Today’s Young and the Restless recap airs in the USA on Wednesday, January 3, 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, Victoria decided to take a leave of absence to care for Claire; Adam & Nick agreed to a truce, and Nikki attended an AA meeting.
Memorial Hospital
Victoria looks in on Claire, who is asleep in her bed.
A therapist passes by, and Victoria stops her to talk about Claire. The therapist asks if she’s related to the patient.
Victoria says she’s Claire’s mother and she thinks Claire is “shutting down” and closing her mind to people on the outside. It scares her.
Daniel’s Apartment
Lucy drags herself into the living room.
Daniel makes a comment that he’d wonder why she’s feeling so rough if he hadn’t spent the night with her watching movies.
Lucy says some people are early birds, but some people don’t like the taste of worms. She asks where her mom is.
Daniel cleans up and says Heather left already… She didn’t want to wake Lucy up.
Lucy had thought her mom was going to sleep over.
Daniel asks why she’d think that.
Crimson Lights
Phyllis walks into the coffee house and orders a cappuccino. She sees Christine and says hello. She says she enjoyed seeing Christine and Danny last night before their big date.
Christine says mature relationships obviously don’t appeal to Phyllis since she had a date with Tucker McCall. She calls him “unsavory, even for Phyllis.” She says she and Danny had a lovely New Year’s dinner.
Phyllis laughs. She says she’s happy that Danny got to experience the kind of woman Christine really is.
Christine says she had a “spectacular” night with Danny that was an evening to remember… And it was a night that even Phyllis couldn’t ruin, no matter how hard she tried.
Daniel’s Apartment
Daniel asks Lucy why she thought her mom would stay the night. He says she has a place of her own.
Lucy says, “Old people get sleepy!”
Daniel rolls his eyes. Old people? Really?
Lucy says they were both passed out on the couch… She figured they were down for the night! She pulls out her phone and shows him the picture she took of Heather sleeping on Daniel. She says it’s a picture of “two ancient fossils preserved forever in the sedimentary layer, sleeping through yet another New Year’s.”
Daniel cringes a bit.
Lucy says they were so adorable she couldn’t resist taking a picture.
Daniel laughs and says they have less energy than a couple of old dinosaurs. He sees the look on Lucy’s face and asks what’s wrong.
Lucy says there’s nothing wrong, but Daniel doesn’t believe her. She finally relents and says she hoped the three of them could have had breakfast together like old times. She gets up and heads into her room, looking angry.
Daniel thinks back to Heather kissing him on the couch after Lucy had gone to bed. After initially responding, Daniel had pushed her away. Heather had said she didn’t mean for it to happen, but Daniel felt the same feelings she did, didn’t he?
Crimson Lights
Phyllis says she’s sorry that Christine sees her as a threat.
Christine smirks and says she didn’t mean that at all.
Phyllis says ruining Christine and Danny’s evening wasn’t on her agenda. She had an eventful New Year’s Eve planned!
Christine figures Phyllis’s last-minute “date” with Tucker must have been fun. They must have sat around comparing scandals for hours!
Phyllis says Tucker is provocative and dangerous, but he knows how to have a good time.
Christine says Tucker sounds powerful, but she knows Phyllis made a move on Danny, and it’s all about Phyllis’s rivalry with her.
Phyllis acts confused. What rivalry? With whom?
Christine says Phyllis is jealous, obsessive, and unable to move on. She says Phyllis got her freedom and life back, but instead of enjoying it, she humiliates herself by going after a guy who doesn’t want her. She says Phyllis can’t take a hint and doesn’t see the signs. It’s a fatal flaw!
Phyllis says it sounds like Christine’s picking a fight with the wrong woman.
Christine tells Phyllis to stop inserting herself where she’s not wanted. She should focus on her job and get into a dating app to bother some random strangers.
Summer walks in from the patio and overhears Christine and her mom fighting.
Phyllis thinks Christine is afraid of her.
Christine scoffs. She says Phyllis is delusional if she thinks Danny will ever think of her as anyone but a mistake he couldn’t get rid of.
Summer approaches Phyllis and Christine and tells them to stop fighting; is this how they want to ring in the New Year?
Memorial Hospital
Victoria tells the therapist that Claire has been sleeping every time they look in on her.
The therapist says it’s not unusual for trauma survivors to sleep a lot.
Victoria asks if sitting with Claire and talking to her is alright. She promises not to force anything, saying that she wants to let Claire hear her voice and feel the presence of someone who cares.
The therapist nods and leads Victoria into Claire’s room. She says she’ll check in on them later and leaves.
Crimson Lights
Summer tells Christine and Phyllis to just stop.
Christine says Phyllis didn’t waste any time breaking her resolution to become a better person.
Summer stops her mom from responding and asks if this is really how Phyllis wants to start her year.
Phyllis says she’s sorry Christine can’t get over a little friendly rivalry.
Christine says it’s rivalry over a person. She’s done with the conversation. She gives Summer a hug, wishes her a Happy New Year, and leaves the coffee shop.
Phyllis laughs and says Summer can see that Christine was trying to provoke her.
Summer asks if Phyllis really is chasing after Danny.
Phyllis says it’s not illegal or immoral to reconnect with a friend.
Summer asks what type of reconnecting they’re talking about.
Phyllis acts coy and says a woman never kisses and tells!
Summer is surprised her mom kissed Danny.
Phyllis says it was New Year’s Eve; what’s the big deal? It was nice!
Summer grimaces. “Ew, mom!” She asks if it bothers her mom that Danny has feelings for Christine.
Phyllis says it should bother Christine that Danny has feelings for Phyllis, and she’s obviously the better option, so Danny should go for her.
Summer can’t believe her mom’s not embarrassed to be acting the way she is.
Phyllis says she’s not embarrassed at all. She’s single, and Christine is still married; she should be embarrassed at how she follows Danny around with her puppy-dog eyes! She says that until Danny tells her he’s not interested in a relationship with her, she’s keeping her options open!
Daniel’s Apartment
Daniel recalls his conversation with Heather last night after she kissed him.
Flashback. Daniel had told Heather they needed to talk… They can’t afford any misunderstandings. It could cause problems with Lucy, and he’s with Lily now!
Heather says she wasn’t thinking; it just felt natural. It was like they were transported to years past when they were so close and happy.
Danny says she’s talking about times before he turned toxic and ruined everything. He’s glad they could get past it; her forgiveness is more than he deserves.
Heather says Daniel’s worked hard to bring himself out of it… He’s his old self!
Daniel says he’s not his old self, and there’s no returning to who he was. He says they never had a chance at a “happily ever after.”
Heather says she was caught up in old memories and feelings. They’d shared a lot.
Daniel agrees. He reiterates he’s with Lily now.
Heather says she hopes that Lily won’t have to hear about the ridiculous blunder she made.
Daniel says Lily doesn’t need to hear about it; it was nothing.
Lucy asks Daniel if everything’s okay… He looked like he was a million miles away!
Daniel says he’s fine. Lucy was witnessing genius at work; he was thinking about his next project!
Lucy unwraps a breakfast bar.
Daniel takes it from her and says it’s an abomination. They only get one crack at New Year’s, so they should have breakfast at the table with conversation.
Lucy asks if he’s going to make his specialty.
Daniel says pancakes with bananas are the only way to go.
Danny walks in grinning; he heard the word “pancakes” and is raring to go!
Lucy says she’s starving. Make tons! Her grandfather agrees. Tons!
Danny bows his way out to the kitchen, proclaiming there will be tons!
As Daniel sets up his tablet on the table, Lucy pulls out her phone and starts tapping.
The Genoa City Athletic Club
Heather sits at a table, looking at the menu. Her phone pings with a message from Lucy. “Dad’s making banana pancakes. Big stack or small?
Heather messages back. “Does Dad know you’re inviting me?”
Lucy responds, “Whose idea do you think it was?”
Crimson Lights
Phyllis tells Summer she’s going for Danny, and he should decide who he wants. He’s a creative artist; he’ll definitely choose the woman who makes him laugh and brings joy to his life. They’ll have mutual happiness at last!
Summer asks what will happen when Phyllis does something that Danny finds unethical like picking a fight with Christine or pushing Danny to the edge just by being herself.
Phyllis says Danny’s a good influence in her life, so none of those things will happen.
Summer says Phyllis thinks Danny’s some kind of magic bullet. She scoffs and says her mom hasn’t even thought about Danny as long as Summer has been alive; something happened to make her decide to want him now.
Phyllis blahblahs about the universe giving her something and says she’ll fight any woman over Danny.
Summer says she’s dragging Danny into her drama just to stick it to Christine.
Daniel’s Apartment
Christine drops by, and a laughing Danny says he was just about to invite her over for pancakes. Christine thinks she should drop by more often; it smells amazing!
Danny says she should. He explains that Daniel is making the pancakes with bananas and Lucy’s juicing mangoes and oranges. He says the music will be…
Christine finishes his sentence and says it’s going to be pure magic.
Danny tells her she has to stay.
Christine agrees. She wants to spend more time with him, but she has an errand to run!
Danny says normally he’d say she’s all work and no fun, but last night proved that wrong. He says he had an amazing night.
Christine says she did, too; that’s why she’s there! She asks if he still likes adventure.
Danny says he lives for adventure.
Christine hoped he’d say that… Is he free this weekend?
They look deep into each other’s eyes and make plans to go to the lake. Danny asks what she’s looking to do there.
Christine says they’ll have some quiet time together in front of a fireplace with no distractions, and they’ll figure out what happens next.
Memorial Hospital
Victoria sits beside Claire’s hospital bed, where Claire lies, apparently asleep. Victoria talks to Claire, saying she must be scared after everything Jordan did to her. She wants Claire to know she’s not alone in the world.
Victoria tells Claire she has relatives in her life who want to welcome her into their lives whenever she’s ready. She tells Claire she knows it’s going to take a lot of work, but she’s ready to do the work, and so is her father, Cole. She says they want to know Claire and they are her family.
Victoria knows it won’t happen overnight, but she believes Claire is strong; it’s in her DNA. She promises that Claire will be safe with her family.
Daniel’s Apartment
Danny laughs and says he just wants to confirm his good luck; did Christine just ask him out on a date?
Christine says she’s rusty… It’s been a long time since she asked anyone on a date!
Danny says he’s in! They’re going to do this!
Christine is all smiles. She’s ready to plan things! She tells him to wait there, and she’ll call him. She and Danny kiss, and on her way out, Christine runs into Heather, who’s on her way in. Christine hugs Heather, wishes her Happy New Year, and leaves.
Danny welcomes Heather in. He asks how the burgers and rom-coms went.
Lucy interrupts, saying it was the best New Year’s ever! She says Heather should have stayed over; there was plenty of room in her bed.
Heather laughs and says sleeping in the same bed as Lucy is like “battling a ninja.”
Lucy says her mom will miss her when she leaves for university.
Heather says she’s going to apply to the same schools, and they’ll dorm together, so she won’t miss her at all!
Daniel walks in and asks what they’re talking about. He’s surprised to see Heather.
Heather asks if it’s okay to have her there.
Lucy says of course it’s okay; they can’t have banana pancakes without her!
Crimson Lights
Phyllis tells Summer she just wants to be in love; it’s a natural human response to want to be in love and want to be the most important person in someone’s life.
Summer says wanting someone doesn’t mean that Phyllis will get him.
Phyllis says she’s learned about life after heartbreak. She built walls around her, but she let someone in, and her heart skips a beat when she sees him. She thinks she’s in love again.
Summer asks if that’s really how she feels about Danny.
Phyllis says she might have been talking about Summer and Chance.
Summer asks if she’s serious; why would she try to turn this around on her? This is about Phyllis, not Summer. Is she trying to deflect from her own situation?
Phyllis says she’s not dodging her own issues, but Summer shouldn’t deny it when the universe offers her a gift. She says life is too short, and Summer needs to go after what she wants. She asks what happened to her; she used to be so brave! The “old” Summer was filled with life!
Summer says she’s an adult who can control her actions, the “old” Summer was a brat!
Phyllis says the old Summer wouldn’t have let Chance walk away without telling him how she felt. “Happy New Year!” She gets up and kisses her daughter on the head and tells her she hopes it’s a good year for her. She leaves.
Sharon sits unseen on the indoor patio. She heard everything Phyllis had said to Summer.
Daniel’s Apartment
Danny compliments his son. “Those pancakes rock on!” He asks for the recipe.
Daniel takes the compliment gracefully. He says he’ll give his dad the recipe as soon as his dad gives him the sauce recipe. He asks Lucy and Heather if the pancakes were as good as the last time they had them.
Heather says they aren’t as good.
Daniel is dumbstruck. What?
Heather says they’re not as good… They’re better! She says they’re comfortable and make her think of good times. They tasted like home!
Daniel laughs. He understands.
Crimson Lights
Sharon walks over to Summer and says she could smile and pretend not to have overheard Summer and her mom talking…
Summer stammers and apologizes… They were talking about Chance!
Sharon says she overhears a lot in the cafe.
Summer gathers her coat and says she’d like to pretend that never happened. She’s beyond horrified.
Sharon says there’s no need.
Summer says it was wrong. Phyllis doesn’t get that, but Summer does.
Sharon says even if she hadn’t overheard them talking, she thinks it’s obvious that Summer enjoys being around Chance.
Summer says Chance is a nice guy. She says she would never do anything to hurt Sharon and Chance’s relationship or make either of them uncomfortable.
Sharon thinks that’s mature of Summer. She says she knows how difficult it can be.
Summer says Sharon doesn’t need to answer this, but… Is she in love with Chance?
Daniel’s Apartment
Lucy and Heather take the dishes away, stating that Daniel cooked, and they clean up… Those were always the rules. They head for the kitchen.
Daniel laughs and says it’s nice that some things don’t change.
Danny asks him to explain himself. He says Lucy is playing matchmaker, and Daniel’s got a “look” in his eye when he looks at Heather. He tells Daniel that he has to make sure things are straightened out so there are no misunderstandings.
Daniel says his dad seems to have it all figured out… He’s the king of rekindled romances! He asks how his date with Christine went.
Danny says it was so good that even Phyllis couldn’t send their night off the rails!
Daniel asks what his mother did.
Danny says the story of how Phyllis tried to steal the New Year will have to wait. He wants to know what’s going on between Daniel and Heather.
Daniel says it was only breakfast.
Danny says he’s seen Daniel fall in and out of love many times over the years. He says Daniel is a romantic and doesn’t take love lightly, so when he feels it, it’s hard for him to let go.
Daniel says that his dad and Christine dating now doesn’t mean he’s going to do the same thing.
Danny asks if Heather knows it.
Daniel insists he’s been clear about it.
Danny isn’t sure. Has he really been clear about it? He says he can’t see it, and he doesn’t think Heather can either.
Heather and Lucy come back into the living room. Heather smiles and says breakfast was delicious.
Daniel says he’s glad she could join them.
Heather says she needs to get to work on some contracts; she doesn’t want to get fired from her job!
Daniel figures she’ll have energy from her breakfast to get the job done.
Heather says either that or she’ll take a nap… She’s stuffed!
Lucy tells her mom there’s a couch in the room calling her name.
Heather says Lucy’s a bad influence. She’s leaving.
Lucy asks if she can get a ride with her mom to the gym. She rushes to her room to get dressed.
Heather tells Daniel it was the best breakfast she’s had all year. She thanks him for making a spot for her at the table.
Daniel says there will always be a place for her. He tells her to have fun at work on New Year’s Day.
Heather says she will. Having breakfast with them was a great way to start her day.
They hug, and Heather leaves.
Danny shakes his head. He says Daniel doesn’t know what he’s getting himself into.
Memorial Hospital
Victoria pulls some books out of a bag and tells Claire she brought her some books. She doesn’t know what Claire likes to do, but she can’t wait to find out.
Victoria tells Claire she doesn’t know what will come next for them, but she’s grateful that Claire is in her life.
Victoria says she doesn’t know if Claire can hear her, but she’ll leave the books on the bed beside her. She places them on the bedcovers carefully.
Claire rolls over and sits up. She looks at Victoria wordlessly.
Victoria tears up. She says, “Well there she is. Happy New Year, Claire!”
Crimson Lights
Sharon laughs. She tells Summer that asking whether she’s in love with Chance is a very personal question.
Summer knows it is, and it’s none of her business, but she wants to know where things stand between them.
Sharon says she can’t speak for Chance, but they enjoy spending time together and talking. They don’t have expectations, labels, or pressure.
Summer says it sounds nice, but casual.
Sharon says it’s perfect for her right now, that’s all she can handle. Right now, she just wants to have fun and figure out who she is again. She’s been a wife, a mother, and a widow, and her life is starting over for her… She knows she’s lucky to have a new company, and her future is open right now.
Chance walks in as they finish talking. He says good morning, but Sharon doesn’t say anything. She walks away behind the counter, eyes averted.
Chance asks if everything’s okay.
Summer and Sharon share a look.
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I want Sharon & Nick back together they were robbed of happiness bc of Phyllis & Nick being weak now they have both moved on. Nick & Sharon are single so give them a real chance to be happy!!!
Biggest mistake Y&R made is bringing back Chrstine. Shes so “holier than thou” , always in Phyllis’ face & is about as boring as watching paint dry. She comes out of her marriage with Paul so “devastated” only to jump into bed with Daniel in a NY minute. Shes hypocritical, stuck up & I’m glad I record so I can fast forward. Time for Danny to go on tour & his groupie to follow. Shes nasty & yet everyone gives her a pass for being a bi***. Noone calls her out, ok Phyllis time to rev your engine.
The man Phyllis ever loved is jack. Phyllis doesn’t want Danny it’s the game she loves playing with Cricket.
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