Does The Young and the Restless’ Phyllis deserve Summer’s forgiveness?

Phyllis Summers pulled off the unthinkable on The Young and the Restless. After years of battling, Phyllis finally bested the great Victor Newman at his own game, and she and Cane have officially seized complete control of Newman Enterprises. However, instead of basking in the glory of her victory, Phyllis has dealt with everyone, specifically Nick, using her' relationship with Summer to get her to return when she stole. Now, Summer refuses to speak to her mother, despite Phyllis's attempts to reach out. Phyllis desperately wants her daughter to forgive her for her actions, but does she deserve absolution?

Summer is no saint on The Young and the Restless

Summer doesn't have a leg to stand on in her current grievance against Phyllis. Like her mother, Summer has plotted and schemed to get what she wants, and she wasn't exactly a model citizen of Genoa City prior to her departure. Whether it's sleeping with her mother's boyfriend at the time (Billy) or hiding Phyllis from law enforcement after she faked her death to frame Diane (a move that imploded her marriage to Kyle), Summer left behind a plethora of dirty laundry before jetting off to Milan. Like mother, like daughter, and this is most certainly a case of the apple not falling far from the maternal tree.

If Victor followed through on his original deal with Phyllis, Summer arguably would've reaped some of the best benefits from that arrangement. Phyllis assuming control of Jabot would give her power over Marchetti, something she could've handed over to Summer free and clear. Had things played out in that manner, it's highly unlikely that Summer would be taking such a staunch stance against Phyllis. Victor has toppled countless companies through his rise to the top of the corporate food chain, yet nobody blinks an eye. He's meddling in all of their personal lives as well, but since that's "Victor being Victor, he gets a pass.

What has Phyllis done that is so difficult to come back from? Every member of the Newman family has wronged Phyllis at some point. She has scratched and clawed her way out of the gutter too many times to count, and everyone still looks down upon her. Everyone in Genoa City who was born with a silver spoon in their mouth, Summer included, has no idea what it's like to be treated like trash and have to work from the bottom. Phyllis shouldn't be forced to beg for scraps of forgiveness from the daughter she loves more than words.

What else does Phyllis have to do?

Aside from getting on a plane to Milan and getting down on her hands and knees, what more can Phyllis do to earn forgiveness from Summer? One phone call from Nick was all it took for Summer to write Phyllis out of her life. Phyllis has made her fair share of mistakes as a mother, but no part of what took place involving the procurement of Newman warranted this type of reaction. The more Summer drives Phyllis away at Nick and company's urging, the more infuriating the entire thing becomes.

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Phyllis could somehow convince Cane to reverse course and give everything back to Victor, restoring peace to the Newman family. However, what would that change? Summer has already made herself quite clear, and Phyllis having a change of heart probably wouldn't do much to change that. The damage is done. It feels irreversible at this point due to the high-stakes nature. Does Phyllis deserve Summer's forgiveness? Absolutely. Will she get it? It's not looking very likely.

Catch all-new episodes of The Young and the Restless weekdays on CBS and Paramount Plus.

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