On the Couch: Why Y&R’s Heather Stevens Is Out To Get Christine

Heather Stevens only agreed to defend Phyllis on The Young and the Restless because Michael had to leave town suddenly. Sure, Phyllis is Daniel’s mother and Lucy’s grandmother. And Heather is a lawyer whose job is to offer her client the best possible defense.

On The Couch: Heather Stevens

But does it also involve being vicious towards her stepmother when Christine (Lauralee Bell) is also just doing her job as District Attorney, which is to put bad guys like Phyllis (Michelle Stafford) in prison? There is more going on here than just legal maneuvering. Why did Heather (Vail Bloom) launch such a personal attack? We put her on our couch to find out.

Good Y&R Vibes

There is no question that Heather loves Lucy (Lily Brooks O’Briant) like the mother she’s been since Heather and Daniel (Michael Graziadei) got custody of the little girl from Victoria (Amelia Heinle) and Billy (Jason Thompson). Heather understands that poor Lucy has some terrible DNA to overcome.

Her grandmothers are Sheila Cartner (Kimberlin Brown) and Phyllis (Michelle Stafford). Heather wants Lucy to feel good about herself, and not dwelling on having two psychotic grandmothers is one way to boost the teen’s self-esteem. That’s why Heather would like to prove Phyllis innocent. But this goes beyond Lucy.

Heather Stevens: The Hate U Give

Christine (Lauralee Bell) has so many wonderful reasons to hate Phyllis. The woman made her life miserable for years, destroyed her marriage to Danny (Michael Damian) with lies, and, oh, yeah, tried to kill Paul (Doug Davidson). Christine’s husband. And Heather’s father. Heather going after Christine wasn’t about her. It wasn’t even about Phyllis. It was about Paul.

Missing Young & Restless Years

Paul initially refused to acknowledge Heather as his daughter. He only married her mom, April, under pressure and then was perfectly happy to let her marry another man and let that man play Daddy to Heather. When April popped back into Paul’s life, it was because her husband was abusive. But only to her, not Heather. Heather adored her stepfather — who she thought was her real father and was furious when April killed him in self-defense.

Heather Stevens: Just Cause

Heather had so many reasons to resent Paul. But she couldn’t. Because by the time Heather returned to Genoa City, Paul was no longer the bum who knocked up her mother and then ignored their baby but a pillar of the community. Heather had to take her perfectly reasonable anger and resentment and smile politely at both Paul and Christine.

Well, those days are done. Heather can pretend she is just defending her client, but every time she accuses Christine of being out to get Phyllis, Heather is constructing a narrative in her mind where, if Phyllis isn’t as bad as Christine and Paul always claimed, then Christine and Paul aren’t as good. And if they aren’t as good, then she can be angry with them. And Heather has been waiting to be angry with them for a very long time.

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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