The Young and the Restless: Five things we're happy about

Even though many of The Young and the Restless storylines have been dragging on for the past year or so, we're happy to see that some changes have taken place recently. Here are five things we're happy about.

Mariah's downward spiral is over (hopefully) on The Young and the Restless

Mariah is finally getting the help she needs on The Young and the Restless | Image: CBS

Many fans of The Young and the Restless were growing weary of Mariah's (Camryn Grimes) long-winded storyline that lasted for what felt like an eternity. Thankfully, though, it has finally come to an end. Even though she isn't going to prison for kidnapping Dominic (Ethan Ray Clark), at least she will receive treatment in a mental health facility. Let's just hope that the treatment there is better than it was at the Boston clinic.

Mariah is also in a more positive place with Tessa (Cait Fairbanks) now. She has finally agreed to accept Tessa's support and is no longer pushing her away. Hopefully, that will give Tessa some relief and peace of mind going forward.

Billy is finally making amends with Jill

Billy is in a good place now on The Young and the Restless | Image: CBS

Billy (Jason Thompson) has been estranged from his mother, Jill (Jess Walton), ever since she sold Chancellor Industries to Victor a few years ago. So, it's wonderful that he is finally ready to reconcile with her, despite recently losing Chancellor Industries for the second time. Thankfully, he isn't acting bitter about that. He's doing the opposite and accepting the fact that the company is back in Victor's possession.

Is Billy's obsession with Chancellor finally over? Only time will tell. Is he only visiting Jill because her health issues have worsened? That could be part of the reason. But we know that he loves her, and we even saw him flash back to some of their past conversations a couple of months ago. We believe that their reunion will give him the peace and healing that he has needed for so long.

Kyle put Claire in her place (or tried to)

Kyle wasn't afraid to tell Claire what he thought of her on The Young and the Restless | Image: CBS

Y&R's Kyle (Michael Mealor) has been taking a bolder stand with Claire these past few months, and we're thrilled to see this stronger Kyle emerge. During the Christmas holidays, he told her he was done trying to win her back, which left her stunned. We did a happy dance then, and we're doing another one after what he told her in Tuesday's episode.

When he told her that Victor (Eric Braeden) had kidnapped Jack (Peter Bergman), Claire should have been furious with Victor. Unfortunately, even though she admitted that Victor was wrong, she blamed Jack for his marital problems with Diane (Susan Walters). While Kyle oddly left out the fact that Jack was drugged before he had sex with Patty (Stacy Haiduk), he did hit Claire with a stinging remark, telling her, "You're just another Newman, steadfast in your loyalty, no matter the cost."

Right on, Kyle! We are so glad that he isn't letting his love for Claire prevent him from giving her hard truths. Why is it so hard for her to understand that she hasn't even known her grandfather, Victor, for very long -- which means that she doesn't know him very well? She doesn't know how underhanded and ruthless he can be. We hope that Kyle continues on this strong path in his interactions with Claire. She needs to hear the unvarnished truth about Victor and herself.

Adam has a new storyline playing his alter ego, Spider

Adam as his alter ego, Spider, on The Young and the Restless | Image: CBS

Some Y&R fans were getting bored watching Adam (Mark Grossman) act as Victor's "lap dog." They wanted him in a new storyline, and now, their wish has been granted. Adam is in Las Vegas, slipping back into his role as Spider. This is the dark side of Adam that he left behind years ago when he moved back to Genoa City and was finally accepted by the other Newmans.

As Spider, Adam was a card shark who was involved with Riza (Tina Casciani), the woman who ran an underground poker ring. This time, though, Adam is only pretending to be Spider, as a way of helping Nick (Joshua Morrow) track down Matt Clark (Roger Howarth).

We weren't sure where Adam was going for a while. He was living a happy and domesticated life with Chelsea (Melissa Claire Egan) and their son, Connor (Judah Mackey). While it's been nice to see Adam embrace the role of a family man, fans wanted to see his old fire emerge. Maybe now that he's acting as Spider, we will finally see the edgy side of Adam reappear.

Phyllis still owns Newman Enterprises and Newman Media

Phyllis loves being in charge of Victor's empire on The Young and the Restless | Image: CBS

While Phyllis (Michelle Stafford) was absolutely wrong to steal Victor's empire, he needs to know what it feels like to lose every once in a while. He has spent his entire career as a manipulating and conniving businessman who has no regard for the welfare of others, unless their last name is Newman.

So, if Phyllis manages to hang on to Newman Enterprises and Newman Media for another month or two, then good for her! Her children, Summer (Allison Lanier) and Daniel (Michael Graziadei), always come around to forgiving her. King Victor will be huffing and puffing in frustration, but let's see him and the other Newmans sweat it out for a little while longer. We know he will regain his empire. It's only a matter of time. As long as he doesn't kidnap anyone else, then we're happy. In the meantime, Phyllis should enjoy her victory, as well as her portrait on the wall of what used to be Victor's office!

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