A Critic’s Review of The Young and the Restless: Different POVs and Sibling Synergy

When it comes to The 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. Here we lead with optimism. Unfortunately we don’t always get what we want. So here’s a review of Y&R’s week that was.

What I’m Feeling This Week: The Newmans

On Y&R, I’m feeling the Newman family right now. The last couple of months, it’s their stories I’ve been responding to the most. Especially when the Jordan (Colleen Zenk) and Claire (Hayley Erin) story went into overdrive.

So this week, the show gave us an out-of-control Nikki Newman (Melody Thomas), whose sobriety was ripped away from her. And now she’s having the toughest time putting her alcoholic urges back into the bottle, so to speak (relive what happened here). Lauren (Tracey Bregman) being the one to swoop Nikki off to the hotel room at the GCAC was great because I always want to see more of Tracey Bregman. 

As for Melody Thomas Scott, she made me feel bad for Nikki. And normally, that’s not an emotion I’m in touch with when it comes to her. Her life, before this madness, was good. However, one of my favorite things to watch is when a character that’s all buttoned up falls from grace and turns into a hot mess in front of our eyes. I love seeing them pick themselves up and fight their way back to a place that’s close to where they were before their life went off the rails. And that’s what Nikki’s going through right now.

Furthermore, Hayley Erin has my attention as Claire chose to confront the demon that is her aunt. Claire Grace is broken and you can’t even tell if she’s going to be able to pick up the pieces. But Victoria (Amelia Heinle) and Cole (J. Eddie Peck) are going to make sure she will whether she wants to or not. Her confrontation with Jordan was magnificent and cold as ice. This part alone was worth the price of admission:

Claire to Jordan: “I want you to live a long painful life. Maybe there’s someone in here behind these bars that can make you feel as small and worthless as you made me feel. And I hope, I hope they crush your hopes every day and that at night you dream of escaping, but there’s nowhere for you to go. This is your life. Now and forever.”

Claire is no joke. After that epic rant, I know she will be okay someday.

Other Soap Thoughts

Still Processing: Adam (Mark Grossman) and Sally (Courtney Hope), Part Deux. I was a hardcore Adam and Sally fan the first time around. But they were apart long enough for me to achieve maximum disconnection. It’s going to take time to get used to them again. 

Best Use of Flashback: Ashley (Eileen Davidson) & Cole. When Ashley spotted Cole, the show dropped a very well-executed flashback that served to remind me that these two have a past. I haven’t thought of Ashley and Cole in such a long time. But as Celine Dion says — “It’s all coming back to me now.”

Burning Question: When is Adam going to meet Claire Grace? This is something I need to know. I’m already resentful that the Newmans kept their whole ordeal from him. But I’m coming to terms with it now that he and Nick are co-CEOs at Newman Enterprises.

More Scenes Together, Please: Ashley and Audra (Zuleyka Silver). The only part of this whole Abbotts versus Tucker (Trevor St. John) war I’m digging is this he-said, she-said thing Ashley and Tucker have going on regarding their time in Paris. They both have wildly different versions of events and I can’t wait to find out why. On top of that, Ashley and Audra finally had a meeting of the beautiful minds. I was happy to see it.

It’s About Time: Nick (Joshua Morrow) and Adam. I’m sorry. I can’t help it, but I love it when Nick and Adam get along. Victor (Eric Braeden) basically forcing them into working together would even be better if I knew it was going to last. I’ve learned to manage my expectations when it comes to their relationship.

Thank You, Show: Something else I was happy about was Nate (Sean Dominic) and Victoria’s interaction this week. I mean, I guess these two are super over. But I’m glad Victoria was able to open up to Nate and they acknowledged that they’re now firmly in the friend zone.

The Young and the Restless airs weekdays on CBS. For an in-depth look at the show’s history, click here.

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