Dial "M" for Mother

This past week on The Young and the Restless, Daniel got a call from an unknown number and assumed his mother, Phyllis, had finally called to let him know she was alive. But was that really Phyllis? Daniel may regret not screening his calls with a request that the caller "dial M for Mother" before he spilled Phyllis' big secret to the mystery caller. Join our Two Scoops columnist as he examines Daniel's foolish faux pas and all the other mama drama happening around Genoa City.

Before we dive into dissecting this past week on Y&R, I want to wish a happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there! I hope you have a great holiday, celebrating with the ones you love most. And, because Mother's Day is upon us, this week's column will focus on the mothers that were highlighted this past week on Y&R. There was a nice mix of sweet moments that characters got to share with their mothers and, of course, plenty of drama to go around, too!

Let's start with the sweet moments. The week started out with a somber but heartwarming memorial service for Neil Winters in the new jazz club that was named after him. Almost all the Winters family's loved ones were in attendance -- even Nate, Malcolm, and Harmony (a.k.a. Yolanda)! I was really happy to see Nate was invited to the family event and that he and Devon were actually civil to one another. I wonder how long that civility will last once Devon learns that Elena left Nate because he cheated on her with Victoria. But, for now, the fractured Winters family seems to be putting their family unit back together, piece by piece. I love to see it.

It's too bad that Malcolm only popped in for that one episode to attend Neil's memorial, but it was still a real treat to see him again. And it was really touching when he stated that he "will always show up to honor the great Neil Winters." You can tell the cast is still mourning the real-life loss of Neil's portrayer, Kristoff St. John, and I appreciate that the show took the time to make this episode because it allowed fans to mourn along with them. It means a lot that Y&R still takes time to spotlight his legacy on the show and the lasting impact that both he and his character had on so many people.

I loved Neil and Malcolm's stories over the years, so it was really special that Malcolm was included in this episode (and that Shemar Moore agreed to return for it). And it was fitting that he was there to support and encourage Devon's decision to have his last name legally changed from Hamilton to Winters. Even though Tucker is Devon's biological father, Neil will always be Devon's one true father figure and the man that he aspires to emulate. I'm sure it was a special honor for him to have that blessing from Neil's brother to take on the family name. Devon has certainly earned the right to be an official Winters!

If Malcolm could have stuck around town a little longer, how great would it have been to see him run into Phyllis?! She could certainly use one of her best friends right now, and those two always had great screen chemistry. I always hoped that their "friends with benefits" relationship years ago would have developed into something more. Maybe it still can one day.

As much as I love Shemar Moore, Malcolm is an important character that should be around whether or not Moore is available to portray him. There was a small glimmer of hope that Moore might have been available to return in a more full-time capacity when it was announced that CBS was canceling his primetime show, S.W.A.T., but, alas, CBS ended up reversing that decision (after Moore called them out on social media and fans of the show rallied behind him). However, CBS only renewed the show for one final season, so who knows, maybe there will be more Malcolm (and Moore) around Genoa City in the not-too-distant future!

I had known about Malcom returning for the special episode because it was highly publicized, but it was a surprise to me when Devon's mother, Harmony, showed up (and just in time for Mother's Day)! She was portrayed by a different actress (Debbi Morgan) the last time we saw her, so I actually had to do a Google search to figure out who she was when she first showed up at Neil's memorial. She looked familiar, but it didn't click for me right away. Once it clicked for me, it was a nice surprise to see Chene Lawson reprising the role she originated nearly 20 years ago (back in 2005).

I was a little disappointed at first that it wasn't Debbi Morgan returning for these episodes because I am a big fan of hers, and I really liked her portrayal of Harmony. But Chene did a great job stepping back into the character's shoes this past week, so I wasn't disappointed for long. It was really nice to see her and Devon reconnecting and sharing scenes together after all these years. We last saw Harmony on-screen back in 2011 (I think), but, of course, Devon has been in touch with her off-screen in the years between her visits to Genoa City. Still, it was nice to be reminded of their connection and see how much closer they are now. The scenes with Tucker, Devon, and Harmony bonding over Dominic at the end of the week were a breath of fresh air, which was a fun surprise. It was interesting to see this new family dynamic with Devon and his biological parents, and I hope their bond will only continue to strengthen.

Harmony's return to town wasn't such a fun surprise for Ashley, though, because apparently, she was shooting daggers across the room at her all night at Neil's memorial. It was really funny when Mariah pointed that out to Sharon, and Sharon had to explain to her that Tucker had cheated on Ashley with Harmony when they were married years ago. It was nice that Ashley remained civil, though, and greeted Harmony warmly, regardless of their history. I'm glad the writers touched on that history and gave the three of them a moment of closure. Hopefully, Ashley will take Harmony's advice to cherish her reconciliation with Tucker, and the two of them will only grow closer. They are the couple I am rooting most for on the show right now!

While Ashley and Harmony managed to avoid drama, Sally was stirring up plenty of it between the Newman brothers as she contemplated taking a job with Adam at McCall Unlimited. Both Nick and Chloe insisted to Sally that it would be a big mistake to work for Adam again, but I'm not so sure about that. The two of them always had a really great working relationship, and it is a unique opportunity for Sally, so it is understandable that she'd give it serious thought. I think Nick and Chloe know that deep down, Sally still has feelings for Adam, so they are worried that, if the two of them are in each other's orbits daily in the workplace, Sally will likely give in to those feelings and leave Nick for his brother. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that that is exactly what happens!

Is it wrong that I was happy to see Nick and Sally arguing over this? I'm so ready for their relationship to come to an end. Sally made some good points about wanting to make sure the baby was provided for, and taking this job with Adam would be a good way for her to build a solid career. And it made sense that she wants her child to be proud of her accomplishments and hard work, which is why she is considering taking the job with Adam over taking financial help from Nick. And, while those are good reasons, I think Sally is just drawn to Adam and is subconsciously looking for an excuse to spend more time with him. I suspect that for Mother's Day this year, Sally will be getting herself a brand-new job at McCall.

Diane got an early Mother's Day gift when she was able to reunite with Jack and their son, Kyle, after being released from jail and placed on house arrest. Sure, being on house arrest isn't an ideal situation, but being stuck in a mansion is certainly a lot better than being stuck in a jail cell. Of course, Diane is also stuck living there with Ashley, Tucker, and Summer, so maybe she would be happier in a jail cell! That's certainly where Summer wishes Diane was residing. I'm getting really tired of the way Summer continues to treat Diane, even though she knows Diane is not responsible for anything that happened to Phyllis. I can't stand that she is still trying to blame Diane for everything and let her go to jail. Although, to be fair, Phyllis did give her quite the guilt trip about the whole situation, so it's somewhat understandable why she's standing firmly on her mother's side.

Thankfully, Daniel is a voice of reason in their family and insisted to Summer that they tell everyone the truth about their mother's true fate. I was cheering Daniel on toward the end of the week as he gathered Jack, Michael, and Kyle to drop that truth bomb on them. It was honorable that he didn't tell them Summer knew about their mother's scheme to fake her death, but I'm sure that won't remain a secret for very long. Daniel, of course, insisted that none of them tell Summer (or anyone else) for now because he wants to keep it "hush-hush" until they come up with a plan to make sure Phyllis isn't blamed or sent to prison for her scheme with Jeremy Stark.

For someone who claims to want to keep his mother's secret, though, he sure didn't hesitate to spill that secret earlier in the week when he got an unknown call from someone that didn't speak on the other end. I am really not sure why he assumed it was his mother. Wishful thinking, maybe? Still, he should have received some sort of confirmation that it was his mom before he spoke about her being alive. I have a feeling that call is going to have some not-so-great repercussions.

Could Chance have been on the other end of that call? He certainly was interested in trying to hear what Summer and Daniel were arguing about at Crimson Lights. Is that because of what he already heard on the phone, and he is trying to get more details? Or maybe it was Lily, and she had a bad cell phone connection at the start of the call. Could his romantic reunion with her be in jeopardy of falling apart because she was on the other end of the line and found out that he has kept this secret from her? It will be very interesting to see what the writers have up their sleeve regarding that mystery call (if anything).

Aside from that silly mistake of his, Daniel has done the right thing by cluing in Jack, Michael, and Kyle about Phyllis. I know Michael said he doesn't think he'll be able to do much for Phyllis (especially since he is defending Diane), but I know he will do his damnedest to help both of his friends stay out of prison. Between the four of them, they should be able to find a way to find a solution that is mutually beneficial for both Diane and Phyllis. And it should be a lot of fun to see them working as a team, too! I'm anxious to see how it all turns out, though. The longer Phyllis stays hidden, the guiltier she is going to look. Hopefully, she doesn't end up getting an orange jumpsuit and a prison cell for Mother's Day this year.

That's all from me for this week, folks! Don't forget to hit the Comments (here on the site and throughout the week on the social media posts) to share your opinions, too!

Until next time,Vance

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