Credit: Sonja Flemming/CBS, Howard Wise/JPI
Young & Restless finally gave us another dose of big soapy drama, the first since Cameron Kirsten returned to town, and though Jordan’s rein of terror appeared to wrap up even more quickly than that of Sharon’s tormentor, in this case, there’s more to come. Unfortunately, the rest of the week’s offerings were dead boring aside from the horrid flashback of Tucker and Ashley fighting in Paris, which was problematic in its own way.
The Lake House
The showdown in the lake house between Jordan and Claire and the Newmans was must-see soap opera. Throwing back to the villainry of days gone by, Jordan terrorized the fam with a gleam in her eye before dropping a bomb, not only on Victoria and Cole, but on Claire, who realized that her aunt had lied to her. I keep asking for the writers to let the baddies actually be bad, so I was thrilled when Eve Howard’s twisted sister snatched a hidden knife and slashed Nick before brandishing the bloody weapon in a confrontation with Victor and Nikki. It was every bit the rollercoaster ride one would hope, with the quieter intensity and raw emotion of the revelations about Claire/Eve contrasting with the crazy higher-adrenaline scenes.
That said, it felt like the arc came a bit out of the blue and was resolved rather quickly. Claire ingratiating herself into the Newman family and business could have been stretched over months for maximum impact. There were also enough holes in the story that we could rename it Swiss cheese — how did they triple lock the doors and windows from the outside when they were inside? Why did no one break the glass in the French doors or a window to get out? The good news is that even though the big drama at the lake house has come and gone, the threat remains. Aunt Jordan, amusingly, managed to cram herself into a vent and, presumably, escape the authorities, who all but shrugged their shoulders and walked away. The end scene with her staring out at the empty house was a delicious cliffhanger.
Even if we were never to see her again, Aunt Jordan will have her revenge. It’s already set in motion as the Newman family has been upended by the ordeal. Nikki is back to battling the bottle, and the issue of Claire’s identity has Victoria rattled. Find out how the next twist in Claire’s story could change the Newman dynamics forever here.
The Comedown
After days of brilliant old school soap drama unfolding at Aunt Jordan’s lake house, the return to the mundane talk and humdrum low-stakes offerings back in Genoa City seemed extra-disappointing and slow. Sure, we got the disturbing flashback scenes of Tucker and Ashley in Paris, but the rest was mind-numbingly dull. I tried to liven it up with some speculation about Kyle’s true intentions, but it’s all so “meh”.
Mon Dieu
When Tucker McCall returned to the canvas we were hoping to see him clash with the town bigwigs and make some sinister power moves — perhaps actually take over a company. Initially, we loved to hate him as his tender side showed out when he was with Ashley or bonding with Devon and Dom. But the honeymoon has ended, literally and figuratively, and the character has devolved into an unappealing would-be villain who is all talk and no action (except when it comes to smashing glasses and tossing chairs apparently).
I don’t know where Young & Restless goes with McCall after that flashback to Paris, which managed to be both powerful (Trevor St. John’s performance) and cringe-y, but my enthusiasm for Tucker has all but disappeared. The writing here has harmed Ashley too, as I felt like I was watching a different character in those cafe scenes. For months, Ash led Tucker around by the nose, but during their argument she sat there quaking instead of getting up and walking out on the ass? It might add credence to the plot point if she were still afraid of him, but she’s clearly not. Damage is also being done to Audra, who, after emerging as a soapy vixen, is getting sucked down into this Tucker McCall vortex as well.
The opinions expressed are my own. Feel free to leave your take on Young & Restless in the comments.
Don’t miss seeing soap roles that were nearly played by other actors in the photo gallery below.
