Today’s Young and the Restless recap airs in the USA on Thursday, December 21, 2023, and airs one day ahead in Canada. We post our Y&R recaps every weekday!
Last Episode
On the last episode of Y&R, Phyllis faced heat from Summer about Tucker’s job offer; Kyle & Jack schemed Tucker’s defeat while trimming the tree.
The Abbott Mansion
Ashley tells Jack the deal is done; she’s sold Glacade to Tucker. What’s next?
Jack says everything is ready; he’s made the change Kyle requested to the press release.
Ashley says that was the right thing to do; the only person who should be harmed by this is Tucker.
Jack’s ready to hit send on the damning information.
Ashley says it’s a public relations nightmare; Tucker could have gotten in front of this when it happened, but his ego got in the way and made him think the scandal couldn’t touch him… He’s going to find out how wrong he was. She says she had hopes for Tucker and Glacade, and the whole thing has blown up in her face.
Jack asks if she’s still ready to go ahead with their plan. Once he pushes send, there’s no going back.
Society
Billy and Chelsea raise their glasses in a toast; Billy is no longer at Jabot, and he’s started a new career at Chancellor-Winters.
Chelsea says Billy did it in record time; when he sets his mind to something, he makes it happen!
Billy says Lily is visiting Mattie, and Jill and Devon need his help… It’s the right time.
Chelsea asks what will happen when Lily returns. How will that work?
Billy’s not sure. His priorities right now are protecting the company from Tucker. He mentions that Nate is back at Chancellor-Winters as well.
Chelsea is surprised. They’re letting him come back?
Billy nods. Nate had to promise not to mess things up again.
Chelsea says everyone deserves a second chance.
Billy says he could use some of her kindness and understanding to spread to Chance.
Chelsea looks confused. Chance?
Billy says that Jill recruited Chance to their team at Chancellor-Winters, and Billy will mentor him… But Chance isn’t too thrilled about his mentor.
Chelsea says Chance has no business history; he should feel honored to learn from Billy!
Billy shrugs. He says Chance would rather be trained by someone who hasn’t burned so many bridges.
Chelsea says he has an excellent track record. Who wants to stay in the same place forever? That’s boring! She says she’s worried about his job change; she doesn’t want to have encouraged him to do something he regrets.
Crimson Lights
Audra meets Kyle at the coffee shop. She tells him that she talked to Tucker, and he fully intends for her to run Jabot after the takeover. She won’t be left out in the cold.
Kyle says it’s not a sure thing. He says something huge is about to go down.
The Neil Winters Jazz Lounge
Victor and Nikki enter the lounge. Victor says it’s a wonderful place to forget their troubles.
Nikki says it’s a lovely idea, but she needs to use the ladies’ room.
Victor says he’ll get them some drinks.
Nikki steps onto the stairs, out of Victor’s view, and takes a drink from her flask.
Memorial Hospital
Victoria enters Claire’s room, but Claire is nowhere to be found. She unpacks some items from a duffel bag, including books and clothing, which she puts away in the dresser.
Victoria notices a bracelet on the bed. She picks it up and looks at it closely.
She flashes back to when she’d seen the bracelet before… It was on Jordan’s wrist!
The Abbott Mansion
Ashley wonders if Jack is looking for a reason not to take the next step in his plan.
Jack says there’s no doubt in his mind whether this should happen. Maybe Ashley is trying to deflect.
Ashley says she’s not having second thoughts, but she pities Tucker. He’s about to lose everything, but it doesn’t mean she’s having a change of heart. If Tucker got his hands on Jabot, they’d have to watch him destroy their father’s legacy, and she’s not going to let it happen.
Jack’s glad to hear it.
Ashley says she won’t gloat about it; people she cares for will be affected. Tucker is Devon’s father and Dominic’s grandfather, and she hates to see what it will do to them.
Jack says Devon knows who his father is. He might suspect the Abbotts have something in the works to bring Tucker down.
Ashley says Devon doesn’t know anything about their plan. Abby hasn’t said a word to him about it.
Jack says it’s Tucker’s mess to clean up. He’s a “bastard” as a husband and businessman!
Ashley’s happy that Tucker won’t be able to do anything to hurt Jabot anymore.
Jack asks once again if Ashley’s ready to go through with it.
Ashley says Tucker only has himself to blame. If only he’d left them alone, they wouldn’t have to do any of it! She tears up and tells Jack, “Do it.”
Jack walks away to do the deed.
Society
Billy tells Chelsea she’s protecting him like he’s the new kid at school.
Chelsea laughs and says she thinks there are obstacles at Chancellor-Winters that Billy will have to face that existed before he came back.
Billy says Chance and Nate aren’t going to be a problem. He says he had a heart-to-heart with Jack when he left Jabot, and a weight has been lifted from him. He says when he returned to Jabot, it felt like the right move and like home.
Chelsea cringes. “And then I encouraged you to leave.”
Billy says Chelsea is a woman of insight and vision. He’s glad he left because it was too hard on him to protect his job and hold onto it. He always felt Diane was a threat, and adding Tucker into the mix… Too much for him!
Chelsea says Billy was trying to protect Jabot.
Billy shrugs. He says it wasn’t always about that… He just wanted to be a hero and be credited for being Jabot’s savior. He wanted his father to be proud of him because he never achieved that while John was alive.
Chelsea smiles and says he’s going to Chancellor-Winters to help his mom.
Billy says she wanted him back, and nobody lives to tell the tale if they say no to Jill Abbott!
Chelsea asks if Billy will get the same addictive rush at Chancellor-Winters as he did at Jabot.
Memorial Hospital
A nurse brings dinner to Claire’s room.
Victoria asks where Claire is; is she in group therapy or another meeting?
The nurse shakes his head. Nothing is scheduled at dinner time.
Victoria tells the nurse she needs to speak with someone in security.
The Jazz Lounge
Nikki stands on the stairs, sipping from the flask, keeping an eye on Victor at the same time.
As she’s putting the flask away, Nate comes down the stairs. She quickly pops a breath mint into her mouth.
Nate asks what she’s doing.
Nikki walks away up the stairs. “I have no idea what you’re talking about!”
The Abbott Mansion
Jack hits send on his laptop and tells Ashley there’s no turning back now.
Ashley says Tucker’s dirty secret is going to be international news.
Jack nods; anyone involved with Glacade will jump ship or band together and drive Tucker out. Tucker and his brand are about to flatline!
Crimson Lights
Audra and Kyle meet on the cafe’s patio. Audra closes the doors to the main room and asks Kyle what’s happening… Why is he so worked up?
Kyle says the McCall scandal will be uncovered and all over the news soon.
Audra says that was supposed to be a non-issue. It has to be stopped!
Kyle says he couldn’t convince his father otherwise. Jack was determined to make a preemptive strike.
Audra says Kyle was supposed to stop this.
Kyle says he couldn’t do anything about it. He says Tucker did it to himself and to Audra, too.
Audra says it can’t happen… She’s worked too long and hard to go down like this!
Kyle says Audra might be okay. He begged his dad to keep Audra out of it. He’s on her side!
Audra says there’s no telling what will happen if someone starts digging. She’s got to warn Tucker! She grabs her purse.
Kyle says Tucker had months to do damage control; he’ll only look guilty if he starts trying to cover it up now.
Audra glares at Kyle. She says Tucker was right about him. He didn’t even try to stop his father and was probably part of the plan all along. She asks him to tell the truth… He was just using her, wasn’t he?
Tucker’s GCAC Suite
Tucker is writing an introductory letter to Glacade’s employees. He gets a notification and pulls up an article.
It’s a news article titled “Tucker McCall Complicit in Criminal Cover-Up.” The article states that Tucker was involved in covering up the crimes of an artist signed to his record label, and the artist was charged and convicted of statutory rape.
Tucker curses.
The GCAC
Nate follows Nikki upstairs to the lobby. He tells her to wait; can they talk?
Nikki asks what they have to talk about.
Nate says he saw her take a drink from the flask in her purse and then she popped some mints to cover up the smell of alcohol.
Nikki says Nate’s making things up again because he got fired by Victor. She says it’s a terrible accusation, and Nate should know better. She warns him against sharing that lie with Victoria or anybody else.
Nate says he’s not judging her; he’s speaking to her as someone who cares. He asks how long she’s been off the wagon.
Nikki says he’s mistaken and it’s none of his business. He was fired, so nothing that happens in their family is his concern.
Nate says no matter what happened at Newman, he’s still a doctor and cares about the health of people around him. He says alcoholism is a disease, and she needs to get treatment.
Nikki says she doesn’t need to be lectured by him.
Nate says she’s been doing well for so long; if something happened to her…
Nikki asks if she has to call security on him.
Nate says he heard that Nikki suffered a seizure. He asks if she’s having an MS relapse.
Nikki tells him to leave her alone and to stay out of her life.
Memorial Hospital
Victoria describes Jordan to a security guard and asks whether he’s seen her.
The guard says he saw someone earlier who he thought was a new hire, but she had a badge and blonde hair.
Victoria figures it was a wig. She explains that Jordan is dangerous and wanted by the police. They need to find her and Claire immediately.
The Jazz Lounge
Nate walks down the stairs into the lounge and approaches Victor’s table. He apologizes for interrupting and tells him there’s something they need to discuss.
Victor says Nate is interrupting, and Victor has already said everything that needs to be said.
Memorial Hospital / The GCAC Dining Room
Victoria calls Cole and tells her he’s at the hospital.
Cole asks how Claire is.
Victoria says Claire seems to be missing; nobody knows where she is. She says she found a bracelet on Claire’s pillow that looks exactly like the one Jordan was wearing.
Cole asks if she’s sure.
Victoria says Jordan must have snuck in as a nurse.
Cole finds it hard to believe that Jordan could have gotten Claire past security.
Victoria says Jordan isn’t finished with them yet.
The security guard enters the room and tells Victoria that security footage shows the blonde woman exiting with a patient in a wheelchair.
Victoria relays the information.
Cole says he’s on his way and leaves the club.
The Jazz Lounge
Nate tells Victor he understands that Victor doesn’t want to talk, but this is important.
Victor says he’s not giving Nate a second chance if that’s what he’s there to discuss.
Nate says it’s not about Newman. He sits down and says he heard that Victoria and the Newmans went through some traumatic times, and Nikki suffered a seizure.
Victor asks how he heard about that.
Nate says he’s sorry to hear it, but he hopes it hasn’t pushed any of them into a “troubling” situation.
Victor asks what Nate’s fishing for. He says if someone betrays him, he won’t forgive it.
Nate says he’s not fishing for anything. It’s not about giving him another chance at Newman, and for the record, he never tried to betray Victor.
Victor says he used to respect Nate as a doctor, but Nate had ulterior motives, and he caught him. End of story!
Crimson Lights
Audra calls Tucker and leaves a voicemail telling him to get back to her ASAP… It’s time to gather forces. She ends the call and tells Kyle she doesn’t know why she trusted him.
Kyle says it wasn’t a betrayal. He convinced his father to redact Audra’s name from all the emails, and he came to warn her.
Audra asks if he knew about any of it before today.
Kyle says he only learned of it today. His father kept it from him, along with everything important.
Audra doesn’t believe him. She thinks he knew about it in advance.
Kyle says he never wanted this. His father doesn’t trust him, shoved him out of Jabot, and is keeping secrets. That’s why he threw his hat in with Audra and Tucker. His father has turned his back on him, and he was counting on getting the top position with Audra and Tucker.
Audra says Kyle bet wrong. Tucker is going to go ballistic, and Audra’s career is over! She says the story will destroy Tucker’s reputation and his connection to Glacade. Without Glacade, they can’t take on Jabot.
Kyle says there may still be a way to pull this off. Audra has to trust him; he’s come up with the perfect product for Glacade to steal from Jabot.
Audra asks what good that will be if they don’t have a company that can use it.
The Abbott Mansion
The doorbell rings insistently.
Jack answers it, and Tucker strides into the room. Jack asks what brings Tucker by.
Tucker angrily says Jack must have waited for the perfect opportunity to use the information against him.
Ashley walks into the room and Tucker stops for a moment, staring at her in disbelief.
Tucker says that he expected this type of move from Jack, but he never expected it from her.
Society
Billy tells Chelsea that the difference between Jabot and Chancellor-Winters is… Jack.
Chelsea says Jack is a big figure in Billy’s life.
Billy says he is. He hopes working at Chancellor-Winters won’t ignite his “competitive flames.”
Chelsea asks if he’ll talk about it with her if it does.
Billy says he will, but he has a question that still haunts him… What is his legacy? What will he leave behind when it’s all said and done? He still doesn’t know what he’s going to leave behind or what his purpose is.
The Abbott Mansion
Jack tells Tucker to face it; he’s done and has been cut off at the knees.
Tucker tells Ashley he thought they agreed not to let their separation turn into a war. If that’s what she wants, she’s going to get it. He tells Jack he’s not done, not by a long shot! He leaves the house.
Memorial Hospital
Cole shows up and asks Victoria if there’s any word on Claire.
Victoria says she’s alerted security and called the police. She says her father’s security team has been notified as well.
Cole wonders why Jordan would come and take Claire.
Victoria has no idea. Why does Jordan do anything she does?
Cole asks how Jordan got Claire out.
Victoria explains that Jordan wrapped Claire in a blanket and took her in a wheelchair to the main hospital, where security is more lax.
Cole says the thought of Jordan manipulating Claire again is painful.
Victoria nods. Claire is broken already, and they weren’t there to protect her again.
Cole says they can’t think like that. They’ll find their daughter!
The Jazz Lounge
Nate tells Victor he’s wrong, but he’ll say it again; he had no ulterior motives, and his only concern was Victor’s health. He swore an oath to use his medical knowledge to help people. Protecting people’s health is his first instinct, regardless of his job title!
Victor says Nate should follow his instinct and return to medicine, but he should leave the Newmans alone.
Nate says he’s trying to leave them alone, and that’s why he’s suggesting that Victor keep an eye on Nikki. Whatever trauma the Newmans went through seems to have affected Nikki more than she’s letting on.
Victor asks what Nate is implying.
Nate says he has reason to believe Nikki is drinking again.
Nikki walks down the stairs and sees Victor and Nate talking. When Victor makes eye contact with her, she turns around and walks back up the stairs.
Victor sighs.
Society
Billy tells Chelsea he’s trying to find his place in the world. What are people going to say about him when he’s gone?
Chelsea smiles and says he has deep thoughts.
Billy laughs. He says he’s excited about the new chapter in his life. It’s a rush, but it’s a rush of discovery. He’s finding his new purpose!
The GCAC
Nate tells Victor that maybe the concierge or the valet knows where Nikki went. He hopes she isn’t driving.
Victor tells him that this needs to remain between them, and from now on, Nate needs to stay out of the family’s business.
The Newman Ranch House
Nikki comes home and prepares to top up the bottle of vodka with water. Her phone rings; it’s an unknown number.
Nikki answers the phone. “Who is this?”
Jordan asks if Nikki’s enjoyed their communication over the last few days.
Nikki tells her to stop calling her.
Jordan asks if the music is bringing back memories. She’s enjoyed discovering and sharing the wonderful poetry of Edgar Allen Poe with her. She thinks it’s “most appropriate.”
Nikki says the police are looking for Jordan, and it’s only a matter of time before they find her.
Jordan says she’s found Nikki, and she’s watching her every move from a safe distance.
Nikki calls Jordan a “demented bitch.”
Jordan asks if the vodka is calling to her. Does it take the edge off? She says Nikki should thank her; she’s given her back something she wanted! She asks if Nikki’s about to have another drink.
Nikki says she’s been drinking and is drunk right now… What’s it to her?
Tucker’s GCAC Suite
Audra pours herself a drink and sits in a chair, thinking about her conversation with Tucker, where he’d said he valued and respected her. He’d said he trusted Audra, and he loved everything about her. She shakes her head sadly.
The door opens, and Tucker walks in. He’s surprised to see her there.
Audra says housekeeping let her in, and she convinced them she’d lost her keycard.
Tucker says he’ll have to talk to management… He doesn’t like strange people in his room.
Audra says she left him some messages; why hasn’t he responded? Has he seen the article?
Tucker says he saw it and thinks the picture they used is very flattering.
Audra says Kyle gave her the heads-up about the article, but it was conveniently too late. She says Kyle swears he can be trusted and can get them what they want from Jabot, but Audra isn’t sure what to think about him anymore.
Tucker says Kyle’s the least of their problems now that the story is out.
Audra asks what he thinks they should do now.
Tucker isn’t sure; it’s not that simple. He says that Jack isn’t the only one behind the story… Ashley was involved, too.
Audra tells him not to lose focus.
Tucker says Ashley got her revenge on him… In spades!
The Abbott Mansion
Kyle comes home and tells Jack and Ashley that he got the alert on his cell phone. The story is everywhere!
Jack pours a glass of champagne for them all and says they’re celebrating.
Ashley says some people are celebrating more than others.
Jack proposes a toast to “the demise of Tucker McCall.”
Ashley looks reluctant but clinks glasses with Jack and Kyle.
The GCAC Dining Room
Victor sits at the bar when Victoria and Cole rush into the dining room and approach him.
Victoria tells Victor they tried to call him. She lets him know that Jordan was at the hospital.
Victor asks what happened.
Victoria says Jordan snuck into the hospital and took Claire with her.
Victor asks if they called security… They can’t have gotten far! He says he’s heading to the ranch to be with Nikki. He leaves.
The Newman House
Jordan tells Nikki that liquor makes her much more interesting, but she needs her to stay calm for a little while longer.
Nikki asks what she needs to stay calm for.
Jordan tells her to shut up and listen to her. She has Claire… Remember Claire? Victoria’s firstborn?
Nikki says Claire is in the hospital.
Jordan says Claire is with her, and Claire betrayed her and their plan. Claire chose Victoria over Jordan, who raised her and loved her.
Nikki slurs into the phone. “Like you’d know anything about love.”
Jordan says Victoria abandoned Claire and left her for dead. If Nikki wants Victoria to see “sweet little Claire” again, they’re going to have to make a trade… Victoria’s mother for Victoria’s daughter.
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