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Young & Restless has given us a case of the February blues when we were expecting February Sweeps. Read on for a look at the past week and what’s ahead.

Nothin’ Good to Say

Aside from the actors, who are trying their utmost to make this Chancellor-Winters name debate interesting, and the return of a fired-up Amanda, there’s nothing good to say about this mess. It doesn’t make sense and few, if any, care what the company is called.

The only thing I care less about than who works at what company is what the names of those companies are. Who asked for this? #YR

— Mark (@CanadianMark_) February 21, 2024

Fans are exhausted by the boring business offerings and even the prospect of a new romance isn’t helping. The writing for Corporate Chance and Sappy Summer is dismal. I couldn’t even get fired up about the preview with Mamie wanting to oust Jill so the Winters family can take over the whole shebang. I love Aunt Mamie, but this seems so random. It might have worked if she’d shown up back when Devon was considering merging to try and talk him out of it, or if she was counseling her family to dissolve the merger and restore Hamilton-Winters. There’s no reason for ousting Jill other than revenge, which would have played out better with inter-personal drama. Making matters worse, Jill’s not even on screen. Most importantly, we’ve all had enough of “threats” that amount to nothing in these corporate stories. We’re over it. Read more about business stories ruining Young & Restless here.

Give Me One Reason

Another huge issue for Young & Restless is stories taking place offscreen. Case in point: Connor’s issues at school. We haven’t even laid eyes on the kid, yet we’re supposed to be invested in this plot?! All we’ve seen is a bunch of hand-wringing from Adam and Chelsea, with a little Billy, Sally, and Sharon thrown in. This Connor material feels much more PSA than soap opera. Not that there’s anything wrong with educating the audience, but the subject matter has to be delivered as daytime drama. There’s no drama in sight here. Perhaps if Connor was showing a penchant for behaving like the dark and twisted younger version of Adam, this would be more interesting. But only if he was in Genoa City and if his issues were affecting other characters we care about. I believe we will see Connor soon, and he’s a cutie-patootie, but regardless, this story isn’t it.

I’m Tore Down

There was some debate online about whether or not Sally overreacted to Adam going to Victor about her business behind her back. I think, given the history, it was a legit reaction. Unfortunately, what made an impression on me most in the related scenes was that Chloe has become nothing more than an anti-Adam harpy. I get why she feels that way, but I don’t want to hear it every time she opens her mouth. I want so much better for this character. Maybe free her from Kevin since Greg Rikaart is on Days and give her a story of her own.

Trust me, I get why Chloe hates Adam. He killed her baby. If that was my child, I would hate him to. But the #YR writers need to put something else in Chloe’s mouth than just the usual wash, rinse, repeat hate Adam dialogue. Elizabeth is too good of an actress for just that.

— Me, myself, & I (@whoknowstv) February 22, 2024

Feeling Good

Well, Ashley certainly changed her tune… and not a moment too soon, because the Ashley/Tucker/Audra scenes had become all but unwatchable. What’s caught my attention is that I suspect Ashley’s snapped and an alternate personality has taken control. Frankly, I’m intrigued to see what Smashley, or whatever we’re going to call her, has in store for Tucker. How do we know she’s an alter? We seemed to see the moment the change happened in the car when Ashley said out loud, “I have to take control.” She then had a totally different air about her. She later told Traci that she had an epiphany after talking to her psychiatrist friend in Paris, but when she first came back to Genoa City, she was still of the same mind, so that’s doesn’t jive. I also noticed that she said to Traci, “I’ve got to get a change of clothes,” which made me wonder if the alter will dress differently. In the preview for next week, Audra confronts Ashley, but is it actually Smashley? I’m down to watch these two go head-to-head as long as big dramatic things actually happen.

The Thrill is Gone

The Phyllis/Danny/Cricket triangle isn’t nearly as compelling this time around as it was in the past. We know Danny loves Cricket and they’re meant to be, so Phyllis’ endless haranguing just feel ridiculous and annoying, whereas her scheming in the past was darker and more destructive — soapier. Lauren telling Danny that he may actually have feelings for Phyllis seems a clear signal that we’re headed for a jaw-dropping (not in a good way) romantic twist: Danny will test out Lauren’s theory and make the whole mess far, far worse.

This Christine/Danny/Phyllis story is truly awful and I really hate saying that. It is literally unwatchable and I saw this story with these same characters years ago. #YR

— Dianne K (@dmk1207) February 21, 2024

Stone Crazy

The one story working quite well, of course, is the tale of Crazy Aunt Jordan. It began to drag a little, probably to draw out the climax until the end of February, but has picked up again with Victor manipulating behind the scenes to get Claire released against Victoria’s wishes. Jordan, meanwhile, has been working Seth like a puppet, although both he and Nikki are beginning to have suspicions. I feel it’s all building to another big showdown or two, and while it’s likely someone kills Jordan in the end, she may add to her body count first by offing Seth, who is perfectly positioned to be caught in the crossfire.

The opinions expressed within are mine. Please feel free to share your thoughts on Young & Restless in the comments.

See Ashley, Nikki (and many more!) in our gallery of Y&R’s most memorable rivalries below.

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