Recaps
THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS: Ashley’s Revenge Plot On Jack Revealed; He Is John’s Son After All!

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I am glad to see Jack’s paternity intact, and that the plot thread it tied in short order. Still, to see Ashley is the one behind the deception cuts deep and hurts. I know Jack and Ashley were competitive and Dina’s return set forth new rivalry, but I have a hared thinking Ashley would go this far. Perhaps it is a nod to history as I recall Ashley sort of losing her mind after her learning her paternity and an affair Victor in the 1980s.
is she teetering off the edge ???? that would give some leeway.. between brother and sister. w/ her strong feelings about mom coming back to roost… and knowing “her” father not with; to lay it out. John abbott sr.. Jack and Ashley .. what else was their ???? so… this exit story leaves her and us REELING … knowing “just jack” gets his crest back in order and his back bone IN.. is all it’s worth. I don’t know.. it’s putting a knife in the back of Y&R that Eileen Davidson, Doug Davidson, and MUCH MORE to ride this out.… Read more »
I thought all was wonderful – the story and the performances was great – so great I had to watch a few times on my DVR – still NOT ready to delete that episode yet because i will be reviewing that same episode tonight !!
I agree, Ann. It was a great episode, regardless of one’s feelings about who’s right or wrong. And it really gave Beth Maitland and Michael Mealor a chance to shine as well.
Where to begin?!?!?!?! CLASSIC soap!!!!! Who needs doppelgangers, and guns, and serial killers, and all the things that soaps AREN’T…..when you can watch this?? Explosive family drama that rolls in veteran cast members gets me every time. I am also officially convinced…Mal Young KNOWS exactly what he is doing!!! He has kept the classic look and feel of the show while modernizing it as well. The look of the show is GREAT! It’s a little hipper, a little fresher, a little …younger. Let’s not forget the title after all! And damn, Mal knows how to deliver the shockers! Nick posing… Read more »
I couldnt have expessed my absolute delicious enjoyment of these past couple of episodes any better Jovin! Ofcourse there are holes in the story like even if Ashley felt justified in treating Jack this way she would never use Abby or want her involved etc,but regardless only a seasoned vet and extrodinary actress like Eileen could pull off this character 180. I truly felt sorry for her and she sold her revenge motivation 100%. I will miss her but am happy she got such a dramatic sendoff!! Further i d like to add among the top notch acting all around… Read more »
Thanks Big D!! 🙂
I totally forgot to mention Michael Mealor as Kyle! He has been impressing me since the naked Birthday Suit stunt! This show FINALLY has an actor with the chops to play Kyle as the leading man he always should have been! Abby and Kyle are the next Jack and Ashley!!
Jovin, Michael Mealor is amazing. There is something really unique about this actor. He has the ability to listen to other actors when they deliver their lines while revealing something his own character is thinking. He manages to say something without talking.
Again, Harry, you said it better than I could. That ability you mentioned is rare and makes his performances something very special. Imagine being so relatively new and holding your own with Eric Braeden, Eileen Davidson, Peter Bergman, and Beth Maitland! No small feat!
Jovin, your words are pearls. Michael has grabbed hold of this character with a vengeance and has become one of the few reasons I keep tuning in. His acting choices are original, unexpected, always in character, and often thrilling. What a find this guy is! Not to mention..he’s as hot as they come. I look forward to what’s next for Kyle–and THAT’S something I’d never have expected.
Great post, Jovin. Now unlike you, I am usually not good at guessing how a story line is going to pan out but I guessed Ashely had switched the DNA results and had sabotaged her mother’s documentary the day that episode aired. I said as much on Michael Fairman’s comment section during that time period. I think we can connect the dots to how Ashely was driven to this kind of insanity–it works and it’s not plot driven; it’s actually character driven. I’ve written about this extensively on the last Fairman Y&R blog, and I don’t want to repeat myself… Read more »
I AGREE! A little patience goes a LONG way in terms of payoff! Mal Young is DELIVERING! The Abbott Family drama has been RIVETING and all of the motivation makes SENSE and is in character! Bravo,Y&R!
Wow – your opinion is nothing short of long-winded and…LONG!!! Don’t know what show you’re watching in which you’re being entertained – IT SURELY ISN’T THIS MESS!! Your praise for Michael Mealor is weird unto itself – this kid can’t act and the only facial expression he is capable of making is that of constipation – like someone gave him an enema with a vacuum cleaner!! Your praise for Mal Young is hysterical, BTW – he has done everything in his power to make EVERY CHARACTER on “Y & R” nothing short of likable!! Then again, you find that entertaining.… Read more »
As much as I love Peter Bergman and Eileen Davidson, I am not loving this storyline. It just doesn’t make much sense to me. Off topic, who thinks that Tessa is blackmailing the four ladies?
WOW AVP!!!!!!! I am humbled by your inner Sherlock Holems!!!
Jovin, I read another blogger’s response, and a few think it’s Tessa. I can’t take credit. I’m not that interested in the storyline, so I didn’t give it much thought. Makes sense though!
I thought so too, but can not figure out how she would know all the details of their little caper, including he burial site.
Yawn, of course it’s Messa.
I think “Messa” is running a con. I don’t think anyone is after her…and honestly, I don’t care either way! #YAWN
I know what you mean, AVP. Tessa never really clicked in any story (for me), despite Cait’s valiant efforts and great beauty. I will feel bad for the unlucky in love Mariah. Apparently she inherited her mother’s poor instincts for choosing partners.
I do!
OMG!!! What a send off for Eileen Davidson! With her icy delivery and Peter Bergman’s shock, disappointment and rage, in my opinion they were brilliant! I am going to miss her greatly and she deserves her previous emmy awards and the nomination that is to come next year, along with a nomination for Petet Bergman. Finally Mal Young, you shocked the hell out of me with this reveal. Hopefully, it will be the same with the J.T., murder case.
Kudos to you: what a GREAT read. especially when it comes to Mal Young RIGHTING the WRONG …. this is Peter Bergman’ WORLD – The Abbott Clan forever and foremost his fight. dag… here go back the pillar of strength. renewed vigor by each and every individual that make up John Abbott Sr… empire. PLUS : this is also the way to go… leave so much animosity torn heart broke between two of the best older brother younger sister camaraderie allies beyond and just pure delight in their sparring with the outer world. SIGH ! I can take this as… Read more »
PS: Mr. Michael Fairman… can we please have a DATE on when: thee dynamic bar none; lady’ Eileen Davidson, last day is: ???? tearing up and stomach wrench …
Patrick, great post as well! Y&R gives us more of this!
Well done.
Something had to come out where Jack was a full blooded Abbott. There was no way anyone could rewrite history when the show has been on for this long. I have always known Ashley to be a strong woman but I never thought she had this kind of venom in her so that was a nice touch. I’m glad her scenes on the show packed the powerful punch they did because she will be leaving any moment now.
Awesome show
Yes, it’s a plot device to accommodate Eileen’s leaving. Yes, I hated seeing Ashley painted with such a devious brush. But…what great acting and vintage drama, with a nod to Jack’s previous chair-crashing moment from years ago. One of Eileen’s best scenes in years with great support from Beth Maitland, underrated Michael Mealor, and the magnificent Peter Bergman.
Even though Peter has a few more years on him, he hefted that chair almost as good as when he threw Victor’s chair out, those many years ago.
Thoroughly enjoyed how it all came together, filling in “missing” time flashbacks especially between Ashley and Dina. Although I suspected Ashley tampered with DNA and came to believe Jack was indeed John Abbott’s son, I never surmised Ashley manipulated her mother. Although Jack was livid with Ashley for doing this, decades ago Jack manipulated his own father when John had been seriously ill (something about John’s will.) Therefore, as much as I disliked Ashley’s behavior, she played fire with fire. I hope someone reminds Jack of what he did to his own father when his father wasn’t in complete control… Read more »
Ron, I fast forward through the Four Witches of Genoa City and have been doing so since they decided not to report the accidental killing of JT. It’s been a bore and the whole premise is predicated upon abject stupidity coming from the leader of the witches, Phyllis. Phyllis is anything but stupid but for her to demand that they not report the accidental killing of JT immediately and to cover it up was the epitome of stupidity. To make it even dumber, the other three dumb witches followed Phyllis’s idiotic idea. Nikki accidentally killed JT while defending her daughter… Read more »
Gina’s portrayal of Phyllis has not one once of sexual appeal to me. She is so mean ALL the time!
So true, Harry. The witches of Eastwick they ain’t. And I LOVE when Phyllis & Miss Nikki continually threaten Sharon as if she’ll come out the worst! It was deceitful Phyllis’ idea to lie, Miss Nikki committed the (justifiable) crime and J. T. was Victoria’s husband. Exactly how will Sharon have it worse?
Welll said again, Harry. The 4 witches– A good laugh! It reminded me of MacBeth’s witches… and, I loved your earlier comparison of Ashley to Blanche DuBois (and “the kindess of strangers.”) What Y and R could use now is a little modernizing of King Lear.
Thank you Ron and Soaphound. Yes, Ron–they are the Weird Sisters. I fully expect Phyllis to conjure up a steaming potion which contains the “eye of newt and the toe of frog” and she will instruct the other three witches to drink it and it will absolve them. And Sharon, Victoria and Nikki would do so because they follow every idiotic command Phyllis makes.
Well, I know you’re paying no attention to the story, but Friday’s photo of the Chancellor Park monument (sent by the blackmailer) did add a twist to the dull story. All along I felt it was Tessa. Now, I’m not so sure. Either JT unburied himself or one of the 4 witches is behind it; if so, I peg Sharon since all this started right after she got word of the Nick/Phyllis “love’s labour lost.” There was that MISSING TIME element of Sharon’s wedding, and I have wondered what she was doing and where she was– no one seems to… Read more »
“were” juxtaposed.
I knew, was right, so no surprise for me. I had said; when Victor entered the showing of Dina’s life that the switch was not him, not his style. I said it was a ”revenge” story and it was Kyle or Ashley, then later just Ashley as the sole master of the plot to get even with Jack. There was no way that the writers would make Jack not Johns son, that will never ever happen, I knew that lol. And, before Ashley leaves for wherever Jack and all will show her pity, she will not leave as a horrible… Read more »
I was not surprised either but I was very entertained. You know what Billy and Ashely have in common, su000? They are both guilty of what aboutism and their acts of revenge far exceed the initial crime they feel was directed against them. Ashely fails to mention, as she shrills over and over how Jack pushed her out of Jabot’s CEO seat, that he only used the Blood-Abbott clause because she was trying to have the board fire him as CEO. His crime? He was too busy taking care of his mother who is suffering from Alzheimer’s. What Ashley did… Read more »
The last two weeks of Y&R have been some of its absolute best thanks to this storyline, which is an incredibly rich, well written, and powerfully acted storyline that is worthy of the legacy Bill Bell left behind. This show has always been about characters, and class, and conflict, and the delicious payoff that the viewers are treated to when these elements all come to head. Bill Bell was the king of making viewers keep his secrets — oftentimes for years — and then spinning incredible tales from often long-forgotten nuggets of history. This entire arc has been an homage… Read more »
This a well written and thoughtful response. Thanks for posting it. As a four-decade Y&R viewer, I know the Abbott history and agree with your insight. This plot is a “poster child” for what the writers should be doing: Using the history of the characters to drive the plots. Frankly, daytime serials have neither the time, money or resources to compete with other genres (movies or night-time shows) to craft compelling “action” plots. These decade-long shows, however, do have an advantage: Characters that viewers have watched for eons. Veteran viewers feel like they “know” the characters and can appreciate the… Read more »
Barb– you hit it on the head; I, too, felt betrayed by Dina’s remark, “John Abbott is not Jack’s father.” I may have jumped the gun with by disappointment in rewriting history, but the past few years we have seen multitudes of gaffes– longtime viewers (I, since episode 1) know these characters inside out. I also would love to know which writers ACTUALLY wrote the dialogue sequences between Jack and Ashley.They were powerfully written. And, I can’t say the same holds true for this morning’s episode at the Abbott home with Kyle’s little party (Mariah, Tessa and Lola… then add… Read more »
WOAH….excellent dissertation… belongs in the soap annal… couldn’t agree more w/@Barbara ^^^ “This a well written and thoughtful response” it’s w/delight and heart tug.. all because of how beloved Eileen Davidson captivates and acts her arse off. March, 1982, this lade made her grand entrance… 36 years later !!!! I truly like @Harry post: perhaps this is our lady love swan song ala Streetcar named desire Blanche Dubois. which @Iakovos also hinted at. i’m not watching the show… my heart is full at all the posts lauding Eileen… thanks @Su000.. I will be watching thru October 29 Eileen Davidson :… Read more »
What a brilliant post, CB. Nicely done. I enjoyed reading your observations. I do think what Ashely did to Jack was far more heinous than what Jack did to Ashely. She was trying to play a man’s game but went too far with the manipulation of Dina, the tampering of Dina’s documentary resulting in her public humiliation and the DNA tampering. I wish someone on Y&R would point out that Jack had his back against the wall when he pulled out that Jabot Blood Abbott clause. Ashely was trying to get him ousted from Jabot as CEO due to the… Read more »
I think Y&R has been on fire for months. And the new sets are hot! Was disappointed that Jack wasn’t John’s son and I only know John as a ghost. Great way to turn it around – I never saw that coming. And the ‘new’ flashbacks were also effective. Jack deserved it. He’s as mean spirited as Victor but not as successful. So righteous. Disappointed in Abby and Traci’s reaction and sorry Ashley leaves with the family against her. Great story otherwise!
Peter and Eileen have their Emmy reel! I know that is often said but these two FINALLY got to sink their teeth into some good dialogue!
Amen, Timmm. They had the best scenes in years and tore into them with a fury! We’ve all said it before: daytime actors are the BEST on television…and exceed most movie stars as well.
I am with Ashley on this one. Jack has ALWAYS made her feel like less of an Abbott and like it was his way or no way and she typically goes along and stays in her lane. I loved her standing up for herself and playing dirty! He CONSTANTLY threw her being Brent Davis’ daughter in her face. She is an Abbott also. Period.
I agree with you 100% Richard…I love Eileen Davidson and she will be missed.
Ashely will be saved ..
there will be a pity patty for Ashley and all will end well before she leaves and she will be given her Abbott status as Johns daughter, no doubt of that.
She will be handed her Abbott status..
it will end in a big family hug ..
The Blood Abbott clause, it should be kept.
A bad divorce could put Jabot in outside hands, too risky.
The blood Abbott is the Only safe-guard for the family’s empire.
To all that have been asking–
Eileen Davidson/Ashley’s last day is-
Monday Oct 29th ..
In the hands of a truly creative Head Writer/EP, this would have been a GREAT story – instead, this was nothing short of desperation and grasping at straws!!
Mal Young has eviscerated Bill Bell’s legacy show with nothing more than plot-driven GARBAGE!!! Not on the same level of garbage of Chuck “The Hack” Pratt when he maligned this show with doppelgangers, silly fires, a plane crash and who can forget Chloe & her blowdart gun???
#FIREMALYOUNG
Guess I am what one might call a “lite” viewer, although a long-time viewer; thus having some standing. The DNA thing was so obsequious, to me, it had to be Victor. The Ashley twist was great writing. As a “lite” viewer did the writers provide the little hints that, retrospectively, become appreciated? Perhaps the family bloodline clause was enough; I am not sure. All don’t recall the past years! The reckoning scenes were truly real and astounding. KUDO’s to both actors and to the writers. My recall goes back to when Ashley discovered John was not her father, and to… Read more »
I’ve been a fan of Mal Young since his days at EastEnders, and personally, I’m really enjoying the stamp that he’s put on Y&R. I’m not really a long-term fan … started watching when Tristan Rogers started as Colin, but the performances of Eric Braeden, Peter Bergman and Jeanne Cooper kept me there even when Colin left the canvas. I love the new rooftop set, and am always happy to see them use it. I like the way Young is introducing blue-collar characters. I’m not at all part of the “hate Nate” movement … I like this character and am… Read more »
Because Ashley would have told Jack (at Christmas) about his true identity – I give her a pass on this one. After years of Jack crapping on Ashley, and Ashley always being the bigger person and forgiving her brother, I give her a pass on this one. The writing on this was awesome. Ashley, though not perfect, carries herself with class – but again – because she is a human being – and because she normally don’t act in this way – I give her a pass. Karma is real and Jack got a taste of his own medicine. When… Read more »
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