The Young and the Restless has wisely decided to devote an entire week of episodes to classic Newman family moments. This dysfunctional family brings out the love/hate relationship in all of us. One minute, you love them for what they've done, and the next, you hate them for their plotting and scheming to obtain their desired outcome. In celebration of this iconic family, it's time for me to share all the things I love and hate about the Newmans.
Victor Newman -- more often than not, he is the devil in disguise. There is no compromising with Victor. It's his way, period. He is the lord and master, and you do not cross him. You know, for someone who grew up in an orphanage and hated his unfeeling father, I would have thought that Victor would have become a model citizen with a very caring heart, not the ruthless, revenge-seeking individual he has become. He claimed he never wanted to be like his father, but I don't see much of a difference between the two except that, in his own way, Victor loves his family. No matter what, Victor will always get his way, and nothing stops him from getting what he wants.
The ongoing feud between Victor and Jack reminds me of the feud between the Hatfields and the McCoys (without the guns, of course -- usually). Why can't they just have a friendly business competition like other businesses rather than always trying to one-up each other? At times, it has become dangerous. This feud does get tiresome, although recently, there have been signs of a truce between them, at least until there is a need for more competition.
His and Nikki's union has been quite tumultuous over the years. They have tried going their separate ways, but they are like magnets and always seem to gravitate back to each other. I find that Victor treats Nikki and his children like they are his possessions. I won't argue that he loves them, in his own way, but he certainly has a funny way of showing it. He seems to pit his children against each other, and he certainly demands loyalty and respect. Respect has to be earned (not given on demand), and I can't see how you can respect a man that plots, schemes, and resorts to blackmail to achieve his goals.
Victor has done many underhanded things to get what he wants, but in my opinion, the worst thing he ever did was to bring in a doppelgänger for Jack and allow him to sleep with Phyllis. Now, that made my skin crawl, because this was a form of rape. Phyllis has always been generous sexually, but it has always been her choice who she slept with. She had no idea that she wasn't having sex with her husband. Victor had no remorse, even after it was discovered what he'd done.
Victor has Victoria under his thumb. Until recently, she thought the sun rose and set on him, regardless of what he'd done. I think she finally saw the light when Victor took away her CEO position and handed it to Adam. If putting Adam into the CEO seat was Victor's first step to bring Adam down, then he should have shared the plan with Victoria. Why does Victor command such loyalty when he has repeatedly hurt each member of his family?
There is the softer side to Victor. Imagine paying out ten million dollars to bring Scott Grainger home from the Middle East, where he'd been held captive. He helped Chloe fake her death, arranged for her to have a new identity, and helped Chloe, Kevin, and Bella relocate after Chloe's many failed attempts to kill Adam. There have been other instances, but too few to mention.
Would I want Daddy Moneybags as my father? Nay, I say. His money? Hell, yes! Who wouldn't want that? I want a father who would love me unconditionally, who would support me and wish me well in whatever path I chose to follow. I'd want that more than the money.
Nikki Newman drives me nuts! When Victor met her, she was a stripper. Now, she looks down her nose at everyone, especially Sharon. I have never understood the reason for her animosity toward Sharon. Sharon had a child out of wedlock. Is that worse than being a stripper? Sharon's past is far from squeaky clean. She'd been a kleptomaniac, and she did burn the Newman ranch down, but most of it was as a result of having untreated bipolar disorder. What can Nikki blame her own actions on? After being a stripper, she became an alcoholic, and yet, she continued to look down on Sharon. You would think she'd change her attitude after Sharon and Nick divorced, but that never happened.
Nikki never felt anyone was good enough for Nick. She hated Phyllis, as well, but I can't blame her for that one. I personally love Phyllis as a character, but I wouldn't want Phyllis married to my child.
As an aside, after watching some of the older episodes with Nikki, I had to laugh because, as gorgeous as Nikki was and still is, her voice has thankfully gone from Minnie Mouse to a much lower octave. Nikki is fiercely protective of her family and especially her children. She has fought tooth and nail for Victoria and Nick.
I have felt sorry for Nikki on many occasions, especially when Victor turned on her. My heart broke when she was diagnosed with MS, and then I felt her pain when Katherine died. Nikki was really heartbroken over Katherine's death because Katherine had been like a mother to her, as well as a friend.
I have to admit, I love Nikki's sarcastic sense of humor and the way she always manages to put Jill in her place with her truthful and caustic remarks. I jumped for joy when she finally found her backbone and stood up to Victor. She is no longer a simp, and she refuses to let Victor dictate how things are going to be. Victor will always be the love of her life, and I hope they stay together for the rest of their lives because they are good for one another -- or at least well suited for each other.
Victoria hasn't been lucky in the relationship department. Ryan was shot by Tricia Dennison on his and Victoria's wedding day. Tricia was the scorned lover. She tried to shoot Victoria, but Ryan took the bullet and died a few days later. After Victoria married Cole, he had an affair with Nikki. After she married Brad, she discovered he and Sharon were having an affair. She and Stitch never had the chemistry, and J.T. was physically abusive. And then there was Billy. That relationship was a roller-coaster ride, to say the least.
I always believed that Victoria and Billy were meant to be together, but Billy has always been a free spirit and danced to the beat of his own addictions. Victoria has forgiven Billy more times than we can count, but in the end, she'd had enough, and I think this is truly the end for this couple.
Victoria hasn't been lucky in love or business. I have never understood why she kept forgiving Billy for his gambling and cheating -- or Victor for every time he threw her under the bus. Victor always gave with one hand and took away with the other. I loved it when Victoria finally stood up to him. She gave him an ultimatum, and Victor folded and gave her the CEO position. Then came Adam, and in classic Victor mode, he has once again demoted her in favor of Adam. Is Victoria willing to forgive Victor this time?
Quite often, I have found that Victoria comes across as cold, but we've seen her softer side, and I would love to see more of it. I would love to see her bring Adam to his knees -- and show Victor that she won't tolerate his give-and-take attitude. She has earned and deserves the big chair.
I loved Victoria with Travis. We saw her more carefree side when she was with him. I wonder what's in Victoria's future? I would love to see her in a great relationship with someone new, someone who would treat her well and respect her for who she really is.
Many people aren't fans of Nick Newman, but I'm not one of those people. I respect Nick for being his own man, and he does what he feels is right. Nick and Victor rarely see eye to eye, and I wonder if it's because Victor refuses to allow Nick to strike out on his own rather than working under daddy's thumb at Newman. I agree that sometimes he is a hothead, but I always believed his heart was in the right place. Together with Devon, they have started a nonprofit organization, New Hope, in order to help the homeless and those less fortunate in their community. Nick is a protector, and admittedly, sometimes he jumps to the wrong conclusion -- but don't we all do that from time to time? He's no different.
Nick and Sharon had such a great love for each other, and like most of you, I was heartbroken when Nick cheated on Sharon with Phyllis after Cassie died. They have tried to reunite on a number of occasions, but each time, it seemed that Phyllis and Adam were the main catalysts that kept Nick and Sharon apart. At this point, I think there has been too much water under the bridge, and they are much better as close friends than they are as husband and wife.
I have never liked Nick with Phyllis. Their relationship has always been one filled with angst. The only thing they seem to have going for them is sex -- any time, any place. This is a repeat of Phyllis and Billy's relationship, all sex and no substance. I don't think this relationship is going to last. Nick needs someone who will support him and stand by him in times of stress. Phyllis is too self-involved with beating Abby at her game to help Nick. Nick is also a bit of an alley cat, but I think when the right woman comes along, he will settle down and become that one-woman man. Prayers to the love gods for Nick.
At times, Nick might appear judgmental, but right or wrong, he takes a stand when he feels he is doing the right thing. He fought fiercely to keep Christian, but many have put him down for it and believe he should have let Adam reclaim his son. I don't agree. Nick has been Christian's father from the day Sharon gave him to Nick. Adam had written Christian off before the child was even born, and he never showed any interest in knowing him. Like Victor, Adam's reason for wanting Christian was because he wanted to show Nick that he could get what he wanted by any means necessary and prove he was better than Nick.
Nick is ambitious, and he is determined to carve his own niche. He has good business sense, and I believe he will be successful in whatever he chooses to do, but one thing is for sure, he doesn't want to be part of Newman Enterprises. He will help when he is needed, but it will always be on a temporary basis.
And then there was Adam... There is so much to be said about Adam, and this column would turn into a book if I wrote everything I felt about Adam. Adam is the most like Victor. Like his father, he is ruthless, and he will use any means to achieve his ultimate goal. I can't say I like Adam on any level. Whenever he claims he loves someone, I always question if these are his true feelings or an ulterior motive.
Like Victor, I think Adam needs a "Nikki' by his side, who will kick his ass and keep him in check. I don't believe that Chelsea is the one to do that. When Adam finally regained his memory, he wanted Sharon. He said she was the love of his life, but when Sharon rejected him, he fought tooth and nail to win Chelsea back from Nick. Why? Was it to prove to Nick that he could, or does he really love Chelsea? It seems that Adam just wants everything that Nick has.
Adam brags about his superior business knowledge, so why doesn't he become his own man and start a business of his own? Why is he so determined to head up Newman Enterprises? He has blackmailed his way into money he didn't earn, and he continues to blame Victor for abandoning him, even though it had been Hope's wish for Adam to grow up without Victor's influence. But Adam is still looking for Victor's approval and to prove that he is better than Victoria and Nick.
Adam has no scruples or conscience. He was willing to kill Victor to prove a point and when that didn't work, he tried to blackmail Victor into giving him the CEO chair -- or else he would turn Victor in to the police for murdering A.J. What son stoops that low to get what he wants? This can't be a sweet victory for him. I absolutely loved the look on Adam's face when Victor said that Adam had killed A.J. and Victor had been protecting him. I can't wait for the new episodes to return to see Adam brought down 14 pegs. Perhaps this could be a turning point for Adam and Victor's relationship.
Adam has no friends, and no one but Chelsea likes him, if she really does. I certainly wouldn't want him as a friend. I would never know when he would try to blackmail me to do something for him. He has no redeeming characteristics, and his way of getting things done is mostly through blackmail and underhanded scheming. I would love to see Adam "reborn," so to speak, after the events of A.J.'s murder are revealed.
Adam doesn't seem to feel remorse. He killed a man in Las Vegas, and it just seemed like an "oops" deal to him, so how will the truth about A.J.'s death really affect Adam? I'm on the fence about this. If I base my opinion on Adam's actions in the past, I don't think this will have any effect on him, but this might hit closer to home because he killed A.J. to protect his mother, and it might just give him a jump-start to redemption. Whatever the case may be, at least Adam keeps us guessing.
I almost forgot about Abby Newman. I keep forgetting she is a Newman because I always think of Abby as more of an Abbott than a Newman -- since she is Ashley's daughter, I don't associate Abby with Victor. Crazy, I know! I love Abby. She is feisty, gorgeous, and a fighter. She won't let anyone walk over her. She has certainly come a long way from her "Naked Heiress" days.
Like Victoria, Abby tried to prove to Victor that she was worthy of a prominent position at Newman, but unlike Victoria, Victor never gave her the chance. Also unlike Victoria, Abby struck out on her own, and who knew she had such a great business head? She has proven that she's an entrepreneur and won't allow anyone to get in her way.
Like Victoria, Abby hasn't been successful in the romance department, either. I loved her with Stitch, but he only had eyes for Ashley. Stitch and Abby did marry, but Stitch's son killed that relationship after he arranged for a very pregnant Abby to fall down the stairs at the Athletic Club, and it resulted in her losing her baby.
She's had relationships with Daniel Romalotti and Alex Chaves; a broken engagement with Tyler Michaelson; an affair with Austin Travers (who was married to Summer at the time); and a strange relationship with Zack Stinnett, who turned out to be a no-goodnick posing as a businessman when he was, in fact, a sex trafficker. She had a one-night stand with Scott Grainger; she was engaged to Arturo, who really only had eyes for his sister-in-law, Mia; and somehow, her relationship with Nate Hastings just seemed off-center to me (maybe because it was a rebound and she wasn't ready). That's quite a list of failed relationships, but unlike most of the women in Genoa City, she was only married once.
I love Abby and Chance together, and I hope they wind up together for a long time. They have chemistry, and they support each other. Rather than being jealous when Phyllis tried to make a play for Chance, she encouraged him to get to know Phyllis. That spoke volumes on how much she's grown. I would love to see this couple get their happily ever after -- and think of the potential with these two legacy characters making a life together!
I've only covered Nikki and Victor and the Newman kids. We've got Noah, Faith, Cassie, semi-Mariah (because she's Cassie's sister, not that Nick has done a lot of parenting or they treat her as a Newman), Summer, Christian, Connor... I could write a book on some of these characters (I'm looking at you, Summer!), but please, share those thoughts with us. The drama certainly carried on to the next generations, who will be there to fill in the gaps when Victor and Nikki retire from our beloved The Young and the Restless.
I hope you have enjoyed my take on the Newmans, and I would love to read your comments. Agree or disagree, all opinions would be interesting.
That's a wrap until next time -- when I think we might all be discussing brand-new episodes!
Nel
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