Credit: CBS screenshot

Sadly, I couldn’t be more bored with Young & Restless of late. It’s so repetitive and talky (as opposed to action-y) that it’s become exhausting. If only fans still cared who runs what company. Some have been calling for something big or murdery to happen and that’s exactly the kind of soapy injection that the show needs. It’s the reason why the over-the-top villainy of Cameron Kirsten worked so well — we were desperate for it. With that said, we are rolling into November Sweeps so there’s still hope for drama.

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Young & Restless Preview: Victor Stuns His Children With the Truth — and Nina Gets an Alarming Call

What Does the Future Hold?

How much fun were the flashbacks in the Christine-centric episode?! I love to see the old hairstyles and revel in the bigger feel to the drama. It would have been a bit much for me to watch the Bug agonize for an entire hour, but it didn’t feel like that given Nina’s return, and the interactions of other characters — Phyllis, Lauren, Danny, Daniel, etc. It definitely set the scene for what’s coming up, which is Phyllis interfering as Christine and Danny try to get back together. How do you feel about the show revisiting this?

Circle the Wagons

As the Abbotts circle the wagons, Kyle appears to be ever more motivated to betray his family, but will he? Or will he instead save the day? It could still go either way. One thing’s for sure, there isn’t enough room for Jack, Billy, and Kyle at the top, so something will have to give. Audra has somewhat lost her lure for me after opting to become Tucker’s puppet again. Ashley, meanwhile, is trying the old tack of trying to ingratiate herself with Tucker to suss out his plans, but she got exactly nowhere and the two of them ended up in tears. This drama actually speaks to me more than most offerings on screen right now. They are such an entertaining twosome when they’re riffing off of one another that I find myself rooting for them to get back together and rediscover what was lost, and for Tucker to actually reform. Devon’s inability to trust Tucker tugs at the heartstrings too. If they’re not going to go the redemption route, then let Tucker wreak havoc.

In related commentary, I call BS. How would Mamie not have known Tucker was a bad guy? He cheated on Ashley during their first marriage, a fact that she would have been well aware of given that she supposedly keeps up with the Abbotts. Did she not even do a simple internet search on him? Further, as much as I love the idea of reviving the rivalry between Mamie and Jill, trying to take Chancellor from her isn’t a good look. Whatever Jill’s done in the past she’s worked extremely hard to look after Katherine’s legacy. While I can root for Mamie to put her family back together, I can’t get behind her vendetta to remove Jill from the company.

Cue the Eyeroll

I typically can’t get enough of a storyline involving Victor, but this one’s taken a turn for the… dumb. If he really wanted to suss out the traitor why didn’t he keep the scheme entirely to himself until he identified the culprit? Telling people he’s faking and then trying to fool them again has made for a convoluted mess. Per SOD, this coming week, Victor will gather everyone in the office and inform them that there’s a traitor in the midst and he’s going to put them all to the ultimate test to find out who it is. I mean… eyeroll. Why is he so sure there’s a traitor? That hasn’t even been explained. Why would he tell them ahead of time that he’s going to test them? That’s as stupid as giving away his own ruse. The only thing that will save this story for me is if there’s a big, shocking outcome that tears the family apart to drive new material moving forward.

In related commentary, Adam and Sally hit the sheets and the soap hit the right note with the scenes. How much did you want Adam to rub Nick’s face in it when he accused him of pestering Sally and asked, “When are you just going to let it go?” Instead, Adam just smiled.

Love Triangle Explodes

Chelsea surprised Billy with her return and they promptly went to bed while, across town, Chloe nearly got them fired from Marchetti. Who talks to their boss that way?! Summer, I suppose, is just crusty because she can’t have Chance. As promised, watch for Nina to get involved in her son’s love life when a crisis interjects her into the love triangle. Per the preview, Chance is almost certainly hurt on the job and lands in the hospital, hence the call Nina gets in Society. Spoilers then have Summer and Sharon squaring off over the guy, so it’s all going to explode for November Sweeps. Sharon in a love triangle with the daughter of the woman who was her rival for decades is an interesting choice, but this may be one of the soapiest options we’ll get, so I’ll take it. That said, Sharon and Chance have been offscreen practically since they first hooked up and we’ve had maybe two or three scenes surrounding Summer’s crush on him… where’s the build up? As I keep parroting, you can’t expect your viewers to invest in, or be emotionally impacted by, something that the writers have given minimal attention.

Do Better

Hey Young & Restless, the offscreen kid of mostly offscreen parents getting fitted for hearing aids isn’t a story. Even if there was something meatier to this plot, it’s still a retread of the old ‘Devon needs a cochlear implant’, so we’ve been there, done that. It sounds cynical, but the fact is that Mariah and Tessa’s heart-tugging moments would mean a lot more if they were properly integrated into the canvas and not just popping up every so often for an update like an afterthought. On a positive note, they did give Mariah scenes with Kyle, in which she tried to talk him out of doing something stupid. But why didn’t we get to hear her take on Audra? You know it would be a doozy given her history with Noah!

Heads Up

Creepy Claire is about to get even creepier and Nikki’s in her crosshairs. Find out more about this and other upcoming November Sweeps previews in the gallery below.

This is my opinion. Feel free to share your thoughts on Young & Restless in the comments.

Do. Not. Miss. Previews and predictions for November Sweeps in the photo gallery below.