Y&R Special Episode Preview
■ Y&R will feature a standalone episode this week that centers around Adam and Victor. In the fantasy, Adam imagines playing a particularly surreal game of chess with Victor. “Adam is at an emotional crossroads,” begins Co-executive Producer/head Writer Josh Griffith. “He’s now at a place that’s forced him to re-evaluate his life after everything he’s learned about himself in the last year, which means really looking at the kind of man he’s been and why he’s like that. And it all ties back to his relationship with Victor. I thought the dynamic between Adam and Victor has always been this sort of battle, so I started thinking that their relationship has been this profound chess game. Now Adam’s dream has become this match between him and his dad, but Victor is telling his son that the rules are different so that he can become better and move on.”
Significant people in Adam’s life will represent different chess pieces in the stylized game. “For instance, the knight is Rey, the cop and protector, but who is the queen? Is it Chelsea or Sharon?” Griffith teases.
“Phyllis and Billy are there, as well, and everyone is advising Adam what moves to make. Can Adam play this game in a way that’s bettering him, as opposed to making him even more of the pariah monster that everyone thinks he is?”
Griffith shares that the focus will also be on Adam and Nick. “These guys will never be best buds, but if Nick can see his brother in a different light and give Adam the opportunity to change, maybe he has a chance to be a better man,” notes the scribe. “What Adam needs is for people to say, ‘Yeah, you can do this.’ The reason he’s never been able to is because it’s been a Catch-22. He keeps doing these horrible things because people expect him to. No one’s ever believed he can be anything but that. Victor has always said, ‘I know you can do this,’ but Adam has not been able to hear it. But for Nick to also say, ‘I think you can do this,’ will be quite amazing for Adam’s soul. Will he redeem himself in Nick’s eyes? We’re moving toward that, while at the same time, we’re building up Victoria’s power and her thirst for more. Will the tables be turned and she becomes the new Adam?”
As for what kind of Adam emerges, Griffith previews, “He will come out of this determined to change his life, and if he’s successful, how long will it last?”
“The dynamic between Adam and Victor has always been this sort of battle.”