What’s At The Heart of Elena’s The Young and the Restless Waffling?

The Young and the Restless fans are utterly baffled by Elena. When we first met her, she had put her doctor dreams on hold to play nurse to her dying uncle. She fell for Devon Hamilton and, after a blip during which she threw a tantrum about him paying off her medical school debt, they settled into happy domesticity.

The Young and the Restless: The First Slip

Elena’s (Brytni Sarpy) dreams further came true when she got her medical license and opened a clinic with Devon’s (Bryton James) cousin, Nate Hastings (Sean Dominic). They worked well together. One time, they saved a kid from a drug overdose. They were so euphoric about their achievement, they had sex. Oopsie.

Young and Restless: The Second Act

Elena and Nate agreed to keep quiet about their tryst. But then Elena blabbed to Devon anyway. They broke up. Elena started dating Nate. They settled into happy domesticity. And then Elena slept with Devon. No drug overdose required this time. She also eventually blabbed to Nate. Well, at least she’s honest. That’s a virtue. Kind of.

Y&R: Cheat Sheet

What is going on here, The Young and the Restless viewers are wondering. Why does this seemingly smart, skilled, sweet young woman constantly sabotage her own happiness – not to mention hurt those who care about her?

The answer, we suspect, is in Elena’s past. She is always serving others. She gave up on being a doctor because her uncle needed her. She was there to cheer on Lola Rosales (Sasha Calle) as she dealt with the disaster that was Kyle Abbott (Michael Mealor). She’s a people pleaser. She wants everyone around her to be happy. She wants everyone around her to like her.

Which means she offers – without thinking – whatever she thinks the other person needs in the moment. She’s so focused on the quick fix, she doesn’t stop to consider the long-term consequences. Not good for a doctor… definitely not good for a love interest.

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.