Days of Y&R and Roses, The Bad Seed Remembers She’s Bad: Two Scoops for The Young and the Restless for the Week of August 10

A year ago, several characters from Genoa City were trapped on Cane's estate on The Young and the Restless. That might be starting to look like a birthday party for some of them, given the predicaments that they're in now! Y&R revved up the drama with new tales of drama, intrigue, and (what else!) business!

Leaving Las Vegas for Genoa City

Maire and Nick reconnected at a meeting after he saved her life | Image: JPI

One of the biggest Daytime Emmy injustices was Joshua Morrow being robbed of a nod for Outstanding Lead Actor for playing Nicholas Newman when Cassie (Camryn Grimes) died in the hospital after her car crash. (Ditto, Sharon Case, who played grieving mother, Sharon.)

Viewers were reminded of Nicholas’ angst in a flashback episode dedicated to Nick last week. His life has never been the same since. Cassie’s death led to his affair and later, marriage to Phyllis (Michelle Stafford). Nick and Sharon have come close many times, but they’ve never quite managed to reconcile, despite having another daughter, Faith.

Y&R has not held back with telling the tale of Nick’s descent into addiction. He wound up in a seedy (is there any other kind in a story like this?) motel room as he hid from his family. Enter Marie Kirkland (Jade Harlow), a woman who quickly proved to be exactly what Nick needed and the last thing he needed, too, at the same time.

In addict Marie, Nick found a woman who could understand his addiction and how relapses so easily happen. Nick flushed his pills down the motel room's toilet and flushed Marie’s pills down his throat. The two got high (boy, did they truly seem out of it, too!) and then, they made love.

Marie’s heart stopped, and Nick did exactly what she had asked him not to do – he saved her. That prompted Nick to hit rock bottom and reach out to Sharon for help.

It turned out we hadn’t seen the last of Marie; she showed up at a meeting Nick went to, and later, they were able to bond further after the other attendees left.

Realistic dialogue, terrific acting and direction, and a look at a serious issue like addiction have all teamed up to deliver a gripping storyline. Bravo to everyone involved!

Nick’s loved ones have been frustrated because they’ve been unable to help him in the way they want to. Perhaps Marie will be able to continue to do what they have not been able to accomplish?

Nick’s loved ones sat around and tried to take the blame for what had happened to him. Nikki (Melody Thomas Scott) even felt guilty that her white lie to Nick about her and Victor (Eric Braeden) going back to Italy was going to worsen his condition.

It’s funny what people tell themselves when they’re trying to control what can’t be controlled.

The Bad Seed Comes Clean

Claire reminded Vicki and Nikki that she came to town with ill intentions | Image: CBS

Claire chimed in and recalled how awful she was when she worked with her aunt Jordan (Colleen Zenk) to kidnap Nikki and hook her up to a vodka IV, knowing that she was a recovering alcoholic!

Nikki assured Claire that everything was fine and that her coming back into the Newman fold was a gift! Well…except for the fact that Claire did try to kill her family. Nikki, recovering alcoholic or not, would have died with all that booze coursing through her veins!

Claire said she thinks about what she’d done all the time. Really? She does? Does she see a therapist? Does she talk to Holden (Nathan Owens) about it? Occasionally, we’ve seen Audra (Zuleyka Silver), who is Genoa City’s Queen of the Zingers, snark at Claire that she tried to kill her whole family.

Sure, it’s meant as an insult, but it’s also the truth!

How can anyone be outraged at Matt Clark (Roger Howarth) for his crimes and not be offended by Claire nearly killing her family? Okay, she believed that she’d been abandoned, but why not hire a lawyer and take the Newmans to court? Embarrass them in public?

It could have been slowly revealed that Aunt Jordan was a lying manipulator. Instead, Jordan tried to perform open-heart surgery on Nick by slicing his chest open with a knife! Claire isn’t blamed one iota. The Newmans believe that Jordan manipulated her, but Claire wasn’t an impressionable teenager. She was a grown woman, capable of doing her own research on the Newmans (Google is your friend) and learning what she needed to learn.

Nikki and Claire's other relatives downplay her wicked ways. She didn't forget to register her car, or cut curfew, or break a vase while playing ball in the house. Her actions against her family were serious. Summer (the much-missed Allison Lanier) held Claire accountable. Diane (Susan Walters) remarked to Kyle (Michael Mealor) once that they didn't know if Claire was truly reformed. Why isn't this addressed more often?

Addicted to Mommy's Approval

Billy wants Jill to think he's a good businessman | Image: JPI

The next time Nick and Marie go to a meeting for addicts, they might want to take Billy Abbott (Jason Thompson) with them. He’s a grown man with two children and another one on the way. Yet, he still needs his mommy’s approval and love, and he doesn’t feel he’s getting it. Of course, the only thing that makes sense is that Jill didn't want Billy at Chancellor because he would have learned the Abbotts owned the company due to an unpaid loan.

Transferring control of Chancellor Industries to the Abbotts seems a bit far-fetched. (A bit far?) No, it’s just far-fetched.

For starters, John Abbott (the late Jerry Douglas) wasn’t even on the canvas when Phillip Chancellor II (the late Donnelly Rhodes). Second, if there was a loan to be repaid, Katherine (the late Jeanne Cooper) would have been on top of that. Third, 30 years ago, which was about 21 years after the loan was due, Jill Foster Abbott (Jess Walton) was going through a divorce with John. They were fighting over Mamie (Veronica Redd) and custody of Billy.

If Jill knew that the Abbotts had a potential controlling interest in Chancellor Industries, Jill would have hung onto John for dear life. Jill and Katherine were the living definition of “frenemies” on daytime soaps.

In 1998, a battle royale for control of the Chancellor mansion began when Jill discovered papers from Phillip, leaving her half the estate. Kay and Jill ended up nearly killing each other as they fought in the attic of the mansion. (The rats were probably afraid of them!)

Chance (Conner Floyd) was killed off last year. Devon (Bryton James) is getting out of the business world to focus on philanthropic endeavors. Mac, Kay’s granddaughter, has never shown interest in the business.

So, while we can see why Y&R wants to put the Abbotts in charge of Chancellor, it just doesn’t track.

Part of the problem with all the business stories on Y&R is that we hardly ever see the appearance of the Newmans, Abbotts, Lily, etc., in their offices. They’re at the GCAC, Society, and Crimson Lights talking about business. There are likely hundreds of workers at Newman Enterprises (formerly Summers Conglomerate), Jabot Cosmetics, Arabesque, Winters, Inc. (formerly Hamilton Winters Group, Chancellor-Winters, and -- whew -- Mergeron Enterprises), who are constantly seeing their lives thrown into turmoil when the power players exchange companies like they’re playing Monopoly.

We don’t need to see Victoria balancing Newman Enterprises' financial records, but give us some semblance of these power players at work to make the business/power stories have stakes!

The Doctor Is In

Nate may become a doctor again with Stephanie's help | Image: JPI

The show has taken a solid step in balancing the show more carefully by having Nate (Sean Dominic) look at giving up the business world and returning to medicine. We’ll take an overnight miracle surgery to fix his injured hand so he can save someone who needs care! Imagine if Audra needed an operation and Nate was the only person who could perform it? That would get them back together, wouldn't it? Now, if Det. Burrow (Matt Cohen) joins the GCPD, then, Y&R can have a permanent lawman on the scene, too!