Expecting a Five-Star Experience but Ending up in a Shed: Abby’s Honeymoon Nightmare Was a Metaphor for Young & Restless’ November Sweeps
November 30 - December 4
Credit: CBS screenshot
Things seemed to be popping on Young & Restless. Elena cheated on Devon and we all thought, “Here we go! Finally!” But the only scandal at this point is how boring and low-key it’s become again. It feels as though the writers have lost touch with what viewers want to see altogether.
November Sweeps
*November sweeps was a non-event on Young & Restless unless you count Nina and Jill returning for the wedding and to mark the show’s impressive 12,000 episode. Sure, there was a shooting, but no one really believed Chance was going to die, and many wouldn’t have cared if he did. Similarly, most were so wrung out from the exhaustive focus on Adam that someone trying to kill him garnered little more than a collective shoulder shrug — at least we got to speculate on the whodunit. Adam didn’t seem to care that someone had it in for him, so why should viewers? There was no high-stakes drama involved in sweeps and the focus was on repetitive scenarios fans have been bored with since January. Sister soap Bold & Beautiful struggled as well, aside from Matthew Atkinson’s brilliant performances as Thomas, but not on the same level as Young and Restless and for different reasons.
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Everything Wedding-Related
*In the scenes where Chance was trying to talk Abby out of the washroom when she had cold feet I felt like they had Justin Gaston doing a southern accent — presumably to sound more like Donny Boaz. I don’t know if it was intentional, but pondering whether the powers that be were actually encouraging the drawl took me right out of the scene. Otherwise, he’s a fantastic fit as Chance; it occurred to me when they were talking about Phillip not being able to make it to the wedding that he looks the part as well.
*Before the wedding, Ashley told Abby she was the best of the Abbotts and Newmans and a bridge between the two families. That may be, but I still wish she was the force of nature she hasn’t been since her Naked Heiress days… which she now apparently regrets.
*Many of the scenes before and during the wedding were low key to the point of coma-inducing. What is a gathering like this without some drama? We had a brief flash of it when Jill found out about Billy, that’s it. Even Nina and Victoria made nice, which was a lost opportunity bordering on the tragic. Watch the very grainy but amazing video clip below courtesy of Gregory Lewis, which explains their past animosity and also perfectly illustrates how interpersonal drama should be done on a soap:
— Gregory Lewis (@Gregpuna) December 3, 2020
*There were notable guests missing from the wedding, but I’m assuming the numbers were limited due to the testing required for the actors to be in close proximity. I wondered where they stashed Kevin, Chloe, and their children for the big day. Too funny. If you missed it, see Abby and Chance’s wedding gallery.
*Why were Nina, Jack, and Ashley et al sitting around trying to figure out where Abby and Chance would live when they got back from their honeymoon? Even worse is how they assumed they’d have to move in with other people. So weird!
Why do these rich people always act like there’s a housing shortage in Genoa City? Abby and Chance shouldn’t have a problem finding somewhere to live. 🙄 #YR @YandR_CBS
— Wayne Pittman, Jr. 🌊 🌊🐐💪🏿🙋🏿♂️ (@Sony12Play) December 3, 2020
*As expected, I loved, loved, loved the veteran characters gathering at the wedding and engaging in some fabulous flashbacks. The montage of throwback weddings that ran while Traci sang an updated version of “Nadia’s Theme” was easily my favorite part of the whole shebang. The parents in the crowd looking back on the passing of time since their adult children were small was also sweet. Nina’s box of messages for the bride and groom was a fun bit, and references to Katherine are always appreciated and emotional — Jack hanging back to gaze up at her portrait and leave a note was a nice touch.
That ending on #YR with all the old guard toasting the future. 😭
— Roslyn 🌲🐿🍱🧺 (@calirozzy) December 2, 2020
*The honeymoon suite debacle would have been a nice bit of comic relief amid the drama — if there was any drama — but much of the dialogue they gave Abby and Chance remained cringey. Real people, even gushy newlyweds, don’t sound like they’re reading from greeting cards.
Everything Else
*Other than some hints about Devon finding love, which I suspect may be with Amanda, we saw nothing more on them or Elena and Nate this week. Hoping for more in the days ahead.
*I think Billy and Lily make a hot couple and was glad we finally got to see them in a bedroom scenario, but there’s something missing. It may be the social distancing effect and it may be that there’s no real depth to their story; it’s a bunch of conversations strung together.
*Sally being written as a pushy jerk doesn’t work for me. As feared, she seems to be getting the same treatment the writers gave Theo — an outsider with a chip on their shoulder. She’s been to the school of hard knocks but her appeal is that she’s sweet underneath it all and just wants a break — that should always shine through.
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*Kyle and Summer are back together and are also back to acting like two old fogeys. I don’t get it. It’s not soapy, it’s boring. And where’s Lola? What are they going to do with her?
*The writing for Adam is a mess and the flip-flopping back and forth between declaring love for both Chelsea and Sharon is deadening the appeal of both pairings. What was even the point of him being committed? It’s like different people are writing this story from week to week.
This is just my opinion. Feel free to join the conversation below.
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