The Young and the Restless: Will Mariah’s Return Upend Daniel and Tessa’s Newfound Romance?

On The Young and the Restless, The return of Mariah Copeland has thrown Genoa City into a tailspin and it's left Tessa Porter caught right in the middle of a past she thought she’d moved on from and a future she was just starting to build with Daniel.

What Happened On The Young and the Restless

The Young and the Restless:Daniel and Tessa | Image: JPI

While Tessa (Cait Fairbanks) was finally beginning to see a light at the end of the tunnel and envisioning a romantic relationship with Daniel (Michael Graziadei), the sight of a broken Mariah (Camryn Grimes), who is still clearly haunted by the shadow of Ian Ward (Ray Wise), has stirred up a whole lot of guilt and those messy, unresolved emotions that never really go away.

The Young and the Restless:Daniel and Tessa, what does Mariah's return mean for them? | Image: CBS

Daniel is doing his best to keep Tessa’s head above water and he’s working overtime to convince her that she isn't the one to blame for Mariah's current mental state because he correctly points out that she wasn't equipped to handle someone dealing with that kind of deep-seated trauma, especially since Mariah was the one pushing her away in the first place.

Ian's Influence Is Still Felt

The Young and the Restless:Daniel and Heather played by Vail Bloom | Image: JPI

But despite his best efforts, Tessa is still stuck in that cycle of "what ifs" and self-blame, and she can't help but wonder if she gave up too soon or if she should have fought harder for their family before she went looking for comfort in Daniel’s arms. It’s a complicated mess for Daniel, who is visibly shaken by the idea that the "safe space" they spent so much time building together might be falling apart, and when he sat down with his father, Danny, he couldn't even hide the fear that Mariah’s presence is going to create a rift they can’t fix because even though he and Tessa are on the same page right now, the pull of her history with the mother of her child is a powerful thing and it’s something Daniel might not be able to compete with no matter how hard he tries. Tessa is the best thing to happen to him in a long time, the loss of his wife Heather (Vail Bloom), is still a recent memory, and also tied to Ian Ward.

The fans are certainly making their voices heard, and the divide is pretty clear across social media. Over on Facebook, the "Teriah" purists are out in full force calling for a reunion and pointing out that Mariah is sick and Tessa belongs by her side through thick and thin, but if you look at X, it’s a different story where "Dessa" supporters are rooting for the new couple because they see a palpable chemistry there and they don't think Daniel should have to apologize for wanting to hold onto the happiness they’ve found.

The Young and the Restless: Will Mariah come between Tessa and Daniel? | Image: JPI

Is Daniel being selfish by wanting to protect what he has? It’s a fair question to ask because while it’s natural to want to keep a new romance going, his desperation to keep things exactly as they are could definitely be seen as him ignoring just how bad things are for Mariah right now.

But at the end of the day, the "horizontal mambo" they shared isn't going to be enough to keep the outside world away and as Abby (Melissa Ordway) and Devon (Bryton James) struggle with their own feelings of forgiveness, Tessa is the one who has to decide if her heart stays with the man who helped her move forward or goes back to the woman who is finally facing the music.

Watch full episodes of The Young and the Restless weekdays on CBS or stream on Paramount.