The Young and the Restless Weekly Blog!
Restless Rant
Week of March 30 – April 3:
After the rather disappointing start to the week on The Young and the Restless, the episodes of the past couple of days brought a sigh of relief! Vintage Y&R if I’ve ever seen it! Some will say they don’t want any repeat of what’s been done in the past, but I say that’s exactly what the writers should be doing – so long as they are emulating the elements that have always made the show so fabulous! The bickery rehearsal dinner at the Abbott’s house, and the emotion-laden scenes that led to the cake fight were right on the money – bravo!
Amber/Kevin: Even with the stellar acting on the part of Greg Rikaart (Kevin), the scenes between Kevin and Amber have simply become painfully repetitive, and increasingly unbelievable – unfortunately making them prime candidates for ‘fast-forwarding’! The scene with Michael going ballistic on the detective in the bank was great (Christian LeBlanc’s frustration and intensity was awesome), as was the bone-chilling return of Terrible Tom – since Roscoe Born simply rocks – but other than that, this storyline needs a rapid wrap-up.
Adam/Ashley/Victor/Abby: What’s going on in the House of the Moustache? It appears as though Adam is plotting to not only cause Ashley another nervous breakdown, but that he is also attempting to diet and exercise his way out of the ankle-bracelet! This boy is seriously creeping me out – hiding behind walls, lurking in stairwells, and planting seeds of doubt in his clueless younger sister’s brain…yick! I was hoping for some really honest emotional scenes with Adam and Victor as a means to redeeming this character somewhat, but I have an uneasy feeling that Adam’s going down a sinister path again – not really a surprise with the current writing regime, who obviously have a fan of the ‘darkside’ among them!
Cane/Lily: I’m growing tired of the excuses being invented to keep this pair apart. If they are truly soulmates, so desperately in love, they never would have come to the conclusion that Cane should marry Chloe, and now, when they have a second chance, they decide that since Cane is ‘committed’ to fighting for a baby that isn’t even his, they will put things on hold again?! I’m finding this bizarre and unrealistic – real couples do not let much of anything get in their way – women do not hand their man over, or walk away from him quite so righteously! Here’s hoping that Lily goes berserk when she hears about Neil and Tyra (if we ever see them again) and decides to throw caution to the wind in her own life. Don’t get me wrong – I agree with her standing up to Cane about how insane his choices are right now, but I’d also like to see her get on another level and mix it up a bit more – she could have really surprised us all by being way more intense with Cane and insisting that he drop the custody suit. She always rises up, but then tempers it with ‘understanding’ – let’s change things up!
Sharon: Speaking of changing things up – the writers have certainly done that with this character! While I love the new ‘attitude’ she’s sporting, that’s the only good news. The ‘bed-partner-go-round’ is bizarre for the character and remains unexplained – the writers had begun to lead us into an interesting tale of past emotional trauma with mother, Doris, but now we haven’t seen her in weeks – I get that Sharon’s looking to fill a void, but the question remains – why she is trying to fill that void with stealing, sex, and men – help us out here, writers! Great scenes between Sharon and Noah (that Kevin Schmidt can act!), and between Sharon and Phyllis (such a great rivalry) this week!
Phyllis/Nick: As with Amber and Kevin, I’m over the repetition. I don’t want to hear the same recycled arguments about Sharon, and trust, week in and week out. Move it along!
Noah/Eden: I officially like these two together, and I hope they run away together – I certainly would in their shoes – what ridiculous families they have!
Katherine/Brock: Loved their reunion - so perfect that Brock would know it was his mother right away, and not an impostor. Sweet.
Chloe/Billy: I know there are those who have deemed Chloe as the 'devil spawn' and will not be swayed, but due to the writing, and the depth that actress Liz Hendrickson brings to the role, Chloe has me rooting for her. I've never found her to be evil, although she's made some horribly selfish choices, and those who have suffered unrequited love can relate to her cloying desperation and bizarre antics, at least to some extent. Anyway, I'm hoping Billy will return her feelings at some point - did you hear those vows?! For those who dislike her - she's about to get more of an emotional butt-kicking courtesy of the return of Mackenzie, I'm sure, so enjoy!
The Rehearsal Dinner: Perfection! Let's count the ways: Chloe asking sheepish Sharon to be her matron of honor, Billy swilling champagne, Chloe barring Jill from seeing Delia - and Ashley cheering her on, Colleen's sarcastic remarks at the table, Jack's beaming toasts, and the snarking between Billy and Jill. I loved this - it rocked - and I hope to see more of this - vintage Y&R!
Before the Wedding Vows: An awkward delight! Best moments - seeing Murphy in his suit - he may dig worms for a living, but he sure cleans up good - and Sharon leaving the ceremony to be sick - great stuff!
The Results/Cake Fight: Again, what can I say, except that this is an example of the writers bringing forward intrinsic elements of The Young and the Restless that have always marked it as the best of the best! The reveal that Brock and Katherine are a match, the celebration, the mixed emotions of Jill (who is adversely affected), the lashing out, the heavy emotional drama - and the icing on the, er, cake - the catfight! Seeing Katherine and Jill go at it, just like in the past, was wildly entertaining, but it's the way the comic element offsets the serious drama to just the right degree that makes this work so perfectly! Very, very, well done! Thank you writers!!
Billy/Mackenzie: I was never a huge fan of the character Mackenzie, but that can always change with different writers and good casting - remains to be seen. The dramatic moment when Mac opened the door and came in, just after Billy had exchanged vows with Chloe in the Chancellor Mansion, was a great cliffhanger moment - especially with all of us knowing that the results are in, and they are NOT related!
Y&R has some housecleaning to do with the draggy, repetitive factors in some storylines - seems to be the way anymore - but they also get rave reviews for what they are doing right! However, still a huge beef is the missing in action stories and characters. Soaps.com can tell you that Lauren is on her way back to the screen - let's hope they write for her - she's one of the best veteran characters on the canvas. Neil's story appears again soon too - I still can't get over the fact that they has this huge plot point go down - Neil's infidelity - and then dropped the characters for weeks! There isn't a reason they could give me that would make this palatable - this delay, along with the news that Nia Peeples (Karen) has been let go, may have spoiled this potentially explosive, blockbuster storyline for the Winters family - disappointing.
Don't forget to take a moment to leave your thoughts on Y&R this week! It's fun and therapeutic! Remember that, as always, guidelines for posting apply - otherwise, let loose!
-Candace Young
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