bring him back. If not, they may need to recast (as much as I hate to say it) because if his daughter, Heather, returns and we see more scenes like this between Christine and Danny, then it will be hard to tell those stories without him.

For now, though, Danny is just in town, visiting, and we don't see Christine very much, so I don't think the writers have anything more planned for these two at this point. But it was a nice throwback to see them reconnect and share old memories. I also loved Danny's reunion with Traci and Lauren last week! Had it aired before I wrote my "Best & Worst of Y&R in 2022" column, their New Year's Eve hangout definitely would have made it on to my "Best of December 2022" list! Before Lauren and Michael showed up, I was especially loving Danny's scenes with Traci. I would love for her to finally find some romance again, and Danny would be a great choice for her.

Danny's return in general has been an all-around win so far, but it seems he is on his way out of town again, so who knows if we will see him again in 2023 or not. Since he will be producing the music for the video game that Daniel is creating for Chancellor-Winters, we may see him pop into town again here and there. But music can be shared digitally, of course, so it's not a guarantee that Danny would need to be in town to complete his work on the project for his son.

And who knows if Daniel's video game development project will even get off the ground and gain momentum before the drama at Chancellor-Winters comes to a head. I'm hoping that Daniel's project is not affected by whatever scheme Audra and Tucker are cooking up to take over the company because I would hate to see him leave town just like his father is. I really hope Daniel is back on a long-term basis!

But the secret alliance between Audra and Tucker certainly seems like it is on the verge of coming out next week, so who knows what the future holds for Chancellor-Winters! Hopefully Devon has put the pieces together in enough time, and they don't lose control of the company to Tucker. It doesn't seem as though the IPO has really gotten off the ground yet, so Devon may be discovering Audra and Tucker's true relationship just in time before taking the company public and putting it at risk of a takeover.

Audra's character is probably the biggest mystery of 2023 right now. Does she have a place on the show once she is exposed as a traitor at Chancellor-Winters and loses her job? Will she refocus her energy on trying to win Noah back? Perhaps she might strike up a romance with Chance, but once he learns that she was trying to help Tucker take over his family's company, I doubt that will go anywhere. I like the actress portraying Audra, and her character is just the right amount of trouble, so I hope that the writers find a way to keep her around. Only time will tell, I suppose!

Well, that's all for this week, folks -- but there is plenty more to come in the New Year! I hope you all had a great holiday season and are settling into 2023 nicely. Don't forget to hit the Comments (here on the site and on social media) to share your opinions on the first week of 2023 in Genoa City! I'll see you there!

Until next time,Vance

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