As I was taking a walk and listening to music this week in downtown Sacramento on one of my breaks from work (yes, I have another job besides writing this column), the song "Turning Tables" by Adele came up in my playlist, and because I had just watched Y&R earlier that morning, the lyrics had me thinking about Ashley and Tucker -- it's almost like some of the lyrics were written for them; for example:
"I won't let you close enough to hurt me; No, I won't rescue you to just desert me; I can't give you what you think you gave me; It's time to say goodbye to turning tables."
Of course, it seems that Ashley and Tucker aren't to the part of their story in which they are saying goodbye to turning the tables on one another. Aside from the fact that Tucker always seems to have some sort of agenda and is looking to turn the tables on any number of his enemies, Ashley seems to be the one that is pulling the strings this time and trying to turn the tables on Tucker -- or at least one of her identities is!
Could we be headed toward a storyline for Ashley in which she has dissociative identity disorder (DID)?! More commonly known by its original name, multiple personality disorder, DID is a mental health condition in which an individual has a break with reality, dissociating themselves from a traumatic event by forming two or more separate identities that control their behavior at different times and in different situations. This disorder has always been fascinating to me and was one of my favorite topics as I earned my degree in psychology. Soap operas definitely had a hand to play in why I found this particular disorder so much more fascinating than others. I love a good storyline about a character who has multiple identities.
I recall a few years back on Y&R that it seemed like they were starting a DID storyline with Victoria. There were a few scenes over the course of a couple months or so in which it seemed like she was losing time and acting strangely. It was one of those "blink-and-you'll-miss-it" storylines that never took off and didn't end up going anywhere. In fact, I think it was right before the Ashland storyline started, so maybe it was scrapped to tell that story instead. That makes me wonder if the writers might be revisiting trying to tell that type of story, but this time with Ashley instead of Victoria.
Ashley's behavior has certainly been strange lately, and there have definitely been some moments where she has drastic shifts in mood and behavior, which may hint at two or more identities being present. We've heard the voices in her head lately, too, which could be written off as her just talking to herself, but Y&R doesn't tend to write internal monologue for characters. We rarely, if ever, are given a voiceover wherein we are hearing the inner thoughts of characters, so this tactic with Ashley definitely seems to have a purpose and indicates that something more is going on. In particular, the last moments we saw her on Wednesday's (2/28/24) episode started giving me vibes of a DID storyline in the works. It was as if she had snapped herself back to reality after the voice in her head screamed, "Ashley, wake up. Wake up!" Her demeanor changed from confident and calculating to cowering and uncertain in a very drastic manner.
If this is what the writers have up their sleeve to salvage Tucker and Ashley's relationship, I am all for it. I would love to see him be the first to realize what is going on with her and end up helping her through this mental health crisis. Hell, even if that is not the writers' endgame, I am still excited to see where this story is going. I like this curveball they are throwing us because I was really starting to get tired of the direction of their story. This twist has definitely got me invested again. As much as I love Audra, I don't think that she and Tucker are a good fit romantically, and I am definitely rooting for Tucker and Ashley to end up together in the end. I would love to see them finally explore the Audra and Nate pairing that they've been teasing us with basically since Audra arrived in Genoa City!
Speaking of Nate, I was loving him this past week. It was nice seeing him step in as sort of a mentor for Chance at Chancellor-Winters. Chance literally is going through the same thing Nate went through years ago -- starting a career in the family business after leaving behind a successful career in another field (for Nate, it was being a surgeon; for Chance, it was law enforcement).
Nate's scenes with Mamie this past week were great, too. I loved that he called her out when she tried to say that Jill is the one who declared war within Chancellor-Winters. He was absolutely right that her secret investment in the company and her involvement with Tucker were what really set off this civil war within the company. Of course, upon learning that Jill and Billy are trying to add the Abbott name to the company moniker (changing it to "Abbott Chancellor Winters") has only made Mamie more determined than ever to turn the tables on Jill and oust her from the company. I am very curious to see what the writers are building to with this storyline.
There seem to be a lot ducks being put in a row for a potentially major upcoming storyline involving Chancellor-Winters. Abby, Chance, and Nate have all recently taken major roles at the company, and each of them could end up being wild cards regarding where their loyalties may ultimately lie. Amanda is back, too, and is representing Jill's interests at the company. As much as I'm always happy to see Jess Walton step back into her role as Jill, I'm also a huge fan of Mishael Morgan (Amanda), so I'll take that trade-off. Amanda's history with Devon, Chance, Abby, and Nate is sure to lead to lots of drama around the office.
How great was it to see Amanda and Phyllis reconnecting? I hope Amanda sticks around town on a more regular basis because Phyllis really needs her around. I am not a fan of the love triangle between Phyllis, Danny, and Christine, so I was thrilled to actually enjoy some scenes with Phyllis this week when she caught up with Amanda. Michelle Stafford is one of my favorite actresses on the show, but the writers have not been doing a great job with Phyllis' character for a while now. It makes me cringe when she throws herself at Danny, because of how desperate the writers are making her seem.
Much like the Phyllis and Amanda scenes we were treated to, it is always a breath of fresh air to get some good Nina and Christine scenes. I love when Nina is in town for a visit, and I appreciate how she is always in Christine's corner and ready to fight for her. Christine is lucky to have her as a best friend. I think it is good that Nina is encouraging Christine to take action in regard to Danny rather than just essentially giving up and letting Phyllis "win."
I do think Christine and Danny are a good match, and it would be nice for their decades-long on-and-off-again romance to have a happy ending, but the storyline direction that is taking us there is just not very enjoyable to me right now. The writers are treating Phyllis and Christine like immature young women in the way they are behaving (Phyllis more so than Christine), as they both continue to try to turn the tables on one another as they squabble over Danny. To me, it just feels like a big step back for both of their characters.
And don't get me started about the writing for Danny's character. They are making him seem so wishy-washy and all over the place. He is clearly physically attracted to Phyllis in some way, and for as much as he claims to not be interested in her romantically, he only doth protest so much when she is throwing herself at him. In fact, he usually gives in to her more often than not -- and then blames her for it happening in the first place! Why? Because he just can't help himself? Not a good look for good ol' Danny boy. I want to continue to root for Danny and Christine to reunite, but the writers seem to be trying to make all three of them unlikeable, so it's hard to enjoy much of anything about this storyline.
There's plenty to enjoy about the Newmans vs. Jordan storyline, though! One of my complaints in my year-end review for 2023 was that the Jordan storyline wrapped up too quickly, so I am thrilled that the writers have kept finding ways to keep it going that don't seem forced and that it is moving at a good pace. Jordan seems to be falling right into Victor's trap as she sets her sights on Claire now that she knows she has been released and is living with the Newmans.
I'm loving seeing Claire settling in as a Newman and growing closer with her newfound family. Her scenes with Victoria are especially touching, and I'm also glad to see Victor embracing her as his granddaughter. I just hope she doesn't end up as collateral damage now that she's agreed to help Victor set a trap to lure Jordan out of hiding.
But will it even be Victor that ultimately turns the tables on Jordan now, or will Nikki beat him to it now that she has set her own trap for Claire's crazy aunt? I'm hoping it will be a family affair and that they will all ultimately work together to bring Jordan down and send her back to prison. I think it is great how Nikki has been able to stay sober and is now taking the fight to Jordan rather than waiting around for Jordan to make the first move.
It was really satisfying to see Nikki start to put the pieces together regarding Seth's friend "Isabelle" and realize that it was really Jordan who he had unknowingly befriended. I was a little confused when Seth confronted Jordan about her true intentions at the end of the week, though, because it sounded like he had agreed to go along with Nikki's plan to have him string Jordan along and not let her know that they are onto her. Hopefully, Nikki's plan doesn't hinge on using Seth's connection to Jordan to get the upper hand on her because he may be about to burn that bridge if he's not careful with what he says to her next.
But maybe Nikki won't need Seth anymore, anyway, because she has already gotten "Isabelle's" cell phone number from him, and she may not need much else to set a trap for Jordan. It seems to me the smart thing to do would be to give the phone number to the police so that they can track the cell phone and arrest Jordan, but, hey, what do I know? At least their more complicated plot should prove to be more entertaining than a logical one like that!
Well, that's all for this week, folks! Don't forget to hit the Comments (here on the site and on social media posts throughout the week) to share your opinions, too. Which characters do you think are most likely to turn the tables on their rivals and gain the upper hand? Who are you rooting for? Can't wait to hear what you think!
Until next time,
Vance
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