A Summer wind blows out of Genoa City: The Young and the Restless Two Scoops for the week of April 28, 2025 

Saying goodbye is never easy. So this week's episodes on The Young and the Restless were hard to watch. Hard in that good way though because without conflict, the stories aren't going to be dramatic and if there's no drama, well, that's just not a good thing!

Change in the air

The last thing we expected was Summer Newman to hightail it off to Europe to find replacements for Sally and Chelsea, her two employees. The two women would rather go and work for their exes rather than stay at Marchetti.

We'll get into Summer's exit later (spoiler alert: the show made sure the character got in some great goodbyes!). But, for now, we're going to address the other powerful businesswomen in town. Ironically, Sally and Chelsea getting back together with, respectively, Billy and Adam, meant that Summer's summer plans to get back with her ex, Kyle, had to be put on hold.

Kyle's dance card is plenty full these days. He's happily embarking on a new life with Claire. Kyle also has Audra flirting with him in the middle of Crimson Lights or wherever they run into each other. Kyle appears cool and collected when he's around Audra, but we get the feeling that she knows that she's got him exactly where she wants him to be.

Audra's in the power position. Heck, this power player is playing hardball with Victor Newman! Oh, sure, he iced her out by barely looking at her in one of their scenes this week. But Audra knows Victor needs her to break up Kyle and Claire. Will she get what she wants along the way? She's hoping yes. We're rooting for Audra, and we're not truly sure why, because she's breaking up Claire and Kyle.

Maybe we just like someone getting back into Victor's good graces? Or maybe it's because deep down, Kyle's truly in love with Audra, and this will get them back on track.

Cole and coughs

It didn't take savvy soap fans too long to put two and two together when it came to Cole talking about his worldwide travels to check out Newman Publishing and that persistent cough that got worse and worse as the week continued.

Traveling internationally and coughing are indicators that something very, very serious is going on. We went for years and years without Cole on our screens. He plays an integral role in the Newman family. He's arguably Vicki's great love (they do share a child, after all). Cole and Vicki just found each other after decades apart. Let's hope that Vicki gets her ex to Genoa City Memorial in time to find out what's wrong with her husband.

And maybe now would be a good time for the show to get a doctor back on staff. We saw Chance enter the business world, but every soap opera needs a regular lawman, so Chance got back into chasing down bad guys. It'd be nice to know that if someone gets sick, there's a familiar face they can go and see. For years, we had Dr. Olivia Hastings on the canvas. Maybe Dr. Elena Dawson could be seen more frequently. We'd be up for that. And Cole might be, too! Heck, if there was a regular doctor in town, maybe Amy wouldn't have had to have gone to Boston for advanced cancer treatment!

A Summer wind

Back to Summer and her quick exit from the canvas. We're going to miss Allison Lanier loads (as will her TV mom, Michelle Stafford, who plays Phyllis). Summer's exit appeared rushed, but, having said that, the show gave her some nice farewells with all the important people in her life.

She said goodbye to her parents, Nick and Phyllis. We're certainly going to miss Nick calling his daughter "Supergirl." Phyllis, who's not in the best place now following her kidnapping ordeal and Billy bumping her from his company, could certainly use her daughter to talk to.

Summer also got in farewells with her ex, Kyle, and their son, Harrison. It was beyond sweet when Harrison said to his mother that he and Kyle could go with her. Part of Summer wanted to take him up on that. We get the feeling that she's still carrying a torch for Kyle. But maybe absence will make the heart grow fonder. Maybe by the time Summer returns to Genoa City, Kyle will have made a big mess of his life by falling for Audra's charms and ruining his romance with Claire. That's when Summer could swoop in and reclaim her family.

Lovely Lauren

Lauren showed why she's the most devoted wife in Genoa City when she went up against her charismatic and convincing husband, Michael, this past week. She was ferocious in telling him that he had to distance himself from the great Victor Newman. Lauren's known the mogul for years. She can't just write Michael's association with him off as just business. Lots of people stand to be hurt in the Victor/Jack war. Lauren knows this.

There were real issues at stake when Lauren and Michael were arguing at the Genoa City Athletic Club. Could this long-standing duo be headed for a divorce? Will Michael be the first casualty in Victor's latest battle with Jack?

At their core, Michael and Lauren are a united front. When Diane came upon them in the middle of their argument, the couple put on a brave face. But Diane knows both Michael and Lauren well enough to figure out that they were indeed faking it. Michael and Diane go way back. Oh, sure, he cares about Jack and doesn't want him to get hurt. However, we suspect that Michael's loyalty to Diane plays a big role in his conflict with Victor.

We're also never going to stop raving in this column about how great it is having the Genoa City Athletic Club back on our screens. The eatery popped up over 20 years ago after Gina's burned down (thanks for nothing, Kevin!). Between the spacious layout of the set, the revolving door, and the steps that come right after it, which allow people to make an entrance, it's the perfect soap opera set.

Michael and Lauren are two of the wealthiest folks in town. He's making big bucks from Victor, and she's a department store heiress, so it's only fitting that they'd be regular patrons of the GCAC. Seriously, their spat taking place in the back of Crimson Lights just wouldn't have the same gravitas.

Beautiful music

Finally, Tessa and Mariah are getting a story all of their own. Is the show truly going to go there with Tessa and Daniel? The poor guy is mourning Heather, who was taken from him so violently and cruelly. Tessa has proven to be an unlikely ally in his quest to find himself. She's not afraid to gently go up against Phyllis and let her know in no uncertain terms that she's not going to be manipulated by Daniel's helicopter mother. Phyllis walked away after she realized that she wasn't going to convince Tessa to help her. At least she's still getting along with Sharon!

Ironically, Tessa may not be the first one to stray in her marriage to Mariah. We knew something was up right away when Mariah returned to Genoa City, she began making excuses and avoided eye contact with her wife.

We didn't have to wait long to find out that something was up. Mariah confessed to Sharon that she had done something so bad while she was out of town that Tessa could never, ever find out about it. Yikes! We're guessing Mariah was unfaithful, but maybe it's something else. Stay tuned, folks!

We know that Tessa and Mariah are one of the few same-sex couples in soaps, and their loyal fan base is rooting for them to conquer any problems they may encounter. But they can't beat the odds if the odds aren't stacked against them at some point, can they? Let's go on the journey with this and see if true love will prevail. Plus, we want to see Daniel master the guitar.

Victorious Victor

It's always amazing to see Victor pull his power plays in Genoa City. He's got Audra right where he wants her. Victor refused to give Michael an inch when it came to the attorney trying to play peacemaker. (Lauren's right, Michael. You need to run!)

The GCAC set isn't the only one we'll never stop raving about. It was so weird watching the show for years where Victor and Nikki didn't have a door! Now, they do again, and that new Newman Ranch set is a pleasure to behold. Ditto the new Abbott mansion.

Family Matters

Summer getting in her goodbyes with all her loved ones wasn't the only attention to detail the show gave us this week in terms of family. When Nick brought his father up to speed on his trip to London, there were references to Christian (the son Nick has, but we never see), Allie (the late Keemo's daughter), and Noah, the reason for the visit.

Y&R understands that we like to know these characters, while off-screen, are still a big part of the lives of the people who are on our screens.

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