It's a little something extra special this week: two columns for the price of one -- and they're both in the same column. Confused? Please don't be. Y&R has dedicated the week of June 8, 2020, to romance, so I wanted to make sure that I offered up a list of my favorite Y&R couples. But, because I really enjoyed last week's All About the Abbotts episodes, I also wanted to take a few paragraphs to talk about one of Genoa City's best families.
I absolutely love the Abbotts! That this family is wonderfully dysfunctional makes them so entertaining. The Abbotts bring it all: drama, tension, humor, competition, and love. And just think of how bored -- and how boring -- the Newmans would be if the Abbotts weren't around. The two families remind me of the Hatfields and McCoys with the rivalry and pettiness flowing between them. I can almost picture them perched on their porches with shotguns sitting by their sides. Shoot, all they'd need is a jug of moonshine. And because they also like to battle each other, the Abbotts are like one McCoy against another, because, after all, Victor would insist that the Newmans are the Hatfields, since they are always listed first. Oh, yeah, their competitive streak makes them fun in every way.
John Abbott proved to be a strong leader in the community, as his children grew up to love, admire, and respect him. As the CEO of Jabot, John showed that he was cunning when it came to business, but he also had a heart to guide him in making decisions. Even though John was always busy with his company, he still made sure to spend quality time with his kids, which couldn't also be said about their mother, Dina, who was rarely around when they really needed her. Because of this, the Abbott youth -- and everyone else in Genoa City -- always looked to John for answers, and he was sensible and wise. In fact, Jack loved and admired his father so much, he wanted to grow to be just like him. John was the strength of the Abbott family, and we all truly missed him when he was gone.
Even as he strived to emulate his dad, Jack constantly felt that he failed miserably. But he never stopped trying, and to this day, Jack still tries to follow in John's footsteps by using wisdom, common sense, and heart in making decisions, especially when it comes to the family business and to the family. Jack truly looked up to John and was proud to be his father's son, so much so that when sister Ashley had convinced Jack that John wasn't really his biologically father, she couldn't have found a better way to hurt her brother. When he believed that his father's blood wasn't flowing through his veins, Jack was totally and completely lost. It was only when the truth of John's parentage was revealed that Jack returned to trying to live up to his dad's expectations, and all was right with the world.
Even though Ashley wasn't a biological Abbott, she has proven to be just like her father, especially with her brilliance, cunning, and ambition in the corporate world. Ashley learned from the best, and she was never afraid to strut her stuff. Jack probably knew that better than anyone, since he and his sister have butted heads quite often, especially regarding Jabot. The siblings were the McCoys versus the McCoys when it came to the leadership of their family business. It's always been a shame that Jack and Ashley couldn't work together as co-CEOs, although they tried, since they both were so talented and intelligent. Ashley also has the distinction of being the mother of Victor's daughter Abby, so even if she despised Victor professionally, she has always loved him personally.
Jack and Ashley have always claimed that baby sister Traci is the heart and soul of the Abbott family, and that couldn't be more true. At times, when the Abbotts seem to be crashing and burning, Traci would come around and remind her siblings about what was really important -- family. While Jack and Ashley were the ambitious go-getters, Traci was the creative one, an author of several best-selling novels. She even wrote a book that told the real story about the Abbotts, which her family truly appreciated. Traci and Ashley had their love for Brad in common, and the result of Traci's was Colleen, who tragically died and is still very much missed by all.
And then there's the self-proclaimed and genuine screw-up of the Abbott family, Billy, the youngest of the siblings. Billy's the child of John Abbott and Jill Foster, which tends to make him feel like an outsider more often than not. Even as his older siblings have tried to protect him in the past, they have also seen that Billy can be selfish and immature, which gets him into tons of trouble. Billy's addiction to gambling creeps up every so often, each time he's on stable ground, to totally mess up his life. Billy's also addicted to Victor's daughter Victoria, but even his deep love for this beauty hasn't been able to stop him from self-destructing. Since Jill, Victoria, and his Abbott family haven't been able to help him, Billy is still learning that he must find a way to succeed on his own.
The Abbotts have always been a welcome addition to Genoa City, and we know that when they are around, drama will follow. Whether they are battling outsiders or themselves, the Abbott family shows that they are filled with passion, intelligence, and emotion and are never willing to give up, even when they seem down for the count. With Jack and Ashley still leading the way, the Abbotts will be here to stay, especially when new players Kyle and Theo also have their say. Kyle has already shown with his love for Summer, Victor Newman's granddaughter, that their Hatfield and McCoy rivalry may not be over just yet. Let's just hope it won't be a case of Romeo and Juliet, because the youth will need to lead the way into the future, so that the Abbott family will be on our screens forever.
Love is in the air, and next week, the episodes will highlight some of the top romances in Y&R history. Victor and Ashley. Nick and Sharon. Michael and Lauren. Kevin and Chloe. Cane and Lily. So, I had to think -- who are my top five favorite romantic Y&R couples? (You can pretty much bet not Kevin and Chloe.) And which Abbotts made the cut on my list? Oh, the suspense is killing me!
Billy Abbott and Victoria Newman: Talk about the Hatfields and McCoys...Billy and Victoria are total opposites of the two feuding families, which has always made this couple sparkle and pop whenever they are together. As played by Billy Miller, Billy Abbott was the fun-loving black sheep Abbott who never took things too seriously, while Amelia Heinle's Victoria was so serious that she had no clue on how to have fun. Victoria's life totally changed the moment she stopped to help the drunken Billy, and their on-screen chemistry lit up our screens. Victor even had Billy arrested on the day his daughter married the family member of his arch-nemesis, Jack. Jason Thompson took over carrying the torch for Victor's girl, and hopefully, Billy and Victoria's fairytale romance hasn't had its final "The End" just yet.
Jack Abbott and Phyllis Summers: I love Jack and Phyllis together. Peter Bergman's Jack shines with Michelle Stafford's Phyllis, and none of the bad things that happen between them ever seem to dull the shine. Through the good times and the bad, Jack and Phyllis obviously still love and even respect each other, which seems to be rare in soaps these days. When Gina Tognoni played Phyllis, her love for Jack spoke volumes, even when Victor enacted the dastardly plan of replacing Jack with a doppelgänger, although many questioned how she hadn't known her husband's body, but I digress. Even now, Jack has shown that he will do anything to help our fiery redhead, and Phyllis will still turn to Jack whenever she needs a friend because the two are still the best of friends, even when they aren't lovers.
Victor Newman and Nikki Reed: How could this couple not be included in my top five favorites of all time? They have broken up and gotten back together so many times, one tends to think that they have been married more often than they actually have. But no matter what happens between them, they always end up together, which makes them a true and honest soap supercouple. Nikki has never been one to cower under Victor's reign of authority, which has kept him intrigued with the blonde beauty throughout the years. If anything, while Victor speaks of the importance of family, Nikki shows it with her acts of love. This couple is the staple of Y&R, and everyone in town knows it. While I had considered Nick and Sharon, because they have been together off and on for so many years, they are no longer together. So, Victor and Nikki's longevity have placed them on my list.
Adam Newman and Chelsea Lawson: I have loved this couple together from the first time Michael Muhney's Adam befriended Melissa Claire Egan's Chelsea, because both were the outcasts in Genoa City. Something in Chelsea drew Adam to want to help her, and nothing has been the same between them since. When Justin Hartley took over the role of Adam, I adored the couple, because Adam desired to do whatever he could to be the kind of man that she deserved to have, even if he was unable to make the change. And now, Mark Grossman's spin on Adam has been bringing out more of Chelsea's original qualities as a con artist, which is helping her to keep her family safe and together. With Chelsea's love and support, Adam will never be completely alone, which makes him a more interesting Newman and paints him as more of a grey, rather than black-and-white, character.
Cane Ashby and Lily Winters: Lily was so young when she first caught the eye of the older Mr. Ashby, and I remember that he was totally smitten by the gorgeous girl. And why wouldn't he be? Lily had it all -- beauty and brains, plus she was savvy and sweet. And Cane appeared to be so sophisticated, and who doesn't love a good-looking hunk with an accent? Lily and Cane were able to persevere through so many tough times, including her battle with cancer, even if they did split up in the end. But who knows? Maybe Cane will return to Genoa City one day to try to win back the hand of the lovely lady. I might have considered Kyle and Lola for the last spot on my top five; however, their marriage fell apart so quickly, they have since become almost an afterthought.
Ashley must have flown on the wings of love to go from talking to Traci at the Abbott mansion to being at Victor's side at Newman Enterprises in a matter of minutes. Victor has most certainly always made her life "interesting."
I had forgotten that David Tom had played Billy Abbott at a time when his sister, Heather Tom, was portraying Victoria. That must have been fun for the siblings.
It's no stretch to believe that a (much) younger man would be head over heels, crazy in love with the vivacious, larger-than-life Jill. Even now, she's still as gorgeous as ever.
Why do soaps act like a couple has to be married to raise a child? Or, in Traci's case, that she and Brad had to live together to raise Colleen? The sad truth is that most children of divorced or single parents learn to live and to thrive in two separate households these days. It's just the way of today's world. However, if Traci and Brad were able to make it work, then more power to them.
It's funny how things can happen. I had already started writing this, comparing the Newmans and Abbotts to the Hatfields and McCoys, when I first saw an old, classic episode of The Andy Griffith Show, featuring the feud of the similar Wakefields and Carters on cable TV, and then one of the questions on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire was regarding the Hatfields and McCoys. It's just funny how life works.
Watching Victoria and Nikki's hot discussion about Nikki's so-called friendship with Brad reminded me of the mother/daughter/gorgeous hunk triangle. Those are always so much fun, especially when one of them is seeing the guy on the sly. The Phyllis/Billy/Summer triangle was okay, but the writers can do better -- maybe more along the lines of All My Children's Liza/Tad the Cad/Marian lovefest. The soap could create another threesome, since Genoa City is filled with gorgeous women. I believe that Mariah is bisexual, and she is growing closer to Theo. And Sharon could need a distraction to keep her mind off her battle against cancer. A Mariah/Theo/Sharon triangle, anyone? Or even Summer/Kyle/Phyllis. There are some really good possibilities here.
Until next time, please stay tuned. And take care and please stay safe!
Teddi
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