Young & Restless Explodes: Sally’s Decision Will Change Everything — Plus, Two Former Rivals Clash Anew

Sally’s Decision Will Change Everything — Plus, Two Former Rivals Clash Anew

Credit: Howard Wise/JPI

Young & Restless had a lot going on at times this week… and yet it feels like nothing much happened. It’s an ongoing source of frustration with the soap; there’s build-up and anticipation with a decided lack of big drama, and very little in the way of payoffs for viewers. While change is needed where the writing is concerned, they’re certainly on the right track with the returns of Mamie and Danny.

Jack Flak

I’m not anymore a fan of this subdued version of Phyllis than I was of the storyline in which she faked her death. Skulking around and eating humble pie has never been her style and it doesn’t suit her. I like to think she’s found a way to screw over Tucker and champion the Abbotts, but even that bugs me because Jack has been such a colossal ass where she’s concerned. He, arguably, was the cause of everything that has gone down because he didn’t stand by Phyllis, who he was supposedly in love with, when Diane returned. Don’t get me wrong, I love the Abbott fam, but I wouldn’t mind seeing Tucker stick it to Jack just a little bit.

In related, it was fun seeing Danny walk up to Phyllis at the bar unexpectedly and say, “You look like you lost your best friend.” He’s not thrilled with Phyllis, but he cares about her and Daniel, so it’s lovely to have that sense of family. Meanwhile, poor Danny said he came back in part to see Cricket, but she’s off in Lisbon with Paul. I’m guessing she’ll turn up and say her divorce was finalized. Danny will just light up with that trademark smile!

Newman Struggles

Victoria is sometimes portrayed as ruthless to the point where it gets to be too much. Case in point when she let Nick go to give her boyfriend Nate his position. She had a plausible explanation, but it pinched given the timing. Now, Victoria is trying to oust Victor by expressing concern to family members about his fitness to helm the company. This doesn’t ring true because she wasn’t worried about it before he ousted her from her position. Even if her concern about the toll this will take on her father is legit, it looks like sour grapes. On the other hand, she makes valid points about the company, and she’s doing everything exactly as Victor taught her, so how can he fault her for that?! The only thing she refuses to do is to work with Adam and “present a united front”. Something tells me, however, that this story might be headed that way — one way or another.

Meanwhile, Nikki wants to mentor Audra, who stood up to the matriarch in a noteworthy scene where she questioned her boss making rules about her personal life. I was waiting for Nikki to end her, but she instead announced that she wanted to be her new mentor. Hmm. Not sure what to make of that yet.

This Will Go Well

In other Newman Enterprises news, Victor had jaws dropping all over his office when he appointed Adam to be Nate’s assistant. Of course, Adam will go along with it. He wants something, we’re just not sure what his angle is yet. What I am sure of is that this will go sideways. How and for whom remains to be seen. Meanwhile, some Young & Restless fans are questioning why Adam’s even putting himself through this:

In other Adam commentary, he handed Jack the dirt on Tucker McCall (in return for a favor down the line, uh oh) and, per the preview, made an enemy of Tucker. This might prove to be interesting if we weren’t so sick and tired of the endless merry-go-round of business bickering and empty threats that never lead to a payoff or to something significant happening. Case in point: The Abbotts instantly figuring out who was behind the money transfer. I realize that was Tucker’s intent (or so he told Audra) but, still, there was no suspense.

Matriarch Moment

I’m thrilled that Mamie is back and I hope she stays. Although she’s important to the Abbotts, her return brings in the matriarchal element so missing for the Winters kids. Revisiting the rivalry between Mamie vs. Jill is, of course, the icing on the cake — there should be some excellent scenes coming up between them next week. Can’t wait!

The Kiss

On the heels of Nick’s return from his business trip, Sally’s conscience will stretch to the limit with the knowledge that Adam kissed her while her boyfriend was away. Whether she’ll confess to Nick that she can’t stop thinking about it remains to be seen, but she’s definitely going to tell him that it happened. Per SOD, Nick’s gonna explode after hearing this as he reaches his breaking point with the situation. Obviously, this means there will be a confrontation between Nick and Adam, but I’m convinced it will change everything for him and Sally as well, even if it doesn’t seem like it right away. Looking back, they’ll go, “Yep, that was when it all went south.” Of course, some can’t believe it’s gotten this far:

Nick will undoubtedly pivot toward Sharon at some point, but we still have Sharon and Chance. I had to laugh at Summer asking Nick how things were going with his ex. Hoping they’ll get back together much? Sharon already sees Summer’s interest in Chance and may decide not to fight it too hard. It wouldn’t be the first time in Josh Griffith’s tenure that we’ve seen someone just walk away — remember Nick telling Chelsea to just go be with Adam, no hard feelings? Part of me wants drama, but the other part of me doesn’t want Sharon in a storyline where she’s fighting Summer for a man. In any case, there may be a twist. Watch for more on that this coming week.

Ch-ch-ch-Change is Needed

There has been a lot of chatter about what’s not working on Young & Restless, so to end this week’s soapbox, I’m going to give a few fans the floor. For the most part, I agree with the sentiments. The soapiest the show has been in recent memory was Cameron’s short-lived return. Aside from that, it’s been musical executive positions with angry confrontations passing for drama. There are always new developments that appear to be promising, but fizzle out or take a turn that falls flat.

This is my opinion. Feel free to sound off on this week’s Young & Restless in the comment section.