Month: August 2021

Young & The Restless Update

Recap written by Christine

Ashland took Victoria on a tour of his NY penthouse, ending in the bedroom. She called him smooth, and he told her it wasn’t his intention. She marveled at his home and called it a masterpiece. She saw an Anne Schwartz painting, and she went to get a closer look. While she was admiring the photo, he got fatigued and had to sit down. She wondered if they should’ve postponed the trip, and he said he was okay. He couldn’t wait to walk into his office and introduce everyone to their new CEO. She told him he could pretend he was okay with the rest of the world, but not with her. She wanted his authentic self. He thought that was a tall order, but he could never refuse her.

One of the reasons Ashland came here was to gather things of importance and take them back to Genoa City. Victoria hoped the painting made the cut. Ashland had been too busy to really look at the painting before, but if Victoria liked it, he’d bring it with him. He said that he could really see the painting now, thanks to her. She asked about his home in Long Island. He said there was nothing of value there, and the house in the Hamptons was Tara’s domain. She’d fully furnished it before he even stepped in the door. This Manhattan penthouse was his favorite. Tara used to spend the entire season at the beach house, and little did he know it made it easier to have an affair with Kyle. Victoria advised taking it step by step and letting go of the past. He’d always been a man who strategized 10-15 years down the road, but right now, he only wanted to be happy. Big intricate plans didn’t interest him. Being here in the moment with her felt right. He stared at her, and said it was like looking at the painting and seeing it for the first time and being awed by its beauty. He said everything was better when he was with her.

Victoria woke up and found Ashland out of bed looking deep in thought. He said he’d changed his mind about bringing anything back to Genoa City, besides the painting. He thought she was right about forgetting the past. He wanted to let go of anything that happened before Victoria. He wanted to focus on her and working with his doctor to get as much time with her as he could. He said Victoria freed him. He asked if she knew how powerful she was. He was in awe. She made him want to be as healthy as he could get. He thought about what they could accomplish together, even if time was short. She didn’t want to dwell on that. He brought up the first day they met – when she made the pitch to buy his media division. His decision to sell brought them into each other’s orbit. He wanted to be fully alive for every moment he had left.

Ashland’s secured an appointment with Dr. Ferguson, a leading small lung cell carcinoma specialist, who’d been involved in some promising experimental trials. Ashland asked Victoria to go with him. She asked if he was sure – doctors’ appointments could get personal. He was positive. He said he wanted the doctor to see who was driving him to get all the time he could. She agreed to go and be there with him every step of the way.

At the hotel, Phyllis ended the call with Angelina, promising to call later, and hugged and kissed Nick. He wanted to know about her phone call, but she avoided his question with kisses, pulled him into the elevator and then gave him a more passionate kiss. Later, she was in bed, and he was walking around the room in a towel. She teased that he’d been better, but then she told him he should go away more often, because that was fun and really great. He joined her in bed. He’d loved spending time with Summer in Milan and Noah in London, but he was happy to be here with Phyllis. She asked him to prove it. He was open to that, but first he wanted to know why she was in such a hurry to get him up here. He mentioned the way she abruptly ended her call and changed the subject when he asked about it. She wondered if he was insinuating she was up to no good. He reminded her how well he knew her. She relented and said she’d tell him a story.

After listening to Phyllis’s thoughts on Tara and Sally pushing Summer out of town, Nick asked if she had proof, or if this was just a theory. She said she was working on it. She told him how she tricked Tara with a text from Sally’s phone and how she sent the recording of Sally and Tara’s confrontation to Jack and Kyle. Nick had concerns about how Phyllis ended up with Sally’s phone, which she brushed aside. He asked if she thought sending the video out was crossing the line. She did not, since Sally and Tara were in a public place. He noted that she didn’t have proof. She said she was outraged, and he should be too – this was about their daughter. He said if she was right, he was mad, but she needed more than theories. She was working on getting irrefutable proof – she was leaving for LA tonight.

Nick asked what was in LA, and Phyllis said she was hoping Eric Forrester and Angelina Marchetti could get her the proof she needed. Nick asked Phyllis to walk him through it. She thought that Sally and Tara were behind the job offer. She told him not to underestimate Sally, and she said Tara cheated on her husband and faked paternity. She couldn’t be trusted. He agreed. He said Summer was a fighter, so why would she give in? He thought their daughter would fight to stay and retaliate. Phyllis suggested that Sally and Tara made it impossible for Sally to fight back.

Nick assured Phyllis that he was in her corner, always, but he was trying to come at this with fresh eyes. She thought he was right to ask these questions. That’s why she was going to LA for answers. He noted that her plan was to go to Summer’s boss, behind their daughter’s back. He asked if she thought this would put Summer in a bad position. Phyllis said she’d be careful. Nick just thought Summer would’ve told him if there was something wrong. He spent a lot of time with Summer in Milan, and he would’ve picked up on it if something was wrong. Phyllis didn’t know what was going on, but she was adamant that something was wrong. She could feel it in her bones.

Nick said Phyllis seemed sure of herself, and she made a good case, but he wondered if she manufactured this because she just missed their daughter. She said he wasn’t the first to say this to her, but he was the last one she thought she’d hear it from. He believed that they could say anything to each other. He reiterated that Summer seemed really happy. Phyllis just wanted to make sure this was what Summer really wanted. He was concerned Summer wouldn’t be happy with Phyllis doing this. Phyllis said if she didn’t do it, she’d never forgive herself. He gave her his full support, and he said he was going to LA with her, so they could nail this thing together. She liked the idea, but she thought she should go alone so Eric didn’t feel ganged up on. She said if he stayed here, he could keep her in the loop. He didn’t want to be separated from her so soon, but she had a point. They shared a deep goodbye kiss.

At the Abbott house, Tara spoke with a questioning Jack. He wanted to know he’d learn something about her that would make him regret letting her move in. she said she’d like to say no, but she couldn’t predict the future, and she wasn’t perfect. He noted that Phyllis was throwing around some wild accusations. He noted that they were parents, and there was nothing they wouldn’t do for their kids, including sometimes things that pushed the envelope, which they might later regret. He said it could happen to anyone. She thought he was looking for an explanation, but she didn’t know how to give him what he wanted. He just wanted the truth. She said she was being honest as she could be, but if Phyllis wanted to cause trouble, there was nothing she could say to stop that. But that didn’t make Phyllis right. He said okay, and he was glad they talked.

Lauren came to meet Tara. Jack left without saying goodbye, and Lauren sensed that he had something serious on his mind. They finished a meeting, and Tara said this had been as enlightening as always. Lauren was like a kid in a candy store, because she’d acquired a fabulous shoe line. Lauren wanted to center the marketing around Tara. Tara asked if Lauren was sure, given the recent gossip surrounding Tara. Lauren thought they could position Tara as a woman who had a few knocks but got back up gracefully. Lauren had a team of accountants going over the numbers Tara provided, and she got a message on her way over that there were some documents they requested that they hadn’t received yet. Tara promised to take care of it, personally. She hoped this didn’t take long, given her divorce, she needed an immediate source of income. Lauren knew that, but she was sure Tara understood that Fenmore’s had to do its due diligence. Tara promised to have everything released ASAP. Pleased, Lauren left. Tara didn’t look happy.

At Society, Kyle asked Sally who was out to ruin her life. She said Phyllis interfered with her and Jack, and he was actually listening to her, of all people. Kyle noted that Jack had known Phyllis a lot longer than Sally. Sally argued that Jack should know Phyllis was a conniving manipulative liar, stealing phones and sending fake texts, using security camera footage to manufacture a story. She said Phyllis had been out to get her from the second she came to town. Phyllis didn’t think Sally was good enough for her ex, and she wasn’t going to stop until she kept them apart. “That’s what you think this is about? You and my dad,” Kyle replied. Sally said of course. He asked why she sounded so defensive, and she said victims sounded defensive. He said maybe she was innocent, but in his experience with her, she sounded exactly the same when she was lying through her teeth.

Sally maintained that she was being attacked for no reason. Kyle said he wasn’t just Jack’s son, he was Summer’s ex, and while Phyllis didn’t have proof about Sally, Sally was automatically suspect. She asked for one good reason to believe Phyllis over her. He didn’t have any evidence at the moment, but he said she’d better hope he never found any. He left, and Jack entered.

Jack agreed to hear Sally out. She noted that they were supposed to meet here for a date around this time. She wondered if he’d reconsidered and come to find her. That was the Jack that she knew – a fair considerate man who’d never judge without knowing all the facts. She found him compelling and attractive when they first met, and she still did. She would understand him pushing her away if she did something wrong, but she didn’t. She felt that what they had was too special and rare to throw away for no good reason.

Jack appreciated Sally’s kind words, and he believed everyone deserved a second chance. He said there was a reason he welcomed her back into his life. It was because she intrigued him, and he hadn’t been this attracted to anyone in a long time. He found her bright, funny, talented, spontaneous and exciting, and she was attractive. He wished with everything in him that this was enough, but it wasn’t. He hoped Phyllis’s allegations were false, but the fact that they could be true… Someone could come up to him and tell him Sally did something horrible, and he’d wonder if it was true. That was enough to make him not want to go further with this. “So you can’t have anyone with a sullied reputation in your life,” she replied. He replied that he’d been there, done that. He knew it sounded unfair, and maybe he was wrong, but that was the way it is. He got up to leave, and she rapidly tried to plead her case about the situation in the elevator. She noted that, without audio, she and Tara could’ve been discussing anything. He pointed out that she lied to him about Tara showing her the text. She said the actual issue was whether or not she cheated her way to the top of JCV, and she didn’t. Lauren would vouch for her. She said Summer wouldn’t have recommended her for the job if she’d done the things Phyllis said she was doing. He knew Lauren believed in her, and he knew what Summer said, but none of that changed who Sally was, and it didn’t change what he’d said tonight.

Sally followed Jack to the exit and implored him to give her another chance. She thought that, over time, they could rebuild things. They could have the happiness they deserved. He said she made it very tempting, but he saw the person she was, once before. Recently he’d convinced himself that he could forget that, but he was mistaken. He couldn’t forget. He left.

Sally came to the hotel and overheard Phyllis talking to Nick about going to the airport. Sally asked where Phyllis was going, but Phyllis wouldn’t say. Sally walked off, and Phyllis told Nick to be her eyes and ears. He told her to come home with more than speculation. She vowed to find something to blow this out of the water, so the Abbotts could be rid of Sally and Tara and Summer could come home.

Kyle went home and found Tara rifling through papers. He asked what was up. She just got a call from Ashland’s assistant. Ashland was in NY. She knew he was closing down his offices now that his company had been absorbed by Newman, but it turned out he was also selling all their shared homes and liquidating the contents. She had no claim to them, due to the prenup, but it still hurt. She’d put a lot of love into those houses, and she didn’t even get to say goodbye. “You had to know this was coming,” Kyle coolly replied. Tara said it was still a little jarring. In a matter of fact tone, he said it must be pretty terrifying for her to realize she’d be essentially homeless if she wasn’t staying at the Abbott house. It must make her worried about her options, he added.

Tara said of course it was unnerving – she never hid that. She and Harrison had their lives turned upside down, and she knew she brought it on herself, but that didn’t make it any less daunting. She didn’t know what he was driving at. He said he was only commenting on what he’d observed – she didn’t mention how important the houses were to her until now. She said her friends, her homes, her marriage were gone, like her life had been erased. She was deeply grateful for the things that took the place of what she lost – a family who accepted her and her son, no questions asked. She’d never do anything to jeopardize that.

Kyle apologized for putting Tara on the defensive. She testily asked what he expected to happen after all the talk about her losing her home. She added that earlier, he mentioned the very real possibility that she’d spend the rest of her life alone. He said they weren’t fun topics, but they couldn’t be ignored. She asked if they’d be having this conversation without Phyllis’s accusations. He thought his questions were natural. She felt like he was studying her, trying to figure out if he could trust her or not. He wanted to be able to trust her. “Then stop listening to Phyllis and her outlandish theories,” she snapped. She said Jack was suspicious, Kyle was interrogating her. She said this was how it starts – Phyllis planted a seed and it would grow and grow. “I can’t live this way and I won’t!” Tara went upstairs in a huff.

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