TV BANTER : Y&R Report (Nov. 9, 2013): The Latest on The Young and the Restless

Hey Y&R fans, every second Saturday TV Banter discusses the latest happenings and provides commentary on your favourite daytime drama. Note to U.S. readers - SPOILER ALERT: Here in Canada, I watch the show on Global TV which is one episode ahead of CBS. I will inevitably refer to incidents you haven't seen yet. Read at your own risk. If you are the curious type, though, you may prefer to discover some things in advance.

1. Brrrrrr! Brrrrr! Are you still shivering? This week, Sharon and Nick Newman were locked in freezer at The Underground, Nick's restaurant. It's a good thing that Nick was able to warm up his ex-wife with both his shirt and with his body heat. After all, she was starting to develop hypothermia and they couldn't call for help. Wow! What a coincidence that Sharon left her cell phone inside the restaurant and that Nick's phone wasn't working! Gee, what a surprise! Of course Sharon was quick to remind her ex of the time they were locked in a bank vault and how hot it was in that vault.

It's all part of the soap opera technique of having characters get stuck stuck in elevators and cabins et cetera. This time it was a freezer. Fearing that they would not survive, Sharon told Nick that she had to tell him about a terrible thing she had done. However, just as Sharon was about to confess to Nick about tampering with the results of the DNA test regarding Summer's paternity, Noah came to the rescue and released them from the freezer. Gee, what a surprise!

Nick later called Sharon over to his restaurant to ask her what she was about to tell him while they were locked in the freezer. Rather than tell him the truth, she quickly thought up some story about how she regretted using Faith to get him to spend more time with her. Gee what a surprise!

It's quite obvious, fans, that Nick and Sharon will reunite, at least for awhile. It's a just matter of time. Faith will be ecstatic and everything will go well until Sharon's secret is revealed. The secret can not come out until then. When it does, Nick will never forgive her. Despite his own past behaviour, he is judgmental and he will not accept Sharon's bipolar disorder as an excuse for her behaviour. Speaking of Nicholas Newman, I have a bone to pick with the writers. Nick has declared that he will always love Sharon as the mother of his children. Aren't they Sharon's children too? Why can't he say that she's the mother of our children? Good grief, Y&R! This is 2013.

2. This week, we learned that Summer Newman's best friend Courtney is not so sweet and innocent. She is one of the best customers of Fen's drug dealer, Raven. How could Summer not know this? After all, Courtney is supposedly her closest friend and confidante. Is the Teen Queen that clueless? Is she that naive that she doesn't have any idea what her best friend has been doing or is Courtney so devious that she has been able to conceal her illegal activities from Summer? It seems that Summer doesn't know the real Courtney at all. She's never been invited to her best friend's home and has no knowledge of her family. This could spell big trouble for Noah since he is beginning to fall for Courtney.

We don't know yet if Courtney is buying the drugs for herself or for Zach, the guy who was texting her.. Whether she's a user, remains to be seen. Either way, Noah and Summer are going to be caught up in the situation and it isn't going to be pretty.

3. Hilary Curtis is a good girl now and it was the fastest conversion since Paul on the road to Damascus! Are we to believe that this vindictive, scheming women has reformed so suddenly and so easily? Poof! Just like that! Viewers are being asked to believe that she was just hurt by her mother's death. She was grieving. Now she sees the light and she has a brand new job working for Jack Abbott at Jabot.

It seems to me that Hilary's quick-as-a-flash reformation has been contrived by the writers for storyline purposes. They no longer want her to be wicked and deceitful so that viewers will have some sympathy for her. Having her work at Jabot will bring her in closer contact with billionaire Devon. If he sees her in a more positive light, he may fall for her, especially since his girlfriend, Roxanne, is nowhere to be seen. Speaking of Roxy, Devon mentioned this week that he has used his newly acquired wealth to buy some things for her. Well, at least we know that Roxy has been informed that her boyfriend's a billionaire.

4. Well, fans, it was good to see Eileen Davidson in her role as Ashley Abbott again, although her visit was far too brief. The good news is that she will be returning to Genoa City for an Abbott Thanksgiving. It's disappointing, though, that Eileen has not returned on a regular basis - at least for now.

5. I contacted Helen from Scarborough again. She still thinks that Carmine Basco committed suicide. I doubt it but I will say that if Helen is correct, she deserves credit for calling that one.

6. Is there anyone better at rolling her eyes in disgust than Melody Thomas Scott as Nikki Newman? She's especially good at expressing disdain whenever Sharon is mentioned. I'll never forgot the look of revulsion on Nikki's face when Nick married Sharon all those years ago.

7. Jack and Jill went up the hill to bring down Victor Newman. Yes, folks, Jack Abbott has launched yet another scheme to topple the Big Man from his throne. This time his ally is Jill and the two of them endeavoured to bring Cane Ashby into the conspiracy too. Sugar Cane wisely declined the invitation.

When will Smiling Jack ever learn that it's folly to go to war with the Black Knight? A case can be made that he's insane when it comes to bringing down Moneybags. He performs the same action over and over again, only to achieve the same results. Victor always wins in the end. It's better just to stay clear of him and away from his controlling clutches. Of course, Jack will never learn that lesson because the eternal feud between Abbott and Newman is a source of conflict and high drama. The writers know this.

8. Some new faces are coming to town. Four new characters will be making their debut in Geoa City. One is named Josh Williams and is assumed to be a relative of Paul. Another is Andrew Abbott, an Abbott cousin who is described as "handsome and educated."

Also, according to daytime writer Dan J. Kroll, Emmy winner Cynthia Watros will appear in a recurring roll as Kelly, a recently divorced teacher by trade. She will become involved in the lives of Billy, Victoria and Chloe. Kelly is grieving the tragic loss of her son and she will meet Billy and Victoria in a support group.

The fourth new character is Esmerelda, a young model whose path crosses with Teen Queen Summer Newman.

HAIR AND FASHION

Fenmore Baldwin looks so cute in his prison toque. It's really becoming on him. Perhaps it will catch on and become a prison fad. Soon all the other inmates, including Fen's father, Michael, will be wearing toques in jail. Fan can even star in his own music video called Jail House Toque. Move over Elvis!

Sigh! Billy Boy Abbott had his hair cut again. It's too short.

MELODY THOMAS SCOTT IN TORONTO

Melody Thomsd Sott (right) on stage with Lilana Novakovich

On Sunday, November 3rd, Melody Thomas Scott (Nikki Newman) appeared at the National Women's Show at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. Melody looked beautiful in an orange print dress and she was slimmer than I though she'd be. The turnout was large but the crowd, consisting mostly of women, didn't seem quite as excited about seeing her as they had about seeing Eric Braeden (Victor Newman) and Peter Bergman (Jack Abbott) in previous years. At least, that was my impression.

Sunday was a gorgeous fall day, sunny and somewhat cool. Although the temperature was fairly normal for a November day in Toronto (or New York or Boston), Melody remarked that as a resident of California., she felt really cold in this kind of weather. The daytime diva informed the crowd that she had spent the week in T.O. at the home of her friend Lilana Novakovich, a long-time Canadian agent to the soap stars. Lilana appeared on stage with Melody and hosted the event.

Unfortunately, Melody was unable to provide the audience with any really juicy scoops. She had no idea if Michelle Stafford would be returning as Phyllis or if another actress would be taking over the role.. She explained that Y&R cast members no longer receive complete scripts. They only receive the script for their own scenes. As a result, the actors are less aware of what's going on in other storylines.

Melody revealed that her pet peeve is people who text while driving. When questioned about the kissing ability of Eric Braeden and Peter Bregman, she reminded the crowd that it's acting and that there is more concern about positioning before the camera.

Melody also mentioned that Y&R has filmed a special Veteran's Day (Remembrance Day) episode which she found very moving. She also said that the Dylan storyline is really going to heat up. When ashed about her favourite scene on the show, she replied that she didn't have a specific favourite but that she really enjoyed playing a drunk Nikki. She also stated that "in the soap world, happiness equals boredom" because there is no conflict. That, fans, is why soap couples don't stay together We all want our favourite couples to get together, but when they do, it's difficult to find storylines for them.

After answering questions from fans, Melody auctioned off some items to raise money in support of ovarian cancer research. The items included a Y&R script, a pair of Melody earrings and an album from Joshua Morrow's boy band days.