On The Young and the Restless, Ashley Abbott and Tucker McCall got married and headed off to Paris. What felt like a commercial break later — it was more than that, but time flies, you know — Tucker was back, announcing the relationship was over. He flashed back to him and Ashley breaking up when she refused to put him ahead of her family and their company. The exchange got heated. But, not too heated. Ashley, however, had a different memory of the argument. She flashed back to a violent, vicious, borderline abusive Tucker. So which version is true?
Seeing Is Believing
In real life, we believe our own eyes. On soaps, when we’re told about something that happened off-screen, we have the option of choosing who we believe is telling the truth. But, it becomes harder to keep an open mind when we watch the event on our screen. It becomes even harder when we “see” both versions, Ashley’s (Eileen Davidson) and Tucker’s (Trevor St. John).
Trope Time
This is hardly a new way to tell a story. The Japanese classic film, Rashomon, brought to popular culture the idea that any story has three sides: Yours, mine, and the truth. In Rashomon, a passing bystander watched the action play out with no stake in the outcome and was able to provide “the truth,” after everyone else had reported their version. But, how will that work here? We saw Ashley’s side. We saw Tucker’s side. Is there a random waiter who will pop up to let us know what really happened?
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Taking Sides
Sure, Ashley is an Abbott, a long-term character, and more likely to attract fan loyalty. Plus, there is also #AlwaysBelieveWomen. But, if that’s the case, why even bother showing us the fight from Tucker’s point of view? That introduces a confusion the show doesn’t seem interested in resolving. And, if the ambiguity isn’t the point, then we’re really wondering what is.
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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