The Young and the Restless Performer of the Week: Eileen Davidson

The Young and the Restless fans are always happy to see Eileen Davidson pop back up on-screen as Ashley Abbott. She hasn't been back in Genoa City for very long, but Davidson maximized her screen time. She's earned our Performer of the Week slot for Y&R.

Eileen Davidson on The Young and the Restless

This week, the last Abbott to weigh in on Diane's (Susan Walters) redo of the Abbott mansion was Ashley. Via Jack (Peter Bergman), she'd indicated she liked Diane's changes, but Diane likely wondered if Jack was softening Ashley's true feelings. After all, the two women have never been bosom buddies. Ashley walked into the mansion and let the images of the redone mansion wash over her.

Jack closely observed his sister, and she then let loose with a whammy. "It's a lot worse than I thought it was going to be," Ashley shocked her brother by saying. "What the hell was Diane thinking?"

Wasn't this a bit of an overreaction as Ashley had seen images of the Abbott home since Diane's makeover? Was Ashley expressing her true feelings or purposely hyping her response up like a "Real Housewife of Genoa City," hoping to manufacture some faux conflict with her brother?

It turns out that Ashley was just having a bit of fun with Jack. (Davidson's fans know she's adept at comedy.) She asked what's not to love, and that she'd have to admit to Diane that she did something right. Ashley did just that when Diane entered the room. "Daddy would have liked it, too," Ash continued, giving Diane the highest compliment she could have received.

Davidson has always played Ashley with such class, and the cosmetics heiress exhibited just that with her words to Diane. Again, they'll never be best pals, but Ashley loves her brother and she truly does believe that Diane did a great job with the home. Davidson never misses a beat when she reprises Ashley.

Au Revoir, Ashley

Diane felt subtly miffed when she asked her sister-in-law for some privacy with her brother. That's when Davidson played her character's vulnerability. We've seen Traci (Beth Maitland) share her sorrow over the ordeal with Martin/Alan (Christopher Cousins), and now, it was time for Davidson to have her character cut open some emotional veins.

Davidson had Ashley break down as she explained that after taking care of Traci in New York she needed to return to Paris herself to continue her therapy. She noted that she wouldn't be going back to her past therapists because they weren't able to detect that Alan was truly Martin, too.

Alone with Jack, Davidson knew that Ashley could show her vulnerability. That's just what Davidson delivered. After Jack exited, Ashley was able to fully embrace the changes Diane had made to her family home in private. She spoke to her late father, John, in a heartfelt moment.

My beautiful Ashley

Fortunately, Ashley has stuck around town long enough to attend Nikki's (Melody Thomas Scott) birthday party. While it made sense that Ash would want to be around her family, who went to the gala, it was odd that Ashley herself went. After all, she and Nikki had vied for Victor's (Eric Braeden) affections for years.

Even if you'd tune into Y&R for the first time, you could detect, based on the body language Davidson brought to Ashley, that she and Nikki were not besties. Also, even the most platonic and cordial exchange between Victor and Ashley reveals that there was once a great love affair between these two.

Ashley may not be in town long enough for her dynamic with Victor to be re-explored, but even in a crowded party scene, we can see that the embers of their relationship continue to burn.

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Ironically, Ashley needs to return to France to find peace because she's likely a key player in stopping the war between Jack and Victor. Whether she's giving Diane her overdue kudos or acting as a buffer between the Abbotts and the Newmans, Davidson brings an irreplaceable elegance to her role as Ashley. Y&R simply isn't the same without her. So, while it appears to be "au revoir" to Ashley for now, let's hope that we're soon saying "bonjour!"

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

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