Hey Y&R fans, every second Saturday TV Banter discusses the latest happenings and provides commentary on your favourite daytime drama. Note to U.S. readers - SPOILER ALERT: Here in Canada, I watch the show on Global TV which is one episode ahead of CBS. I will inevitably refer to incidents you haven't seen yet. Read at your own risk. If you are the curious type, though, you may prefer to discover some things in advance.
Wow! Weren't those scenes where Victor Newman and Ashland Locke confronted each other great? Both actors were really good, but Eric Braeden as Victor was in a league by himself. His facial expressions and his mannerisms are something to behold. He looks so menacing when he walks into a room dressed in black. He starts off speaking softly and then he begins to shouts and point his finger. Then he issues commands, beginning his sentences with "You listen to me!" and ending his sentences with "Got that?!!
There's little doubt that Princess Victoria is headed for a very big fall. She is smug and confident right now. She believes Ashland's lies, but she will eventually see the light. Ashland's going to beaky her achy breaky heart when she realizes the truth about his deception. However, I have to question the Ashland Locke storyline. At this point, it's hard to believe that Ashland faked his illness, that he really didn't have cancer. There were scenes when the previous Ashland, Richard Burgi, coughed and felt ill when he was alone in a room and he had no reason to fake it. It seems as if the writers decided to change course when Robert Newman replaced Richard Burgi as Ashland.
Richard Burgi was very likeable and very popular in the role. The writers may have originally intended him to be a bad guy, but he had good chemistry with Amelia Heinle, who plays Victoria. It would have been difficult to believe that he didn't really love her and that he was faking his cancer diagnosis. When Burgi was fired over a violation of COVID-19 protocol, the whole complexion of the storyline changed. His replacement, Robert Newman, reshaped the dynamic. He portrayed Ashland as a villain, a complete fraud. Although Robert Newman is an experienced actor but he doesn't have the same chemistry with Amelia, so viewers don't really care about the couple. Robert Newman is much more believable as a villain than Richard Burgi. It seems that when he took over the role, the writers decided that Ashland would become nasty, as he was originally intended to be.
One of the problems with soaps is that whenever a new actor takes over a role, they often has a different style than the actor who previously played the role. They have their own interpretation of the character. This sometimes leaves viewers scratching their heads and wreaks havoc with the continuity of the storyline. This happened with the character of Ashland and it also happened with the character of Chance when a new actor took over the role.
Adam Newman is just sitting back biding his time. He's just waiting for Victoria's world to fall apart and for Ashland Locke to be banished. He is poised to take over the throne and to be crowned the next king of Newman Enterprises, with Sally Spectra as his queen. But not so fast, Adam! Victor will always call the shots. He will never give up control. You can be sure of that. I don't think the Big Man will have much tolerance for Sally. Adam may have to throw her under the bus if he wants to replace Victoria as CEO.
I know I've mentioned this a couple of times before, but I still can't understand why Y&R hasn't paid tribute to Jerry Douglas , who played John Abbott for years on the show for years.
Y&R reportedly replacing Hunter King as Summer Newman
There may soon be a new Snowflake in town. According to Soap Hub, Y&R has put out a casting call to replace Hunter King in the role of Summer Newman. Hunter King has been playing Summer since 1992. She reportedly left the show in 2021 due to a contract dispute.
Just months ago, Summer and Kyle went off into the sunset together. Summer accepted a high level fashion job in Milan. She and Kyle moved to sunny Italy, along with Kyle's son, Harrison, and they were married there. A happy ending, right? Probably not. Summer and Kyle's stay in the sunset may turn out to be short-lived if a new Summer who decides to return to Genoa City. A new Summer would have to interact with the other characters in GC. So, she couldn't remain in Milan.
So, what would the recasting of Summer mean in terms of a Y&R storyline. It would most certainly mean trouble in paradise for her and Kyle. The big question is whether the role of Kyle, played by Michael Mealor, would be recast. Would Kyle remain in Italy or would he also be recast and return to GC? Soap Hub reports that it has no word yet on whether Summer will be returning to Genoa City alone or whether the role of Kyle will be recast.
Kelsey Wang is set to join Y&R as mysterious new character
Kelsey Wong, who played Daisy Kwan on General Hospital, has joined the cast of The Young and the Restless. She will play the role of Allie, a mysterious young professional who catches the eye of one of an eligible Genoa City bachelor. Kelsey is 29 years old and there aren't many bachelors in Genoa City in that age group except for Noah Newman. So, I would have to say that he is the most obvious candidate for a romance with her character.
Noah's infatuation with Tessa seems to have hit a dead end. The writers don't seem to know where they are going with it. At least, it appears that way. Maybe they'll just change course and point Noah in a new direction, although there has to be some conflict for Tessa and Mariah at some point.
If Kyle and Summer break up and a new actor plays the role of Kyle, then Kyle would be another possible candidate for Allie's affections. Who would take a chance with Kyle after his record with relationships and marriages? His first marriage to Summer lasted a few weeks before he dumped her for Lola. He then married Lola, but that only lasted about a month before he decided he really wanted Summer. He remarried Summer a very short time ago. Will his second marriage to Summer fall apart so soon? It will on a soap.
Jack discovered a photo of Allie in the house of his deceased son, Keemo, so we know she has some connection to him. Could she be the one who sent the mysterious text messages to Jack? Was she Keemo's girlfriend or his wife?
Here is a brief biography of Kelsey Wang. Kelsey was born on June 20, 1992. She is a first-generation immigrant. She grew up in China and Singapore and immigrated to the United States when she was seven years old. She attended Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, after which she studied voice and movement technique for two years. Kelsey has appeared in Netflix's Daredevil and the film Chimerica. However she is best known for her recurring role as Daisy Kwan, a member of a cult, on General Hospital.
'Y&R REPORT READERS' POLL
What do you think about the report that Summer is going to be recast? Do you think its a good idea or do you think Summer should stay in Italy now that Hunter King has left the show? Respond to the poll below and let me know.
NOTE TO READERS
That's all for now. Don't forget that the next edition of Y&R Report will appear in this space on Saturday, March 19, 2022.