Dangerous Liaisons

The Young and the Restless certainly strayed from the predictable path this week as they delivered a slew of unexpected liaisons that left viewers surprised (at least, the viewers that don't read spoilers)! Join our Two Scoops columnist as he breaks down all the (somewhat) unexpected drama!

Yowza! There's so much to talk about this week! Will Deacon give Nikki the answers she wants about Diane, or will he ultimately just cause more trouble for her? Is Chance flirting with danger? Will Sally be the catalyst of the next big Newman family feud? Is Phyllis setting up Diane... or is it the other way around? Are Lily and Devon headed toward a corporate showdown at Chancellor-Winters -- only to ultimately lose it all to Nate? And speaking of Devon, could he get the ultimate revenge on Nate by bedding Elena?! Summer temperatures may be starting to cool down, but Genoa City is still heating up as we head into autumn!

It has been reported that "a series of crossovers" are planned with Y&R's sister soap, The Bold and the Beautiful, this month -- and it may be just the thing to get me watching B&B again! I haven't watched B&B for a while now (I've never been an avid viewer, but I have dabbled in watching it over the years); however, I have been toying with the idea of picking it back up ever since Y&R's villain Sheila (who is one of my favorite daytime villains alongside Days of our Lives' Stefano and General Hospital's Helena) popped up over there in Los Angeles to wreak havoc on all her bold, beautiful, and helpless victims. So far, I've just been "viewing vicariously" through Soap Central's news and recaps to read what Sheila has been up to, but I have been hoping for a major Y&R crossover -- and Nikki's visit to see Deacon in Los Angeles could be the catalyst that sets a larger storyline in motion (or that could just be wishful thinking on my behalf).

Deacon will be popping up on Y&R (as we saw in the "Next Week on Y&R..." preview at the end of Friday's episode, but Nikki's scenes on B&B the following week are reportedly going to primarily be with Eric Forrester (John McCook), Bill Spencer (Don Diamont; who portrayed Brad Carlton on Y&R), and Katie Logan (Heather Tom; who originally portrayed Nikki's daughter, Victoria, on Y&R). I am also hoping that she will cross paths with Sheila (even if just for a moment!) and launch a larger crossover involving Michael and Lauren, who have been Sheila's primary "targets" on Y&R in the past (Lauren, in particular). I won't get my hopes up, though, because I was hoping the same thing would happen when Jack and Phyllis made their way to Los Angeles, and sadly, no Sheila sighting was made then (what a waste!).

Regardless, I am looking forward to the crossover episodes and plan to tune in to B&B for Nikki's scenes. It will be interesting to see what Nikki might learn about Diane from Deacon and whether it will make any sort of impact back in Genoa City. I have a feeling that the scenes will be more about tying up loose ends regarding Nikki and Deacon's past and less about shocking revelations concerning Diane's time in Los Angeles. Even though Deacon helped Diane fake her death all those years ago when Nikki was framed for her "murder," there has been no indication that Diane and Deacon have kept in touch since then, so Deacon may have little to offer Nikki in that regard.

Unless Deacon was the mysterious person Diane texted that helped kill the series of articles that were being written about her in the media? That would be interesting, but I'm not sure what type of contacts Deacon would have within the media to accomplish that. I wouldn't put something like that past Sheila, though! It would be a dream come true if Sheila and Diane were somehow in cahoots! If so, bring it on (like, immediately)!!!! That duo working together would certainly be an extremely dangerous liaison!

Next up, let's talk about Chance and his "dangerous liaisons." What are the writers doing with his character? I honestly have no idea what they have planned for him. In one scene, he seems to have gotten over letting his wife's family essentially get away with murder (or at least, the cover-up of a manslaughter) and playing the part of the happy husband to Abby; then, in another scene, he is connecting with Sharon again (which has been innocent enough so far and mostly related to conversations about Rey); and then, in the blink of an eye, he is flirting with Chelsea! At least, I think that is what is happening. Was that flirting? Whatever it is, it's not good, given Chelsea's recent inclinations to go after men who are already in relationships. If they aren't quite flirting yet, it certainly seems like they are flirting with the idea of flirting!

Chance's marriage could be in trouble if he continues to spend less time with his wife and more time with Sharon and/or Chelsea. I can't tell if the writers don't know what to do with him yet and are testing out a few different directions they could take him or if there is a larger storyline here that they are laying the groundwork for. There certainly seemed to be a focus on Chance and Chelsea this week as Chance tried to help her relax by teaching her some "relaxation techniques" that he learned from his therapist, which, frankly, felt a bit like foreplay. Even Sharon seemed to notice their flirty behavior and seemed slightly bothered by it.

There were rumors that Chance would be involved with Sharon back when the role was recast last year, but that hasn't come to fruition yet. Both characters have been through a lot in their separate storylines since then, though, so perhaps the writers have been planning a "slow burn" leading up to this pairing? I wouldn't have thought a Chance/Sharon pairing was a possibility a few weeks ago when I was certain that a Nick/Sharon reunion was on the horizon, but now that Nick and Sally are hooking up, a Nick/Sharon reunion could be delayed (for now).

I was surprised that Nick and Sally had sex this week! I wasn't sure the writers would actually go there, since we've already seen the Newman brothers in a love triangle battling over Sharon years ago, but they definitely went there (twice)! And, of course, it all happened just before Adam finally told Sally that he loved her and wanted her back. Oy vey! I do think it was a great twist, though! I am glad to see the writers not immediately going the obvious route by throwing Nick and Sharon back together right away, while at the same time giving Adam and Sally their own rocky road to travel on their way back to a reunion. Hopefully, we will see each of those reunions one day, and the ride along the way will be a fun one to take!

I was proud of Sally for standing up for herself and not immediately giving in to her desire to take Adam back. He really messed with her head by dumping her "for her own good," and I would be disappointed if she had forgiven him and taken him back without blinking an eye. Plus, she is likely conflicted now about what is going on with Nick. I wasn't really into their office tryst when it happened, but it made sense to me because they had both been majorly stressed lately and needed an outlet to release that stress.

Sally has been a mess both personally and professionally since Adam left her, and Nick has been grappling with the fact that he accidentally killed Ashland. Since they have been leaning on each other for support lately, I suppose it really was just a matter of time before things "escalated" for them. I was hoping their hook-up was a one-time thing initially, but when they ended up back at her hotel room later in the week and went at it again, I was definitely feeling their chemistry more and was getting into the idea of seeing more of them together. The ramifications of their continued sexual liaisons could certainly prove dangerous for the Newman family in the long run!

Victor was not a fan of Adam with Sally, so he will not be happy if Nick gets serious with her. Victoria has been aching for a reason to boot Sally from the company, which could cause friction at Newman Enterprises between Nick and his sister if he continues to protect Sally's position there. Hell, Sally could potentially even sue for sexual harassment if they try to fire her now, since Nick is essentially her boss! And, of course, Adam and Nick's brotherly bond that has been strengthening will certainly break, and they will likely become enemies again. And that is the part of this story that makes me a little sad because I have really been enjoying seeing Nick and Adam become closer this past year (other than that, though, I am here for all that Newman drama)!

The Abbotts are likely to be facing their own family drama soon, too, as the seeds may have been sown this week for the next big conflict to come their way. In a surprise that seemed to come from out of the blue, Diane accused Phyllis of trying to set her up as being involved in some sort of kickback scheme involving Marchetti Home. Diane explained to Kyle and Summer that a random file was suddenly on her computer that she had never seen before, and because it was related to Phyllis' division at Marchetti, it seemed obvious to her that Phyllis had planted it there as some sort of plot to get her fired -- especially since the file was an invoice for a large sum of money that Diane didn't approve (and would have no authority to approve in her position).

Something about Diane's tale just felt a bit off to me, though. Granted, Phyllis is a master when it comes to tech, and she could have easily hacked Diane's account, so, if true, Diane would have every right to suspect her. But Diane just felt a little too desperate when she was reporting the incident to Kyle and Summer, which is a far cry from the cool and collected Diane we have seen since she returned to town. Just as Summer pointed out to Kyle, the whole thing could just as easily be a plot of Diane's to make Phyllis look bad and get her fired (not the other way around).

There wasn't much time spent on this storyline this week, so I am reserving my judgment until we see where it is going. But I wouldn't put it past Diane or Phyllis to do something like this. Diane could be doing it to lash out at Phyllis for airing her dirty laundry in the media. And Phyllis could be doing it as a backup plan to get rid of Diane, since the plot to discredit her in the media fizzled out just as quickly as it began. But Phyllis knows that Nikki is headed to Los Angeles to meet with Deacon in hopes of getting some dirt on Diane, so would Phyllis start this whole other side plot before Nikki has a chance to explore what dirt Deacon has to offer them? Yes. Yes, she would, but I am not convinced that she is (yet).

The Newmans and Abbotts weren't the only ones facing family drama this past week; in fact, the Winters/Chancellor clan gave them all a run for their money! Jill's desire to take Chancellor-Winters public created quite the rift between Lily and Devon when they landed on opposite sides of the argument for and against it. I am glad Lily is finally starting to see how selfish and controlling Devon can be -- and how quickly he will turn on those closest to him when he doesn't get his way.

Lily and Jill have good reasons for wanting to take the company public, but Devon doesn't want to hear it because it would mean giving up control. Just as he immediately dismissed all of Nate's ideas for the company without truly listening to any other perspective, he is now doing the same to Jill and Lily regarding taking the company public. Lily and Devon may soon learn that going into business with family can be one of the most dangerous types of liaisons to enter into -- especially since their cousin Nate is now poised to take it all away from them!

Nate's character certainly took a dark turn this week, didn't he?! I love a good "bad boy," so I'm loving the direction the writers are taking him! He's now trying to form his own dangerous liaison with Victoria by informing her of Jill's plan to take Chancellor-Winters public and offering to provide her with inside information on which shares to purchase so that Newman Enterprises can gain a majority control over the company. And all Victoria has to do in return is put him in charge of the company if/when they pull it off! Brilliant! I was floored when Nate laid out his plan to Victoria (and she certainly seemed shocked that he'd be willing to do that to his family, too)!

And Victoria wasn't the only one who was shocked. Elena was appalled that Nate would even suggest doing such a thing because he wouldn't just be hurting Devon; he'd also be hurting Lily. I understand that Elena wants everyone to get along and that her intentions are good (for the most part), but I can also understand why Nate would be frustrated that she seemingly continues to side with Devon, given the history between the three of them. Speaking of which, could history repeat itself and reignite the Nate/Elena/Devon love triangle?!

Like Lily when she spotted Devon and Elena together at Crimson Lights, I was getting a troubling vibe between Devon and Elena. I have no doubt that Elena still has feelings for Devon. To me, Nate always felt like a consolation prize to her when she couldn't get Devon back after cheating on him with Nate. And I wouldn't put it past Devon to stick it to Nate by "sticking it" to Elena in a moment of weakness. Imani would certainly be happy if that happened because Nate would be a single man ripe for the picking. A lot of fans believe that Nate will cheat on Elena with Imani soon, but I have a feeling it will be Elena doing the cheating (again).

What do you all think? Will Elena cheat on Nate with Devon, or will it be Nate who cheats on Elena with Imani (or maybe even with Victoria)? Are you a fan of Nate's revenge plot, or would you rather see him mend fences with his family and rejoin Chancellor-Winters? Hit the Comments and share your opinions!

That's all from me this week, folks! Until next time,Vance

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