Y&R Report (March 15, 2014): The Latest on The Young and the Restless

Hey Y&R fans, every second Saturday TV Banter discusses the latest happenings and provides commentary on your favourite daytime drama.  Note to U.S. readers - SPOILER ALERT:  Here in Canada, I watch the show on Global TV which is one episode ahead of CBS.  I will inevitably refer to incidents you haven't seen yet. Read at your own risk.  If you are the curious type, though, you may prefer to discover some things in advance.


Adam is alive and he will return, although it seems as though his appearance will be altered to accommodate the actor who will be taking over the role.  I'm sure it's the old plastic surgery routine.  His face was obviously damaged when the car exploded. I wonder, though, how the change in his voice will be explained. Hmm . . .

Chelsea wants Victor to track Adam down.  It's not surprising that she has more confidence in Victor than in Genoa City police chief Paul Williams.

There has been some buzz on the Internet that perhaps Adam was not driving the car that struck Delia. Some Y&R fans have pointed out that if Adam's SUV had hit Delia, there would have been more damage to the front of his vehicle than a broken side-light.  They suggest that Kelly was the actual hit-and-run driver.
Some have speculated that Dr. Stitch may have been involved in the hit-and-run too.

For a long time, Kelly has been referring to something terrible and "unforgivable" that the surgeon had done. Now she has called the good doctor a "murderer."  Stitch and Kelly's past is slowly unravelling.

It looks as if Neil Winters is starting to fall for Hillary.  Once Devon realizes that Jabot model Esmerelda is a gold digger who is just after his billions, he may pursue Hillary himself.  However, Esmerelda is very manipulative and she will try every trick in the book to trick him into marrying him so that she can get her manicured hands on this money.  Devon may not know what hit him.


VIEWER FORUM

Fifi from Collingwood, Ontario has a prediction and I tend to agree with her.  Fifi thinks that Dylan's father is not Ian Ward.  Her theory is that Paul Williams will turn out to be Dylan's biological father.  Yes, the Clueless Police Chief himself!  It makes sense to me.  That's the information slippery Ian Ward warned Dylan he would never be able to reveal if he were killed.  Christine the Cricketmeister (also known as The Bug), is obviously jealous of the warm relationship between Nikki and Paul.  Then there's Victor, The Big Man.   Victor is an extremely jealous man.  He would blow a gasket if he learned that Nikki had a child by Paul, even all those years ago.  With soaps, you always have to ask what will create the most conflict.  If Dylan is indeed revealed to be Paul's son (as I think will happen), there will be a great deal of conflict.

By the way, some of you may point out that Dylan had a DNA test done.  The DNA test, however, only confirmed that Nikki is his mother.  It did not determine that Ian Ward is his father.

Our frequent commentator, CC from Etobicoke, Ontario has weighed in with some remarks and insights. Regular readers know that the last edition of Y&R Report contained a reader's poll asking Y&R fans to rate the performance of David Tom as Billy Abbott.  Here's CC's assessment of David Tom's performance as Billy and her remarks on other matters regarding the show.  Note: CC's comments are in italics followed by my responses.

My vote for the new Billy Abbott is a big fat FAIR! 
He did not have it when he first played Billy and things have not improved.
Death of the character of Billy Abbott would be a relief that I for one, and some others, may welcome in the near future.

Yes, CC, David Tom is not anywhere close to being as good as Billy Miller in the role of Billy Abbott. To be fair, however, he has had some pretty big shoes to fill.  It isn't easy to replace a good actor who is popular with the fans.  He is constantly being compared to his predecessor.  Many fans, myself, included, are disappointed that Billy Miller has departed.  That is not David Tom's fault.  I think he should be given a chance to get more comfortable with the storyline and some time to distance himself from Billy Miller's shadow.

Totally agree with you about being disgruntled about the direction the show is taking.
The themes are overdone and boring.
There are too many plots and subplots going on at the same time.  They seem to follow the same patterns -- get built up, dragged on and then fizzle out as another plot line emerges in another corner.

The majority of Y&R fans would agree that 2013 was not a banner year for the show. We are disappointed because we enjoy the show and we know the writing could be better.  We also disagree with some of the decisions that have been made such as the death of Delia storyline and the choice not to allow Billy Miller the flexibility to take on acting roles outside the show.  He's a good actor and Y&R could and should have kept him in the fold.

Many of the couplings are not working out. 
In particular, I never did and am not now feeling the love between Neil and Leslie/Valerie, or Neil and anyone since Drucilla for that matter; nor Tyler and Abby ( the sauna scenes don't even help); Sharon and Nick, no matter how hard or how long Sharon tries!
And the solid proof that one can never go back is the return of Colin and Jill. Bringing back Tristan Rogers has turned out to be a big flop so far.

I've got to agree with you about Neil, CC.  There was so much more chemistry between him and Drucilla.  I miss Drucilla.  She was a fun character and I wish they hadn't made her fall over a cliff.  Victoria Rowell, who played Drucilla, was really good in the role.  It would be wonderful to have her back on the show but I don't know if I could stand another character coming back from the dead.

As for Jill and Colin, I think they provide some much-needed comic relief and I am quite enjoying the cat and mouse game they are playing.  I don't think the return of Tristan Rogers as Colin has been a big flop.  Colin is also needed to give Sugar Cane Ashby more of a storyline,  Besides, what other U.S. soap can boast two Aussies in the cast?

I really do not understand why the producers and writers haven't learned that once you diminish a character through whatever means it is very difficult to revive them even by bringing back the same actor.      

Both Jess Walton (Jill) and Tristan (Colin) are perfect examples of this.

I agree with you about diminishing a character but I think that a better example is Sharon.  The writers completely ruined her character and made her unsympathetic to viewers.  She should have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder earlier so that fans would have sympathized with her struggle to overcome mental illness. There was a time when Nick and Sharon were a super couple.

Delia's death will go down in history as one of the biggest TV mistakes of all time. 
If and when the show is ever put on the shelf that is the event that will be looked upon as the beginning of the end.

Yes, CC, the death of young Delia upset and disappointed many Y&R fans.  After Cassie's passing, it was surprising that the show decided to present another child death.  Although it was definitely not my favourite storyline, I wouldn't go as far as to say that Delia's passing will go down in history as one the biggest TV mistakes of all time.

I am looking forward to the reuniting of Chelsea and Dylan just in time for the intrigue that Adam's alter ego will bring to that plot line.

In a previous edition of Y&R Report, I mentioned that Millie from Mississauga predicted that Chelsea and Dylan would get together.  I told Millie that it might happen eventually but not anytime soon.  Handyman Dylan and Avery the Attorney are blissfully happy.  Their happiness will last for a time.  However, on daytime soaps, contented couples don't remain contented for very long.


CAST NEWS

Although Eileen Davidson (Ashley) will be  returning to Days of Our Lives, she has found time to make a visit to Y&R.  Davidson and Beth Maitland (Traci Abbott) will turn up on the show in mid-April.

Elizabeth Hendrickson, who plays Chloe Mitchell, has conformed that she will be leaving the show. Hendrickson joined the cast of Y&R in 2008.  She told Soap Opera Digest that she was not fired or forced out and that her scenes will be airing well into May.  There is no word yet as to the fate of her Chloe character.


Y&R TRIVIA

Victor Newman has been married numerous times, so many times that it's easy to lose count.  What was the name of Victor's first wife? (Answer at the bottom of the page).

HAIR AND FASHION

So how do you like Amelia's Heinle's (Victoria Newman) with bangs.  CC from Etobicoke has commented on Amelia new hair style.  CC has dubbed it her "Little House on the Prairie" look.

Even though Amelia has recently signed a new contract, life events for Victoria Newman hopefully will ignite her and bring her out of her Little House on the Prairie persona.
In the case of Amelia's portrayal of Victoria, she doesn't do the present persona well, nor does she possess what it takes to ramp up to a new Victoria.
Even she is uncomfortable with her bangs!  Whose idea was that anyway?  That hairstylist should be made to hand over her comb, brush, and scissors!
One star for Amelia because she does possess the ability when acting to zone out of her real self, but still not appear to be acting.
Time to move on Amelia.  Time for producers to step up and reinvent Victoria.


BEST LINE

Ian Ward:  Victor Newman, The Great Man himself!

Victor:  And you're Ian Ward, the soon-to-be worthless maggot on the bottom of my shoe!


Y&R TRIVIA ANSWER

Eric Braeden joined the cast of The Young and the Restless back in 1980.  At the time, his Victor Newman character was married to his first wife, Julia. Julia Newman was portrayed by Meg Bennett.

Meg Bennett

By my count, Newman has been married 14 times to nine different women, although some of the marriages were annulled or declared invalid.  After Julia, The Black Knight's other wives have included:

Nikki Reed Newman - four times, I believe.  His second marriage to Nikki occurred in a hospital when Nikki was thought to be dying - Diane Jenkins hired lawyer Michael Baldwin to declare the marriage technically invalid on the grounds that Victor's divorce from Diane Jenkins had not yet been  finalized).

Leanna "Love" Randolph (played by Barbara Crampton) - the marriage was declared invalid because the minister who married them was fake)

Ashley Abbott (played by Eileen Davidson) - he married Ashley twice

Hope Adams (played by Signy Coleman) - blind farm woman, mother of Adam

Diane Jenkins - he married Diane twice, although their second marriage was annulled

Sabrina Costelana (his daughter Victoria's friend whom she met in Italy while studying art) - Sabrina was killed in a car accident

Megggie McClain (played by Sean Young) - the marriage was faked

His former daughter-in-law (yuck!), Sharon Collins Newman (the marriage was annulled, thank goodness)



That's all for now.  Coming up on the show will be the Jabot fashion show and an appearance by Hilary on The Price is Right.  Remember that the next Y&R Report will appear in this space on Saturday, March 29, 2014.


- Joanne