Like many fans of The Young and the Restless, we had a strong hunch that there was more to Sharon’s (Sharon Case) downward spiral than just different bipolar medication. Between lashing out at Daniel (Michael Graziadei) and Lucy (Lily Brooks O’Briant), imagining Cameron (Linden Ashby) and framing Daniel for Heather’s (Vail Bloom) murder, we just sensed there was something more sinister at play. And while Sharon believed she actually killed Heather, we never bought that she was the real culprit, but someone else more villainous.
In The Young and the Restless episode airing on November 14, the pieces to this puzzle started to come together. After Nick (Joshua Morrow) and Chance (Conner Floyd) arrive at the scene of Phyllis’ (Michelle Stafford) car crash and rescue the unconscious tech guru from the burning vehicle, Chance suspects that she was run off the road by another car.
Nearby, Sharon wakes up behind the wheel of her SUV after suffering another blackout. She eventually hears Chance and Nick trying to assist Phyllis and immediately panics, believing she is responsible for Phyllis’ predicament.
As Phyllis heads to the hospital, Sharon goes home and completely unravels. She imagines talking to Nick, and her imaginary ex pushes her to realize all the chaos she’s caused. Sharon wavers back and forth before calling the real Nick and asking about Phyllis’ condition. Perplexed how the Crimson Lights owner knows about Phyllis’s accident, Nick asks Sharon more questions before she begs him to come see her immediately.
Then comes the big shocker. At a seedy motel, a woman walks in and it’s revealed to be Jordan (Colleen Zenk). She tells someone, “It’s done. Exactly according to plan.” As it turns out, the someone she’s talking to is revealed to be Ian Ward (Ray Wise). Those chilling words between two of the soap’s most heinous villains, have our minds racing.
First and foremost, how did both of them get out of prison? Furthermore, how does The Great Victor Newman (Eric Braeden) not know about it? As protective as he is over his family, you’d think he’d be keeping tabs on Jordan and Ian, two people who have been the biggest thorn in Nikki’s (Melody Thomas Scott) side and have tortured other Newman family members.
We also contemplated the motives Ian and Jordan would have for targeting Sharon and Phyllis and possibly murdering Heather. From Ian’s perspective, he has a history with Sharon having raised and manipulated her daughter Mariah (Camryn Grimes), and Ian once manipulated Summer to get to Nikki and kidnapped both Nikki and Phyllis.
As far as Jordan goes, she has no real reason to target Sharon and Phyllis other than to help Ian with his plans in hopes he’ll help with her plans, which most likely center around Victor, Nikki and the rest of the Newmans. Neither Ian nor Jordan had any real bones to pick with Heather, so she may have just been collateral damage.
With all that being said, our most pressing concern surrounding the returns of Jordan and Ian is how the Newman family will be impacted. Victor had already made a slew of enemies in town, so adding two more that he’s not expecting seems awfully dangerous. Will Jordan and Ian attempt to murder The Mustache and set up someone like Billy (Jason Thompson) or Jack (Peter Bergman) to take the fall?
Also, what about Nikki? She just got sober and is now set to take over the reins of Chancellor. Can she handle two reminders of some of the darkest moments in her life returning to Genoa City right now? Is her sobriety at risk?
Lastly, we have to think about both Claire (Hayley Erin) and Summer (Allison Lanier). Claire is finally free and happy with a real family and life outside of the manipulative control of her great-aunt. Will seeing Jordan send her down a path of regression? Also, how will Summer feel laying eyes on the woman who kidnapped her child and crossing paths with Ian, who used her to get to Nikki?
While a lot can happen in the next few weeks or even months with Jordan and Ian back in town, we as viewers can’t help but be excited by all the possibilities. We said we wanted a big bad villain to return to the show, and instead, we got two.
New episodes of The Young and the Restless air on weekdays on CBS. If you miss an episode, you can catch up on Paramount Plus.
