Can't help but feel.

Restless Rant for July 6 – 10:

As we gear up for the Adam reveal promised in the weekly spoiler video, things were feeling a little more promising with “Y&R,” although some storylines we can’t wait to see move forward. Thoughts:

I am relaxed.
So, Nikki was drunk to the point of alcohol poisoning, but was able to hide it so well that Neil didn’t even realize she’d been drinking at first? Hmm. Neil climbing on top of her when she passed out was pretty dramatic – almost giggled. It all led to Neil’s run-in with Victor, during which Neil proclaimed, “She’s leaning on me now.” I’d like to say this was a gritty and exciting display, but the truth is it just seems Neil is being foolish again. His history with Victor notwithstanding, no one in their right mind would get in the middle of Nikki and Victor’s dysfunctional marriage.

Hired a tube of lipgloss.
There were some truly entertaining scenes and one-liners surrounding Adam making Abby C.O.O., but as a woman, it was disappointing to see her diminished during a business meeting by repeatedly asking the man suggestively for a ride in his big rig. Really? There are many viewers who find the current regime’s writing for women questionable and this was definitely suspect. In any case, it’s been a bonus for the show to have the Abbotts and Newmans going at it in a business setting again, even if the younger generation frequently comes off like a bunch of bickering idiots. How ironic that they concocted a plan to distract ‘Gabriel’ by appearing to be at odds, when it’s their natural state anyway – even among members of the same family. Ack. The best thing about Nick returning to Newman was his conversation about it with Sharon, someone who knows how much he loathed the Newman Enterprises scene. Victor sure knows how to push Nick’s buttons – especially the one marked ‘ego’.

Phyllis tearfully tells Jack how much she loves him.
Please wake Jack from this coma, get this doppelganger crap sorted, and free Phyllis. As touched upon in last week’s Deconstructing Y&R, Phyllis is a crazy, sexy, quirky character who is being wasted weeping at Jack’s bedside. They don’t seem to know or understand the character and only write her as tearful and/or angry. Enough is enough. Phyllis is not a tragic/romantic heroine, Jack is too doting to have ever held her interest for long, and hospital bedside scenes are tedious. Time to move on.

Building a bridge.
Nope. Super-sulkers Kyle and Summer still aren’t clicking with viewers. Few were impressed by man-child Kyle’s tantrum toward ‘Gabriel’ or moved by him and Summer having sex as she was mid-pout over her wedding anniversary. Neither the heat nor the angst being written for these two is coming across onscreen. Once again, time to move on.