A Critic’s Review of Young and the Restless: Underused, Underwhelmed

When it comes to Young and the Restless, every fan has their own opinion – and Soap Hub is no different. For five days, we sat and watched the good, the bad, and everything in between, and now we offer you a handy review, and a cheeky critique, of Y&R’s week that was.

The Young and the Restless: A Critic’s Week In Review

The Young and the Restless is in desperate need of some actual drama, and it may come courtesy of woefully underused Lily Winters (Christel Khalil) and Devon Hamilton (Bryton James).

Lily has clearly had it with Billy Abbott (Jason Thompson) and Victoria Newman Locke (Amelia Heinle), so here’s hoping that she blows up both their plots and comes out the other side victorious.

As for Devon, as much as I am personally dreading the inevitable battle for custody of Dominic, at least it will be a step-up from having the character spending every waking moment thinking about and/or talking about the baby with all and sundry. I mean, seriously, Devon can steer any conversation back to that bambino.

Bonus, that legal quagmire will cut a large swath across the storyline canvas, and lord knows that it’s been quite some time since The Young and the Restless had a sweeping umbrella plot.

Just think of the juicy possibilities. Devon could hire Amanda Sinclair (Mishael Morgan) to represent his interests, leaving Chance Chancellor (Connor Floyd) and Abby Chancellor (Melissa Ordway) to fire back by engaging Imani Benedict (Leigh-Ann Rose). Now we’ve got some sister v. sister action.

And speaking of warring familia, Lily has already made her position quite clear on the matter…and she doesn’t think Devon’s in the right, but cousin Nate Hastings (Sean Dominic) does.

Then there’s Mariah Copeland (Camryn Grimes) and Tessa Porter (Cait Fairbanks). Having the two of them adopt opposing viewpoints – no doubt Mariah would side with Devon, and Tessa with Abby and Chance – would make for some character-driven angst; and that would be much more welcome than what The Young and the Restless is currently attempting re: throwing lovelorn Noah Newman (Rory Gibson) into the women’s orbit.

Oh, and nothing warms a Y&R fans heart more than seeing perennial rivals coming together for a common cause, so we’d love to see Jill Abbott (Jess Walton) and Nina Webster (Tricia Cast) trying (and hilariously failing) to put aside the cattiness in order to rally behind Chance and Abby; ditto Jack Abbott (Peter Bergman) and Victor Newman (Eric Braeden).

The dramatic possibilities are endless…but I’m not holding my breath in anticipation of any of the above taking place. If 2021 is any indication, The Young and the Restless will soon wrap up the Bill/Adam Newman (Mark Grossman) feud, (and in the most underwhelming way possible) and then back peddle on the promised showdown between Devon and the spouses Chancellor. I’ve got this soap’s number.

Further Y&R Musing

* I get it The Young and the Restless, you’re chemistry testing Chelsea Lawson (Melissa Claire Egan) and Rey Rosales (Jordi Vilauso). And while the actors pass with flying colors, I can’t see myself rooting for a couple composed of a poisoner and her victim.

The Young and the Restless (YR) airs weekdays on CBS. Check your local listings for airtimes. For more about what’s coming up in Genoa City, check out all the latest that’s been posted on Y&R spoilers, and for an in-depth look at the show’s history, click here.