The Young and the Restless Recap, October 21: Daniel and Tessa Kiss, while Mariah faces Ian Ward

On the Tuesday, October 21st episode of The Young and the Restless, Daniel and Tessa shared a drunken kiss, Mariah was haunted by Ian Ward, Lily demanded the end of Cane's AI program, while Phyllis eyed it for herself.

What happened on The Young and the Restless

Daniel and Tessa returned to Genoa City late for Danny and Christine's festivities. He thought they'd make it in time, but the dining room was empty. Tessa thanked Daniel for his support, but she wished it wasn't for nothing. They moved to the jazz lounge to find it empty as well, so Daniel's idea to surprise his father was a failure. Tessa felt guilty because the only reason Daniel missed it was that he was in Boston helping her.

Daniel asked if Tessa was doing okay after what happened at the clinic. The last place Tessa wanted to be was at home, so she suggested they take advantage of the empty bar and have drinks. They gave a toast to Danny and Christine (in spirit), but he diverted the subject to what happened with Mariah. She hadn't opened up much about it, and she didn't know what to say. The ordeal was surreal, and she barely recognized the person who sat in front of her. Being with Mariah didn't make anything better and highlighted the distance between them.

Daniel speculated on whether Tessa received any more information from Mariah about what happened the night in the hotel. Mariah's confession of violence never came up, but they did play cards, but nothing helped because Mariah was in a full state of depression. Tessa thought the clinic was hurting Mariah's chances of recovering from her issues. She doesn't know if Mariah would ever be able to work through things if she remained closed off.

Tessa didn't want to go home that night, but Daniel warned her against getting drunk to wash away her problems. He reminded her that she once told him the same thing, but she suddenly remembered it had been a year since Heather's murder. Despite his valid points, she didn't want to work through anything in the moment. She couldn't fix the situation or Mariah, so she asked Daniel to remain her drinking buddy of the evening.

Daniel saw the trainwreck coming, so he offered to take Tessa to his room and get her something to eat. The drinks continued in the dining room of the athletic club instead, but Tessa just needed to wallow. Drinking didn't fix any of her problems, and she couldn't forget what happened with Mariah.

Tessa wished the night to come to an abrupt end, and the more she thought about the state of her marriage, the worse she felt. She broke down and screamed about Mariah decimating their marriage. Daniel helped Tessa up the stairs, but she tripped, which led to a drunken kiss between the two.

At the clinic in Boston, Mariah found the torn-up Queen of Hearts, which signaled Tessa's pain at her hand. She looked over a picture of her fractured family and contemplated calling Tessa. Ultimately, she phoned Sharon, who remained vigilant at Noah's bedside. Sharon stepped out of Noah's room, thrilled to hear her mother's voice. Sharon asked Mariah how she was doing, and Mariah confirmed she wasn't doing well.

Mariah confided in Sharon that she'd be at the clinic longer than they thought, and Sharon supported her if that's what she felt would work. Sharon wondered if she felt good about her treatment plan, but she hadn't opened up enough to achieve any progress. The process was too slow and too painful, and Sharon wished she could ease Mariah's pain. Mariah was overtaken with negative thoughts and emotions, but Sharon tried to illuminate a potential path out of the darkness.

Mariah felt more lost and alone than ever, and Sharon wished she could be there more for her daughter. Mariah tearfully pleaded for her mother’s help, and she just wished she had had love as a child. She pushed her mother away, and now the only thing she longed for was for Sharon to be there to guide her through the madness. She was unsure if there was a way out of her spiral.

Sharon was elated to hear that Tessa stopped by for a visit, but Mariah couldn't give her what she wanted. The distance grew larger by the moment. Regardless, Mariah wished she were stronger for her wife and daughter. She couldn't understand how she was always there for everyone in her family. Mariah inquired if Sharon could come visit her, and Sharon was torn on whether or not to tell her about Noah's accident. Although she couldn't be there physically, Sharon suggested she get in touch with Mariah's doctors about her treatment.

Mariah abruptly ended the call, and she sat back down at the table to look over the torn card. However, she looked up, and the face of her nightmares, Ian Ward, was sitting across from her and asked, "Are you feeling lost and alone again, Mariah?"

Devon and Abby were happy to be included in Danny and Christine's big night, but Abby felt like Phyllis ruined the vibe. Devon quipped that it was "The Phyllis show," which Abby quickly replied with, "And it needs to be cancelled." She thought Phyllis constantly spread her misery across Genoa City, but Devon assured her that Danny and Christine remained unfazed by her antics.

Abby brought up Phyllis and Cane's recent deepened connection, and she thought Phyllis sought it out on purpose. Devon wondered if Cane was the type of uncaring person that Phyllis had waited her whole life for. He ran down the reasons why Cane was a good fit for Phyllis until he was interrupted by Cane, who was hurt by his former brother-in-law's comments.

Devon stood by his negative comments about Cane, even if Cane denied any wrongdoing in France or Genoa City. Abby took his lack of accountability personally and reminded Cane that her son's father, Chance, was murdered on his property. She told Cane, "Chance went undercover. He went on these missions overseas and at home. He put his life on the line every single day, and then he goes to your chateau at your request, and what? He loses his life. I hope you're prepared to face Nina."

Cane assured him he'd face Nina, and he pointed out how he hadn't gone after anyone since he returned to town. He reiterated his promise to Jill, and he wouldn't attack anyone or their companies. Lily showed up behind him and scoffed at his claim. She wondered if Cane thought anyone would be stupid enough to believe him. He pitched the idea of buying her a drink, but Abby and Devon cautioned her against it.

Cane pleaded for her to take time and listen to him. He didn't want to lose his relationship with their children and again begged her to hear him out. She agreed to one drink, but she warned him ahead of time not to enter it with any expectations.

Devon wasn't thrilled with his sister's decision to have a drink with her ex-husband. However, Abby reminded Devon that Lily was more than capable of handling things. Still, Devon was worried that Cane would find a way to pierce her boundaries and snake back in. He couldn’t rule out the possibility of Lily falling for Cane's act.

Cane validated the rumors about the AI program and its capabilities. She pondered what the endgame was, and he admitted the purpose was to combine Jabot, Newman, and Chancellor into one mega conglomerate. She asked if Winters was on his life of takeovers, and he assured her that wasn't the case. She wanted to know the motivation behind taking over, but it all stemmed from a thirst for power and a need to prove himself. Cane needed assurance that he was better than Victor, Jack, Jill, or even Katherine.

A misguided Cane felt like this would be his best opportunity to win back Lily and the kids. He tried to explain why he felt like it would impress her, that his new level of success was greater than ever before. Cane wanted to be seen as a real and legitimate businessman, but she questioned how that was possible since the money came from another of Colin's cons.

Always the authority on morality, she contemplated what the lesson was in all of it. He knew something was missing despite all of the money, fame, and power, and it was her and the kids. Keeping her in the dark was his biggest mistake, to the point where even Colin pushed Cane to make amends. Cane told Lily, "All the money in the world isn’t gonna solve your problems. It'll just make you feel empty. What I wanted to do with the AI program was wrong. It was a misstep. That's over now."

Lily didn't know what incentive existed to believe him, but he swore that he'd convince her, whatever it took. The only thing she wanted was the AI program destroyed, whether by his hand or handed over to her, so her team at Winters could dismantle it. Everyone had requested the same thing, and although Lily felt it was a sign, he joked that she should make her case for the program. She knew Victor and Jack would weaponize it against each other. However, she didn't think Jill could be entirely trusted either.

He hoped to transform the program into a force of good. He requested the chance to prove it to her, but she insisted it be removed from existence. She said the conversation would come to an end if he didn't, so he confirmed he'd give her the program.

At Crimson Lights, Phyllis told herself she knew what she was doing and didn't need to align herself with anyone. Her own self-interests were all that mattered, and she'd protect herself at all costs. Esther asked if Phyllis needed another drink, and she happily agreed. She wanted answers about what Phyllis was working on, and she felt like anything was a good idea since she'd been unemployed for quite some time. She wished Phyllis luck on her new mantra of betting on herself.

Phyllis talked to herself and said, "Billy is a disaster. Cane is a flake. The only one I can count on, the only one I have ever been able to count on is me. And Cane's AI program is the key."

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