Bring on Faith’s Downward Spiral But Dial Back the ‘Chabby’ — Plus It’s High Time Phyllis Returned to Scheming

Credit: Howard Wise/JPI

The Young and the Restless is not necessarily hitting on all cylinders when it comes to what they’re choosing to focus heavily on, but there have been plenty of promising developments as we move further into November Sweeps. It’s still pretty middle-of-the-road for me on the whole, but others may be enjoying it quite a lot depending on favorite characters and perspectives.

Best of the week

* Phyllis finding Faith hungover was soapy goodness on a number of levels. Not only did it get Phyllis out of that damned hotel, but it has the potential to cause some complications for Nick and Phyllis (check out the Phick gallery), and some messiness between Phyllis and her nemesis, Sharon. It also, of course, means Faith’s teen rebellion is gearing up nicely. Phyllis seems to be scheming against Victoria as well, which would be amazing as it’s high time we saw her do more than snark. I can’t wait to see what happens next with both these developments.

Is Phyllis up to something? Sounds like she might not be participating in the truce. I so hope she’s up to no good. #YR

— Phyllis’ Cake 🎂🍾 Team Chadam (@sheet_cake) November 12, 2020

* I’m totally on board with No More Mr. Nice Guy Nate. Having some attitude has brought the character to life. He’s not gone the road of soapy manipulation some of us were hoping he would, but the conflict between him and Devon, and the messiness with Elena is a sign of good things to come. I’ve seen a few people calling for his mother, Olivia, to come back to further develop his side of the story and point of view, which would be ideal. If nothing else he at least needs a friend.

* The idea of Sally and Theo plotting together is positively delicious and it’s tragic that it’s not going to last. Why can’t we have nice things?! I’m looking forward to Theo gunning for the Abbotts if only because they have something coming for the way they treated him (though I hold out very little hope he will prevail), and to Sally scheming to get Jabot Collective. Now that her agenda is revealed it looks like it will pit her against Summer.

Worst of the week

* What did we do to deserve Abby and Chance on the front-burner? They’re ideal for a little dose of romantic love in the afternoon, but there have been no hurdles for their relationship to overcome and their dialogue sounds like they’re reading from greeting cards. The shooting added a touch of drama, but aside from that it’s pretty bland stuff to have front and center when there are numerous vets lacking a big story… or any story at all in some cases. Additionally, despite throwing Chance in scenes with Jill, it’s been tough to reconcile this version of him with that of the Chancellor heir — he’s more like generic cop/hero guy. The historic wedding between a Newman and a Chancellor should have us way more in our feels than it does. Maybe Nina’s return will help.

* Mariah’s become the soap equivalent of a bartender, listening to everyone’s problems, with no story or life of her own. It’s not good enough for the character and unfair to fans who invested in the Teriah pairing when it seemed they were on the verge of getting engaged before production halted.

Everything else

* I want Adam’s story to be compelling but it’s at the point where I want to play whack-a-mole every time someone pops up talking about him. The Newmans want Adam out of their lives but given the writing, I’m not sure what they’d do if he was gone. I expect another Adam redemption storyline is afoot — probably involving Faith. This would be another rehash, given he saved her life before, but I’m all for it if it means we can move on and that Sharon might give him another look before marrying Rey. They really need to capitalize on the chemistry between those two at some point. The drama of kidnappings and shootings has been a much-needed addition to the mix, and it was interesting that Chelsea ratted on Adam, but you know the audience is exhausted when they’re not even discussing who tried to kill him. For the record, my money’s on Alyssa.

* I was super happy to see more of Michael, Lauren, and Paul this week. It makes it feel like home. Dare we hope that Lauren remains involved as Sally’s story evolves? Speaking of which, Sally appearing at Jabot looking for Kyle was definitely a hint of an impending Summer/Kyle/Sally triangle. I suspect Kyle and Summer’s somewhat contrived arguments were aimed at keeping them apart until Sally’s arrival, so let’s hope the writers get the party started here, and by party, I don’t mean recycling the Summer/Kyle/Lola scripts.

* A few thought it odd that Lily would push Devon in Amanda’s direction, but I think it makes sense given the regrets she has where Hilary’s concerned. She’s also justifiably angry with Elena right now. Much like her conversation with Devon, Lily’s chat with Sharon came over as very natural as opposed to a PSA. It was a nod to Lily’s history, and a nice friendship moment, I only wish it had happened sooner. Meanwhile, Billy and Lily’s burgeoning romance hit a roadblock as they bickered about his beeline to the hospital to get the goods on Adam. Will Lily have second thoughts? Probably. Will Amanda take a second (or third) look at Billy after noticing him and Lily flirting? Maybe. Amilly and Lilliam fans were battling it out this week:

Yes #Amilly had such a good build up and slow burn. With all that chemistry I hope it is revisited again soon. They definitely have some unfinished business. #YR

— Patrice99_💜💕 (@natalie_patrice) November 10, 2020

I love Lily and Billy together. They have amazing chemistry, both actors love working together and it shows onscreen, they have history. HELL YES, give me all the #Lilliam feels. The Amilly train has left the station and isn’t coming back.

— 🌨 (@sippinggummy) November 12, 2020

In related commentary, Amanda’s past is taking forever to be revealed, but will hopefully be worth the wait.

This is just my opinion. Feel free to join the conversation below.

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