Sunday, November 16, 2014

Wishful Winter Storytelling for 'The Young and the Restless': Nikki's quest for sobriety


It's been awhile since my last Wishful Storytelling for Y&R... and considering winter will soon be upon us, more storylines are bound to take place. And may I just say, in my last Wishful Storytelling for the summer, I'd proposed they bring back Jennifer Gareis as Grace Turner. I had hoped she would seduce Noah Newman (Robert Adamson), but instead she returned to help place together the events of Sharon (Sharon Case) giving birth to twins as a teenager. She returned a second time this past week to visit her former best friend and all the Sharon vs. Grace drama we loved over a decade ago come flooding back. It was great!

Self-proclaimed alcoholic Nikki Newman (Melody Thomas Scott) has since fallen off the wagon and has been getting hammered in the comfort of her own home. All things considered, can you blame her? She found out her long lost son Dylan (Steve Burton) was not fathered by creepy cult leader Ian Ward (Ray Wise) but by her former lover Paul (Doug Davidson). Ian continued to stalk her and target her until he was finally caught. And where was her darling husband Victor (Eric Braeden) during all of this? Obsessing over Sharon's "secret" and attempting to get Phyllis (Gina Tognoni) out of her coma...just to uncover this secret. Long story short, Nikki has definitely had reason to return to the bottle. In my idea of where this story could go, Victor could find out about her falling off the wagon... They have a big blowout and she decides their marriage is definitely over. Nick and Victoria convince their mother that she has to go to rehab. She reluctantly agrees and admits herself to a treatment clinc outside of Genoa City. She decides to see the positive light from her being forced to go to rehab and get some rest and relaxation out of it...but anything but that happens. During counseling, she faces her demons against why she started drinking again and decides that it would be best to divorce Victor and be by herself. During this journey of self-discovery, however, she realizes that Victor is and always will be the love of her life and she should at least see if Victor would be willing to rebuild their marriage. She completes treatment and returns to Genoa City clean and sober... to find Victor in bed with Ashley Abbott (Eileen Davidson), his ex-wife.

Nikki explains that she was ready to divorce Victor but her love for him made her reconsider and return home, but Victor doesn't want her anymore... While she was away, Victor and Ashley reconnected and decided to start dating again, with much dismay from their respective families. Nick and Victoria tried to reach Nikki at the clinic but evidently never received any of the messages. Stitch (Sean Carrigan) is also hurt because he thought he and Ashley might have been building something of a relationship, but clearly not. Nikki decides to go through with the divorce as Victor asks Ashley to move in to the Newman ranch. Ashley, who works for Jabot Cosmetics, agrees to stay out of Victor's business situations, and Victor seemingly agrees to do the same with her. However, all of this was a ruse; Ashley had been stealing money from Victor's bank account to fund her top secret project at Jabot. Ashley is an Abbott, why didn't she just use some of their fortune? Well why use that when you can get payback from The Mustache for all the crap he's pulled on their family? Ashley sees it as a win win situation. Afterward, Victor files a civil suit against Ashley and Jabot, but the case is quickly thrown out due to lack of evidence. During a confrontation, Ashley simply tells Victor that one can't always intimidate people with power... Sometimes other people have to intimidate them. Or in this case, blindside them and leave them over a million dollars in the hole.

Victor then visits Nikki in her suite at the Athletic Club and begs for forgiveness. She is extremely hesitant to accept him again, but he proves himself to her by reducing his duties at Newman Chancellor. After an evening of recollection, Nikki agrees to work on her relationship with Victor and decide to not go through with the divorce. But that draws the question... If Victor is reducing his duties at Newman Chancellor, then who will be sitting in the CEO seat while he's off at couple's counseling with Nikki?

Watch The Young and the Restless weekdays on CBS.

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