Saturday, February 3, 2018

Y&R Report (February 3, 2018): 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.

Well fans, we have a power struggle between two strong and determined business women - Ashley Abbott and Victoria Newman.  Both are undeniably daddy's girls.  Victoria is Victor's princess, the heir apparent to Newman Enterprises.  Her goal is to please her father and win his approval, although he continually interferes in her life and has ruined almost all her relationships with men.  As for Ashley, the late John Abbot favoured her and called her "my beauty."  When Ashley learned that John was not her biological father, she was absolutely devastated.  She had a breakdown and suffered from amnesia.  So, her paternity is an extremely sensitive matter to her.  She is hurt that she felt forced to leave Jabot, the company her father founded.  She is determined to make her mark and her ultimate goal is to succeed ex-husband Victor Newman as CEO of Newman Enterprises.  This puts her in a direct collision course with Victoria, believes she is entitled to the crown because she has Newman blood.

Victoria and Ashley both have something to prove and neither wants to play second fiddle.  They both want control and they both want to do things their own way.  That's why it's doubtful that these two strong-willed women can co-exist at Newman Enterprises.  They will continually clash.  Something has got to give.  One of them will eventually have to leave. 

Soap opera storylines often move at a snail's pace.  So, it's appreciated that head writer Mal Young has picked up the pace of Y&R,  Unfortunately, however, he's moving too fast now. Whoa, Mal, slow down a bit!  Here are some examples to underline my point:

J.T. Hellstrom has been popping pills. (I thought he was addicted)  He was eventually shown visiting a doctor and later told Victoria that he had visited a cardiologist.is taking medication due to a heart condition caused by electrocution.  It seems that about seven or eight years ago, a powerful storm/tornado hit Genoa City.  J.T. Hellstrom was involved in an accident when his car hit a tree when he tried to get to Lily and Cane at the lake retreat.  After regaining consciousness, J.T. tried to move on, but he was electrocuted when a power pole hit his car.  Lily and Cane found him on the side of the road and Cane performed CPR on him.  He was then hospitalized for electrocution (I had to look that up online.  Even though I am a longtime Y&R viewer, I had forgotten the incident).  It's true that the  electrocution was shown briefly during the flashbacks at the beginning of the show.  However, some people skip over the opening sequences.  The electrocution should have been mentioned during the episode and a flashback shown then, especially to make it clear to viewers who had forgotten it and for those who did not watch Y&R that far back.  That's just another reason why I prefer the previews at the end of the show, rather than an array of flashbacks at the beginning.

Out of the blue, handyman Nick found $250,000 hidden away in a bathroom wall duct. It was assumed Adam left the money there.  Chelsea suddenly started behaving mysteriously and lying.  Until then, there had been no sign that she was hiding anything.  It all happened out of the blue. We know her behaviour is somehow connected to Adam because she stashed the cash in Adam's vault at the Newman family crypt.  Chelsea also perpetrated a fraud against her own fashion line by creating a fake website identical to her own.  It seems to me that this is all related to the recent announcement that Melissa Claire Egan, who plays Chelsea, is leaving the show (See "Cast News" below for details).  Have the writers just concocted a quick storyline as a way to cause Chelsea to depart from Genoa City?  Is Adam alive and will she be reunited with him?  If so, why hasn't Chelsea shown any indication before that Adam is not dead.  (By the way, Mal Young apparently does not want Adam to come back).

In a recent episode, Victoria referred to Ashley as a "wicked witch" and claimed it was an inside joke.  She gave no further explanation.  However, only longtime viewers would remember that Nikki told Victoria that Ashley was a "wicked witch" back when Ashley was married to Victor and had become Victoria's stepmother.

Here are some more questions:

Question #1. Why did Noah suddenly decide to go to a movie with his sister, Mariah, especially after having an argument with her over Tessa?  Was it because Cane and Lily were shown at the movie theatre earlier and the producers thought it would be great to shoot another scene in that setting?  Who knows?

Question #2  Why has Tessa been sleeping in the Hamilton-Winters office?  She's not unemployed. She has a job working for Devon  She's not destitute and she doesn't need to be homeless.  Why hasn't she at least rented a room to live in?  Doesn't Devon pay her?  I think the writers wanted to devise a storyline in which Mariah would discover Tessa's homelessness and help her find low income accommodation.



CAST NEWS

Daniel Hall (Scott) written out of Y&R




The news is disappointing for fans of Daniel Hall (Scott Grainger).  Hall has been written out of the Young and the Restless indefinitely.  It appears that his storyline has reached an impasse.  Sharon is finished with him and Abby is in Paris while Melissa Ordway, the actress who portrays her, is on maternity leave.  Scott has returned London where he will remain for the time being.  The good news for fans is that he can always return to Genoa City.


Melissa Claire Egan (Chelsea) is set to leave Y&R



Melissa Claire Egan (Chelsea Lawson) has confirmed that she will be leaving The Young and the Restless to pursue a career outside of daytime.  On her media sites, Melissa Claire wrote the following:

"After much thought and six wonderful years, I have decided to leave The Young & the Restless I love this show (and this genre) so very much, and I am so grateful to this amazing crew and cast, especially my beyond wonderful Joshua Morrow.  This cast, crew and everyone behind the scenes at Sony and CBS are truly the best at what they do and are my family.  To you incredible fans, thank you for EVERYTHING.  
This isn't goodbye.  Truly.  Just Goodbye for now.
All my love,
Melissa

It's sad to see Melissa leave Y&R,  However, I'm sure we'll see her soon on prime time television.or in film roles. There is speculation that he is trying to replicate the success her former castmate, Justin Hartley (ex-Adam Newman), has achieved on This is Us.  According to Daytime Confidential, an insider said that "Missy sees how much success Justin is having with This is Us, and she wants to get out there and see what can happen for her."

Melissa joined the cast of Y&R in 2011.  Her final airdate has not been announced yet and the show apparently has no plans to recast her character.  That means there will be an opening for the Chelsea character to return at some time in the future.


NOTE TO READERS

If you have any comments on Y&R, please email them to me with "Viewer Forum" in the subject line.  I will be happy to publish your comments and reply to them.  You do not have to use your real name.

My email address: jmadden16@yahoo.ca


Y&R REPORT READERS' POLL


                                                                     VERSUS





Who will win the power struggle between Ashley and Victoria?

My money's on Ashley. She's more wily than Victoria and extremely power hungry.
I think Victoria will win in the end. She can be as ruthless as her father. She has Newman blood and Victor will always support her when push comes to shove.
I think Ashley and Victora will eventually learn to work together
I don't know.
Other
Please Specify:
Created with QuizMaker


That's all for now,  Don't forget that the next edition of Y&R Report will appear in this space on Saturday, February 17, 2018.  The February sweeps have started, Valentine's Day is coming up and there promises to be plenty of excitement in Genoa City.

- Joanne

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