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

It’s been said that whenever you’re lying, it’s best to inject as much of the truth as possible. So, when Chelsea Lawson went off on The Young and the Restless, talking about how Adam’s betrayal led her to commit crimes, she wasn’t really lying. For playing Chelsea’s meltdown so convincingly, Soap Hub bestows Performer of the Week Honors on her portrayer, Melissa Claire Egan.

Melissa Claire Egan — Performer of the Week

It’s not that Chelsea was fibbing when she said that Adam’s (Mark Grossman) attachment to Sharon (Sharon Case) caused her to frame him for Rey’s (Jordi Vilasuso) attempted murder. But Egan made everyone present think that Chelsea was far more damaged than she really is.

“You called Rey? What the hell, Victor? What are you trying to pull now? Is this a trap?” Chelsea demanded to know as Rey walked into Victor’s home. Grabbing her cane, struggling to get on her feet, Chelsea was only pretending to be caught off-guard. As viewers later found out, yes, this was indeed a trap. But the intended targets were Rey and Michael (Christian Le Blanc), the detective and district attorney who wanted to charge and convict Adam with criminal behavior.

Make no mistake, Chelsea was the culprit. However, she was far more level-headed and calm when she was executing her plan. The only way for Chelsea to get away with what she’d done was to feign a break from reality. Egan played her character on the edge, someone who frantically regretted her actions.

Before “confessing,’ Chelsea tossed her cane to the ground, showing Rey she didn’t need it. Her voice became more controlled (while still frantic) as Rey realized she’d made a greater recovery than previously believed. Rey had every reason to believe that this version Chelsea was showing was the real deal. He was shocked to hear her “confession” that Adam and Rey’s wife Sharon (Sharon Case) were sleeping together in the home Chelsea shared with Adam.

This inaccurate tidbit threw Rey off-guard, making him more susceptible to Chelsea’s tour-de-force. Chelsea knew that the more manic she behaved, the more likely Rey and Michael were to support sending her for psychiatric care instead of jail. “Do you think I’m scared of the police or the D.A.?” Chelsea rhetorically asked. “Those people should be giving me a medal…I put together the evidence to set Adam up for attempted murder!”

Chelsea was counting on authorities seeing her as someone who can’t be held responsible for her actions as she recounted in great detail how she pulled off the crimes Adam was accused of committing. Chelsea sent home her performance by having one final freakout over being sedated.

After sedating his patient, Dr. Hedges (Michael Bofshever), who’s on Victor’s payroll, recommended therapy — not jail for Chelsea. So, not only is Adam not going to jail, but neither is Chelsea. After Michael and Rey exited Victor’s home, Victor and Dr. Hedges exchanged a knowing look. And then, a “sedated” Chelsea opened her eyes, shooting Victor a look as if to say “happy, now?”

What Michael and Rey (who might be a tad suspicious) failed to remember is that Chelsea, at heart, is a con artist. She, of course, had help from Victor who orchestrated the whole scheme and has promised to help Chelsea start over. We don’t know if Chelsea will come out on top when all this is over, but it’s clear that the talented Egan knows how to take her character to a different level in order to entertain viewers. The Young and the Restless (YR) airs weekdays on CBS. Check your local listings for airtimes.