The Young and the Restless Recap, January 5, 2026: Sienna is rescued, but Nick’s plan goes awry

On the Monday, January 5th episode of The Young and the Restless, the Newman men thwarted Matt’s plan, Noah and Sienna reunited, and Matt turned the tables on Nick.

What happened on The Young and the Restless

At the cottage, Sharon tried to keep busy by pouring coffee, while Noah griped that Victor hadn’t given them any details. Noah inquired whether Victor had had Matt followed. Nick replied that they’d devised a better plan.

At the new Newman ranch, Victor instructed his team to send him Matt’s location and be prepared to move in. Adam suggested that he take his father’s place while Victor sat back and watched. Victor growled that he should have taken care of Matt years earlier, and he’d “be damned” if he didn’t do it then.

Adam respected that the situation was personal for Victor, but he worried that Victor would be at the top of the list if Matt intended to destroy the Newmans. Adam reflected on how freaked out their family had been when Victor had been shot. Victor told him to stop worrying because Nick would make sure “the bastard stayed down.”

Nick received a text message from Victor with Matt’s location. Nick started to head out to meet up with the security team, and Noah insisted on going with him. Nick insisted that Noah stay put, but Sharon was adamant that neither she nor Noah was staying. The trio left together.

In a motel room, Matt perused pictures of him and Sienna on his phone while she lay unconscious beside him on the bed. He feigned emotion as he admired the dress on his stunning bride, and he mocked her vows to stay faithful. He wondered if she’d had her fingers crossed behind her back when she’d lied in front of God. Matt recalled their vow to be together until parted by death. “Today might just be the day,” he ominously stated.

Sienna stirred and found one hand cuffed to the bed. She groggily asked how long she’d been out, and Matt informed her that he’d had time to scroll through their whole life together. He was glad she was awake, so they’d have a chance to say goodbye. Sienna suggested he uncuff her so she could walk out of his life. Matt cooed that she was beautiful even when she’d smiled to his face when she’d slept with another guy behind his back.

Sienna claimed that it had been a cry for attention to see if she still mattered to Matt when he’d reveled in women throwing themselves at him at the club. Matt barked that he’d given Sienna everything, and all he’d asked for in return was loyalty. He guessed she’d stayed with him for his money, and he scoffed at the idea that she’d been so sad and lonely that she’d blown up their marriage. Sienna contended that she’d only wanted Matt, but he’d traveled alone and gone to other clubs without her. She caressed his face with her free hand and assured him that they could still make things right.

Matt pulled away, but Sienna pointed out that they’d gotten together for a reason. She swore she loved him, and she cited the gentleness she’d seen inside him. Sienna conceded that she’d always been too smart and snarky, but he’d been able to handle it because he understood her. She begged him to remove the handcuffs so they could talk like they should have done years earlier. Matt crouched down next to her, and she softly said she knew he was still in there.

Matt handcuffed Sienna’s other hand and declared that they’d be together until the end. Sienna screamed that he was a “sick bastard,” and he said her charms had worn off because she’d shared them with someone else. He warned that it was too late to beg for her life because that ship had sailed.

Sienna suggested that she and Matt start over and reinvent themselves. Matt admitted that that they’d shared something real, but then she’d turned greedy and wanted more from someone else. Sienna protested that Matt had shut her out, but she wanted to hear his side of the story. Matt huffed that they weren’t people who walked off happily ever after into the sunset, and he compared the smell of her desperation to a rotten perfume.

Sienna spat that Matt was a disgusting rapist, abuser, and drug dealer who took pride in causing pain and suffering. Matt countered that she was judgy for an adulteress, and the only thing left between them was goodbyes. Matt phone pinged, and Sienna assumed it was a message from his crooked lady cop friend. She speculated that something more was going on between Matt and Annie.

Sienna asked if Matt had ever loved her or if she’d only been a face for the club for him to hide behind while he dealt drugs. He accused her of not noticing his dealings because her attention had been elsewhere. Sienna questioned why Matt had married her when he was still obsessed with Sharon. Matt maintained that the only thing he’d ever asked of Sienna was loyalty, and she’d failed to give him that. He formally introduced himself as Matt Clark, and he warned that he was as dangerous as people said he was.

Sienna acknowledged that perhaps Matt had been evil once, but she believed he hadn’t been with her. She reasoned that he had a soul, or she never would have married him. Matt doubted she cared about anything but his wallet and getting attention. Annie returned and reported that the car was out front. Sienna pleaded that Annie didn’t have to do what Matt said, but Annie told her to move it along.

Sienna jerked away, but Matt insisted on setting her free. Matt uncuffed Sienna, who ran for the door, but Annie stopped her at gunpoint. Sienna cautioned that Matt would let Annie take the fall, but Annie opened the door and shoved Sienna outside. Matt followed.

Over the phone, Nick informed Victor and Adam that there was traffic getting to Matt’s location. Adam promised that the security team wouldn’t break cover until they gave the word. Victor swore that Matt would be the only one to suffer from then on.

Annie dragged Sienna to the car, and Sienna offered her money. Annie ordered her to shut up, but Matt asked for a moment. He cupped Sienna’s face in his hands and kissed her, but he pulled away when she bit his lip. Matt growled that Sienna had drawn first blood, but he would draw the last.

Matt agreed to let Annie do things her way as long as no one ever saw Sienna again. Annie attempted to force Sienna into the car as the security team raced in, forcing Annie and Matt to their knees. Annie dropped her gun, and Sienna ran into Noah’s arms. Sharon lectured that she’d told Matt not to mess with her family. Matt marveled that he’d never seen a tail, and he asked how many cops were in Victor’s pocket. Nick snarled that Matt wasn’t going to jail just yet.

Noah and Sharon tended to Sienna at the cottage. Sienna mused that she’d stayed alive because of Noah, but he chalked it up to her being strong. Sharon empathized because she knew what it was like to be trapped by a monster. Sharon cautioned that Sienna was running on adrenaline, and she urged them to prepare for when the memories returned. Sharon advised Sienna to talk about her feelings and to be proud that she made it through.

Once alone, Noah and Sienna cuddled on the couch, and she murmured that it was over. Noah explained that his dad had offered Matt a deal to lure him out of hiding, and the security team had used a drone to track Matt back to the motel. Sienna thought it was driving Matt insane that someone had outsmarted him. Noah promised that Matt would keep losing.

Noah expected it would be a long time before he let Sienna out of his sight again. He assured her that his mom understood what she’d been through, and if they weren’t together, Sharon would be a great therapist for her. Sienna declared that she owed him her life as Sharon returned with a tray of food. Sharon implored them to eat and rest, since they could be at peace knowing the nightmare was over.

Nick escorted Matt back to the Newman ranch, where Matt faced Victor. Matt cracked that he would have brought a nice bottle of red, and Victor told him to laugh while he could. Victor slugged Matt in the stomach, and Matt keeled over. Nick warned Matt not to go near anyone in the Newman family ever again.

Later, Adam sipped coffee to stay alert until they got final word from Nick, but he figured they’d toast with tequila when his brother got back. Victor and Adam agreed that Nick deserved to be the one who took care of Matt Clark once and for all.

Meanwhile, Matt sat in the back seat of Nick’s car, his hands bound with zip ties, while Nick drove. Matt speculated that Nick hadn’t wanted Sharon to ride shotgun because he was threatened by her chemistry with Matt. Matt covertly worked to loosen his bindings as he taunted that the Newman men seemed to have thing for his castoffs. Matt pondered whether Sharon’s favorite was Nick, Adam, or Matt.

As Matt gradually loosened the zip ties, Nick called his nemesis sick and depraved for needing to inflict pain on people, and he considered Matt a piece of garbage that would be disposed of. Matt wondered if Nick intended to drag him into the woods to dig his own grave. Matt said he was honored Nick had chosen to be the one to kill him, but the flaw in the plan was that Nick wasn’t a killer. Matt clucked that overestimating oneself was where things went sideways.

Matt claimed that he’d feared Victor might have a heart attack when he’d punched Matt, since Victor was old and had recently been shot. Matt considered it karma that the Newman family was a magnet for drama. Matt envisioned Nick shaking like a leaf with performance anxiety when it was time to pull the trigger. Matt predicted that Nick would tell himself he could do it, but Matt would have made his move in the meantime – and there was no time like the present. Matt suddenly wrapped his hands around Nick’s throat.

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