A Critic’s Review Of The Young and the Restless: Fire And Ice At The Gala

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, and now we offer you a handy review, and a cheeky critique, of Y&R’s week that was.

The Young and the Restless: The Critic Ponders

Rather than nag about the negatives, I’m going to (or, at the very least, attempt to) accentuate the positives [see the “Further Y&R Musings Sections” below for the vitriol].

My goodness did Peter Bergman [Jack Abbott] come alive in his scenes opposite Veronica Reed [Mamie Johnson] or what? And what a sight for sore eyes Mamie was.

And Jess Walton [Jill Abbott] was FIRE from her first appearance. Between her sparring-cum-conspiring with Eric Braeden’s Victor Newman, owning that room where the arbitration between snipping siblings/estranged co-workers Devon (Bryton James) and Lily (Christel Khalil) was taking place, and catty-ing it up with Mamie and Leanna Love (Barbara Crampton), Walton more than proved why Jill should be a mainstay on this soap.

Speaking of Leanna…it was as if no time had passed. She was the same snooping, scheme-tastic mess — from the M to the S! — that she always was, and I was more than thankful for that.

Also, Ms. Shannon, the arbitrator, and Tucker (Trevor St. John) were giving me life with their clear uninterest in the goings on around them.

Oh, and how classically soapy of Elena (Brytni Sarpy) to arrive at the exact moment that Victoria (Amelia Heinle) placed her hand on Nate’s (Sean Dominic).

Further Y&R Musings

* At this point, I don’t even care what Jeremy (James Hyde) and Phyllis (Michelle Stafford) have in store for Diane (Susan Walters), I just wish something, anything would actually happen with that storyline.

* Esh, I’m really hoping the opening credits that debuted on Thursday’s airshow are either placeholders or temporary because I’ve never seen such a cheap-looking intro in my life.

* I’m going to give The Young and the Restless props for their dedication to keeping Katherine and Neil’s memories alive, but I can’t help but feel that it would have behooved them greatly to, oh, I don’t know, actually include more of Neil’s loved ones like his brother Malcolm (was Shemar Moore even extended an invite?) and son Moses (Jacob Aaron Gaines)…and it wouldn’t have hurt them to have Olivia and Sofia and Neil’s grandchildren there as well.

[And was it just me, or was Lily’s response to the lounge’s dedication to her pops hella muted?]

In that same vein, I’m still trying to wrap my head around the fact that Josh Griffith didn’t see fit to include the Brooks sisters — you remember them, right? Leslie, Lorie, Chris, and Peggy. Are these belles ringing any bells? — or any of Katherine’s loved ones — outside of Jill, that is. No Mackenzie? No Phillip? No Chance?

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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