The Young and the Restless Rehash, May 18: A case for Sharon being the one who successfully reaches Phyllis

Every day, we tune into The Young and the Restless, wondering if today is the day that Phyllis is going to wake up and do the right thing. Yes, Victor has walked all over people, but he's going to do the same to her until she gives him back his company. Y&R's May 19th episode showed us that, ironically, Sharon might be the person to get Phyllis to see the light.

The Young and the Restless, case closed

Phyllis (Michelle Stafford) and Sharon (Sharon Case) share a bond on The Young and the Restless | Image: JPI

We've seen Victor (Eric Braeden), Nick (Joshua Morrow), Michael (Christian LeBlanc), and Lauren (Tracey Bregman) all try to convince Phyllis (Michelle Stafford) that she needs to abandon deceit and do the right thing and return Summers Conglomorate er, make that Newman Enterprises, to its rightful owner.

Yes, Victor has earned the title "ruthless" when it comes to business deals over the years. But there's a difference between unethical methods and illegal business practices. Phyllis falls more into the latter category, having used an illegal AI program to wrest control of Newman Enterprises from Victor.

Now, Matt Clark (Roger Howarth) has become involved in this tale as Phyllis is using the Newman family's greatest foe (well, one of them) as a bargaining chip. If the Newmans get Christine Blair (Lauralee Bell) to drop the case against Phyllis, then Ms. Summers will deliver Matt Clark to them.

But the fiery redhead is playing with fire. Matt has amnesia, for now, but he's also got Patty Williams (Stacy Haiduk), who has her own agenda, feeding him dribs and drabs of information that could result in Matt getting his memory back!

On some level, Phyllis knows this, but it took Sharon (Sharon Case) to point this out to her. We're still getting used to the fact that these two former bitter rivals are pals now -- and it's been over a year since their kidnapping ordeal.

Breaking through

Phyllis knows that she and Sharon have been through a life-changing ordeal on Y&R | Image: JPI

Sharon didn't hesitate to remind Phyllis of what they'd been through. While Phyllis may block from her mind that Matt Clark is a danger to the Newmans, she can't forget what she went through at the hands of Martin Laurent (Christopher Cousins).

Sharon kept trying to drill into Phyllis's head that Matt proves a danger to her family (just as Martin was a danger to her and Phyllis).

The scenes between Case and Stafford were almost farcical as Sharon and Phyllis nearly missed each other at Crimson Lights by entering and exiting the backroom of the long-running coffeehouse. Stafford and Case delivered rapid-fire dialogue and "gotcha" moments as the two bantered back and forth over the threat of Matt.

We saw Phyllis begin to realize just how threatened the Newmans are by Matt. Sharon used her skills as a therapist and the unique bond that they share, having saved each other's lives, as ways to try to reach her. And she just might be doing that. Wonders never cease, do they?

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