Choo choo! Things are chugging along in Genoa City, but have some of the storylines gone off the track? It’s full steam ahead in a new commentary of The Young and the Restless for the week ending August 22, 2025.
Dear readers, I know it’s been a while since I covered The Young and the Restless, but some things make me laugh and I had to get this off my chest.
“Hi! My name is Cane ‘Aristotle Dumas’ Ashby and I have identical trains on every continent.”
Cool, bro. Who maintains these trains? Are there railroad engineers and conductors and unhinged Carter clones on every train just awaiting your next visit to Peru or Shanghai?
Or are the trains unattended? If so, are there hobos living in luxury on your opulent trains? I mean, what’s to stop them? Imagine a host of elegant train hobos drinking Cane’s fine Champagne and raiding his pantry for fancy crackers and caviar! Just picture it! (Oh wait, I did. I asked ChatGPT to create an image for me — so here you go!)
They look quite content, do they not? Ha.
In truth, the Y&R crew spent so much time and money on that train set, they don’t want to dismantle it. I predict Chancellor Park will get a massive hedge maze soon.
I know many of you did not prefer that maze storyline, but I was so happy to be out of the corporate boardrooms and have some interesting scenery, I actually quite enjoyed it.
But the aftermath has me all riled up. I know it’s hard to tell from my writing style, but I was an English major in college. One of the key rules of writing is this, “Show, don’t tell.” I suppose that’s why I was so disappointed when everyone in Genoa City told me how wonderful Cole and Chase’s memorial services were instead of showing them.
We’ll always remem… who were you again?
We got reports from the Genoa City families on how touching these services were, but I wanted to attend.
I wanted to see Cole’s memorial myself. I wanted to cry over the loss of this little family we became invested in, Victoria and Cole’s long dead daughter suddenly back from the grave, and this family reunion the writers built up only to yank it away from us.
Likewise, I wanted to weep over Chase, too. The writers have now successfully wiped-out the entire Chancellor family. Katherine’s legacy is now only Nikki, Jill and Nina? People who were close to her but unrelated? Boo. They should find some lady who looks like Jeanne Cooper and bring her on as Katherine’s long-lost cousin or something to fight Nikki for Chancellor Industries.
But since we have no more Chancellors, I’m rooting for Cane to get the best of (almost) everyone. I want him to beat Victor and Nikki for Newman and Chancellor but leave Jabot and Jack Abbott out of it. I’m forever Team Jack.
Readers, I want to remind you that two things can be true at once. I loved Mariah and Tessa as a couple, but I can also love the chemistry between Tessa and Daniel. Liking one thing doesn’t mean you are in opposition to the other. But I see lots of people online fighting about this and making broad assumptions about other people. I blame this on the overall combative nature of American society right now. If I say I like Pepsi, it doesn’t mean I hate Coke. If I say I like Taylor Swift, it doesn’t mean I hate Lady Gaga, etc. We have taken this “either/or” stance one everything under the sun- but life is nuanced and I can like Coke, Pepsi, Gaga and Tay-Tay all at the same time.
Where to send those letters
People saying they like Daniel and Tessa’ chemistry is not an attack on Mariah and Tessa. The people you should really be angry with are the writers who chose to break up one of the soaps most stable couples over a truly insane storyline. Let me see if I can break this down. As I understand it, Ian Ward came to town, which through Mariah for a loop. So, she went on a business trip, ran into some random old dude in a bar that looked vaguely like Ian Ward, so she seduced and killed him? Is that what we are supposed to believe? That’s just nutty.
If Mariah had seen the real Ian Ward, whom we know is not truly dead, and murdered him, that would make sense. So, either this ridiculous plot is a very long, boring, drawn-out way to get Ian back to town for Sept sweeps, like Mariah sees him, thinks she is hallucinating, etc., or it’s just a really bad plot device to break up Tessa and Mariah. Either way, I like the budding friendship of Daniel and Tessa, and I won’t be mad if it turns into more. If Mariah actually murdered someone in cold blood, I don’t want her with Tessa and Aria anyway because she’s clearly unstable and violent.
In other tortured relationships, I think Audra has ruined her first healthy relationship since coming to Genoa City. Nate was a solid guy, genuinely interested in her unlike say Tucker McCall who used her as a backup for Ashley.
Audra’s ambition is all consuming. She wants to win and be on top to the detriment of her friendships and her lovers. Nothing matters more to her than success. I don’t know if she can dig herself out of the whole Claire dug for her by telling the truth about what happened in Nice.
But Claire doesn’t know the full story either. Kyle was in Audra’s train car and mostly naked before he hit the brakes and confronted Victor about his plan. I keep thinking that Audra was recording their interaction so she would have proof for Victor, and that after she realizes her relationship with Nate has ended, she will pull it out and show Claire. But as of now, that’s just my sudsy theory.
What happens in France…
Cane is in Genoa City but still suffering the blowback of his disastrous event in Nice – now that Charlie and Mattie are not speaking to him, he’s lost a little bit of his swagger about his plan to rule Genoa City. This is my first time getting to know the work of Billy Flynn and I am enjoying him. The previous Cane, Daniel Goddard is over on General Hospital these days playing an evil professor. So, I am willing to accept a recast Cane and I think he and Christel Khalil definitely have chemistry together. I think it’s going to take some time for those two crazy kids to find their way back together, but I am looking forward to the journey.
PSA – To any of my exes -if you have assumed a secret identity and become a billionaire, and if you are pining away for me, by all means, let me know. I promise I will forgive you. Ha.
I wish Audra would just tell Nate the truth. “Yes, Victor made me a deal to find my company if I broke up Kyle and Claire.” Just say it! Just tell the man the truth. He is begging for your honestly. You’re already busted. Just come clean! I think if she told Nate the truth, he might be able to eventually forgive her. But lying over and over only serves to prove that she is untrustworthy. She is almost as self-destructive as Phyllis.
Phyllis has always been one of my favorites. I adore Michelle Stafford, both in real life and on the soaps, I have watched her perform in. But lately the writing for Phyllis is over the top abrasive and it makes her hard to root for sometimes. Michelle Stafford is capable of acting in deeply emotional and in tender, intimate scenes, but most of the time Phyllis is just yelling at people.
Together forever
I loved the storyline with Sharon and Phyllis being captive just because it allowed both women to showcase their acting chops in new ways. I want Phyllis to get a storyline where a man genuinely loves her, a man she doesn’t have to throw herself at, a man she doesn’t have to beg for, a man who can handle a relationship with a strong-willed woman. Doesn’t she deserve that? Nick loved fer for a while. Jack loved her for a while. She’s due a little happiness after about two years of torture on the show. Between Jeremy Stark, faking her death, Danny and Cricket reuniting, Heather’s death, Daniel being framed, being kidnapped with Sharon, being fired by Billy, Summer moving away, I mean my God give the woman a break! Let her find love and success, She’s smart and capable. She’s beautiful and loyal. Let that matter.
One thing I have loved this week is the Winters family being there for one another. Lily, Devon and Nate have been there for on another over the loss of Damien and the shock of discovering Aristotle Dumas is Cane. I like this so much more than when they were all fighting. Sometimes I think about Neil Winters looking down on them with pride from above. Even on Friday’s episode, Devon is trying to be there for Nate without too much judgement even when he doesn’t trust Audra at all.
As to the Abbotts, there has been a lot of talk about Harrison coming home and how much he has grown, and I hope he has not been SORAS’ed and is still our adorable little Redding Munsell. Perhaps he just had a growth spurt.
What will happen tomorrow, dear readers?
Will the train hobos reanimate robot Carter to fetch them some finger sandwiches? Will Sally and Audra take over Abbott Communications and astonish everyone with its success, or drive it straight into the ground? Is it possible Claire will decide she likes the dark side, and go full Aunt Jordan on Audra? Will Mariah find other distinguished old men to seduce and murder, or just the one? Will Daniel sing his song at Danny and Cricket’s wedding and get discovered? Is Diane going to decide to redecorate the Abbott mansion again for Halloween? Will Summer come home and complicate Kyle’s life even further?
Only tomorrow knows, dear readers, and I will tune in tomorrow as long as there are tomorrows.
Tamilu
A lot to say since it’s been awhile. I’m glad you posted a review this week, and I agree with a lot that you said.
I didn’t mind the maze storyline in Nice, but I didn’t expect it to last. As long as it did. I wish they found a way to wrap up the storyline within a week or two. It’s bad enough that it went on for over a month, and Cane didn’t have his one-on-one with each family or person to let them know what it is he wanted from them.
The fact that they pushed back Cole’s memorial for when the family came home, yet they didn’t actually show his service is pretty lame. When he got sick, I knew his death was coming, but I don’t see why they took that route. If the actor was leaving for whatever reason, I feel like they could have just had him working overseas, with Claire and Victoria visiting. I don’t know if his death was supposed to do something to usher Claire’s storyline along, but it doesn’t really seem like she’s progressed any farther than where she’s been lately. She gained some backbone with Audra and Victor, but just as quickly relented with Victor since he supposedly let things go with Kyle.
She’s also not paying attention to her nagging doubt of whether Kyle is being honest about what went down with Audra. Nate seems to be listening to his doubts with Audra, however Friday’s episode in the scene with Nate and Devon made it seem like Nate might be following for some of Audra’s gaslighting.
As for Chance, I know Connor Floyd is taking over Billy Flynn’s character Chad Dimera on Days of our Lives, but I don’t see why Chance had to die. He could’ve gone back to the FBI or some special assignment that could open the door for him to come back down the line.
I don’t mind them putting Tessa and Daniel together for a while. Why they chose the catalyst for this potential pairing to be Mariah seemingly having murdered someone and wanting to keep that dark secret from Tessa, I don’t know. Most of Y&R’s storylines seem to have good potential, but don’t hit their mark.
I really like Sally and I think it was smart that she negotiated her becoming CEO of Abbott communications since Billy is clearly focused on Chancellor. However, I don’t believe that she will have that position any longer than the CEO of Newman media. I feel like Billy will find some way to mess it up for her as he always messes things up, or it will become collateral damage to Cane’s power grabs.