A Critic’s Review of The Young and the Restless: A Hit And Some Misses

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

Mea culpa Josh Griffith. It turns out that you did know exactly what you were doing where Victoria Newman (Amelia Heinle) was concerned. And might I say how satisfying it was to see Vick put that scoundrel in his place…even if Ashland Locke (Robert Newman) didn’t actually seem all that chastised.

What I am most concerned by now is Nicholas Newman’s (Joshua Morrow) seeming intent to rejoin the Newman family fold in full and to take a position at Newman Enterprises. One of the few constants on The Young and the Restless was Nicholas’s fervent desire to distance himself from all the backbiting/infighting, and suddenly he’s what? Missing it all? How utterly out of character.

Equally unsettling are Jack Abbott’s (Peter Bergman) actions. Phyllis Summers (Michelle Stafford) is Phyllis Summers. What you see is what you get…and what pretty much everybody can see is a woman who is her own worst enemy. Once upon a time, Jack understood that, and he loved Phyllis in spite of it – or perhaps because of it.

Apparently, he, or more precisely the writers at The Young and the Restless have forgotten this fact. In the past few years, Jack has become a near-sexless, despondent, judgmental, and hypocritical mess.

I’d like to think that, much like he did with Victoria, Josh has got a masterplan and that all these uncharacteristic – and unflattering – moves are building towards something with a discernable payoff – maybe Nicholas’s identity crisis is what finally leads him back to Sharon Rosales (Sharon Case) and maybe Jack is headed towards a big fall courtesy of Diane Jenkins (Susan Walters) and he’ll soon learn the error of his ways –  but I am wholly unconvinced at worst and only cautiously optimistic at best.

Further Y&R Musings

* Though the scenes themselves were touching, I can’t help but feel that I’d be far more moved by Amanda Sinclair (Mishael Morgan) and Imani Benedict’s (Leigh-Ann Rose) plight if an ailing Naya Benedict (Ptosha Storey) was actually onscreen.

* Why was Victoria making out like Ashland was now dead broke in light of her taking back the $250 million that her father had forked over? Ashland was already a very wealthy man prior to his arrival in Genoa City, and he did make a pretty penny selling Cyaxares to NE. He’s not a pauper…unless the writers have forgotten about all that…

* Yay, additional podcasts and further talk about them – said nobody ever. If there was one bright side, it was hearing Chelsea Lawson (Melissa Claire Egan) tell Billy Abbott (Jason Thompson) to stop being so darn depressing. In that regard, she was speaking for The Young and the Restless audience.

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.