The Young and the Restless Performer of the Week: Joshua Morrow as Nick Newman

The Young and the Restless has thrown veteran actor Joshua Morrow into a complex storyline. His character, Nick Newman, is not only battling a growing addiction to pain pills, but he's also determined to bring down Matt Clark, the man who's been his nemesis for over three decades.

The Young and the Restless, Performer of the Week, Joshua Morrow

Nick is having nightmares on Y&R | Image: CBS

Nick's always been a caretaker of others. He protected Sharon (Sharon Case) from Matt (Roger Howarth) back when they were teenagers. Later, he adopted Cassie (Camryn Grimes), raising her and loving her as if she were his own daughter. Loyal to his parents, Victor (Eric Braeden) and Nikki (Melody Thomas Scott), something that's not always easy when the two have been at odds, Nick's a good son.

He's also one of the few people who gave Phyllis (Michelle Stafford) chance after chance (until recently). Nick's just that kind of guy. That's why it's logical that he's trying to keep his loved ones from knowing about his growing pill addiction.

Apparently, addicts can be quite good at hiding their pain and their addiction. So, that's why we'll see Nick struggling on some days and on others, he'll appear like his old self.

This past week, we saw Nick having a nightmare. His brother, Adam (Mark Grossman), helped wake him up. "I'm fine," Nick lied to Adam, telling him that he'd had a scary dream that he was battling Matt Clark. "He was winning," Nick lamented. "He was holding me down. I couldn't breathe."

Morrow, a real-life dad to four, has always shone in stories involving Nick's children. Nick's grief over Cassie's death was painful to watch, and her passing resulted in the end of his marriage to Sharon. (Where was his Daytime Emmy nomination?)

The actor also stood out when Victor decided that he needed to take custody of Adam's biological son, Christian, whom Nick was raising. Nick clearly loved (and loves) that little boy, and he was sick to his stomach that Christian's delicate routine was being disrupted.

Morrow's a Y&R all-star

Nick may find a semi-unlikely ally in his brother, Adam, on The Young and the Restless | Image: CBS

Clearly, Nick's kids don't have to be in peril for Morrow to shine. The pill addiction storyline and the threat of Matt Clark are providing tons of gasoline to fuel Morrow's acting engine.

We're seeing a man on the edge, trying desperately to beat his demons -- both in the form of pills and Matt Clark. He's lying to his family and other loved ones as he tries to keep it all together.

Actors excel when they have a scene partner, but Morrow is so incredibly watchable when we see Nick alone, as he acts fidgety, or he's in pain, or he's fighting the urge to take yet another tablet. The actor's handing out tour de forces like they were, well, pills.