Restless Rant
Week of August 30 – September 3:

It was a decent week of The Young and the Restless. Happily, there was nothing downright torturously dull to sit through, but on the other hand, there was nothing utterly fantastic either. Let’s take a look-see:

House! Marriage! Kids!
Fasten your seatbelts, Soaps.com readers, Billy and Victoria’s relationship has gone into warp speed – and it’s bound to be a bumpy ride! I must admit to being stumped at the writers’ choices with this couple. They’ve been over-selling them, have dumbed them down, and now have crammed all their special relationship milestones into the space of one week! I wish the writers had let this couple evolve more organically – remember the natural chemistry between them when she took him home on New Year’s Eve? That, interspersed with comedic moments, might have been preferable to a full-blown comedy skit. I certainly enjoy some of their scenes, but what I’ve noticed is that many of the best scenes have actually been between Billy and Victor! Frankly, it makes me wonder if the ‘Victor factor’ is the writers’ true focus here. Speaking of which…

Goings on at The Ranch.
I don’t understand many of the ‘goings on at the Ranch’ this week. Why is a grown woman like Victoria showing up seeking parental approval for her choices? Why is Victor acting like this is the first time Victoria has chosen a love interest he hates? Old news! He didn’t like Ryan McNeil and he despised Brad Carlton, and Vikki married them both regardless – so why the big kerfuffle over Billy? (Maybe because the Billy/Victor interaction is so good?) How does Nikki not know she’s being given alcohol? Sure, vodka might be tasteless and odorless, but she sure wouldn’t be able to mistake that warm, buzzy sensation you get after you take a drink! Some, I know, are looking forward to the fun that is tipsy Nikki, but I remember her drunken scenes in Mexico as being annoying, so I’m ‘waiting to see’. On another note, we now know Meggie’s motivation – she wants Victor and the high life – this makes it kinda’ fun!

Done Playing Victim!
I’m loving Ashley being back to herself. Of course, she’s currently being duped by her brother, lover, and daughter, but, hey, at least she has declared herself to Adam and Skye. I can’t wait to see her take her revenge on Adam!

Real Homewreckers of Genoa City.
Really? An odd choice for Phyllis, I must say. Considering the less-than-ideal circumstances under which she originally hooked up with Nick, this might have been a concept to avoid, but here we are. Again, I think the writers may be slightly over-selling the ‘Phyllis returning to her old self’ idea, especially considering she calmly made the decision to leave Nick under her own steam, and has been written to have evolved somewhat from her days as the town pariah. Ah, well, anything that keeps her running to Deacon is okay by me. I liked the catty spa scenes after everyone read Phyllis’s blog – it was something different and sort of fun! I also liked her exchange with Sharon in the park – they play so well off each other! I’m taking bets that Sharon isn’t quite so calm when she confronts Nick about macking on a blonde in Jimmy’s…