The Best and Worst of The Young and the Restless 2022 (Part Two)

Let's look back on the shenanigans in Genoa City during the year and look at the best and worst for 2022. There have been alliances, breakups, betrayals, and mental health issues. We had heroes and villains and a few twists and turns in some of the storylines. Join our columnist for her opinions of this year's characters.

Time is a funny thing. A year can somehow drag on and zip by all at the same time. The same can be said of memory. Oftentimes, I will watch a storyline play out on screen and think, "This is going in my year-end column!" And then the end of the year comes, and I can't remember anything that's happened in the previous twelve months. This year, I took notes to avoid that... so here are my picks for the best and worst moments of 2022 for just about every single Genoa City resident.

Best: This couple has been around for a very long time, and over the past couple of years, they have finally settled down as a devoted married couple who completely understand each other, accept each other's imperfections, and support each other without looking for greener pastures.

The best of them both is their devotion to their family and how they always fight tooth and nail for their children.

Worst: Let's flip the coin and look at the not-so-nice side of Nikki and Victor.

Nikki's venomous side presented itself. She has been relentless in her quest to crucify Diane for faking her death, which resulted in Nikki becoming one of the prime suspects in Diane's murder. She wanted Diane out of town, and she'd stop at nothing to achieve her goal. She conspired with Phyllis and Ashley, who hated Diane as much as Nikki did for the same (or similar) reasons. Nikki asked an investigative reporter from Los Angeles to run a story about Diane's resurrection, and she also threatened to inform Diane's ex-lover and ex-con Jeremy Stark where to find her.

Victor continues to pit his kids against each other, even though he denies it. Victor tends to insert himself where he isn't needed, especially in his kids' lives. He prevented Victoria from starting her own business with Ashland by dissuading potential investors from funding Victoria and Ashland's new venture, although admittedly, Victoria had anticipated that that was what Victor would do, and it had been part of her scheme against Ashland.

Victor also inserted himself into his kids' affairs on the night Nick punched Ashland after Ashland menacingly arrived at Victoria's, and Ashland fell, hit his head on the hearth, and died. Victor stepped in and made matters worse. Had he left things alone, Ashland's death would have been deemed an accidental death, and that would have been the end of it. Victor compounded the situation by creating a scenario that made it look as if Ashland had died behind the wheel of his vehicle. The evidence pointed in a different direction, which made Nick and Victoria look guilty, and they became suspects.

Best: I have a love/hate feeling for Adam. I start loving him when he does something unselfish like breaking up with Sally because he didn't want to hold her back from maintaining her position as CEO of Newman Media, even though it broke his heart to do so. I have to admit I did like Sally and Adam together because Sally seemed to keep him steady, but to me, it was a slightly manipulative relationship with all the scheming to get Adam into the CEO chair of Newman Enterprises.

In his own way, he tried to help Chelsea after her mental health crisis, but I don't believe he had a grasp on how deeply troubled she was. Nevertheless, the attempt was there.

Adam has always had a soft spot for Sharon, and that softness was very present when he offered his condolences and comfort to Sharon after Rey's death.

Worst: Adam had more "worst" than "best" in 2022. Adam has a tendency to belittle people when things don't go his way or if he is angry.

When Victor and Victoria had a plan in place to get rid of Ashland, Adam stepped in and offered Ashland $500,000,000 (not Adam's money, but Victor's, without Victor's knowledge or consent) to leave town, which Ashland accepted.

When Ashland refused to leave town, Adam (with Sally's help) plotted to reunite Ashland and Victoria as a way of paving Adam's way to taking over Newman Enterprises, but he was concerned when a monkey wrench in the form of a restraining order for Ashland to stay away from Harrison was thrown into his plan to reunite Victoria and Ashland. He then tried to conspire with Ashland to get revenge on Newman Enterprises, and so it goes with Adam.

I hated the way he tried to win Sally back, again belittling Nick and showing up while Nick and Sally were spending time together. Adam needs to lose that ginormous ego of his.

Best: First and foremost, I have to commend Melissa Claire Egan for the amazing depiction of someone in the throes of a mental health crisis. She was amazing and continues to be.

Chelsea had a wonderful rapport with Rey, and you could see she was harboring feelings for him, as well. If Rey had lived, I'm not sure whether Rey would have left Sharon for Chelsea. Rey was an extremely faithful and honorable man, and he clearly loved Sharon. In the end, I do believe Chelsea would have been left brokenhearted because I believe Rey would have chosen Sharon over Chelsea.

Worst: While slipping into that dark abyss, Chelsea destroyed her professional and personal relationship with Chloe. That, in itself, should have sent red flags that Chelsea was in trouble, but those signs were missed. Because of her state of mind, it appeared that Chelsea was ready to latch on to any man who showed her any attention or kindness. Then there was the Johnny situation and how she pushed to have Billy and Victoria tell Johnny she was his biological mother. She was relentless in her demands that he be told.

Best: What can we say about Sally? Sally is certainly a very different person than she was when she arrived in Genoa City. When she first arrived, she was manipulative, and what Sally wanted, Sally got, no matter who or what stood in her way. I disliked her intensely. I have to say she has done an amazing turnaround, and I give Adam some credit for that. You could see the changes in Sally once she and Adam became a couple. She began to care about others and had a sense of purpose for herself.

There was another shift in her makeup when she became CEO of Newman Media. Sally seemed to find her self-worth. I'm enjoying her with Nick more than I did with Adam. There was too much scheming and manipulation when she was with Adam. Sally and Nick seem to have a really easy, carefree, and fun-loving relationship.

Sally has tried very hard to make amends to the people she hurt. I'm enjoying Sally these days. She is still full of spunk, but she wants to do things her way and on her own terms. This is not the same Sally who arrived in Genoa City and needed to scheme her way into what she wanted.

Worst: Sally disguising herself to spy on Billy for Adam. That was ridiculous. Also, I understood why Sally was torn between Adam and Nick, but I hated how she kept being drawn back into Adam's orbit. Now it looks like she might be pregnant, and here we go again with a soap standard: "Who's the daddy?" This will bring Adam sniffing around and Nick sitting back and patiently waiting for the results.

Best: I have never not liked Nick. Despite what he might have done in the cheating department, he has always wanted to help people, which was the reason he established New Hope. Nick has always been a family man, and he would go to the ends of the earth for his kids.

I love how Nick has been warning Victoria about Nate. He has pointed out the reasons she should not hire Nate, but Victoria has ignored all the negatives and put her own slant on the reason for hiring Nate. Let's face it, she fired Sally because she didn't like her and because Nick was dating her.

I love Nick and Sally together. They seem to have fun together without all the scheming and manipulation.

Worst: Sometimes Nick can be judgmental. Last year, he and Adam formed a bond while they were in Kansas, but it looks that that has fallen by the wayside. Too bad, because I had really hoped they would become closer as brothers.

Best: I absolutely loved how protective she was of Jack when they went to Los Angeles after Jack received those cryptic text messages and discovered Diane was alive. Then, Jack discovered he had a granddaughter, Allie. Phyllis stood by Jack. She encouraged him to bond with Allie and discouraged him from trusting Diane.

This is a bit contradictory, but I loved that Summer fired her from Marchetti. Phyllis must have been sitting on a horseshoe because her son, Daniel, hired her to work for him on video game development. So, rather than working with her daughter, she would be working with her son. This is right up Phyllis' alley because she is a big gamer and understands the language, and as an added bonus, she is a hacker, to boot -- perfect for setting up a gaming app.

Worst: I understand Phyllis' hatred of Diane because Diane made Phyllis' life a living hell back in the day. I also understand why she wants a piece of Diane and to send her packing out of Genoa City. However, Phyllis is like a bull in a china shop; she has no patience when she has a plan in mind. Phyllis has managed to alienate Jack because of her constant plotting to show Diane for the liar she is and to get her out of town. Adding insult to injury, after conspiring with Nikki and Ashley, Phyllis decided to go rogue and contacted Jeremy Stark to inform him that Diane was in Genoa City.

Phyllis didn't stop to think about the consequences of bringing a dangerous felon to town and the people she would put in danger. I thought her cavalier attitude was inappropriate when Summer pointed out the number of people Phyllis had targeted. Phyllis was blas about the whole thing, and she believed no one was in danger but Diane. Foolish woman. I cheered when Summer fired her own mother! Phyllis really deserved it. I've liked Phyllis for the most part, but not recently. She really hasn't grasped how serious the situation is.

Best: To Jack, family is everything. I love how adamant he is about taking Kyle's lead when it involves Diane, even though he wished she would disappear. He has reached a point that he is protecting Diane from big, bad Stark by hiding her at his cabin. He is also trying to pay off Diane's debt to Stark in the hope that Stark will leave town. Jack has offered Stark one million dollars on the condition that Stark leave town. Why is Jack so willing to pay off Diane's debt after his unsavory history with her? My guess is for Kyle's sake. It remains to be seen if Stark will leave town after Christmas when Jack provides him with the rest of the money.

It was wonderful that Jack met a granddaughter he never knew he had. Jack absolutely loves being a doting grandpa to Allie and Harrison, and I love to see that. I guess because I had a wonderful relationship with both my grandparents, this resonates with me.

Worst: Jack discovering that his son Keemo had died and also discovering that Diane was alive and well and living under the name of Taylor Jensen.

I hate how Jack has been treating Phyllis because of Diane, and I don't get why. Diane did so much worse to Jack in the past, yet he is giving her a second chance. Is this for Kyle's sake, too? During the time Phyllis was with Jack, she never did anything that could compare to what Diane did to him, yet Jack won't give Phyllis a second chance. Jack knows that Phyllis is impulsive and often gets herself into a fix, but again, it was never as hateful or hurtful as what Diane did. I'm hoping Diane will show her true colors sooner than later, and I hope that Jack opens his eyes to who Diane really is. I hope that eventually, he will be wearing egg on his face. Diane has really done a snow job on him.

Best: Maria and Tessa's wedding was a wonderful celebration. They are deeply in love with each other, and they can't wait to adopt their own child.

Worst: I feel these two have been underused and seem to only be fillers. I hope they get better storylines in the future, especially when they finally get to adopt a child.

Best: I think the best was how Victoria completely fooled Ashland into thinking she was truly in love with him and wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. At first, she even had me fooled. Then, she pulled the rug out from under him. Not only did she dupe him, but she was able to return the money to Victor that Adam had generously offered Ashland without Victor's knowledge. She played Ashland better than he ever played her.

Worst: What can we say about Victoria that we haven't already said? She is a shrew and as much of an egotist as Nate. They make a great pair. She really needs to be taken down several pegs because she really thinks she has arrived. I would have thought that after her experience with Ashland, she would have learned a lesson -- yet it's the opposite.

Also, she seems to have issues with Johnny being friendly with Chelsea. I get the sense that she is worried that she will need to compete with Chelsea for Johnny's affections -- a case of jealousy, perhaps? She needs to calm down and maintain the rapport she has always had with him. She and Johnny have had a bond since his birth. I doubt that Johnny would choose Chelsea over Victoria unless Victoria gives him a major reason to.

Best: When Ashland first arrived in Genoa City, I truly believed he was a perfect match for Victoria. He was handsome and debonair, and he treated her like a queen. Boy, was I wrong. Everything he did was part of his manipulative plan, including his relationship with Victoria, so that in the end, he would take over Newman Enterprises.

Worst: He lied about his past, he lied about how he got started in business, he lied about his cancer, and he lied about wanting to run Newman-Locke together with Victoria; he wanted to take it over. His obsession with Victoria became almost stalker-like, and in the end, it became the end of the line for him. I'm sure many believe he got what he deserved. RIP, Ashland Locke -- or should I say Bobby DeFranco.

Best: I love this coupling. Lily was a good fit for Billy because she has always able to point him in the right direction. Lily and Billy seemed to have a natural ease about them.

Billy recognized that Chelsea was having a major mental health meltdown, and he was able to stop her from jumping off the Grand Phoenix rooftop. With Sharon's help, they got Chelsea the help she needed. Billy didn't abandon Chelsea after her release from the mental health hospital. He made sure she had everything she needed, and he spent time with her, watching movies or just chatting.

It was also wonderful when Billy brought Johnny over so that Johnny and Chelsea could exchange Christmas gifts and then allowed Johnny to go to dinner with Adam, Connor, and Chelsea.

Worst: Billy, being Billy, lost interest in being COO; it wasn't for him, and, as is typical of Billy, he quit. I don't think I need to add anything more. We all know he loses interest in his toys very quickly. I'm also afraid he is going to lose Lily because of his obsession with helping Chelsea. Lily feels Chelsea's circumstances are taking precedence over their relationship, and I have to agree with her. With Billy, everything seems to become an obsession. I hate to see this couple dissolve, but I can certainly understand why Lily would want it to end, if that is where this is heading.

There really isn't any best or worst for Jill, since she is rarely on the show anymore so I will repeat what I said about her in last year's Best and Worst section.

Jill is always there to protect Billy, and her love for him is unconditional. Appointing Lily as the CEO of Chancellor Industries was brilliant. The only thing I see as a possible "worst" is that she is adamant about taking the company public. After Nate conspired with Victoria for a hostile takeover of Chancellor-Winters by Newman, you would think Jill would be more cautious, especially with Tucker in town.

Best: Abby worked very hard to help Chance with his PTSD after he watched his team get killed in Spain. Chance responded positively to her nurturing, and he eventually bonded with Dominic.

Worst: Dominic should have been Abby and Chance's baby, not Abby and Devon's. Abby should have waited until Chance returned and was examined to see whether his condition had improved so that he could fertilize Abby's egg, but patience has never been Abby's thing. When she sets her mind to something, it's full speed ahead, and she went ahead with using Devon as the sperm donor, not knowing whether Chance was alive or dead. This was one ridiculous storyline. Why wouldn't she wait for Chance to return rather than going ahead without him being able to share in the experience?

Then, let's take a trip down the road of poor Abby's angst and how she had to be consoled sexually by Devon -- and get caught in the act. I think I gasped at first, but then I laughed when Amanda and Chance caught these two hiding the sausage. Now, Abby and Chance are divorcing, and Amanda has bid a permanent farewell to Devon.

Best: How cool was it that Kevin worked with Chance trying to figure out how Ashland had died. Kevin has come a long way from his Chipmunk days. This is another character that has been underused. He is a talented actor, and he should have his own storylines together with Chloe.

Chloe desperately tried to get Chelsea back on track, to no avail. However, she never gave up until Chelsea ended their collaboration and friendship.

I thought it was lovely to see Chelsea and Choe reuniting as friends and Chelsea apologizing to Chloe for treating her so badly. It seems the two of them are back on the friendship track.

Worst: Chloe's incessant harping to Sally about how rotten Adam was. It seemed that Chloe couldn't have a normal conversation without cutting up Adam. She just came across as gloom and doom and a nag. This is another great actress, and she, like Kevin, has been underused and only appeared as filler. Back in the day, the friendship between Chloe and Chelsea was fun to watch. I would love to see that again.

Best: Devon's company merged with Chancellor Industries to become Chancellor-Winters, and it became a family-owned entity, with Devon and Lily as CEOs and Billy and Nate as COOs.

Worst: Devon and Amanda's relationship had its challenges, since Amanda was in Virginia with her mother, Naya, who'd had a stroke and needed treatment. The challenge ended when Amanda and Chance walked in and caught Devon and Abby hiding that sausage. That was the end of two beautiful relationships. Abby and Chance were heading to divorce court and Amanda back to Virginia to be with her mother.

Best: It was so wonderful that Imani and Amanda bonded as sisters and planned to work together. They seem to have built a close relationship with each other

Worst: Imani's irreverence about Nate and Elena being a couple and blatantly flirting with Nate. She encouraged Nate to spread his wings and go rogue against Devon's wishes, and that irked Devon. Amanda warned Imani to keep her distance from Nate, but Imani suggested that Amanda mind her own business and stay out of her life.

Best: How strange is life? Summer was driven out of town by Sally and Tara to work at Marchetti, a high-end fashion house in Milan, Italy, all because Sally wanted Summer's job at Fenmore's and because Tara hoped to win Kyle's affection and create a family with Kyle and Harrison. Things didn't go Tara's way because Kyle moved to Italy and married Summer (after Tara went to jail). In a strange twist of fate, Kyle and Summer arranged for Jack to buy Marchetti, bring it under the Jabot umbrella, and move the company to Genoa City. They moved back to Genoa City and are running Marchetti.

Worst: Diane returning from the dead and reuniting with Kyle. Diane has Kyle and Jack fooled, and she has inserted herself into their lives. I'm afraid that once Diane's lies and secrets are exposed, Kyle will be hurt once again, and the wounds of losing Diane to her fake death will open once again. That will devastate him -- or perhaps he will realize exactly who his mother really is.

Best: I can't think of much that is best about Diane other than that Harrison really loves her. I'm still not sure how much she truly loves Kyle after being away from him for such a long time. I'm not convinced she isn't playing him.

Worst: Diane returning from the dead. In Los Angeles, Diane joined forces, whether willingly or not, with Jeremy Stark and helped him launder money. She received immunity when she turned him in to the Feds, and he served six years in prison. Now, thanks to Phyllis tipping Jeremy off to where Diane was, his presence has endangered many lives. I think he would have found her pretty soon, even without Phyllis' help. I would love to see Stark expose Diane for the fraud she is.

Best: The best would be if Jeremy Stark informed everyone what Diane had been up to in L.A. and exposed her for the liar, schemer, and manipulator she was. Will that happen? I sure hope so.

Worst: Jeremy Stark is the worst of the worst, a felon who either used or partnered with Diane to launder money all over the world. The question is, will he take Jack's offer of one million dollars and leave Genoa City? I somehow doubt it because he seems hellbent on talking to Diane. I wonder why, since Jack just about tripled what Diane owed him.

Best: Elena convinced Nate to confess to Devon and Lily that he and Victoria had planned a hostile takeover of Chancellor-Winters.

Worst: Was it fair for Victoria to fire Sally and replace her with Nate? I don't think so. Sally had been doing such a great job, but Victoria replaced her with Nate, someone who'd betrayed his family. If Nate did it to his family, what's to stop him from doing it to Victoria? Nate conspired with Victoria to stage a hostile takeover all because he and Devon clashed. Nate is a walking egotist -- have we all met surgeons like that? He believes he's more knowledgeable than most and, like a five-year-old, had a tantrum when his ideas weren't implemented. I really want to see him fail at Newman Media and make Victoria look like an idiot for having so much faith in such a person. Nick warned her, so let the cards play out and see who was right and who was wrong.

Best: Daniel returned to Genoa City and reunited with Phyllis and Summer. He returned to town to sell his idea for a gaming app, and after he had a reunion with Lily, Lily and Devon hired Daniel. After Daniel learned that Phyllis no longer worked at Marchetti, he offered her a job helping him with his gaming app, and she accepted.

Daniel's dad, Danny, arrived in Genoa City and surprised him with a visit over the holidays. Danny has been gone for so long that it was wonderful to see him back on the show again.

Worst: It appears that the rough patch Daniel and Heather hit might be more than just a patch. My crystal ball tells me there might be a divorce in the near future for Daniel, which might lead to a reconciliation between Daniel and Lily.

Best: Their love for each other. Rey befriended Chelsea after she'd almost killed him while trying to frame Adam for it. Rey really enjoyed spending time with Connor.

Worst: Rey dying of a heart attack while driving. There was so much potential for this character, and his death was a huge missed opportunity for some interesting storylines. I was sorry to see him go.

Best: How adorable is this couple? I just love Allie and Noah together. She supports and encourages him, and she managed to get him out of the funk he'd been in after splitting with Audra and moving back to Genoa City from London, England.

Worst: So far, I don't see too much wrong except for Audra trying to win Noah back, but Audra admitted to Sharon that Noah wants nothing to do with her. Audra is like Imani, no respect for the fact that Noah has moved on and is in a new relationship.

Best: Not sure there is a best for Tucker McCall. He is such a cad. I think Ashley is playing him, and I truly hope she can bring Tucker down and stop him from trying to take over Jabot and Chancellor-Winters.

Worst: Tucker keeps professing his love for Ashley, yet he beds Audra when the mood strikes him. Tucker is a scallywag (love that word and just had to use it somewhere), and he is up to no good. He professes he has changed, but I don't see it. He continues to try to manipulate every situation, and he still wants to take over two companies, Jabot and Chancellor-Winters.

Best: Traci has always been the voice of reason, and she always doled out good advice. She sees the good in almost everyone. There is no worst for Traci (except I'd like to see her more). She is just a gem.

Best: Michael chose to come out of retirement and agreed to be Victor's legal counsel, much to Lauren's chagrin.

Worst: It's such a shame how grossly underused this couple has been. Michael and Lauren have been the only couple on the show that has stayed married for a lot of years, and they are still very much in love. They definitely need more airtime because they really are a joy to watch.

Best: Faith and Moses moved to Michigan to attend college. They were such a cute couple, and Moses was a very steadying influence on Faith. Let's hope we see more of them in the not-too-distant future.

As for Connor and Johnny, it's wonderful to see that these two have bonded after the bombshell was dropped on them about Chelsea being Johnny's biological mother. It was also great to see Johnny decide to be friends with Chelsea. I'm not sure whether I would like to see Johnny get any closer to Chelsea than that because, as big of a shrew that Victoria is, she loves Johnny dearly and has raised him from birth. She and Johnny have formed a bond, and I would hate to see that bond broken.

I hope you have enjoyed my thoughts about this past year on The Young and the Restless. If you would care to leave your comments, please feel free to do so below. Please be sure to read Vance's year-end column, as he also picked the Best and Worst of Y&R 2022. In the meantime, stay safe! Merry Christmas and happy New Year.Nel

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