The Young and the Restless spoilers tease that Reed’s (Tristan Lake Leabu) return actually opens two doors on ‘The Young and the Restless’. J.T. Hellstrom (Thad Luckinbill) is Reed’s father and Victoria’s (Amelia Heinle) former husband. It’s great that this part of Vickie’s personal history is about to be explored, but folding J.T. back into Genoa City could create an even more deeply engaging arc.
Devoted fans recall that Reed was named in honor of Vickie’s mother Nikki (Melody Thomas Scott), whose maiden name is Reed. This character was played as a juvenile by Max Page until earlier this year. Leabu’s addition to the cast could mean that Luckinbill eventually returns to Y&R, where he was last seen in 2010.
J.T. was last known to be married to Mackenzie (Clementine Ford). She gave birth to his other son Dylan earlier this decade. But, that character has never appeared on the show. It might be possible for that young boy to eventually be incorporated into the show as well, since Steve Burton’s (Dylan McAvoy) exit occurs next month. Generally, two characters who share a first name don’t appear on a soap during the same time period.
Victoria is still reeling from a relationship that appeared destined for super couple status. But Tricky didn’t last. Travis Crawford’s (Michael Roark) initially hidden New York past produced a fierce girlfriend, Michelle Hazleton (Kelly Frye). Her play for Travis quickly wrecked Vickie’s hopes for the future.
Villy fans who desired a revived connection, or eventual remarriage, seemingly had their own hopes dashed when Vickie showed no subsequent interest in Billy. Vickie’s pullbacks from her multiple-time husband appear to be more than a temporary defense mechanism.
Reed’s return as a teenager might establish this character as a full-time player, or simply be a setup for an expansion of one of Y&R’s legacy character’s main arcs. Of course, Leabu’s appearance could also make both predictions come true.
New head writer Sally Sussman returned to her old stomping grounds with solid soap credentials. One of Bill Bell’s (Y&R’s founder) proteges has thus far provided many encouraging signs that she’ll do her best to reconnect this show to it’s old-school roots, where character-driven drama lies. One way of doing so would be to rewrite Vickie back to a time that predates the Billy Miller (Billy Abbott) era.
While Heinle and Miller’s version of Villy was outstanding, a revisiting of Vickie’s years with J.T. would probably prove appealing. If Luckinbill can be persuaded to return to Y&R, (or, if he already has agreed) a fresh storyline could be created for Heinle’s character. Moving past the Billy years feels right for 2017.
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