In the September 22 episode of The Young and the Restless, an unexpected reminder of Jordan forced Claire to confront something much more frightening than a bad memory. Claire knows Jordan is no longer controlling her life, but she isn’t convinced everything Jordan taught her disappeared with her.
Key Takeaways
- Jordan’s birthday reminder brings back a disturbing memory from Claire’s childhood.
- Claire worries Jordan’s influence could still be buried somewhere inside her.
- Victoria believes Claire’s choices prove she is no longer the person Jordan raised her to be.
Claire Remembers Who Jordan Taught Her to Be
Claire (Hayley Erin) wasn’t expecting a calendar notification for Jordan’s (Colleen Zenk) birthday to send her into the past. But it brought back a childhood birthday when Claire’s guests abandoned her party for another girl’s. Jordan didn’t help Claire deal with the rejection. She taught her to retaliate.
Claire followed that lesson. She concocted a convincing lie that got the other girl expelled, and she never saw her again. Looking back now, Claire is horrified by what she was capable of doing and doesn’t dismiss it simply because she was a child under Jordan’s control.
Claire Is Still Afraid of Jordan’s Influence
Victoria (Amelia Heinle) understandably tries to separate the woman Claire is today from the child Jordan manipulated. Claire isn’t quite willing to give herself that reassurance. She worries the poison Jordan put inside her could still be there, waiting to emerge again.
That’s an important distinction. Claire isn’t afraid Jordan will somehow return and control her again. She’s afraid she doesn’t need Jordan there for some part of that conditioning to survive. After spending so much of her life being molded into what Jordan wanted, Claire can’t simply assume becoming someone different erased everything that came before.
Claire Knows Becoming Better Is a Choice
Claire’s response to that fear may actually reveal how much she has changed. She doesn’t want to forget what she did or have Victoria explain it all away. Claire believes remembering is necessary because it helps ensure she never becomes that person again.
Victoria sees something Claire can’t completely see for herself yet. Claire is already making choices Jordan never taught her to make, including examining her own behavior, accepting responsibility for it, and worrying about how her actions affect other people.
Jordan may have left something behind in Claire, but she didn’t leave Claire powerless against it. Claire’s fear shows that she understands becoming the person she wants to be isn’t something she can take for granted. For her, it may always be a choice she has to keep making.
