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The Young and the Restless did more than treat viewers to Danny and Cricket's original wedding on Thanksgiving Day. Other stories were happening in Genoa City while the lovebirds were tying the knot in Hawaii. Namely, the quadrangle of Jack/Nikki/Victor/Ashley was going strong and captivated us.
The Young and the Restless, restless style
William J. Bell, Y&R's head writer, co-creator, and executive producer, had been orchestrating the lives of Victor (Eric Braeden), Nikki (Melody Thomas Scott), Jack (Peter Bergman), and Ashley (in this episode, Brenda Epperson) for years. The setup in this flashback episode had Jack and Nikki as husband and wife; ditto for Victor and Ashley.
But as all longtime Y&R fans know, Victor and Nikki remained destined to be together. Their remarriage didn't occur until 1998 (and even that wasn't legal), but viewers tuned in throughout the 1990s, waiting to see this moment take place. The fun (and frustration -- but in a good way) came from watching the slow burn.
Bell had set up the conflict nicely early on in the episode. Nikki recapped to Jack that she was on the fence about having surgery that would cure her of her debilitating back pain, but there was a chance that the operation might not go right, and Nikki could end up in a wheelchair for the rest of her life on The Young and the Restless!
Victor came over to the ranch (remember when the door was on the other side?) to discuss the holidays with Nikki. Where would their children spend them? Victor even suggested that the four adults spend a few days together to give Victoria (Heather Tom) and Nicholas (then, John Alden Nelson) a sense of normalcy.
Victor's home wasn't always the ranch on The Young and the Restless
Victor didn't know what was wrong with Nikki, but he knew that something was up. Something quite serious. Victor asked if Nikki's marriage to Jack was the issue, which set Nikki off! Viewers may have been wondering if and when Nikki was going to blurt out, "I'm not in love with Jack, Victor! You're the man I love!"
However, Nikki's primary interest was her medical condition. She refrained from confiding in Victor about the decision she had to make. Jack, who had left the room to take an important call from Australia, returned. Instead of making his presence known, he listened in on the two talking from a hidden spot on the staircase.
After Victor left, Nikki told Jack that she didn't confide in him as to what was going on. Jack took a beat as if to think carefully about the next question he was going to ask. It was a simple inquiry -- "Why?" -- but loaded with subtext. It's as if Jack were asking why Nikki didn't want to be vulnerable in front of her ex. Did she still love him? Was she afraid of collapsing into his arms, and not Jack's? Nikki said the decision was to be made with her current husband -- not her former one. Sure, that sounded good, but the underlying reason might have been that Nikki didn't want to admit just how much she and Victor still loved one another.
Victor returned to his apartment loft (remember that set?) and updated Ashley on his visit to Nikki. The fact that he did not have an answer about the holiday plans did not go unnoticed by Ashley. Epperson was three years into the role that had been created by Eileen Davidson (who later returned to the role in 1999 and has played it on and off since), but she had a firm grip on the character. Even though Ash was the current Mrs. Victor Newman, she acknowledged (from a place of confidence and strength) that Victor and Nikki were always going to be connected because of their children and the life they shared.
Conversely, Jack appeared more aware of Victor's threat to his marriage, but that's because Nikki was more vulnerable to Victor because of her back pain. Meanwhile, we saw an Ashley who was secure and even playful in her marriage to Victor.
Continued conflict on The Young and the Restless
It's interesting to note that the scenes among these four were not mired down in lengthy specifics of the surgery. At this point in the story, Victor had snatched Jabot Cosmetics away from Jack. The Abbott heir, of course, wanted to regain the company, but there's only so much business talk that can be repeated.
Instead, this episode focused primarily on the emotional dynamics among Jack, Nikki, Victor, and Ashley. The scenes were scored with music cues that were mesmerizing and drew viewers into the scenes. The vital role that music played on the show at this time cannot be emphasized enough.
Viewers of The Young and the Restless were left with questions. When would Victor learn about Nikki's predicament, and what would he do once he discovered her life was in jeopardy? Those were the two queries that kept viewers tuning in tomorrow.
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Bell was a genius at setting up dynamics that could play out for years, as evidenced by today's creative team. Today, Victor and Nikki are happy in their familiar-looking ranch. Jack and Ashley are still in the canvas, and Jabot is back in their control and has been for many years. But their lives are still entwined. Victor and Ashley share a child, Abby (Melissa Ordway), and Jack and Nikki's friendship is so strong that Victor wants to still destroy Jack. There are still loads of conflicts that keep viewers tuning in. The stories continue.
Catch all-new episodes of The Young and the Restless weekdays on CBS and Paramount Plus
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