One Wedding and No Funerals: The Young and the Restless Two Scoops for the Week of October 19

The wedding of Sally Spectra and Billy Abbott on The Young and the Restless gave us all the feels. It had everything you’d want in a soap opera wedding. A bride and groom with rooting value. Check. Appearances from beloved family members. Double check. Surprises – like the bride going into labor during the reception? Triple check!

With This Ring

Sally, the minister, and Billy | Image: JPI

Sally (Courtney Hope) has stood by Billy through thick and thin! Our gal Sal has been overdue for a happy ending since she’d gotten dumped by Wyatt (Darin Brooks) and Thomas Forrester (then, Pierson Fode; now, Matthew Atkinson) during her days on The Bold and the Beautiful.

A little sass from “Grams” AKA Shirley Spectra (Patrika Darbo) was light and fun, and just the level of “conflict” that was needed. Sally and Billy’s ceremony didn’t need any interruptions from mysterious secret past loves or anything scandalous. Sometimes, happy wedding days need to be just that, and that’s what viewers got.

Veteran Y&R fans will always miss the Colonnade Room, but the Genoa City Athletic Club is a worthy successor. The lobby and main dining room were converted into the area where the ceremony was held, and the Neil Winters jazz lounge in the basement was the perfect spot for the reception. Kudos to costume designer Mandi Line for creating the “Great Gatsby” fashion-themed gala. The outfits, gowns, dresses, jackets, etc., worn by the guests were unique, colorful, and just plain perfect for Billy and Sally’s special day.

Soaps need conflict, though, and Billy and Sally’s wedding had plenty of that! The biggest one, of course, was Billy learning from his Uncle Snapper that his mother, Jill (Jess Walton), had had a heart attack!

This news kept Billy occupied when Sally went into labor in her hotel room. There were a few false labor moments leading up to the wedding. We wondered if this would be another one or if the baby would finally arrive! It was fitting that Adam (Mark Grossman) delivered the baby. This wasn’t just any baby. It was Sally and Billy’s child.

Adam and Sally lost a baby, a daughter, years ago. Adam also accidentally took the life of Billy’s daughter, Delia. Fate or some higher power, or perhaps just dumb luck, placed Adam in Sally’s path when she needed someone the most.

Adam’s phone battery dying and the phone in Sally’s room not working were a bit much, however. Couldn’t Adam have sprinted down the hallway and to the top of the stairs and screamed at the top of his lungs for help, and then darted back to Sally’s side in between contractions! After all, they were in the GCAC, not some remote, abandoned area!

Members of the Wedding

Audra, Coco, Billy, and Jack | Image: CBS

It was great seeing Ashley (Eileen Davidson) back for the wedding and the festivities, leading up to it. Ashley hasn’t been in town all that much lately. It only made sense that Ashley would have some thoughts on Sally, given that she received some intel from sources from her time in Los Angeles, where she worked for the Forresters.

And wasn’t it touching when Ashley, having witnessed Billy and Sally exchange vows, came around to what a great gal our gal Sal is? Ashley accepting Sally into the clan was one of the many emotional moments from last week.

Other highlights were Cane (Billy Flynn) asking Traci (Beth Maitland) to dance, Lily leaning on surrogate mother Traci (Beth Maitland), and Sally, who would have been totally justified in asking Billy to stay by her side as their daughter had just been born, telling her groom to go to London to be with his mother.

Speaking of Traci, she and Ashley talked about their history with Jill. Their father, John, wed Jill not once, but twice. Ashley and Traci had many battles with Jill over the years.

Lily's receiving the news that her cancer had not returned was the best gift of the week, and it wouldn't be the only good health news that came along!

Soaps are a genre about women, mostly, but it was nice to see a focus put on the men on the show, as Victor (Eric Braeden) and Nick emotionally supported Adam, who had been put through the wringer as he delivered baby Ruby.

Labor Day

Sally may have gone into labor, but the rest of the week on Y&R was noticeably business-free. Yes, Phyllis talked about her company, Arabesque, and how big it was going to be. What Arabesque does, well, we really don’t know, do we? We’ve addressed in the past that we’re not truly sure what Arabesque and other companies do. It’s great that Phyllis is going to use her new company and her ownership of the GCAC to re-establish herself as a power player in Genoa City.

She gloated to Kyle and Vicki that the Arabesque launch party would be the party of the year. “You two should find a date and come, get all joshed up. It’s going to be the best part of the year!” Phyllis said. Was Phyllis making a dig when she suggested that the two find a date? Does Phyllis know about these two? Stafford played that beat with a hint of mystery.

Mariah, the Voice of Reason in Genoa City

Mariah doesn't want Sharon near Matt Clark | Image: CBS

Fortunately, Camryn Grimes brings a caustic edge to her character, Mariah. Sometimes a little sarcasm is called for in some surreal situations. When Mariah learned that her mother, Sharon (Sharon Case), was entertaining helping Matt Clark (Roger Howarth), the man who raped her, Mariah lost it, rightfully so!

Mariah quipped that since Matt snuck into Sharon’s care to get onto the ranch, it’s like he wants to be tazed! Or worse! Told that Matt went to rehab for his mental health, Mariah, who’d been in and out of institutions over the last several months (at least), quipped, “I hope he didn’t go to my clinic because my doctors don’t need to suffer around Matt Clark! And by the way, neither do you! I really don’t like the idea of you hanging around this guy. In fact, I hate it. A lot…how dare he ask you to be his therapist? Mom! He assaulted you. He traumatized you and a lot of other people you love. To treat him? That’s not normal, and it’s not even ethically feasible!”

Sharon presented her case. She believed that if Matt truly did want to heal and embrace a more acceptable, law-abiding persona, then he needed someone to hold him accountable. Mariah couldn’t figure out why that person had to be Sharon. Sharon believed she was the person for the job.

Cheerio!

A contingent of Y&R characters, including Billy, Cane, Lauren, Victoria, and Kyle, is headed to London; some to see Jill; others on business…and pleasure. We got some good news that Jill was out of the ICU (intensive care unit). Will we get to see Jill – or even “Uncle Snapper” – in upcoming episodes? Fans would love nothing more!