Yes, of course, mental illness is real. Yes, of course, it is biological. It is nobody’s “fault” and it’s not something you can just “get over.” There, now that we’ve established what mental illness is in the real world, let’s talk about what it is on The Young and the Restless. On Y&R, mental illness is a plot point. One that appears in clusters, like measles among unvaccinated hipsters. And it’s happening now with Connor, Ashley, Claire, and others.
What Goes Around Comes Around
For months, Y&R fans were forced to watch business story after business story after business story. There was whatever was going on at Jabot, whatever was going on at Newman Enterprises, whatever was going on at Chancellor-Winters, and Tucker (Trevor St. John) lurking on the sidelines, with an opinion about everything.
Now Jabot seems to be chugging along under Jack (Peter Bergman) and Diane’s (Susan Walters) stewardship, Newman is on the back-burner thanks to Jordan (Colleen Zenk) trying to kill off most of the board, and Tucker has other things to worry about. Billy (Jason Thompson), Devon (Bryton James), Nate (Sean Dominic), and Chance (Conner Floyd) are squabbling like children while Lily (Christel Khalil, who teased a whole new Lily) and Abby (Melissa Ordway) wag their fingers at them, but that seems more personal than professional.
New and Improved
All of a sudden, though, business is out, and mental illness is in. Sure, we don’t blame Claire (Hayley Erin) for having a psychotic breakdown after what her aunt put her through. But what’s with Connor’s (Judah Mackey) sudden issues? Wasn’t he already at a therapeutic boarding school for kids with problems? Why are Adam (Mark Grossman) and Chelsea (Melissa Claire Egan) acting like his being disturbed is new, and why is the school acting like that’s not why he was sent there in the first place?
Finally, yes, Ashley (Eileen Davidson) has had amnesia/split personality in the past, when she called herself Annie and worked in a diner. But that was decades ago, and it was after finding out John (Jerry Douglas) wasn’t her biological father. Are we supposed to believe that Tucker raising his voice in Paris was a trauma on par with that?
Why Me?
The real reason Y&R may be having so many mental health stories is to help shine a light on a serious issue facing society today. We get that, and we applaud it. However, each of those stories may have been fine on their own, but playing out simultaneously is too much. There is, after all, the concept of too much of a good thing. Plus, Sharon (Sharon Case) isn’t even a practicing therapist right now since she’s running her business.
Why is Y&R suddenly doing so many mental health stories? What do you think? Let us know in the comments below.
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