Soap Hub Performer of the Week for Y&R: Eric Braeden

The Young and the Restless viewers know that Victor Newman loves family and power. He’s ruthless and will stop at nothing to get what he wants, but in the end, his motivation is his family. However, the powerful patriarch often finds himself at odds with his children, which causes neverending drama. Right now, he and Nick Newman haven’t seen eye-to-eye for a while, and they had a breakthrough conversation, which explained several things. For that moving performance, Soap Hub presents Performer of the Week honors for Y&R on Victor’s portrayer, Eric Braeden.

Eric Braeden – Performer Of The Week

This week, Nick (Joshua Morrow) ended up at the Ranch after Nikki Newman (Melody Thomas Scott) arranged for him to come. Once there, Nick and Victor had a discussion. During some moments, Victor got fiery when explaining that he wouldn’t apologize for how he’d lived his life after all he’d gone through. Braeden brought the fire and fury to his on-screen alter ego in those moments, and his performance shined.

However, later, Braeden managed to show us Victor’s softer side when he let Nick know that he’s proud of the father he is. When Victor mentioned that Nick is a better father than he’d been, it made us misty-eyed right along with the characters. Braeden truly took the moment’s emotions and projected them, bringing the heartfelt moment to life between Nick and Victor. Perhaps the most poignant moment came when Victor admitted that everything good in him came from Nikki. For us, we felt Victor speaking of his wife, but we also felt Braeden complimenting his long-time leading woman, Thomas Scott.

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As ruthless as The Mustache has always been, we especially appreciate the real moments of vulnerability that Eric Braeden brings to the character. This week, he managed to do just that. Bravo.

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.