While we are still holding onto hope The Young and the Restless writers won’t completely trash the relationship between Victor (Eric Braeden) and Nikki (Melody Thomas Scott), especially given how many times they’ve divorced only to remarry with this last time seemingly cementing the duo for the long haul, there are some writings on the wall that our favorite couple in Genoa City could face another split. This time, the couple may be tanked by rival power couple, Jack (Peter Bergman) and Diane (Susan Walters).
For months now on The Young and the Restless, Nikki has found herself slipping further into old patterns as she increasingly feeds her alcohol addiction. Thinking he had the experience and time to help his dear friend, Jack offered his support to her, and she eventually came to rely on Jack as her sponsor, which we knew was a horrible idea.
Despite Nikki claiming Jack is the perfect sponsor because of their history, their history is the main reason we think he’s not qualified.
Yes, they are friends, but they also used to be married and were expecting a child together. Exes sponsoring each other is not usually ideal in the real world. Not only that, but Nikki can’t stand Diane and vice versa, and Victor can’t stand Jack and vice versa, so it’s hard to see how the friction among spouses helps anything.
Look no further than Jack finally revealing to Victor that he’s Nikki’s sponsor and Victor’s visceral reaction as proof. The two foes slip into old bickering territory and Nikki looks stressed with trying to express to Victor her need for Jack as her sponsor and her deep desire for him to be okay with that. That just appears to be stress she doesn’t need at the moment.
It’s also worth mentioning that it’s hard to imagine a world where Diane will be okay with Jack dropping everything to go help Nikki for too much longer. While Diane recently seemed to understand Jack abruptly leaving to go check on Nikki, that is likely to change when Diane starts feeling neglected or when Jack disappears on their date nights.
Victor already hates the idea of Jack and Nikki being drawn closer through her addiction, so we can picture him voicing more than once his discontent to Jack, Nikki, or both about their increased time together. The Mustache may want his wife to regain control of her sobriety, but he doesn’t want Jack to be the crutch she uses to do so.
With all of that being said, could Genoa City be headed toward a wife-swap of sorts if things continue to down this path and Jordan (Colleen Zenk) continues to drive Nikki to drink? Perhaps.
A scenario could arise where Nikki goes on another binger, calls Jack and when he arrives, she makes a pass at her former husband. Although he may reject her advances at first, if she kisses him, she may unlock some of his old feelings.
Better yet, and way more soapy, what if Jordan discovers Jack is Nikki’s sponsor and learns of Jack’s previous battle with pain pills? Could Jordan somehow get to Jack and get him hooked back on the drugs, creating the perfect storm of two exes actively battling addiction to throw caution to the wind and give into a moment of temptation?
Then there’s Victor and Diane. It’s worth noting that they were once a couple as well and have a romantic history. Perhaps they commiserate on the amount of time their spouses are hanging around each other and find themselves in a moment of infidelity.
As we wait to see what happens next with this foursome, we’re left conflicted wanting on one hand for Victor and Nikki to make it and on the other wanting the return of one of the most epic battles in soap history between Jack and Victor.
New episodes of The Young and the Restless air weekdays on CBS. Episodes become available to stream on Paramount Plus the next day.
