Today’s Young and the Restless recap airs in the USA on Tuesday, February 20, 2024, and airs one day ahead in Canada. We post our Y&R recaps every weekday!
Last Episode
On the last episode of Y&R, Seth contacted Nikki at Jordan’s urging, Audra accepted Tucker’s invitation to Paris, and Ashley sank deeper into delusion.
Society
Adam and Sally have a seat at a table. Adam asks what Sally wants to eat.
Sally says food can wait… Adam said he had news for her!
Adam says it’s a surprise for later.
Sally tries to convince Adam to tell her, but he won’t. She keeps asking, wondering if it’s a vacation. Did he get her a puppy? A Lamborghini? Her own private jet?
Adam takes her hands and says, “Good things come to those who wait.”
Newman Ranch
Nikki and Seth walk into the living room. Nikki pours Seth a coffee and asks him to sit.
Seth thanks her for meeting with him. He’s felt bad for letting her down.
Nikki says there’s no reason to feel bad. He couldn’t help her maintain her sobriety when he was having problems maintaining his own.
Seth says when he agreed to become her sponsor, he was making a promise to be there for her, but when he didn’t follow through, he felt shattered.
Nikki asks if Seth is drunk right now, or whether he’s in the stage where he’s maintaining a “constant buzz.”
The Genoa City Athletic Club
Nate walks into the dining room and sees Audra, who beckons him over. He wanders over to her table and says it’s good to see her.
Audra says it’s hard to tell he’s happy from his expression.
Nate says he’s surprised she’s not with Tucker; they seem to be joined at the hip lately. He says it’s confusing since, at first, she liked Tucker, then she was against him and wanted to take him down, yet… Here she is. He asks if Audra loves Tucker, hates him, or is indifferent… He can’t keep track!
Audra says he doesn’t have to keep track… She can handle Tucker on her own, and he’ll be joining her soon. She asks if she can buy Nate a cocktail while she waits.
Tucker’s GCAC Suite
Tucker tells Ashley she’s the last person he expected to break into his room.
Ashley grins and asks who’s at the top of the list.
Tucker asks what she wants.
Ashley says she believes him; he’s right, and she’s wrong.
Tucker asks what they’re talking about… He’s right about a lot of things.
Ashley smiles and says she’s talking about Paris and the fight that ended them.
Tucker nods. He figured.
Ashley says she looked at the situation from all angles. She even went to Paris to investigate.
Tucker says she found out that he bribed an entire restaurant’s waitstaff.
Ashley says that was a little extreme… Like how she reacted to everything that happened.
Tucker says she seemed so certain he was gaslighting her to make her question her own sanity.
Ashley says that’s how it seemed at the time.
Tucker is incredulous that she thought he was a “violent monster,” and it turns out that Ashley was the one who was acting “extreme.”
Ashley grins and says, “Better late than never!”
Tucker laughs. He says it’s a load of bull. She’s been playing him this whole time with her endless drama, yet here she is now, cool and in control like there was a little misunderstanding between them. He asks what’s going on with her.
The GCAC Dining Room
Audra asks Nate to have a seat.
Nate says he’d rather stand so he can avoid running into Tucker.
Audra says Tucker is upstairs making calls. She thinks he’ll be a while. She asks Nate again to sit.
Nate gives in and takes a seat. He says she seems happy.
Audra says she is.
Nate asks if it’s because of Tucker.
Audra laughs and asks if Nate disbelieves her.
Nate says he heard the frustration in her voice when she was talking about Tucker and how she wanted to turn the tables on him… Is she really that cold and calculating?
Audra asks what Nate’s instincts tell him.
Nate says underneath her scheming and ambition lies a warm-hearted, vulnerable woman who wants to love and be loved by someone she knows won’t hurt her.
Audra says that’s sweet of him… And not far off the mark.
Nate says he’s baffled; she’ll be let down if she looks for love with Tucker McCall. Tucker is a user.
Audra says people change. Tucker isn’t using her, and she’s not using him. She thinks it’s lovely.
Nate sighs. He says she’s a brilliant woman, and yet…
Audra asks Nate to be happy for her. Her eyes are wide open; she and Tucker are in love, and it’s the real deal.
Nate asks if she really believes Tucker loves her.
Audra says she knows. She and Tucker are two of a kind and completely in sync. It’s not just power and work… It’s everything she ever wanted and more.
Nate is stunned. He says he’s fond of her and would hate to see her get hurt, but anyone who lets down their guard with Tucker lives to regret it. He tells her to ask Devon, Ashley, or anyone else who has dealings with him. If she gets in deep with Tucker, she’s a fool.
Audra says she gets it… Nate’s not happy for her.
Nate says it’s going to end badly, and Audra won’t be the exception to the rule; she’ll be Tucker’s latest casualty. He asks if that’s what she wants for herself.
Audra says he’s wrong. Things are different this time; it’s going to work. She tells him to count on it.
Society
Sally asks how Adam’s day was.
Adam says it was good… For the most part.
Sally asks what the not-so-good part of his day was.
Adam sighs. He wishes he hadn’t told her there was news because the planned surprise hit a speed bump.
Newman Ranch
Seth tells Nikki he was in a really bad way when he called her. She was on his mind, and he thought talking to her might help him snap out of it.
Nikki says she told him on the phone that she can’t be his support system; her own situation is too precarious.
Seth nods. He says he wanted to hear her say she didn’t blame him for failing her.
Nikki says he didn’t fail her… She decided to take a drink, and Seth had no control over that. She says they can’t think of the weakness that their disease causes as a personal failing.
Seth says he knows. She’s right.
Nikki says he may have stumbled, but he was strong enough to reach out and ask for help. That’s a positive step!
Seth says he reached out thanks to a friend who wants to get sober.
Nikki asks who his friend is.
Seth says he promised he wouldn’t bring her up to Nikki.
Nikki figures out it’s a woman.
Seth asks Nikki to forget he said anything.
Nikki says she doesn’t want to put Seth in an awkward position, but she’d like to know who suggested he contact her.
Seth says it’s nobody Nikki knows… Not well, anyhow. He says it’s someone from a meeting who was surprised to hear that Seth wasn’t Nikki’s sponsor anymore.
Nikki asks if this “someone” has a name.
Seth says the woman wants to remain anonymous, and he needs to honor her wishes.
Society
Adam tells Sally he’ll be able to work through the “little speed bump,” but he thinks he should hold off on telling Sally the news until then. He can see Sally is disappointed by this.
Sally says she isn’t disappointed… More like, “Oh well.” She says disappointment is reserved for thoughts about her career.
Adam asks if she’s disappointed that the initial flurry of work hasn’t led to any new work.
Sally nods. She says she met with Chloe and discussed some ideas to keep it afloat, but maybe Sally Spectra Design will have to do something bigger. Maybe she’ll pitch to Chancellor-Winters again.
Adam says he thought someone else had already done Chancellor-Winters’ design work.
Sally says that’s true, but they’d go to them with an even bigger proposition… She will ask Chancellor-Winters to be a financial backer by folding them into the company and creating a division.
Adam tells Sally not to do that.
Sally asks why not; doesn’t he have confidence in them?
Adam says he has all the confidence in the world in her and Chloe. He doesn’t want her going to Chancellor-Winters.
Sally doesn’t understand. She asks if Adam knows something she doesn’t.
Victor walks into the restaurant and says hello to them.
Sally says hello and tells Victor he looks well.
Victor thanks Sally. He tells Adam he needs the deal memo he was working on by noon tomorrow.
Adam is surprised… He wants it a day early?
Victor asks if there’s a problem with that.
Adam says it’s fine… It’s doable.
Victor asks about another contract.
Adam says it’s not back from legal yet.
Victor says to light a fire under the legal department. It’s time-sensitive, and he needs it as soon as possible.
Adam nods. Anything else?
Victor says that’s it. He says goodbye, heads to the bar, and asks for a double shot of tequila.
Sally tells Adam she thought he was getting along with his father… Did something happen?
The GCAC Dining Room
Audra tells Nate she’s not going to argue with him about Tucker. She and Tucker are building something incredible and lasting. She’s confident in her choice and doesn’t expect that Nate would understand.
Nate says Tucker is an abusive narcissist who steamrolls over anyone who gets in his way. Audra used to see that, but now it seems she’s completely trusting him. He asks what Tucker promised her in order to lure her back into his orbit; is she bought that easily?
Audra says she’s very close to slapping Nate.
Tucker’s GCAC Suite
Ashley tells Tucker she’s had an “awakening.” Everything he said about her is true… She fears commitment and has a hard time trusting people, especially men. She exaggerated things and made him the villain in her story. She says he isn’t blameless in what happened, though.
Tucker says he never said he was blameless and always accepted his role in what happened.
Ashley says it wasn’t as intense as she made it out to be. There was no broken glass or thrown chair. It was upsetting, but it was never violent.
Tucker asks why she’s telling him this now. Why did she break into his room to tell him this?
Ashley says she’s desperate to be free of her rage and confusion.
Tucker says it’s making sense to him now. He thinks she’s forcing herself to say this because it’s the cleanest way for her to make a break from him. It’s a clever tactic, but there’s just one hitch…It’s a lie, and Ashley doesn’t believe any of it. He says the strong emotions she mentioned might recede, but they’ll fester and burn inside her, and she’ll have to let them out. She’ll hate him and blame him for something else.
Ashley says she doesn’t think so. She had an epiphany because of a fender-bender.
Tucker looks confused. What? Is she all right?
Ashley says she is… Physically and mentally. She had clarity wash over her and realized that all the rage and confusion she was blaming him for was actually her fault. She says Tucker must remember how conflicted she was about marrying him; she was in no place to commit to him because she didn’t trust him.
Tucker begs her to stop… She needs to cut the crap. The animosity she’s shown him lately can’t just vanish. She’s either brainwashing herself, or she’s setting Tucker up for something. Either way, their conversation is over. He tells her to get out of his room.
The GCAC Dining Room
Nate tells Audra to go ahead and slap him if it’ll make her feel better, but it won’t change his mind.
Audra asks why he cares.
Nate says he thought they were friends. Was he wrong? Was she using him to goad Tucker, or was he a fallback plan? Maybe both!
Audra tells Nate not to flatter himself.
Nate hopes he’s wrong and Audra will get everything she wants from her deal with Tucker. He says she’s decided against taking Tucker down, but she’s traded one risk for another.
Audra says Nate’s made his point.
Nate says he only wants what’s best for Audra, but he doesn’t see how this ends without Audra getting her heart broken.
Audra says that’s the difference between her and Nate… He’s been burned before, and it’s made him wary. Audra has been burned, too, but it’s made her fearless.
Society
Adam tells Sally he asked his dad to revisit the idea of giving her a design division under the Newman umbrella.
Sally is shocked. That’s his big surprise? Why would he do that?!
Adam says he thinks it’s a smart business move… Even Nick agrees.
Sally can’t believe Adam talked with Nick about it before he even talked to her… What if this isn’t something that she wants?
Newman Ranch
Nikki says she values privacy and can see it’s important to Seth not to betray the woman’s trust who told him to reach out to her. She’ll respect his decision not to reveal her identity.
Seth smiles and thanks Nikki. He told the woman how badly he messed up by trying to be Nikki’s sponsor when he was teetering on the edge himself, and she gave him some great advice.
Nikki asks what the woman told him.
Seth says she told him he shouldn’t assume Nikki hated or blamed him for what happened and should credit Nikki for her compassion.
Nikki asks if that’s when the woman urged him to contact her.
Seth nods. He says he’s glad he reached out; he feels much better now that they’ve talked.
Nikki reminds him she can’t be his support system at this stage in her recovery.
Seth understands but hopes they can at least be friends. He says he’s been drinking out of guilt and shame; he felt horrible how he’d fallen apart and left Nikki in the lurch when she needed him most.
Nikki says he can’t think that way; it’s too much responsibility for her to bear! She says he was the one who decided to drink again… She had nothing to do with it!
Seth nods. It’s true.
Nikki says she can see why he thought he’d harmed her. She thought it was her fault that Seth had stumbled because he saw her fail repeatedly.
Seth says whatever triggered him to fall into a bottle was absolutely not Nikki’s fault.
Nikki appreciates him saying that. She says she’s not sure that being friends would be good for either of them while they’re both struggling with sobriety… They’d probably become drinking buddies instead of “real” friends.
Seth holds up his coffee and says it depends on what they drink.
Nikki says today it’s coffee, but tomorrow… Who knows.
Seth smiles and says they must take things one day at a time. He plans on making amends.
Nikki asks if he plans to make amends while he’s still drinking.
Seth nods. He says he has to start somewhere.
Nikki tells Seth to listen to her… She’s fighting her own battle and feels for him, but she doesn’t think it’s a good idea for them to be in touch right now. She says she agreed to meet him today but doesn’t think they should make a habit of it.
Seth understands. He tells her he won’t push; she needs to do what’s right for her.
Nikki says the most important thing is that he gets rid of any guilt where Nikki is concerned. It’s in the past, and he needs to move forward. She tells him he needs a real sponsor and needs to keep going to them for support.
Seth says that’s what he plans on doing. He says he needs Nikki’s forgiveness first to move past the bad feelings he’s been holding on to so he can start fresh.
Nikki tells him he needs to forgive himself and get to a meeting tonight if possible. If he’s serious about getting sober again, he should attend ninety meetings in ninety days.
Seth says those are great ideas, and he’ll go as often as possible to show Nikki he can pull himself together… That will be the ray of hope that will see him through!
Nikki admits she misses their conversations.
Seth smiles. Him too. Maybe they can have a cup of coffee occasionally between friends.
Nikki smiles and says she’d like that.
Tucker’s GCAC Suite
Ashley tells Tucker that, hopefully, she’ll be able to convince him someday.
Tucker asks what she’s going to convince him of. What difference does it make? What does Ashley want, anyhow?
Ashley tells him he already knows.
Tucker scoffs. He has no idea what bizarre game she’s playing this time!
Ashley says she’s not playing a game. She wants peace.
Tucker says that doesn’t make sense. She broke into his room and ambushed him… For peace?
Ashley says she hates what they’d put each other through. She hates that what they had, which was magnificent, ended abruptly. She hated it when he left her alone in the cafe in Paris. Everyone was staring at her and feeling sorry for her. It was humiliating and overwhelming, and she doesn’t want to feel that pain and anger anymore.
Tucker just smiles and nods.
Ashley asks Tucker to think about it. Maybe they can talk sometime soon.
Tucker waves at her and says goodbye.
Ashley smiles and leaves.
The GCAC Dining Room
Nate gets up from Audra’s table. He says she’s mistaken recklessness for fearlessness and thinks she’ll need to get burned again to tell the difference. He hopes she figures it out this time. He leaves the table, heads to the bar, and orders an old-fashioned.
Ashley walks into the lobby and sees Audra in the dining room. She approaches Audra’s table and says they need to get something straight. She sits down.
Audra says she’s not sure what they have to discuss.
Ashley says that whatever Audra has going on with Tucker won’t last. She says she doesn’t want to hurt her feelings, but Tucker is out of Audra’s league!
Audra says that sounds like something a woman still in love with Tucker would say. She says Ashley sounds jealous and insecure.
Ashley says Audra doesn’t know the first thing about her, but go ahead if she wants to psychoanalyze her!
Audra asks if they’re supposed to insult each other now. She tells Ashley it’s her party, go ahead!
Ashley says Audra is so cocky and self-confident… At least on the outside. While she’s busy convincing herself that Tucker belongs to her, the dynamic is changing.
Audra asks what “dynamic” Ashley is talking about… What does she mean?
Ashley stands up. “You’ll see.” She leaves the table.
Tucker walks down the stairs to head back into the dining room. He runs into Ashley, who’s on her way out. He asks what she’s up to now.
Ashley smiles and says she’s just catching up with Tucker’s assistant. She grabs his arm and squeezes. She smiles and says she’ll see him later.
Audra sees the exchange and gives Tucker a look of confusion.
Society
Adam tells Sally of course he talked to Nick… Can she imagine the blowback if he tried to pitch this to Victor behind Nick’s back?
Sally says Adam never thought he might get some blowback from her, too.
Adam says he was trying to be honest and above board, but apparently, Sally and Nick have a problem with his methods.
Sally says she has a problem with him coming to her after the fact. He overstepped! What made him do this in the first place?
Adam says it’s good business for Newman, which would be great for Sally, too. She’d told him that she had hit a plateau and was thinking of going to Chancellor-Winters asking for an infusion of cash… Wouldn’t she rather come to Newman and work more closely with him? Adam says Sally feels guilty about having Nick as her sole backer… Wouldn’t this help her feel less guilty about that?
Sally asks why that would help her feel less guilty.
Adam says Newman would buy Nick’s investment back, and Sally would be off the hook for owing him anything. It’d be cleaner that way!
Sally says it’s still her decision to make. She asks what he meant by “working closer together.” Would he be her boss, or…?
Adam says he wouldn’t be. Newman would be the money for her enterprise. He wouldn’t be looking over her shoulder and second-guessing her design or business decisions. She could come to him for advice if needed, but he trusts her to run her own shop, so he supports her vision.
Sally says he’s saying all the right things… That’s what he does when he’s backed into a corner. She says she’s not sold on this idea at all.
Adam asks what it’ll take to convince her that this is a good idea.
Sally says Victor teased her with the possibility of having her own decision and pulled the rug on her after he knew they walked away from a steady gig with Chancellor-Winters. She assumed it was personal and intentional to screw her over and put her in her place. What would stop Victor from doing that again?
Adam says he will stop Victor from doing that again.
Sally appreciates him wanting to protect her, but he can’t be successful with Victor running the show. She assumes that’s the “speed bump” Adam hit earlier… Victor must have turned Adam down about the new division because he doesn’t want Sally on his payroll.
Adam says it’ll be an actual offer on paper. There won’t be a verbal agreement that leaves her hanging. He’ll have protections put in place for her, and so will Nick. In case he wasn’t clear, Nick is a fan of this plan.
Sally says that’s another issue altogether. She says Adam made a career choice for her without giving her the courtesy of coming to her about it first. She says it’s her business and her future.
Adam says he obviously went about this the wrong way, but his motives were pure. He believes this is a smart move for Newman and Sally; it’s better than her going somewhere else long-term. He says when Victor made her an offer, she was willing to ditch Chancellor-Winters; doesn’t that tell her something? He says Chancellor-Winters wouldn’t be hands-off even if they gave her the money.
Sally shakes her head and says Adam has her whole future mapped out. Once again, Adam knows best!
Adam asks her to give it some thought. He thinks she’ll see that it makes sense when she thinks it over.
Sally says it won’t happen if Victor doesn’t want it to.
Adam says Victor hasn’t said no yet; Victor said he needs more time to consider it. He asks Sally to let it play out and to keep an open mind.
Newman Ranch
Nikki is sitting alone on the sofa when Victor walks into the room and greets her.
Victor says he wrapped up some things he had to deal with and came straight home. He asks how things went with Seth.
Nikki says Seth just left. She thinks things went well. She says Seth was struggling and it helped for him to talk with someone.
Victor nods. He says it’s always helpful to talk when things are bothering you.
Nikki says she thinks she gave Seth some hope. By the time he left, she felt like she’d done some good for him and pointed him in the right direction.
Victor says it’s nice she accomplished something.
Nikki says it felt good to be on the giving end, since she’s needed a lot of help herself lately.
Victor says feeling good about one’s self is the most important part of her recovery.
Outside, Seth pulls out his phone and sends a text message.
The Empty Glass Lounge
Jordan gets a text message from Seth. “Thanks for the nudge to reconnect with Nikki. Visit went well. It was the right thing to do.” She grins.
The GCAC Dining Room
Tucker sits down with Audra and apologizes for taking so long.
Audra says she managed to entertain herself while he was gone. She looks pointedly at Nate, who gets up from the bar and leaves the dining room.
Tucker looks at Nate and says he obviously doesn’t like seeing Tucker and Audra together.
Audra says that’s too bad for him. She’s more interested in what’s going on with Ashley.
Tucker says he could ask Audra the same question.
Audra asks what Ashley said to him in the lobby.
Tucker says Ashley told him that she and Audra had a chat. He asks what they chatted about.
Audra says she didn’t have much to say, but Ashley confronted her like a jealous lover who was warning her off her turf, even though a day ago, she couldn’t stand the sight of Tucker. She wonders what’s up with that.
Tucker says he doesn’t have a clue. He’s as confused by it as Audra is.
Audra says it had to come from somewhere. She asks if Tucker happened to run into Ashley earlier; did she say something to Tucker then?
Tucker says it was the first time he saw Ashley the whole evening.
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