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Saturday, January 5, 2019

Y&R Report (January 5, 2019): 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.   

Hi everyone.  I hope you enjoyed your holidays and I trust they were better than those of some of the residents of Genoa City.  We did have a Christmas miracle on Y&R, this year, courtesy of Victor Newman.  All he had to do was exclaim "Merry Christmas, my darling!" and Nikki was able to come out of her coma.  It was the power of "The Moustache."

Candy Cane and Princess Victoria Newman?  Really?  What's that all about?  Those two have terrible judgment and any relationship between them, secret or not, can only end in disaster - but that's the idea.  As I've said before, there has to be conflict on soaps.  That's why very few couples stay together.  According to an online spoiler, the Winters family is going to discover that prison has changed Lily (Christel Khalil).  She not the same person and you can be sure that that will affect her relationship with Cane in a negative way.

Victoria accused the whispering (or should I say wimpy?) Australian  as being "weak and cowardly." which is true. She really doesn't think much of him. Yet, she still kissed him and we all know it won't end there.  The princess told her therapist all about the kiss.  She said she loathed Cane and denied having any attraction to him.  She thought she may have done it to subconsciously sabotage a reconciliation with Billy.  Although Billy has been more mature and responsible lately, Victoria is reluctant to reunite with him.  That's because she can't have a perfect family life with him and the children.  There's no story there.  That's why she told him she wasn't ready when he tried to kiss her.

Jill (Jess Walton) has returned to Genoa City with some news.  She has called it quits with her con man Aussie husband, Colin Atkinson and she wants to meet someone more stable.  Good luck finding such a person in Genoa City, Jill!  At least she had interesting conversations with her stepson, Cane, and her son, Billy Boy Abbott, plus a visit with former stepson Jack Abbott.

When Cane told Jill that he may have more in common with his wayward father than people think, I had to agree.  I also give him credit for being honest about himself.  Cane Ashby may not be as crooked, but he sure messes up.  In some ways, he really is a chip off the old block.  Remember his adventure in Japan with Juliet?  Remember how he let Billy take the blame for altering a video when they were at Brass & Sassy?  (By the way, why does Cane call himself "Ashby," when his father's last name is "Atkinson?" I assume he wants to distance himself from Colin's criminal activities.).

Jill was pleasantly surprised to hear that Billy had broken up with Phyllis and that Phyllis and Nick were together.  She was also pleased that her son looked happy and attributed it to an improvement in his relationship with Victoria.  She is determined to see those two back together.  She will certainly be upset if Cane becomes an obstacle to their reunion.  Cane confessed to Jill that he had kissed someone but, of course, he didn't reveal that the woman was Victoria.  Jill, in her infinite wisdom, advised Cane not tell Lily about his indiscretion.  We all know what happened when he hid his other misdeeds, don't we?

I can''t warm up to Kerry Johnson.  She's going to break Jack Abbott's heart and he'll probably regret getting involved with her.  Kerry has been meeting Jack's ex-wives and she is amazed at how many times he has been married.  She's also met Jill and learned of Jack's past dalliances with her.  Kerry commented that everyone has skeletons in their closets, but the Jabot chemist has some secrets of her own, according to an online spoiler. 

It's not official, but It looks as if Josh Griffith is set to return as Y&R's head writer.  In July 2012, Griffith became the show's sole head writer.  He resigned in August 2013, reportedly due to creative differences with then-executive producer Jill Farren Phelps.  Griffith returned to Y&R in August 2018 as supervising as supervising producer.


Josh Griffith

Kristoff St. John (Neil Winters) has already welcomed Griffith back on social media.  On Twitter, St. John wrote:  "Let's welcome Josh Griffith back to Y&R.  His inspiring leadership, focusing on the core characters, will prevail.   The character assassination of Paul (Doug Davidson) was brutal.  Raise your voice!  Bill Bell Sr. created this legendary show.  It is our duty to protect his legacy."

Kristoff is right on the money with his comments.  Y&R does need to focus on the core characters.and something definitely has to be done to rectify the Doug Davidson situation.  Doug should return to the show or at the very least, some explanation should be given as to what happened to Paul Williams.

Y&R fans are still left in the dark about the fate of the Summer Newman character.  Our dear Snowflake has been sent off to work in Dubai, where she is surely melting in all that hot weather.  It's really no place for her.  Victor should have sent her to Norway or Buffalo or Minnesota or maybe even northern Ontario.  Actually, I was surprised by the move.  I thought she was going to really interfere with Kyle and Lola's romance.  Instead, Fen is the third member of the love triangle.
So, what happened?  Has Hunter King decided to leave the show?  If so, will she be replaced by another actress?  Also, why has there been no clear explanation for Gloria's absence.  Michael Baldwin doesn't even mention his mother or his brother Kevin anymore.

Here's something else the new head writer should clear up:  What happened to Chelsea and Connor?  I was very disappointed in how the writers abruptly ended Chelea's storyline when Melissa Claire Egan decided to leave the show.  Chelsea's return to her con woman ways was not credible.  Y&R viewers did not buy it.


VIEWER FORUM

If you have any comments on Y&R, please email them to me with "Viewer Forum" in the subject line. I will be happy to publish your comments and reply to them  You do not have to use your real name. 

My email address:  jmadden16@yahoo.ca

I received an email from regular contributor CC in Etobicoke, Ontario.  Here are her comments.

Hi Joanne

Loved your Xmas wishes for character, especially Lily, Cane and Phyllis (in the last edition of Y&R Report).  

Glad to see Mal Young go except for his strategy of having a daily cliffhanger.

Not sure if they know how to wind up the J.T. storyline.  I guess it depends on whether Thad is open to reprising the role now and again in the flesh, and not in a ghostly way.  Reed clearly has to go.

I will be very surprised if someone other than Victor has Nikki.

Despite the fact that his role has diminished over the last couple of years, it would be interesting to know what the scoop is on Kristoff St. John (Neil Winters).

Spare me from Tessa,  Mia, Lola, Rey, Fen, Ana, Charlie, Cane, Maddie, the return of Lily, SUMMER, Noah and a few more . . .

Happy New Year!


Happy New Year to you too, CC.  I think it was time for Mal to go too.  It will be interesting to see what direction the new head writer will take the show.

Yes, it was pretty much a no-brainer that Victor would come back for Nikki's sake.  He may even know what really happened and is willing to go to prison in order to protect Nikki and Victoria.

I'm not sure if they know how to wind up the J.T. storyline either. However, in its 2019 previews, Soap Central states that the "truth about J.T.'s death is finally revealed - but that might not be the end of the mystery."

I've tried to find out why Kristoff St. John has been absent from the show again (Neil is said to have moved closer to the prison where Lily is being held).  Unfortunately, I have been unable to find an explanation.  He'll probably return when Lily returns.  I haven't heard any reports that he's left Y&R and I don't think he would have made those comments about the new head writer if that were the
case.

I must say, CC, that is a long list of characters that you don't like.  I am not a fan of some characters on the show either, but I accept them because they serve a purpose.  They set the plot in motion.


I received a New Year's greeting from longtime Y&R viewer, Carly in Barrhaven, Ontario.  Carly wrote:

As for Y&R, I hope the new head writer writes Kerry out of the show.  Can't stand her . . . Watch out for Cane and Victoria.

Well, Carly,  it seems that Kerry doesn't seem to be very popular with fans.  If that's the case, the new head writer (presumably Josh Griffith), may write her out.  Perhaps some viewers  have a bias against her because she seems to have replaced fan favourite Eileen Davidson (Ashley Abbott) as Jabot chemist.  If that's the case, she's been asked to fill some pretty big shoes.  As for Cane and Victoria, they are both headed for disaster, as usual.

Y&R REPORT READERS' POLL

To be perfectly honest, 2018 was not the greatest year for The Young and the Restless.  Many fan favourites departed and Doug Davidson was fired.  Fans hope that 2019 will be better.  In the meantime, why not reply to my poll about the worst Y&R happenings?   Let me know what you think.



What was your worst Y&R happening in 2018?

The departure of Eileen Davidson as Ashley Abbott.
The firing of Doug Davidson as Paul Williams.
The head writing of Mal Young.
The departure of Mishael Morgan as Hilary.
The departure of Melissa Claire Egan as Chelsea Lawson.
I don't know.
Other
Please Specify:


That's all for now!  Don't forget that the next edition of Y&R Report will appear in this space on Saturday, January 19, 2019 With a new head writer, there should be a lot to talk about.  Big changes are coming to Y&R.  Let's hope the changes take the show in the right direction.


- Joanne

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