Saturday, June 23, 2018

Y&R Report (June 23, 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.

Could  J,T. Hellstrom be alive?  It isn't logical.  He had no pulse and he was buried in Chancellor Park by four women, namely Nikki, Victoria, Sharon and Phyllis.  Thad Luckinbill, who portrayed J.T., has completed his stint on the show.  Yet, we all know that it's not unheard of for "dead" soap opera characters to turn up alive   There's also a a loose end concerning J.T.  He was supposed to have a heart condition caused by an electrocution.  He was seeing a cardiologist.  Was that just thrown into the storyline for no reason, or will it have some relevance to the storyline?  Did the writers simply change their minds and drop the matter?

For now, let's assume that J.T. is really and truly dead.  So, who has been threatening Princess Victoria and Newman Enterprises.  Who has been using J.T.'s credit card?  Who has used that card to send packages containing Newman documents to Victoria's office?  What's going on here?  As far as we know, no one except the quartet of women, knows that J.T. is dead and buried.  Could someone be trying to frighten Victoria enough so that she will reveal the truth about J.T.'s disappearance?

The circumstances of the departed Mr. Hellstrom's death and burial are still haunting the four ladies involved, especially Victoria.  None of these women will find peace until they own up to what happened.  There's no escaping it.  There are those, such as Nick Newman. Victor Newman and Paul Williams who will not let the matter rest.  However, would any of them try to scare Victoria into admitting what really happened?  I wouldn't put it past Victor to torment and scare his own daughter.

Victoria is really living in a pressure cooker. She also has to deal with her son Reed's devastation over his father's absence.  As for Sharon, her future marriage to Nick will never succeed as long as she's keeping a horrendous secret from him.  The wedding may never even take place if Nick discovers the truth before the nuptials.  All four women are living under pressure, continually trying to cover up their dark secret.  This can's go on.  Something has got to give.

Isn't Nikki the jealous one?  It looks as if she's not over Arturo.  She just can't let him go.  It was hard not to notice the look of disapproval and annoyance on her face when she saw Arturo dancing the salsa with Genoa City's Latin lover.  Melody Thomas Scott is a pro at putting that expression on her face.  It's the same look she had on her face at Nick and Sharon's wedding.

I am very disappointed that Mishael Morgan (Hilary Curtis) is leaving Y&R.  I think she adds pizzazz to the show and many fans will miss her.  As for her character, I really don't want anyone else to play the role.  I don't think she's going to be replaced.  My sense is that Hilary and her baby will die tragically.  She and Devon are blissfully happy right now and all of Hilary's dreams seem to be coning true.  On a soap, that usually means disaster is about to strike.

Having said all that, a few questions remain.  Without Hilary, what will happen to GC Buzz and The Hilary Hour.  Will Mariah take over the show and will it be renamed The Mariah Hour.  No, that won't work.  Mariah is okay as a "second banana" or a co-host.  However, she doesn't have Hilary's pizzazz, her energy, her personality.

Obviously, Christian belongs with Nick and Sharon.  It's hard to believe that a judge would have awarded the child to Victor, although Nick didn't do himself any favours by flying off the handle.  Nicholas Newman should really learn to control his temper.  He needs anger management.  Sharon, on the other hand, presented herself quite well at the custody hearing.  She was calm and composed when grilled by Michael Baldwin.  Why does Michael always come running at Victor's beck and call?  He didn't feel pleased about the outcome of the hearing.  He even admitted that he felt like he had lost, despite winning temporary custody of Christian for his ruthless client.

Even in his weakened condition, Victor Newman  continues to stir the pot.  Good on Princess Victoria for supporting her brother rather than her daddy, but she needs to do more.  Nick has decided to stand up to his father and he's all fired up.  It's time that Victoria did the same instead of just standing by while "The Moustache" does his dirty work."

I'm afraid, however, that Nick is in for a couple of huge disappointments.  It seems to be a given with the Y&R writers that Victor always wins.  Over the years, he has had setbacks and he has spent time in prison, but he always comes out ahead  Why should it be any different this time?  Nick's second major disappointment will occur when he discovers what four important women in his life have done to J.T.

It doesn't appear that Kyle has gotten over Summer.  He still wants the Snowflake. However, the Snowflake is more focused on her mother's boyfriend, Billy Abbott.  He's more of a challenge to her because he's forbidden fruit.  This new devious Summer knows Billy's weaknesses and is determined to break him down.  She is taking advantage of Billy Boy's gambling addiction.  Even though he anguished over his addiction problem to her, she still mentioned hosting another poker game to
him.


VIEWER FORUM

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

I received  an email from Kelly in San Francisco, California, a Y&R viewer since 1976.  Kelly made the following comments:

So sick of the feud between Victor and Nick.  My children's father died tragically. This has been going on way too long, torch boy Nick!  Getting tired of all the fighting.  Life is too short.

I sympathize with you, Kelly.  I can understand why you are sick and tired of the feud between Nick and Victor. I would be too if I had gone through a traumatic experience such as yours.  The problem is that soaps thrive on conflict.  That's why couples rarely remain happy on daytime dramas.  When there are no problems and everyone gets along, there is not much storyline.  That doesn't mean, however, that there can't be some lighter moments.  With all the tension, Y&R can always use more humour.

 I.suppose the writers could tone down the Nick/Victor feud a notch or two.  Perhaps they will, eventually.  Right now, however, the Christian custody case is front and centre and it affects so many characters and relationships on the show.

Victor will always cause trouble.  Even if he reconciled with Nick, he'd be feuding with others, but maybe you don't mind that as much.  I have surmised that it's the father/son conflict that you dislike.
The Victor/Jack feud has been going on longer.

Have you noticed the change in Kyle lately?  Suddenly he's very sweet and supportive to Jack.  He's right by Jack's side, helping him to find out the truth about his biological father.  You should be pleased about that, Kelly.


Regular Y&R viewer, Helen in Scarborough, Ontario, has suggested the reason why the writers have done away with Kyle's hostility toward his father.  According to Helen, the writers didn't want two major father/son feuds and they realized the Victor/Nick feud was about to break wide open with the custody case over Christian.


I would like to thank regular reader, Fifi in Collingwood, Ontario,for alerting me to the Internet rumours regarding Jack Abbott's biological father.  According to spoilers, Jack's father will turn out to be Albert Miller, who also happens to be Victor's father.  It makes sense to me because Jack's father has to have some significance and I think Jack's paternity has to be linked to Victor in some way.  It has to have some significance or what's  the point?  If Albert is indeed Jack's dad, that means that Victor and Jack are half-brothers and that Kyle is Victor's nephew.

I don't think Philip Chancellor is really Jack's father, even though Dina claims that he is. Remember that Philip's body has not been exhumed and his DNA has not been matched to Jack's.  I think that's just a red herring to deter us from Jack's real father, Albert Miller, who was played by George Kennedy.  George Kennedy died in 2016 at the age of 91,  He appeared n Y&R briefly back in November of 2003,

George Kennedy

There could, however be a twist in the plot.  Perhaps Jack will turn out to be John Abbott's biological son after all.  Maybe Tracy isn't John's biological daughter.  That's possible, but I still think Albert Miller will turn out to be Jack's daddy.



CAST NEWS
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Jess Walton to return as Jill, at least for a bit




There is some good news for fans of Jess Walton (Jull Atkinson).  Jill will be back in Genoa City next month. Her first screen appearances will be on Friday, July 13 (CBS) and Thursday, July 12 (Global TV in Canada. According to Soap Central, there is no word yet as to to how long she will stick around.  Her recent appearances have been short ones.  So, this may just be another quick visit.

It should be fascinating to see how Jill reacts Billy's new position as CEO of Jabot and the revelation that Jack is not John Abbott's biological son.  I'm sure she'll find time to spar with Esther, as usual.


Doug Davidson celebrates 40 years of playing Paul Williams on Y&R




Congratulations to Doug Davidson for portraying Paul Williams for forty years.  In those four decades, we've seen Paul change from a reckless young man to a private detective to Genoa City Police Chief.  We've seen his romances and his marriages to Lauren (Tracey Bregman), Isabella (Eva Longoria) and Christine, a.k.a. Cricket (Lauralee Bell).  He may be clueless as a police chief, but Doug Davidson is a great guy in real life with a terrific sense of humour. (I have seen him a few times in person).

Here's what his Y&R television wife Lauralee Bell, the Cricketmeister herself, wrote to her TV husband on Twitter.

"Happy 40 yrs.at Y&R Doug!  You make the show better, you make hard scenes easy but just listening to you, you are one of my closest friends & should be so proud of all your accomplishements!"



Y&R REPORT READERS' POLL



Now that  Mishael Morgan is leaving The Young and the Restless, should her Hilary character be written out or should she be replaced with another actress?  What do you think, fans?  Respond to the poll below and let me know.



Now that Mishael Morgan is leaving the show, should a new actress replace her as Hilary Curtis?

Yes, definitely. The role of Hilary is too important to the storyline.
No, the character should be written out of the story.
I don't know.
Other
Please Specify:
Created with PollMaker



That's all for now.  I'm looking forward to some summer fun on Y&RPlease remember that the next edition of Y&R Report will appear in this space on Saturday, July 7, 2018.


- Joanne


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