The Thursday, May 2 episode of The Young and the Restless was not like any other. It only featured the talents of two performers from the cast — Melody Thomas Scott and Peter Bergman. Nikki and Jack were two addicts, one completely off the wagon while the other tried to save her from herself. But in the end, it was a party for two on this chaotic and bumpy ride to rock bottom. Here’s a breakdown of this very special episode.
Vodka-Soaked Conversation
Nikki: “My name is Nikki and I’m an alcoholic. God, how many times have I said that in depressing church basements?”
Melody Thomas Scott (Nikki) and Peter Bergman (Jack) kept the hour compelling while deliver dialogue that was both funny, sad and pathetic, as well as poignant (how did they memorize it all?). They work really well together. We forget sometimes that they do because their characters haven’t spent this much time together in a while.
We also appreciated the lengthy back-and-forth. So many soaps dole out short scenes that don’t dig deep and so this play of sorts was a great way to potentially get Nikki to the next phase of her relapse. That is…the get-back-on-the-wagon phase. However, did this hour also throw Jack off the wagon? Let’s hope this was a one-off situation.
Nikki: “My family hates me. I’ve let them all down.”
Nikki: “My dear friends are gone, Jack. Katherine. Neil.”
Sure we knew Nikki was feeling all kinds of guilt. Getting glimpses of Nikki’s state of mind like this is invaluable. Jack bringing up her friends and Nikki countering with the fact that she’s lost her dear friends in Katherine (the late Jeanne Cooper) and Neil (the late Kristoff St. John) — that was heartbreaking and was one of the most emotionally powerful moments of the hour.
Jack: “Too bad. I have nothing but time on my hands. I have nowhere to go.”
Really, Jack? You have nowhere to go and nothing but time? What about your family? They’re as much in disarray as the Newmans are. They need him but because Jack doesn’t want to fail his friend, he sticks with her. And he’ll have to explain his actions to his loved ones later.
Nikki: “Are you a doctor now? Or just play one on TV?”
How brilliant was it for the show to include this line? This Easter egg is significant because when Bergman played Dr. Cliff Warner on All My Children back in the ’80s, he also did a commercial where he had to utter that very line.
Nikki: “I can’t even celebrate that. The damage is done.”
Since Nikki’s on her way down to the land of rock bottom, the topic of Jordan (Colleen Zenk) had to be discussed. Her revengenda kicked Nikki off the wagon. And Nikki’s right. It doesn’t matter that she’s gone. The damage is done and Nikki’s in the state that she’s in. She’ll have to put herself back together again. Now, just wait until she finds out Jordan’s not gone after all. Yikes. (Check out how Nikki could help save Jordan here)
Jack: That’s not part of the plan, is it? You said no rehab and that’s exactly where the hospital would send you. And after an ugly detox, the strongest drink they’d serve you is apple juice. No, I’m doing you a favor helping you with this.
Jack’s Toast: To our enduring friendship, a lifetime together, as friends. Through thick and thin, no matter what.
Jack can see through Nikki. The two will always share an amazing bond. During this hour, they brought up their marriage, their friendship, their shared addiction demons. They know each other well and dialogue like this, shows that. (Eric Braeden helps Daytime Stand up to Cancer here)
Jack’s Demons
Jack: I have been juggling a million balls in the air trying to be there for everyone. I can’t do it. It’s not working! And I see you drink…all the relief you get out of a drink. It kills me. I want some relief!
Jack: This is about me, not you.
Nikki: You can’t ruin your life to help me.
For the last few weeks and months, we’ve seen Jack tackle all these issues and disasters. He’s basically been trying to put out fires one by one. During this hour, he finally laid them all out. He’s been the calm force as everybody around him either falls apart, acts out, or flirts with disaster. There’s Traci (Beth Maitland), too, but her focus has been Ashley (Eileen Davidson).
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Jack’s gone into protective brother mode for Ashley. He put on his sponsor hat in order to deal with the chaotic mess Nikki has been in since Jordan came into the Newman’s lives. Diane (Susan Walters) and Kyle (Michael Mealor) can’t contain their resentment at Jabot. Jack hasn’t complained or waivered…until now. And it was welcome but also a little scary.
Jack: For the first time in I don’t how long, I thought, just one pill would give me some release. Just to ease the tension. It would help everyone else if they didn’t have to deal with my tension if they didn’t have to deal with Mr. Uptight.
So this piece of dialogue showed that Jack was self-aware about his uptight persona. However, the realization that he was this serious about helping Nikki was shocking. He actually dialed up a dealer and had pills delivered to the hotel room. Wow.
Nikki: I don’t want any company on my trip to rock bottom, do you understand?
Jack: How does it feel to not be able to stop someone that you love from hurting themselves?
Unfortunately, Jack’s whatever it takes attitude was more than about helping Nikki, it was also about drowning his own sorrows in a menacing combination of vodka and pills. That wasn’t clear at first.
Jack: There’s something liberating about just giving up.
Jack: I let you down as a friend and as a sponsor.
Jack’s superhero complex failed him and now he needs help. He feels he’s failed everyone just like Nikki feels she failed her family. These two have been feeling variations of the same thing. And now they both need help.
The Turning Point…Sort Of
Nikki couldn’t stand seeing Jack popping pills and throwing back the vodka. Seeing the rawness of his pain may actually have given her a wake-up call. She told him she’d get sober. That she’d have coffee and some of that awful breakfast she said would just make her sick. But Jack still had a ways to go on his slide down to rock bottom.
Much like Nikki did brilliantly yesterday (kudos to Melody Thomas Scott), it was Jack’s turn to imitate the Great Victor Newman (Eric Braeden — find out why he didn’t submit his Emmy reel for years) in a fake phone call.
Jack: Hello, Mr. Moustache, it’s me, Mr. Uptight. You would not believe where I am, you should come join us for the fun!
At the end of the episode, Nikki realized she was wrong. She desperately needed a meeting. They both needed a meeting. But after downing multiple pills and chasing them with vodka, Jack passed out. Will Jack be okay? How will he explain this to his family? How will Nikki explain her hotel-trashing, vodka-swilling night with Jack.
These two are in trouble. Make it a double.
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