Young and the Restless Merger Mistake: Make It Stop ASAP

The Young and the Restless created a storyline with Lily Winters as CEO of Chancellor Industries. That in itself is questionable. However, her brand new plan to merge Hamilton Winters with Chancellor is even more questionable, especially considering how the show invokes the late Neil Winters’s approval.

Young and the Restless Merger Mistake

Everybody thinks Lily (Christel Khalil) is a genius — she wants to merge two of Genoa City’s biggest businesses. Well, at least Jill Foster Abbott Atkinson (Jess Walton) does, and perhaps Billy Abbott (Jason Thompson) thinks the merger is a great idea on paper. Then, of course, Devon Hamilton (Bryton James) has his own concerns. Even Imani Benedict (Leigh-Ann Rose) had her worries, but Amanda Sinclair (Mishael Morgan) quickly shut those down.

So far, nearly everybody seems to think Neil (Kristoff St. John) would’ve loved Lily’s idea, but we’re not so sure. We can’t see how Neil would think it’s a good idea to take the company he built and put it together with Chancellor, especially when both entities are doing well on their own. What’s the benefit?

If Lily really wanted to work with Devon, then why doesn’t she join the family business they already have? Why does she want to take an outside company that’s huge in its own right and put it together with the one her father so painstakingly created?

Why not leave Chancellor Industries to Billy to run, despite the fact that Jill has her concerns about her son’s abilities to helm anything important these days. Or who knows? Perhaps Chance Chancellor (Conner Floyd) and Abby Chancellor (Melissa Ordway) could step up to run his family business.

Ultimately, we don’t buy that Neil would love this plan. This storyline seems to be watering down the brands that both Neil and Katherine Chancellor (Jeanne Cooper) worked so hard to build. It may not be honoring either late character in the way the soap thinks.

Is it a money-saving tactic, so that Y&R doesn’t have to have sets for both Chancellor Industries and Hamilton Winters? Perhaps. After all, they have Lily and Billy working from home right now, which is bizarre in its own right. For that matter, Devon also always seems to work from home too. And, it’s basically like Jabot doesn’t even exist anymore. Of course, there’s always Newman Locke — will that company may end up absorbing Jabot to save yet another set?

What do you think is going on with this merger idea? Do you love it or hate it? Sound off in the comments 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.