Ashland Locke is dead on The Young and the Restless, and we’re left wondering what it was all for. In the end, the man known as the Locke-Ness Monster went out with more of a whimper than a bang.
Young and the Restless Fizzle
Actor Robert Newman said his goodbyes to Y&R, thanking fans, and we appreciated his time as Ashland on the show. However, we didn’t quite appreciate what the soap did with his character. We understand that there were some casting issues that may have altered the storyline. However, lots of things just never quite added up, and we felt let down by not getting the payoff that could’ve come from some of the buildup.
For instance, at one point, it seemed like Ashland was truly sick instead of faking. There were scenes where he had symptoms when nobody else was around. If he’d never been ill, then he’d only have had issues around Victoria Newman (Amelia Heinle) or others in the Newman family. Was there more to this situation we never learned? It always felt like it hadn’t been fully explored.
Then there was the missed opportunity of Ashland and Diane Jenkins (Susan Walters) to develop more of a friendship. Sure, it was risky for her, given her reputation rehab tour, but they both knew something about being the town pariah, and this could’ve been an area for a rich and interesting connection.
Plus, it’s been a while since the Newmans have had a formidable enemy on The Young and the Restless. With the Newmans and the Abbotts basically sitting around campfires singing Kumbaya these days with Summer Newman Abbott (Allison Lanier) and Kyle Abbott (Michael Mealor) along with Noah Newman (Rory Gibson) and Allie Nguyen (Kelsey Wang), it was great to see somebody give them a true run for their money.
We can’t understand why Victoria had to once again fall for an abusive terrible man. How many times does she have to learn this lesson? How much torture does she need to go through? This also feels an awful lot like a replay of the somewhat recent J.T. Hellstrom (Thad Luckinbill) storyline, and the Newmans have essentially learned nothing.
We aren’t sure what killing Ashland accomplished. The show spent a couple of years creating and developing the character, only to kill him. At the very least, we could’ve had a bit more time wondering if he was dead or alive. Will Victoria grow? Unlikely. Will Victor learn? No. Will it help Nick Newman (Joshua Morrow) in any way? We don’t see it happening. He seemed more valuable alive and stirring up drama in Genoa City than dead, so it makes no sense. What do you think? Let us know in the comments section below.
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.
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