The dawn of a new era...

Just as Jack declares "the dawn of a new era for Jabot", so, too, does a new era seem to be dawning on The Young and the Restless. Our Two Scoops columnist shares why he thinks this past week of episodes sets the course for the future in Genoa City (and why he thinks 2024 could be "The Year of Sharon")!

2024 has been kind of wild in Genoa City so far -- especially this past week! Jack didn't know how right he was when he recently exclaimed that a new era was upon us. For example, I did not expect one of our first surprises of the new year to be Phyllis showing up to the Genoa City Athletic Club in nothing but a trench coat covering her lingerie-clad body. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, but I was. Kudos to Michelle Stafford (Phyllis) for carrying those scenes the way she did!

I am not a huge fan of Phyllis going after Danny in general, but I can't deny that this past week was entertaining as she flung herself at him. It's very much a train wreck, so, of course, I can't look away from it. And while I'm looking, I'm noticing that Danny is not exactly doing the most he can to be steadfast in discouraging Phyllis' advances. I get why the guy is having a hard time resisting what is being thrown in his face, but if he really wanted to put an end to it, he could have just walked away and left Phyllis alone. Instead, he earned the hot seat that he found himself sitting in when Christine saw him kissing Phyllis in the jazz lounge.

Christine can't seem to catch a break these days. Like Nina, I'd normally say that Christine should give Danny a break, given that Phyllis is so prone to scheme and set things up to look a certain way; but, nope, not this time. Phyllis certainly did set the scene, but Danny's own actions (or lack thereof) are what landed him in trouble with Christine. She saw Danny and Phyllis kissing, and it was not just some peck on the lips. It was a long kiss that left no doubt he was kissing her back. It is understandable and justified that Christine is upset, so I'm glad she held her ground with him and didn't give him a pass.

Do I think this is the end for Danny and Christine? No. It seems clear they are the couple to root for and that Phyllis is just the thorn in their side as they walk down the path toward their happy ending. Of course, Phyllis is happy to be that thorn. In fact, I am not convinced that she really is all that interested in Danny romantically -- even if she has convinced herself that she is. I think she is more interested in getting the chance to be the thorn in Christine's side and prevent her from "getting" Danny in the end. The three of them have a lot of history, and Phyllis likely felt vindicated that Christine and Danny didn't end up together after she broke them up decades ago; so, she doesn't want to "lose" now all these years later. That desire to win could be driving her to keep them apart. Phyllis hates to lose, after all.

Once this foolishness with Danny and Christine is over, I hope Phyllis gets a little bit more of a mature storyline again. Someone from her past (maybe Malcolm or Damon?) should return and finally give her the love story she deserves, like Jack finally got with Diane. I know a lot of people have resisted Diane's return and love story with Jack, but I am not one of those people. I'm thrilled Susan Walters is back on the show, and I hope they don't write her character into a corner again this time around.

It's interesting to learn that Jack is going to be naming Diane the co-CEO of Jabot. Does every company need a co-CEO in Genoa City for some reason? Why can't Jack just be the CEO without the "co"? Regardless, I found it humorous that Diane seems to be getting exactly what Ashley was afraid she would end up with when she and Jack first started getting involved -- a major position at their family company. But whether Ashley likes it or not, Diane is family now. And I actually like the dynamic of the Abbott family with Diane and Jack at the helm. I'm also looking forward to seeing how the dynamic may change as Diane gets settled in at Jabot in her new position.

Kyle's reaction to Jack naming Diane as co-CEO was certainly a bit unexpected. He had the same idea of giving her the position and was going to suggest that to Jack, but he certainly seemed a little hurt when he realized that Jack had the same idea and wasn't planning to give him the position. Kyle is playing nice for now, but I think he may end up resenting his parents and lashing out again. It is, indeed, as Jack declared this week, "the dawn of a new era for Jabot." But will this new era bring the Abbotts closer together as a family or drive them further apart?

The Newman clan forges into a new era of their own this year -- one that includes Claire and Cole. Victor shared his concern regarding Victoria's well-being with Cole, expressing the same uncertainty over whether this new era will bring them all closer together or have dire consequences for one or all of them. Victor does not fully trust Claire yet, but I hope his misgivings about her are not accurate. It was touching seeing Claire and Victoria finally start to bond this week as they chatted in the hospital. I'm thrilled we are seeing them grow closer.

How great would it be for Claire and Victoria to end up back at Newman Enterprises together before the end of the year? I don't know if Claire would necessarily want to return to her job after everything that happened there, but if she does, then Audra should keep buttering up to Nikki now so that Claire doesn't get another chance to outshine her. Now that Audra is kicking Tucker to the curb and doing her own thing, she may need to rely on her gig at Newman for the foreseeable future.

By the way, I am a big fan of the journey that the writers keep taking us on with Audra. This week did not disappoint as another layer of her character was peeled back for us. I loved her conversation with Nikki about the struggle her father had with addiction and how she empathizes with Nikki's own struggles (and the struggles of anyone who lives with an addiction) because of what she went through with him. It was great to get some more insight into Audra by seeing this little window into her past. And who didn't love seeing her stand up to Tucker and sever ties with him this week? Only time will tell if she's really severed them this time or not, but here's to hoping it's a new (Tucker-free) era for Audra!

It also seems to be the dawning of a new era for Sharon. She launched her revamped company, Cassidy First Technology, at the start of the week, and much of Genoa City's elite was in attendance. Nick was especially touched by the new name of the company and how it honored their late daughter, Cassie. While I appreciate the sentimental value behind the name, I don't think it is the best name they could have come up with. But I'll get over it. I am certainly wishing Sharon the best in her new venture.

Sharon has been through a lot, and it is nice to see the show seemingly giving her the spotlight this year as her character makes a fresh start both personally and professionally. I certainly feel that she made the right decision by breaking things off with Chance. And she seems to be reinvigorated in life as she takes on her new role as CEO of her own company. I love the idea of her teaming up with Chancellor-Winters, and I hope we get to see her interacting with more of Genoa City's business elite this year.

I enjoyed her interactions with Sally, Billy, and Devon, and it would be fun to see all these different characters interact on a more regular basis as they collaborate on different projects. Billy and Devon don't seem to be off to too bad of a start at the helm of Chancellor-Winters together (for now), and I think they could be a good balance for one another. They are not necessarily on opposing sides (because they both want Chancellor-Winters to be a success), but in regard to the rift between their business partners, Jill and Mamie, they are certainly at odds to some degree. I like the idea of Sharon getting entwined within all this business drama, so I'm hoping those scenes this week were meant to provide some foreshadowing. She has been relegated to the backburner for too long, so let's hope that 2024 is "The Year of Sharon."

Might part of Sharon's fresh new start include a new beginning with Nick, too? It was interesting that she referred to him as her date at her launch party. I know it wasn't necessarily intended in the romantic sense, but I feel like Sharon is starting to come around to the idea that maybe she and Nick could find their way back together after all these years apart. At the very least, she seems poised to embrace his presence in her life and see where it takes them now that they are both single. Maybe 2024 will be the new era of Nick and Sharon.

Could we also be on the dawn of a new era for Tucker and Ashley? Is that really possible after how tarnished their love story became over this past year? I don't want to get my hopes up, but, like Ashley, Tucker also has me doubting what really happened in Paris when they argued and he supposedly turned violent. I don't know if this current storyline was the intended destination when Tucker returned from their honeymoon alone last year and we were left scratching our heads over what happened, but I am glad that the confusion is at least being addressed now. It's nice that the gaps in the storyline are being filled in and seemingly even leading to a resolution.

Y&R had better be careful as they tread the choppy waters of this Tucker and Ashley storyline, though. Violence in relationships should be taken very seriously, and they now have one of their leading ladies in a storyline in which her character is doubting whether or not her husband was violent during an argument they had. I was literally stunned when I realized that the story was headed in that direction. And I already feel guilty for wanting Tucker to be telling the truth, but my love for Ashley and Tucker as a couple drives that desire. I would love for them to be able to get out of the corner they were written into last year.

Ashley does have a history of some mental illness, so it is not totally out of the realm of possibility that there is something going on like what Tucker described as her "false memory" of their argument. But I just don't really know how I feel about it all heading toward something like that. I'm very torn about this storyline, but I can't deny it is also one of the storylines I look forward to tuning in most for. And I loved seeing that Traci will be helping Ashley try to learn the truth in the "Next Week on Y&R..." preview at the end of Friday's episode. Dear Y&R writing team, please put Traci in all the Abbot storylines (and, hey, maybe even give her a storyline of her own)!

I hope Ashley and Traci ultimately are able to somehow determine that Tucker was not violent because I don't want this storyline to be a further vilification of his character. Instead, I am hoping it will be the beginning of a redemption arc and even lead to a possible reunion with Ashley. I probably would have given up hope on them as a couple by now, but, after being a tortured Adam/Sally fan for over a year, I've grown to be more patient and not give up hope for potential reunions.

But, of course, I'll manage to cope if Ashley and Tucker's relationship is not salvageable. In fact, it could even be interesting to see more interaction between Ashley and Cole now that he is sticking around town. Maybe Tucker really will be in Ashley's past, and we should prepare ourselves for a potential Victoria/Cole/Ashley love triangle. I liked the chemistry between Cole and Ashley a little better than what we've seen with Cole and Victoria so far, so maybe a pivot away from Tucker could be good for Ashley for a while. In the meantime, I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for Tucker and Ashley.

While I'm crossing my fingers, it's a great opportunity for you all to take a turn typing and hit the Comments to share your opinions about this past week on Y&R! I've said about all I have to say about it. Well, except for this: Did anyone care that Heather admitted to Daniel she was falling back in love with him? Or did you pretty much forget it even happened like I almost did because it was kinda boring and forgettable like most of their scenes? I really hope that when Lily ultimately returns to town, this storyline will get more interesting -- and it can't happen soon enough!

Anyway, I'm really done now. I looking forward to reading what you all think!

Until next time,Vance

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