Through ‘Phick’ and Thin: Young & Restless Just Did the Last Thing We Expected With Phyllis and Nick — So Where to Now?
We’ve taken The Young and the Restless to task — and a lot, too — about its tendency to not let characters grow and evolve. Especially irksome has been Phyllis’ recent, inexplicable regression into the president of the Danny Romalotti Fan Club. It made no sense for this smart, if off-kilter, powerhouse to demonstrate how much she had changed by chasing after the singer she once roofied in order to pass off another guy’s kid as his and steal him from his wife.
But the soap earned back a lot of points with us in the March 11 episode, which found Phyllis complaining to ex-husband Nick that there was no point in turning over a new leaf. We were surer than sure that the old flames were going to reheat and wind up in bed. Every few years, they seem to, right? But, to our surprise, they didn’t. Nick cut Phyllis off at the pass, noting that she was drunk and would regret the hookup later. Instead, he ordered enough room service to feed an army and was there for her as a friend, nothing more.
It was a delightful twist, frankly, and one that raised Nick’s IQ rather than lower it. He knew where a tryst with Phyllis would lead both of them, so he tapped the brakes, in so doing perhaps ushering them into a new era as friends without benefits. Imagine the fun that the show could have by making “Phick” drinking buddies and one another’s wingperson. She could even be the matchmaker that winds up nudging Nick closer to the character who could be his next great love. (More on that single lady here.)
By and by, Nick could pick out a fella for Phyllis who might even be worthy of her new and improved self. (Think of a handsome guest star like As the World Turns’ Jon Hensley or Guiding Light’s Rick Hearst, whose General Hospital alter ego was once hitched to Stafford’s.) She’d paint the town red with her new suitor and realize that the future is a whole lot more interesting than the past.
Of course, seeing Phyllis so happy would stir feelings in Jack. Where was this Phyllis when they were together? Why was she so insecure about his love for her that Diane’s mere presence drove her over the edge? As Jack finds himself more and more drawn to this Phyllis, free of the baggage that had always weighed her down, Diane would take note. She’d have to be blind not to see it. And she put up with Jack helping Nikki stay on the wagon. But this? This is a step too far. Diane would have to find a way to ensure that Jack’s ex-wife remains his ex. She’d have to be cunning about it, though. She’d have to do it in such a way that her halo wouldn’t observably slip.
