A Critic’s Review of The Young and the Restless: Flip-Flopping & Misogyny

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: A Critic’s Week In Review

I frequently deride soap opera characters for their lack of self-awareness – a true epidemic across the daytime dial – but I must say that The Young and the Restless’ Victoria Newman (Amelia Heinle) just might be the least self-aware fiction that I’ve ever happened upon.

If you’re in want of an example, look no further than her description of Adam Newman: “His loyalty…is always flip-flopping back and forth. Not to mention his intense competitive streak, his constant need for dad’s approval, his angry resentment every time he’s shunned. Those character flaws have always remained the same.”

My goodness. Pot meet kettle. Project much? Who sued her pops for $500 million? Who went and worked for the competition? Who has been known to get going when the going got tough (hello sabbatical in Europe, Art History degree, and *shudder* Sabrina)? Who emotionally blackmailed her way to the top spot at the family company?

The fact that she spewed all that out without so much as a hint of irony goes a long way in proving that Victoria does not see herself the way that we fans see her…which is the way that she truly is.

Further Y&R Musings

* Leave it to Ashley Abbott (played by the divine Eileen Davidson) to perfectly sum up in two sentences what I have expressed at length in several of my Young and the Restless columns – “You are way too forgiving. Except when it comes to Phyllis.” The fact that she also questioned whether Jack could, “possibly be that dumb,” as to take Diane Jenkins (Susan Walters) at her word was just icing.

* Here’s a question posed by Soap Hub’s very own Amber Sinclair: “Can Sharon Rosales (Sharon Case) really not afford to replace the expresso machine at Crimson Lights? It breaks down every single week.” … And here be the response: Of course, she can afford to replace it, but if she did that, what purpose would Noah Newman (Rory Gibson) serve?

Speaking of Noah, while I’m in favor of seeing him fulfill his vision of turning Top of the Tower into a disco-themed nightclub, isn’t the venue a functioning restaurant on the days when it’s not rented out for special occasions? Does Noah just expect Victor to evict those tenants in favor of him? Or does Noah expect said tenants to jump at the chance of having their vision superseded by his and agree to go along with the proposed changes?

* I’m still not seeing the chemistry between Noah and Allie Nguyen (Kelsey Wang), but I did finally see some fire from Kelsey Wang when she let Ashley know that she wasn’t someone who planned to let herself be used…by anyone!

* In my last Young and the Restless column, I referred to Victor Newman’s (Eric Braeden) penchant for using and abusing his children (and yes, what he does is abuse) as some shtick that was in need desperate need of retiring. Here’s hoping the character’s disgusting misogyny goes with him. Did you hear how he spoke about Sally Spectra (Courtney Hope)? Practically called her a tool useful for one purpose and one purpose only and once spent should be thrown out like garbage.

And for that matter, where does Nikki Newman (Melody Thomas Scott) get off turning her nose up at Sally? If memory serves, before buying her way onto the Jabot board of directors, Nikki had a distinct dearth of business expertise.

* The Young and the Restless’ Must Repeat Lines:

Phyllis: Will someone please explain to me why [Diane] gets a do-over? …She’s using Kyle again to get to Jack, just like she did when he was little.
Nikki: Because this is what she does!
Ashley (to Phyllis): She framed you for arson!
Phyllis (to Ashley): Well, she slept with your fiancée, right? And she blackmailed you.
Nikki: She left me to be blamed for her murder. I win!

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.