Dearest readers, Josh Morrow is celebrating 30 years on Y&R this week, and we were treated to a trip down memory lane when Faith asked her parents to tell her the story of their grand love affair.
Nick and Sharon regaled their family with the sometimes beautiful, sometimes romantic, and sometimes violent history they share. We as viewers got to go along on a turbulent ride with the Newman family.
Nick and Sharon were completely transparent. They explained their soaring successes and fatal flaws. They spared no detail, even including jail time, fistfights, multiple affairs, death, loss, and juicy romantic details.
As a long-time viewer, I found myself enthralled revisiting all those old tender moments. I cried over Cassie dying again. I remembered how torn I was when Nick took up with Phyllis because I didn't want him to cheat on Sharon, but Nick and Phyllis were so perfect together for a while. I understood why he was drawn to her. Is there an old flame in your life you just can't quit?
Watching this tempestuous love story made me think of Miley Cyrus' song, "Used To Be Young: "I know I used to be crazy, I know I used to be fun, You say I used to be wild, That's cause I used to be young."
After the stand-alone episode for Sharon Case, I thought Y&R was going to reunite Sharon and Nick months ago. After seeing today's episode, I have the same hope. Sharon and Nick are a bit older, a little wiser, a bit more grounded, and less likely to end up in jail. Sure, we still affectionately call Nick "hothead," but even though he still gets riled up, he usually calms himself down before the cops arrive.
Side note, I know that Soap Central founder Dan J. Kroll will call me a hussy, but wowzah, did you see that scene where young Victor Newman is teaching young Nick Newman to box? Smoking. Hot. I had forgotten just how sexy young Victor Newman was. Frankly, he's still the sexiest octogenarian on TV, in my humble opinion.
But back to Josh Morrow. Nick Newman is right up there with Jack Abbott on the "stand-up guys" of Genoa City list. If Nick Newman has your back once, he will always have your back. He's still friends with all of his exes. (I am, too, so I am aware how much finesse it takes to accomplish such a feat!)
Nick is pals with Sally even though she dumped him for his brother, Adam. He's pals with Phyllis even after she faked her own death. He's still friends with Sharon even after all the things we witnessed Friday after their 30 years of on-and-off-again love. Those two crazy kids deserve a chance to live out their golden years together.
They have had each other and lost each other so many times, but never fully let go. I believe Nick and Sharon still consider each other endgame. I am waiting for the writers to write me a truly inspiring love story where two mature characters reunite after totally messing up their perfect love when they were young and stupid. Don't we all want a second chance to get things right? That's one of the reasons I write, to rewrite a better ending to all my stupid life choices.
At the end of the episode, when Nick went to Victor and Nikki to thank them, I teared up. He may have been a bit too generous in calling them the best role models in the world, but in Nick's defense, he doesn't know that Victor has a jail cell in the basement. I really enjoyed this special episode and celebrating 30 years of sweet, charming, loyal, and sometimes hothead Nick Newman.
In other fun soap news, Josh Morrow's son Crew has been cast as a SORASed Will on The Bold and the Beautiful, and his resemblance to his dad is uncanny. Will there eventually be a crossover where Will Spencer has dealings with Nick Newman? Time will tell.
Nick's sister Victoria is getting a bit of karmic payback this week. I want you to think how she has rejected Adam fiercely and completely since the day she met him, and now Katie is treating her precious Claire the way Victoria has treated Adam. I really hope someone points out her hypocrisy to her. I hope it's Katie or Johnny. How can Victoria ask her daughter Katie to accept Claire when she has never accepted Adam? Perhaps this will be the catalyst to finally convince Victoria to stop the ongoing war with her half-brother Adam.
It was a bit strange that Billy wasn't there to see his kids, but he's preoccupied trying to convince Lily to join him to rule Abbott-Chancellor. I can't decide if Lily is playing Billy or Devon. Which way is she going to land? Will she stay at Chancellor with Billy, or stay at Hamilton-Winters with Nate and Devon? I don't know, but I know the Lily I love still has a beating heart because, in spite of her rage from Daniel cheating on her, ultimately, she couldn't take Daniel to court, and the two former lovers found a compromise. I'm still a little sad that Lily and Daniel split because I love stories where two people with a complicated past find their way back together. Don't you?
I am not convinced that Daniel and Heather will last, though, because Daniel is unemployed and floundering again like he was when Heather dumped him before. Who's to say she won't pack her bags and fly away again before the end of summer? I still hope we haven't seen the end of Lily and Daniel.
I also was hoping we hadn't seen the end of Ashley and Tucker, and then, out of the blue, Trevor St. John posted he's gone from The Young and the Restless? Wait. What? How did we not even see it coming? Well, I can't speak for you, I can only say that I didn't see it coming.
When Ashley and her 17 personalities went into treatment, I thought she would emerge in a month, healed and whole, and find her way back to Tucker. But apparently, that is not to be. The way he phrased it had me puzzled... "Tuckers come and Tucker's go..."?? Does that mean Trevor is leaving and the role is being recast, or that he is on hiatus and will be back in the fall, or what? I have yet to see any official statement on his status from CBS. What do you think, dear readers? Are you sad to see Tucker go, or do you think it's a good time for him to exit?
At least Abby finally realized this week that Tucker was the only person being honest with her. When Abby got the news that her mother was in psychiatric treatment, she was blindsided. But she did hear her mother using a southern accent and flirting with people, so that should have been a clue. My mom is gone now, but I think if she showed up in a dress she would never wear, using an accent I'd never heard her speak in before, and flirting with her shrink, I would have suspected that mom was a little loopy.
I am somewhat concerned when Jack and Traci discuss Alan's guess that Ashley has had multiple personalities since childhood. I swear to you right now, if they come up with a storyline that casts John Abbott as a bad father, I will fly to L.A. and march around in the parking lot until they change it back.
Okay, I won't really do that because I'm old and poor, but it was fun to be dramatic and say it. John Abbott was a true soap hero and one of the best dads ever written on a soap opera, and if the writers insinuate that something bad happened to Ashley at John's hand, I will be exceptionally cranky.
So, if they aren't going to trash Y&R history, what trauma do you think they will cook up for Ashley? I am anxious to see how this all plays out.
At another clinic, Adam and Chelsea finally got some hopeful news about Connor. It appears his OCD treatment is finally beginning to work, and he is making progress. I am happy to see the storyline starting to turn, because the only way this is a worthwhile story to tell is if the story has a hopeful ending. The PSAs at the end of each episode mean that real people whose kids are battling OCD will be reaching out for help because they were inspired by this storyline. We need to give them hope. I was delighted to see Connor smile, invite his parents to visit, and proudly share the fears he has faced and overcome. He may still face obstacles in his journey and just keep making progress little by little.
Audra thought she had made progress. She even believed she had won Glissade free and clear... But then, Victor double-crossed her, as she should have expected. When Tucker had his heart attack, I couldn't decide if he was stalling and faking, or if losing his company, both loves of his life, and his son's respect actually did make him collapse. Audra's cruelty to him in that moment had me yelling at my TV, "What if he's not faking, Audra?" Because that would have been a very soapy storyline.
If Audra had mocked and ridiculed Tucker and then he actually died, she would have been wracked with guilt. If Trevor St. John was leaving, anyway, why not go that route? Then six months later, he could be like Diane and Phyllis and just pop up again and explain it had all been a ruse. Instead, Audra got to parade around and take her victory lap at besting Tucker.
But then she met with Victor, and that CEO job he promised her was snatched away. Victor is deep into his revenge plot against Jack for...saving his wife's life? Um, okay. Victor congratulated Audra on getting the board to vote to oust Tucker and then casually informed her that her prize, the big CEO job, had to be shared with Kyle Abbott. Kyle, of course, had no part in this, nor did he even know it was coming.
He's clearly unhappy at Jabot, working for his mom, and the tensions have increased, so I suspect he will accept Victor's offer, if only to avoid Diane. What does that do to Claire and Kyle or Nate and Audra? Will putting Kyle and Audra in close proximity to one another again rekindle their old flame, or will it be strictly business?
Adam is also about to get sucked into Victor's revenge scheme. Adam was doing so well getting along with his brother, and the two of them were making great decisions for Newman. Isn't that what Victor requested them to do? Never mind, that was before he decided to make Jack Abbott pay for, I say again, saving his wife's life...
Now Victor wants Adam's ruthless side to emerge to assist hm in vanquishing his enemy. But Victor won't tell Adam that Jack is the enemy just yet because he knows Adam loves Jack. I am intrigued to discover just what evil plans our mustachioed dark lord has up his sleeve.
Readers, I am also a little on edge over my lingering doubts. Have you ever in your life seen a soap unveil an evil twin and then kill him off in one day? I am just not 100% sure that Alan is Alan and not Martin. After all, they were identical twins. Whichever brother is there is getting pretty cozy with Traci. If he is Dr. Alan, I am all for a Traci and Alan romance. But if he ends up being Martin, he'd better leave my Traci alone.
What will happen tomorrow, dear readers? Will Grandpa Victor lock Katie in his secret bricked-up jail if she doesn't stop being snooty to Claire? Will newly hired spies Michael and Cole live up to the bargain they made with Victor, or will he double-cross them the way he does everyone else? Will Audra work with Nate and/or Kyle like Victoria used to work with Nate and have desk sex all day instead doing of actual work? Will Claire ever sign up for actual child development classes instead of just googling stuff? Will Nikki go to work at Jabot, since Victor kicked her out of Newman Media?
Only tomorrow knows, dear readers, and I will tune in tomorrow as long as there are tomorrows.
Tamilu
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