Deconstructing Y&R: Emotional Beats Top Pointless Conversations

Credit: Image: CBS

I expressed in the last Deconstructing Y&R, hope that new plot points might finally bring some drama to Young and the Restless. While Sharon’s breast cancer storyline may well hit home emotionally, the other hopeful plots have still failed to materialize or in the case of Tessa’s secret, were resolved quickly. There’s been a modicum of improvement but watching continues to involve a lot of resisting the urge to fast-forward or doze off. I remain frustrated with how agreeable everyone has become – rivals engage in low-key sniping and love triangles involve polite pining. Couples resolve problems in a New York minute then stay loved up or calmly walk away. The plots overall are just way too tame to be soapy.

No stakes

Following Nick and Chelsea’s amicable break-up, she returned to Adam’s penthouse, where they held hands then had brunch. Adam made nice with Victor hoping to be included in family events, then called the school principal to set up a meeting which prompted Chelsea to throw her arms around him and they made love. I’ve been drawn into Chelsea and Adam’s past reconciliations due to the circumstances or storyline but that wasn’t the case this time. There was little to overcome in them getting to this point and a huge part of the problem was that it never made any sense for them not to reunite when he was discovered alive in the first place. Throwing in some trash talk from Victor and Chloe after the fact did little to up the stakes or drama.

TODAY ON #YR:
Adam & Chelsea go to a parent-teacher conference. pic.twitter.com/B6AnOMs9aQ

— Matt Hanvey (@GarbageFan98) January 9, 2020

Cut short

The idea that Tessa hadn’t disclosed a past marriage to Mariah in the ‘getting to know you’ phase was a bit of an eye-roller but I was willing to run with it for the sake of finally getting a storyline and some drama. It made for a series of excellent scenes between Tessa and Mariah in which the actresses shone, but it never got to the point of being an actual storyline as it was resolved with minimal fuss in less than a week. Once again, just as it seemed something was ‘getting good’ it didn’t end up amounting to much. I guess Tessa will be off on tour as Mariah deals with what’s happening with Sharon.

There should be more to this. Tessa has a painfully dark past. If this previous marriage has nothing to do with a terrible, dark secret, then why wouldn’t she have mentioned it? Josh, this was your opportunity to delve deeper. This is so unbelievably boring. #YR

— I Stay77 (@IStay77) January 3, 2020

Emotional journey

I thought the scenes showing Sharon’s distractedness, anxiety, and fear surrounding her doctor’s appointment were done very effectively, not only in her expressions but in the nuances such as the buzzy feeling in her head as the doctor was speaking and the exaggerated ticking of the clock. Obviously, this will should bring big emotional drama for viewers and I look forward to seeing how it plays out and involves the other characters. Fingers crossed it will be done right.

More: Watch Sharon Case’s PSA for breast cancer

Things that should be hot are not

The dragging on of the stuff with Kyle, Summer, Lola, and Theo is just killing any interest I had in this quadrangle. This should be one of the hottest stories going right now and is just ‘same old, same old’ week after week. The plot surrounding Billy is ridiculous, and Amanda, who should have been at the center of another front burner storyline has been pulled down into that mire. The powers that be brought back Michelle Stafford as Phyllis, Mishael Morgan as Amanda, and recast Adam and Chance, and have yet to do anything truly significant with any of them. I do like the burgeoning friendship between Amanda and Phyllis, and Phyllis manipulating Abby so she could move in on Chance was fun. I usually love the banter between Nick and Phyllis but their long-winded conversation at Society this week became boring as so many have lately. Across the board, there has been so much talk and so little in the way of soapy action; it’s just not enough to appease anymore, even when it’s characters we like.

This is just my opinion. Feel free to share your thoughts using the comment section.