The Young and the Restless: Why Tessa’s Choice to Abandon Mariah is an Absolute Betrayal of Teriah

It looks like the end of an era for Teriah’s fans. While Mariah is snuggled up in a motel room, plotting a potential kidnapping and dealing with her mind because of the infamous Ian Ward, Tessa is not waiting; she’s moving forward with her own life. With the beginning of the process to secure the divorce, as well as the physical relationship with Daniel before helping out her wife, Tessa’s decisions seem utterly unreasonable.

Tessa has the map, but not the will to care

The biggest issue with what is transpiring in this storyline is Tessa's total lack of urgency. She was given digital breadcrumbs that provided information on Mariah's location, and that location is practically written in neon begging Tessa to head that direction. In all of the previous storylines involving Teriah, Tessa would have been at that motel finding out where Mariah was being held.

At this moment, Tessa is the coldest, most dispassionate, uninterested version of herself that fans have seen, as evidenced by the fact that Tessa appears more concerned about filing for divorce than she does about getting to the motel to save her wife. It is such a drastic change in character that, rather than portraying a natural evolution, this turnaround feels more like an enormous leap away from Tessa's character, making it feel less like she has grown and more like she has completely abandoned her marriage to Mariah.

After Friday's episode, viewers watched and were reminded that Tessa is at a place where many fans can no longer defend her actions. Although she has made statements indicating that she "deserves better" than a failing marriage with Mariah, the only thing she has actually proven is that Tessa has completely dismissed the fact that her wife is struggling with a legitimate mental breakdown. Instead of being Tessa and helping her wife, she has chosen to focus on paperwork and has effectively shut the door on saving Mariah.

Kissing Daniel while Ian Ward wins

Mariah is currently being tormented by Ian Ward while she is trapped in a random motel room, but Tessa is trying to find her creative spark by kissing Daniel at Crimson Lights. The optics of the situation are horrible. Tessa is kissing Michael Graziadei’s Daniel while her wife is being groomed by a ghostly cult leader. It is just becoming impossible to comprehend. Daniel is telling Tessa she is brave, but it seems like a convenient way for her to ignore her "for better or worse" vows.

Tessa is essentially treating this 'limbo' situation like a hall pass to hook up with another guy. Tessa has shown Mariah that she is more like a burden that can be quickly replaced, even if Mariah is pushing her toward that. Hooking up with Daniel is not only a mistake but also a massive diversion that prevents her from rescuing Mariah. For every minute Tessa spends "getting the juices flowing" with Daniel, Mariah is suffering at the hands of a psychopath.

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The real tragedy is that while Tessa is playing house, Mariah is literally on fire. Ray Wise is killing it in his role as Ian Ward, and he is currently winning the battle for Mariah's soul. However, Ian is only winning at this point because Tessa's head isn't in the game. If Tessa does not realize the danger that Mariah is in and how this is entirely unlike her, she will lose Mariah forever.

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

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