The Young and the Restless Watching The Young and the Restless

[Daniel Avery]

My favorite Foster does not show up nearly enough, but when Jill does manage to make an appearance, it's like she's never left.

I recall they tied Dina Abbott to the Brookses years ago by saying she had a pre-John affair with Stuart Brooks that resulted in a son she gave up for adoption. Kyle Abbott had this friend from New York named Theo who just happened to be the son of that son, which made Theo Dina's grandson just as Kyle was. It was an effort to add more "Abbotts" to the mix but Theo just wasn't a very likeable character and they wrote him off.

 

[DallasFanForever]

My favorite Foster does not show up nearly enough, but when Jill does manage to make an appearance, it's like she's never left.

Jill returning always feels like a big event. It means something. Love Jess Walton but of course a return from Brenda Dickson, even for only one scene, would most certainly bring me to the edge of hysteria!

 

[Monzo]

I never expected it, but I'm starting to like Sally Spectra on Y&R. I liked her on B&B until she got lovesick. I always found her redundant on Y&R, but now after breaking up with Adam she's in a good and so far loyal place at Newman Enterprises andI'm really excited to see what happens to her next.

 

[Monzo]

When Nikki visits Deacon in LA next week, will she meet Sheila in her new mask and wonder if she's seen this woman before?

 

[Daniel Avery]

The press releases claim that CBS is celebrating Y&R's 50th season "all year long," with numerous events and such....so I have to wonder if this crossover is a one-time plot, or if they will keep dipping back into it. They might eventually leave a trail of crumbs to Sheila. Well, I can hope.

 

[Monzo]

For 50th anniversary celebration, it would make sense to bring Sheila back, but I'm not seeing it. I'm afraid nothing great will happen all season song. It seems to me that Y&R stopped taking risks for fear of doing something wrong. I get that feeling with all four soaps, but especially with Y&R. Writers play it safe, there's only talk, hardly anything happens, hoping that it's enough not to lose any more viewers.

 

[Daniel Avery]

Soap Head Writers are often remembered more for the stories that got them fired than the ones that were actually successful. In Griffith's case, he's been hired and fired a few times by Y&R, so he knows from past experience that they aren't sentimental about their writers in the way they are about actors who stick around for decades and decades.

 

[Daniel Avery]

So I'm reading that Trevor St. John (last seen as Todd/Victor on OLTL ten years ago) is a recast of Tucker McCall, last played by Stephen Nichols. I have to say this was audacious (to be kind), given certain....umm, questionable aspects.

Tucker was introduced as the love-child Katherine Chancellor gave up for adoption prior to her marriage to Phillip Chancellor. Since the Chancellors had already been unhappily married for over a decade before we met them in 1973, Tucker would (at the very least) be in his mid-sixties. Stephen Nichols is 71 years old. TSJ is 51 years old. We thought Jill was that love-child for many years, so she would be the same age as Tucker. So is Jill now in her early 50s? Bryton James (who plays Tucker's son, Devon) is 36, so if his age lines up with Devon's, then 51-ish Tucker became a father at the ripe age of 15.

I'm not going to say this is the first case of extreme de-SORASing of a character*, but it might be in the "Top 3" of the most shocking.

* When forty-five-ish Maeve McGuire left The Edge of Night and her role as Nicole Drake, she was recast with 25-ish Jayne Bentzen, creating a situation where a matriarchal role was now a young heroine.

 

[Monzo]

NuTucker takes a little getting used to, but I feel like this with most recasts. I'm just surprised Deacon didn't recognize him in LA. He told Nikki that he had seen Diane with a rich man. The whole plot is a bit wishy-washy. I would have prefered a brand new character for Trevor St John, so let's hope his run on Y&R won't turn into a stint like Maura West's: Actor is great, but recast doesn't work so kill him off.

 

[Monzo]

Eric Braeden and Trevor St John had a fine scene in the latest episode and it looks like NuNoah finally gets something non-boring to do, it's about time!

 

[DallasFanForever]

I loved the scenes with Chelsea and Sharon today. The writers did a great job giving these two fine actresses some good material in this episode. Chelsea is quite polarizing, I have to say. She can make you feel sorry for her and want to forgive her for the things she’s done but then the old Chelsea can resurface in a heartbeat.

 

[Monzo]

I hope the writers don't dwell too long on NuTucker and Ashley. Next to him she looks like a cougar. I'm not a huge fan of Stephen Nichols, and Tucker is my least favorite of his soap characters, but I still see too little of the original Tucker in NuTucker. Also, the story of why Tucker did what he's been doing off-screen for the past decade is a bit vague, but maybe it'll make more sense soon.

 

[Monzo]

I smell Emmys nominees (and maybe even wins) for Melissa Claire Egan and Jason Thompson. Their rooftop performances were so good! I thought it would be the usual stuff, Billy to talk Chelsea out of jumping, but when she actually attempted suicide, I was really shocked.

 

[Monzo]

I like Y&R's new attitude: if you miss an episode, you actually miss something.

Who would have thought that in the same episode Abby & Devon would have sex, Chance & Amanda would find out about it? Presumably this is Amanda's exit story. Unfortunately, Amanda was completely redundant. Putting Hillary in a coma to bring her back would have been far better in case the actress otherwise doesn't succeed like she did, but one is usually wiser later on. Amanda never clicked and her new-found family didn't help her.

Nate in his new job is nothing to root for. Even Sally was more competent in the position.

 

[Daniel Avery]

I fear this sudden quickening of plotlines is just an effort to jack up their November Sweeps ratings. The show was actually being criticized in recent months for being slow and boring, so someone (I'd guess Sony) told them to speed it up. I feel the Devon/Abby thing is out of left field but it makes for a great shocker plotline, especially paired with being discovered en flagrante delicto. I just don't think Josh Griffith could maintain this quicker speed long-term.

That said, I agree that Nate isn't root-able, but I also have rarely liked the character of Devon...not even in his earliest days.

 

[Monzo]

It's that time of year when Soap Opera Digest picks up the best and worst of the year. Here are the results that include Y&R.

Best Use Of History: Chelsea is Johnny's Bio Mom
Best Wedding: Mariah & Tessa
Best Breakup: Ashland & Victoria
Most Rejuvenated Character: Sally
Most Rejuvenated Family: The Winterses
Most Underused Couple: Kyle & Summer
Biggest Waste Of Talent: Sharon Case
Words We Never Want To Hear Again: Peruvian clinic - Podcast

Do you agree with the choices?

 

[Monzo]

Hopefully the changes behind the camera will also have an impact on-screen. I like Diane and the way she's come back, but it's gotten to the point where it seems predictable: no matter what Diane does or whatever secret comes out, Kyle is with her because Harrison loves her and Jack is with Kyle because he loves Kyle.

Tucker is okay so far, but is okay enough? Jeremy could be good but probably at some point we'll say he was a missed opportunity like so many newbies in recent years.

 

[Monzo]

I was already amazed that Ashley had been around for so long because Eileen Davidson isn't comfortable with the pace of filming now so I enjoyed Ashley even though I wished she wouldn't leave Genoa City heartbroken.

Audra doesn't have to try at all for Nate to fall for her charade. Let's see how he talks his way out of this mistake and if Victoria will believe him.

 

[Monzo]

This year marks Tracey Bregman 40th anniversary on the show. Josh Griffith previously spoiled about what's going to happen:

"To celebrate Tracey Bregman’s 40 years of playing her wonderful character, Lauren will be the recipient of this great award and it’s going to bring a lot of surprise guests to the event to share with her. We want to celebrate the amazing journey that Lauren has had and the amazing work that Tracey has given us.”

By the way the awards ceremony will take place off camera, but flashbacks are guaranteed. I hope Lauren gets more storyline than Michael did on his Y&R anniversary last year. Lauren has been such an important character for the show, so she deserves to be honored in the right big way. Tracey Bregman teased this about her anniversary episode:

“It’s a pretty extraordinary feat to go through 40 years of material to find these great moments for fans to relive. You’re going to see a lot of shoulder pads and different hairstyles. I laughed out loud at a couple of them and I think long-term and new viewers will really enjoy the episode.”

I recently read a cute anecdote Tracey Bregman shared and thought you might like it too:

“My half brother was David Cassidy’s photographer and I got to visit him on the set of The Partridge Family when I was about 10. We took a picture together outside his dressing room door, that my brother blew up to life-size. Later in life, David bought my house from me and walked into the garage and saw the picture of the two of us! We became friends and he and his wife and I were in baby class together. One morning, I went to their house for breakfast and when he went to leave for a meeting, he kissed us both good-bye, me on the cheek, of course. And when he left his house, his wife looked at me because I was very quiet and then I screamed, ‘David Cassidy just kissed me!’ We laughed so hard but it was such a surreal moment!”

When asked what do you consider the best plot twist, Tracey Bregman answered:

“When Lauren’s father, Neil Fenmore, died. I didn’t see that coming and I was shocked. I was so part of the whole music thing and it was a huge departure overnight, but it turned out to be great and took Lauren into a whole other direction.”

 

[Daniel Avery]

I wonder if they will show us when her stalker-fan buried her alive? Is it wrong that I rooted for her not to be found?

I also recall a plotline from when she was married to Paul Williams where she took a nude photo of Paul and submitted it to a women's magazine behind his back. He ended up in the centerfold. He was justifiably upset, but his prudish mother very nearly died of a stroke when she found out.

And what more can be said about her epic rivalry with Sheila?