In terms of my wish list for The Young and the Restless, I have a few characters I’d love to see return to the soap’s canvas. On the top of this list is one of my favorite "villains," Tucker (Trevor St. John). Between his unfinished business with Devon (Bryton James) and Audra (Zuleyka Silver), and the potentially entertaining Tucker and Phyllis (Michelle Stafford) romance viewers never got to see come to fruition, Tucker is needed back in Genoa City. However, I’ll save that pitch for another day.
Instead, let’s talk about another character I feel is due a return to The Young and the Restless fold, and if for no other reason than to provide a romantic option for one of the show’s leading ladies.
For months now, Lily (Christel Khalil) has been in a rough patch. First, she found out that Daniel (Michael Graziadei) cheated on her with Heather (Vail Bloom) and subsequently reunited with his ex. Then, Lily and Devon’s sibling relationship hit a snag when she opted to stay behind at Abbott-Chancellor instead of going with him to Winters. And most recently, Billy (Jason Thompson) fired her from her co-CEO position.
If there’s been a glimmer of hope in her life lately, it could come via Victor (Eric Braeden) and Nikki (Melody Thomas Scott). The Newmans are determined to take Chancellor from Billy and Nikki would love to have Lily on board as her number two.
Having said all of this, I think it’s high time that Lily finds some happiness in her personal life. No, she certainly doesn’t need a romantic partner, but it would be nice to see someone in town who has her back regardless of her professional decisions and can support her when she’s arguing with a family or colleague. A person who makes her smile and carefree. I believe that the perfect person to fulfill such a role is none other than Cane (Daniel Goddard).
Cane and Lily have years of history between them. They were married, had twin children and watched them grow up, he stood by her side when she went through her cancer battle and despite her romances with Daniel and Billy, there’s an argument to be made that Cane is the love of her life.
Of course Lily and Cane faced their fair share of relationship woes, the last one resulting in their divorce, but what super couple on The Young and the Restless doesn’t break up to make up? Heck, the greatest love of all time on the show, that between Victor and Nikki, is marred by more hiccups and break-ups than I care to count.
So if Cane were to pop back up, I have to think about what kind of storyline could bring him back to town. There’s always the possibility that their kids could arrive back in Genoa City with some emergency and require Cane to return. But I prefer a spicer storyline.
Let’s say, for example, Jill (Jess Walton) calls upon Cane to help Billy and Chance (Conner Floyd) at Abbott-Chancellor. With Victor circling around the company, Billy and Chance could use all the help they could get, and Cane has plenty of corporate experience. Should Cane agree to Jill’s request, Cane would be back in town as Billy’s ally (much to Billy’s probable chagrin) and an antagonist for Lily — initially.
She’d likely be furious with him for coming back to Genoa City and working with Billy, who she now sees as an enemy who stole her company. However, after a few encounters, it’s not hard to imagine that the thin line between love and hate could blur between Lily and Cane, and she falls for his charm all over again. Perhaps them rekindling things could even lead him to betray Billy to help Lily regain control of Chancellor.
While Cane’s return is only my hope right now, let’s see if the powers that be at The Young and the Restless are in tune with my line of thinking.
New episodes of The Young and the Restless air weekdays on CBS. Episodes become available to stream on Paramount Plus the next day.
