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On The Young and the Restless, Victor Newman has spent decades proving that no line is too sacred to cross and no law too rigid to break when it comes to shielding his family's legacy.
The Young and the Restless: A History of Family Over Everything
After the events of the last week or two, I felt it was timely to remind ourselves of some of the most awful and dastardly deeds done dirt cheap by the Black Knight of Genoa City. While he always says that his actions are driven by love, the wreckage left behind suggests something different, a man who values total control as much as security. From faking deaths to psychological warfare, Victor's greatest hits serve as a masterclass in ruthless efficiency. And could just as easily be studied as The art of War by Sun Tzu.
One of Victor’s (Eric Braeden) most awful schemes was aimed at his own daughter, Victoria (Amelia Heinle). Absolutey focused on destroying her marriage to Billy Abbott (then Bill Miller), Victor didn't just disapprove; he organized her arrest on her very wedding day. Now hows that for a Father of the Bride move from hell. The further i dug in looking at the list of Victors awful moves, the more it made my skin crawl. How has a hitman never taken him out? I mean, Ian Ward (ray Wise) came close, but no cigar. But further I dug and this is what I came up with, someone who's name should be mentioned in the conversation for Soap Villain, Lifetime Award.
The resultant trauma and legal mess contributed to Victoria losing her unborn child. That enough should be enough to condemn the man for all time, but he didn't stop there. This was a tragedy for sure, but the man remained unrepentant, later hiring Chelsea (Melissa Claire Egan) to seduce Billy in Myanmar to ensure the couple stayed broken up. For Victor, a grandchild was just the price to pay to keep an Abbott out of the family tree. No Dutch Elm diesease in this tree. One does not just win the battle but victor wants the result to be a complete annihilation. This is definitely a case of moderation is for cowards, anything worth doing is worth overdoing.
Victor was an equal opportunity terror, seen by the treatment of his son, Adam, being just as brutal. In a bid to frame Adam (then Michael Muhney) for a crime he didn't commit, Victor worked with Skye Lockhart (Laura Stone) to fake her death. He likes to just sit back and watch his son facing the prospect of prison, all to teach him a lesson in loyalty. With lessons like that, I'd skip school.
When Adam later returned to Genoa City (I'd have just stayed away honestly), Victor’s protection became pure gaslighting. He charged Mariah Copeland (Camryn Grimes), the lookalike sister of the late Cassie Newman, to haunt Sharon (Sharon Case).
By crushing Sharon’s mental health, Victor aimed to keep her from revealing secrets that could stain the Newman name, showing a total disregard for the well-being of his grandchildren's mother. Victor embodies the saying, Family First, Last and Always. But the methods truly do leave a lot to be desired. Do we love him for this ruthless streak? Or are we just glad his gaze isn't fixated on us.
The Newman Patriarch’s Darkest Protection Tactics
These tactics aren't just reserved for his own family, they're extended to his business empire, where family interests and corporate assets are tools to be used. To fortify Newman Enterprises against Jack Abbott (Peter Bergman), Victor once hired Marco Annicelli—a Jack doppelgänger who replaced Jack in his home and his bed. This move did more than protect a company; it violated the lives of the entire Abbott family, and had long lasting effects.
Yet, in the cold logic of the Newman ranch, Victor viewed this as a necessary tactical strike. What have we learnt from this? Do not try to save the life of Victors wife, how dare Jack do this? That single night of debauchery will haunt him for the duration of his days on this earth, and is always the fuel on the fire. All roads come back to that night.
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Victor Newman remains the undisputed "final boss" of The Young and the Restless. He operates on a moral high horse whose heights are vertigo inducing, where the ends always justify the means. To the rest of the world, he is a force of nature, but to those who cross him, even his own blood, he is a constant reminder that the Newman shield often feels just like a sword. I'm just glad that I'm not a character on The Young and the Restless, it sounds like a bad place to be, the proverbial rock and hard place that nobody wants to be caught between. It is more than ironic that Victor this week would stage the kidnapping of Lily and the twins while his grandson has actually been kidnapped. There have been so many kidnappings, that the GCPD must have such a specialized team now that the FBI must defer to them. What's your favorite Victor moment? Hit me in the comments.
Watch full episodes of The Young and the Restless weekdays on CBS or stream on Paramount.
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