The fuse has been lit, and it's only a matter of time before there's a big, bloody explosion between The Young and the Restless power moguls Victor Newman (Eric Braeden) and Ashland Locke (Richard Burgi/soon-to-be Robert Newman).
For the most part, Victor has been biding his time in assessing his daughter's husband, having adopted a "wait and see" attitude when it comes to Ashland's secrets and whether or not the recent Genoa City implant poses a threat to the Newman family empire he's built over the years. But Victor is holding back no longer, having recently asked Michael (Christian Le Blanc) to dig a little deeper into Ashland's past. But what will Michael find?
Richard Burgi, who still has scenes left before Robert Newman begins airing in the role later this month, teases that Victor's new hire could find quite a lot.
"It's safe to say that a man who has reached Ashland's level of success has more than a few secrets," he shares with Soap Opera Digest. "Some of those secrets came to light in Italy, but it would probably be foolish to think that everything [came] to light at that point."
When those secrets do come to light, will Ashland be a match for Victor and the Mustache's ability to thwart any foe that gets in his way? After all, Ashland hasn't really lived up to the menacing reputation that he was said to have when he first became a part of the show. But Burgi says the character is a lot more like Victor than people might think.
"Both of them can be charming and funny and light. But each of them also has a darker side. Those who observe it are smart enough to tell themselves, 'I wouldn't want to mess with him,'" the actor teases, adding, "Who doesn't have a savage side? We don't always allow others to see it, so, it becomes something of a secret weapon at our disposal. With Ashland, his arsenal includes chicanery, underhandedness and, if necessary, brute force."
Those qualities, Burgi surmises, will make any showdown between Ashland and Victor epic.
"I believe Victor and Ashland are well matched as rivals," the actor says. "Which is what makes any future clash between them so unpredictable."
Who do you think would win in a collision course between Victor and Ashland? If forced to choose sides, do you think Victoria would support her husband or her father? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.
