Soap Hub Performer of the Week for The Young and the Restless: Melissa Claire Egan

On The Young and the Restless, Melissa Claire Egan’s performances as stroke-victim Chelsea Lawson has everyone realizing that sitting in a chair and not moving (much) takes a ton of talent to pull off (convincingly)!

Melissa Claire Egan Steals the Show

The Daytime Emmy-nominated actress has been turning in daily deceptions as Chelsea quietly (and privately) regains her mobility, plotting perhaps revenge on Adam (Mark Grossman). Soap Hub applauds Egan by bestowing Performer of the Week honors upon her.

Chelsea only communicates by blinking her eyes. It’s once for yes, twice for no. And she just stares daggers when she’s angry at Adam! The Newman heir has no idea that she’s convincing herself that she’s lost him to Sharon (Sharon Case). If Adam looked a bit more closely, he might see the anger, pain, and betrayal in Chelsea’s eyes. She’s feeling all these emotions and more, frustrated by both her condition and what she believes is Adam’s betrayal.

Chelsea lets her guard down a bit in her confidante Chloe (Elizabeth Hendrickson). Chloe’s not quite sure why Chelsea wants to keep secret her progress but Egan conveys through her eyes that this is the way she wants it to be. We see how important it is to Chelsea to keep her recovery hidden as she hurries to use her left hand to seek information about Adam on her phone.

A Performance to Remember

Fantasy scenes used to be a daytime staple, but they haven’t been employed as often as they once were. Not so with Chelsea. Viewers saw Adam elated upon coming home and finding out that Chelsea was on her feet! His joy was quickly squashed by Chelsea raising one hand telling him to come no further! (Social-distancing has to take place even in fantasy scenes!) In her other hand, she brandished a gun, pointed it at Adam, fired, and then, the fantasy ended.

While this shocking twist was a dream, we have the feeling that it may turn into a reality! in the coming days and weeks ahead, we suspect Chelsea will continue to hide her recovery from both Adam and Dr. Cavett (Dana Sparks) as she plots her next move. If she manages to regain all her movements, Chelsea’s in a position to do whatever she wants, knowing she has the perfect alibi! She’d be able to pull off an ultimate con!

Like all grifters, Chelsea likes to stay two steps ahead of everyone. In Egan’s capable hands, we can’t wait to see what her character does next! Stay tuned! The Young and the Restless airs weekdays on CBS. Check your local listing for air times.