I’ll start this off by saying Colleen Zenk’s Jordan character has arguably been one of the best things to happen to The Young and the Restless in quite some time.
Jordan has stirred some gripping moments for Nikki (Melody Thomas Scott) as she’s struggled with her sobriety. The new villain has also managed to get under Victor’s (Eric Braeden) skin so badly that he’s resorted to some old-school revenge and vigilante justice, which reminds me of when The Mustache was in his prime. I can even argue that because of Jordan, Cole (J. Eddie Peck) is back in Genoa City and his being around has finally brought a welcomed softer side of Victoria (Amelia Heinle).
Here's the thing. Jordan first appeared on The Young and the Restless on November 17, 2023. Since then, she’s managed to torture the Newman family constantly. When Victor, Nikki, Victoria and Nick (Joshua Morrow) were first rescued in Oregon after being poisoned under Jordan’s direction, Jordan escaped the authorities to torment the Newmans in Genoa City. After she was eventually caught by police, she burned down her prison to escape and again kick off another reign of terror.
Victor, Nick and Michael (Christian LeBlanc) then lured Jordan out of hiding, promising a safe escape out of town and a French chateau if she would stop coming after the Newmans. It was of course a trap that ultimately led to Victor locking Jordan up in a seedy motel room.
Against his better judgment though, he let Nikki, Victoria and Claire visit Jordan so they could find some closure. However, Jordan poisoned herself hoping the ladies would call an ambulance to get her out of the motel room, which they did. As viewers know, Jordan was taken to the hospital where she escaped and resumed on her evil path of revenge. This time, she kidnapped Claire and Harrison (Redding Munsell). The pair was eventually rescued and Victor decided to take matters into his own hands and lock Jordan up in his cellar, lying to everyone saying she died.
Unable to shake the feeling that Victor has been untruthful, Cole puts on his amateur detective hat and finds his deranged aunt locked away during the week of May 20. While he wants to move her to a real prison, Victor stands in his way, so her future is anyone’s guess.
With all of that being said, I think The Young and the Restless is teetering very close to "enough being enough" territory. Jordan has proven herself to be the Houdini of daytime, and I’m not sure I can bear to see her again free herself as Victor and Cole clash, trying to decide her fate. Plus, do I really want to see her go after the Newmans yet one more time in what’s become back-to-back attempts since the fall?
What made characters like Patty Williams (Stacy Haiduk) and Sheila Carter (Kimberlin Brown) great villains on the soap back in the day is that they went away for a bit and allowed viewers the opportunity to miss their certain brand of chaos. Jordan’s relentless attacks are inching toward being exhausting to watch.
Not for nothing, I predicted a while ago that given her vengeful determination, the only foreseeable conclusion would be Jordan's death. Those who cross Victor in the way she has and as frequently usually don’t get the opportunity to keep planning more destruction. I’ve just been patiently waiting to see which Newman would do the murderous deed.
But if writers are content with keeping Jordan alive, which again, Zenk is doing an excellent job with her portrayal, I hope one of two things happens. Either Jordan is hauled off to prison and disappears for a few months, or Jordan is taken to a mental health facility where she again leaves town for a while. It could be rather interesting in the latter scenario if she later returns and pretends to be reformed, only in an attempt to win over Claire and cause problems for Claire’s relationship with the Newmans, who would likely think Jordan’s transformation is impossible.
I’ll be paying attention to see what exactly happens to Jordan next, but am I the only one who thinks it’s time for her arc to start wrapping up, at least for now?
New episodes of The Young and the Restless air weekdays on CBS. Episodes become available to stream on Paramount Plus the next day.
