Why Traci needs a great new storyline on The Young and the Restless

On The Young and the Restless, Traci Abbott (Beth Maitland) is Genoa City's resident sweetheart. She is arguably the kindest, most good-natured character in the entire show. She's also what you might call the heart and soul of the Abbott family. Whenever the Abbotts fight over one issue or another, Traci comes to the rescue and acts as the peacemaker. She loves her family and is always a supportive sister to Jack (Peter Bergman), Ashley (Eileen Davidson), and Billy (Jason Thompson). She always uses reason and good judgment to help them solve their disputes. Here's why Traci needs a great storyline the next time she visits Genoa City:

Traci's last storyline on The Young and the Restless was not worthy of her

The last time Traci had her own storyline on The Young and the Restless, she was in love with Alan Laurent -- or who she thought was Alan. Unfortunately, he turned out to be Alan's psychopathic twin brother, Martin, who kidnapped Sharon (Sharon Case) and Phyllis (Michelle Stafford) and kept them prisoners in an abandoned mental facility. He tortured them by playing twisted mind games with them.

Fans were thrilled when they thought it really was Alan that Traci was dating. Alan was a decent man and a friend of Ashley's, and he played an important role in getting Ashley the psychiatric care she needed to treat her dissociative identity disorder. If Traci's boyfriend really had been Alan, it would have been wonderful, since she hasn't had a love story in years (other than her brief friendship and flirtation with Cane, who was then played by Daniel Goddard). The Abbott family was ecstatic that Traci had found love again.

So it was heartbreaking when everyone learned that the man she loved all those months was really Martin. It wasn't only heartbreaking and a total letdown for Traci. It was upsetting for her fans as well. Let's face it, Traci deserves a much better storyline than to be unknowingly in love with a dangerous psychopath.

We need a break from seeing Traci always in Abbott-centered storylines

Until Traci's storyline with Martin, we mainly saw her character being utilized as a support system for her family. Her storyline with Cane didn't really amount to anything. Whenever she visits Genoa City, we usually see her in the Abbott living room, trying to fix yet another family problem. We saw her in other settings when she was dating Martin and when she was in France, helping Ashley. But now that Martin is in prison, will we see Traci's scenes restricted to the Abbott mansion again?

It would be a refreshing change if the writers would put Traci in other characters' orbits, in a storyline that doesn't involve the Abbott family. We don't get to see many non-Abbotts interact with her. It would be great to see that, as most of the other characters on The Young and the Restless probably like and respect her. In soaps, you can't swing a dead cat without hitting a character who's done something shady, dishonest, secretive, or violent. But Tracy doesn't fall into that category. Some fans may even think she's honest to a fault and too nice. She's a rare breed, indeed.

Could Traci and Lauren become friends?

Traci and Lauren have a bitter history on The Young and the Restless, since they were both involved with Brad Carlton (Don Diamont). But several years ago, Lauren apologized to Traci for the horrible way she had treated her, and Traci gratefully embraced her. Traci has never been the kind of person who holds a grudge.

It would be wonderful if Traci and Lauren could actually develop a friendship. Then, we could get scenes of them having lunch or drinks together at Society or the GCAC. Maybe we could even get scenes of Traci with Lauren and Michael. Traci would probably have a fun time with both of them.

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In any event, Traci deserves a storyline that is worthy of her, whether it's a love story, a friendship story, or even a story where she is somehow caught in the middle of all the business intrigue we've been seeing lately involving Cane, Victor, and all the other business people on Y&R. Beth Maitland is such a delightful actress. Her beautiful character, Traci, deserves a story where we can truly see her shine.

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

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