Audra did not come to play this week! I've said this before, but Y&R truly struck gold when they cast Zuleyka Silver in this role. And what a difference a week has made for her character! In my column just before this, Y&R's Midterm Report Card, I had scored her character with a low grade because I felt like the writers weren't doing her justice anymore. And now, we learn that she is Victor Newman's partner in a business coup against Tucker and the Abbotts?! Mind = Blown! In retrospect, this is one of those twists that I feel like I should have seen coming, but I was absolutely surprised by this -- and I loved it!
But before we get into all the ramifications of this unholy alliance and the launch of an exciting new storyline, I need to air a few gripes about another storyline as it seemingly wraps up way too early. Yes, I'm talking about Ashley's DID (dissociative identity disorder) storyline. This storyline really felt like it was peaking as we got closer to learning the truth about what trauma Ashley experienced in Paris. But I was hoping there would be a much more satisfying conclusion than what we've seemingly been halfheartedly handed.
I don't know why the current writing team has such a hard time with follow-through. This has been a real problem for a while now. They start an excellent storyline thread, a really good story starts ramping up, and then the story is slapped with a sudden ending that feels rushed and unsatisfying. It gives viewers the impression that the writers don't have an ending in mind when they start some storylines, which is a practice that often leads to storytelling disasters. Each story should be headed in a clear direction that guides viewers through the plot in a clear direction that ultimately leads to the payoff.
I can't believe they are just shipping off Ashley to a mental health facility before fully resolving the story. We still don't know what trauma she suffered at the hands of Alan's brother, Martin, that caused her to dissociate into multiple identities as a defense mechanism. Could he have physically assaulted her in some way? If I recall correctly, it did take Ashley a few weeks to return to Genoa City following Tucker's immediate return from their failed honeymoon. Could she have been in a hospital, recovering from some attack? Or could Martin have been holding her prisoner somewhere in Paris?
Instead of diving into all of this with the threat of Martin on the loose, they literally introduced and killed off a potentially great new villain all within a week's time. Let's just hope he's not getting what I like to call the "Aunt Jordan treatment." Otherwise, we'll see him presumed dead or shipped to prison -- or both! -- more than a handful of times over the next nine months. We certainly don't need to go through something like that again so soon (and neither does Ashley, for that matter).
I hope this storyline doesn't just drop off and that maybe we'll see Ashley throughout her stay at the mental health facility. Unlike Nikki and her speedy trip to rehab where she did all the important work on herself off-screen, we as an audience who have invested time into this storyline really need to finish this journey with Ashley and learn the truth about the trauma that she experienced. It's crazy that the alters just seem to be gone now. I've never heard of such a mild case of DID before. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this is not the real conclusion to this storyline.
Although I am worried that the writers already fumbled the ending of this storyline, that doesn't mean I haven't liked it overall. It's actually been one of my favorite storylines to tune in for lately. All the action at the house in Paris was exciting as the twin brothers were revealed, and I really appreciated the scenes we got between Tucker and Ashley before she took off. I'll never stop hoping that these two end up back together!
As I've stated before, I don't think Audra and Tucker were truly in love. So, I'm delighted that this past week didn't see them reuniting like I feared it might. Tucker gave it his all to salvage their relationship, nearly handing over his company to prove his loyalty and devotion, only to learn that Audra had already taken steps to steal his company right out from under him. The look on Tucker's face was priceless!
Here I was judging Audra for being desperate because of the way she called around to all the different board members of Glissade to try to get them to vote Tucker out, but it turns out she truly was plotting against him! I was pleasantly surprised, and it was great to see Audra back in her element as the schemer who gets what she wants. After all she went through with Ashley and Tucker the last few months, she earned this moment.
As if all this business with Audra's takeover wasn't already great, Y&R went and outdid themselves by throwing us a curveball when we learned the identity of the investor that helped her buy out Glissade -- and it is none other than Victor Newman! I love the idea of the two of them teaming up, but the rest of Genoa City may want to be on the lookout and try to not to end up as collateral damage. Tucker is certainly just the first target on their revenge tour.
I'm assuming that the Abbotts are the next target(s), and Victor will use Glissade as competition for Jabot in the cosmetics industry. Maybe he will even fold it into the Newman Enterprises established brand, Brash & Sassy. Whatever the intention for Glissade, it is clear that the Jack and Victor feud is back on after all the years of ceasefire and niceties between the two moguls -- and I'm here for it!
Victor's plans for Kyle and Diane are a bit trickier, and I haven't quite figured out how they became pawns in this chess game. Sure, I get the obvious connection that they are Jack's son and wife, but I doubt it is that simple. Victor has tasked Cole with befriending Kyle, and he has tasked Michael with spending more time with Diane. But to what end? Hopefully, Cole doesn't put the nail in the coffin of his budding relationship with Victoria by getting mixed up in her father's schemes.
Poor Cole really is stuck between a rock and a hard place. He wants to get back on Victor's good side but has misgivings about why Victor wants him to befriend Kyle (and rightly so). I don't think Victor will have him do anything too serious, though, because he seems to genuinely like Kyle. I believe he was sincere when he said there will always be a place for Kyle at Newman Enterprises if Kyle ever wants to work there again. Is Victor just mentioning this to Kyle because he wants to put Jabot out of business, and he assumes Kyle will need a place to work? Or is he simply just trying to further splinter Kyle's relationship with his parents and get another jab in at Jack by getting his son to come work for him again?
Victor won't have his work cut out for him, though, because the Abbotts may self-implode before Victor has a chance to blow them up on his own! Kyle and Diane are still feuding about their respective roles in the company, and, while I get their issues to a certain extent and think there are some valid arguments being said by both parties, it's all a little ridiculous to me. I wouldn't think that their mother and son relationship would have ever been threatened by business dealings. Kyle does seem to be overstepping, though, and I think he is defensive about it because he knows that his intentions aren't really fair to his mother. All I know is that they are both involved in other much more interesting storylines, and I wish those were the focus instead of this contrived rivalry between the two of them at Jabot.
Diane is certainly busy enough fending off Newmans, so she doesn't need to be splitting her attention with worry about her own son. The scenes between her and Nikki were great fun to watch as they politely tore into one another while having a chat at Society. I love seeing these two spar!
As for Diane and Victor, I'm very curious to see what he has in store for her and why he is tasking Michael with spending more time with her. To what end, I wonder? Unlike Kyle and Cole, Michael and Diane are already friends, so Michael doesn't really need to do much (yet) that he wouldn't already be doing, which is to spend time with his friend. Victor does not have the same soft spot for Diane that he does for Kyle, though, so I don't think his plans for her will be quite so tame as his potential plans for Kyle.
And, of course, Victor wouldn't be Victor if he wasn't meddling in his children's lives and shaking things up within his own family, as well as within Newman Enterprises, so it is no surprise that he's causing tension there, too. I'm very intrigued as to how his attempt at shuffling around his children's responsibilities and job titles will play into the larger scheme he has cooking with Audra and Glissade. We know he is moving Adam back into his CEO position at Newman Media so that he can have someone as ruthless as he is in charge when he goes after Jabot and his other enemies, but I'm still a little baffled by that. Sure, bad press isn't great, but beyond that, it's hard to see how Newman Media with Adam at the helm could possibly bring much ammo to Victor's war between cosmetics companies. Knowing Victor, it's sure to turn into a big mess for everyone involved.
I just really hope that Y&R can stick the landing this time around and that these storylines that are kicking into high gear for the summer will actually have a decent payoff. They need to stop cutting the meat out of the story and walking away from plots just as soon as they start to get interesting. We as viewers want the satisfaction that comes with having followed a storyline to its conclusion, and Y&R has not been great at delivering that lately. We want to feel something -- even if it hurts! It's just like Audra said to Tucker this past week in regard to the cold dish of revenge she was serving him, "I hope it hurts like hell" -- and I truly do. Bring on the war games!
Well, that's nearly all from me for this week, but I'll leave you with just a few random thoughts I had about some of the other storylines and characters showcased this past week:
I'm thoroughly enjoying seeing Summer continue to be open-minded about giving others a second chance. It's great that she gave the approval for Chloe to come and work at Marchetti with Sally!
Why does Billy think that Lily would turn against Devon and shut him out of the company? And why do we have to keep hearing the same argument between them about it? Make it stop!
LOVED the scenes with Claire and Mariah this week! What a great use of history to have them bond over their similarly tragic childhoods. Mariah wasn't the only one who saw a spark between Kyle and Claire!
Cole and Victoria are cute. Maybe too cute? Jury is still out, but I think I like them together.
I love seeing Tessa and Mariah, but it's time they stopped just being props in other people's storylines. Maybe we could see Mariah and Sharon working together for once? I miss seeing Mariah mixed up in the business world, and she and Sharon have both been MIA for too long.
Those are the last of my thoughts on Y&R from this past week. What are some of yours? Don't forget to hit the Comments (here on the site and on social media posts throughout the week) to share your opinions, too!
Until next time,
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