On the Couch: Why Y&R’s Michael Baldwin Is Really Defending Claire

Michael Baldwin thinks he knows why he is defending Claire on The Young and the Restless. Sure, the main reason is because Victoria and Cole are paying him. That’s always a good reason. And, when he met with Claire, Michael agreed that she had quite a number done on her by nutty Aunt Jordan. Michael said as much to Victoria and Cole and admitted that it felt personal to Victor. Michael thinks he knows why he is defending Claire. But, we plopped him on the Soap Hub couch to suss out why he is really doing it.

On The Couch: Michael Baldwin

Michael (Christian Le Blanc) thinks that he is defending Claire (Hayley Erin) because he got a second chance after doing some horrible things and that Claire deserves a second chance, too. He’s doing it because Claire was raised by an abusive aunt, and Michael had an abusive stepfather. He’s doing it because Claire had no one to protect her growing up, and Michael had a mother, Gloria (Judith Chapman), who was fundamentally useless. (Check out her most recent return here.) So there are lots of points of connection and Michael feels he is fully aware of all of them. He’s not.

Look at Me, Who Do You See?

One person Michael hasn’t mentioned in all of this is his little brother, Kevin (Greg Rikaart). Kevin also did some horrible things. Kevin also got a second chance. But, that’s not what’s motivating Michael. What’s motivating Michael is that Kevin was raised by an abusive father and an ineffective mother. Not to mention Michael who, instead of saving Kevin, took off and never looked back.

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More Alike Than Different

When Michael looks at Claire, he doesn’t see himself. He sees Kevin. A Kevin he can help. A Kevin he can save. Sure, Kevin is fine now but it was a long road to get him there. If Michael can make that road a bit shorter for Claire – and Victoria and Cole, then it will be worth it.

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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