Many longtime viewers of The Young and the Restless were pleasantly surprised when Cole (J . Eddie Peck) returned to the soap’s canvas. He previously left the show in the 90s after splitting with Ashley (Eileen Davidson) and the presumed death of his daughter Eve with Victoria (Amelia Heinle).
But then Cole was brought back into the fold decades later when his Aunt Jordan (Colleen Zenk) had him and the Newmans kidnapped as a part of a revenge plot against Victor (Eric Braeden) and Nikki (Melody Thomas Scott). To his surprise, and viewers at home, the person who lured them to their death was none other than Claire (Hayley Erin) the very daughter he and Victoria have been mourning for decades.
Fast forward to Claire getting inpatient care at a facility for all the mental anguish she’s suffered at the hands of Jordan, and Cole has vowed to be in town to support his daughter for however long it takes. On a few separate occasions, he’s mentioned being on a sabbatical from teaching at Oxford University as he’s in the midst of writing a book. A book he claims can be written from anywhere.
Cole repeated this same sentiment to Victor in The Young and the Restless episode airing on January 19. Arriving at the Newman ranch after being summoned by Victor, Cole exchanges pleasantries before inquiring why the Newman patriarch wanted to meet. Victor replies that he wants to know Cole’s intentions with Claire and his plans for staying in Genoa City. That’s when Cole mentions his leave of absence from Oxford and his book plans.
The vagueness surrounding Cole’s open-ended stay leaves Victor a bit unsettled and worried. As The Mustache later recaps with Nikki, he’s worried about Cole staying in town and rekindling a romance with Victoria. Victor even points out that he has a right to be concerned about his daughter’s love life given her string of recent failed relationships.
This got us thinking. Is Victor right to worry about his daughter getting involved with Cole? Is Cole not really the picture of perfection he’s been portraying since returning?
To Victor’s point, Cole has been rather vague about his book. The author has yet to give many details about the subject area and the deadlines he has to meet, and we haven’t even seen him take a moment to write anything. Additionally, he’s rather nonchalant about being on sabbatical from Oxford. Acting as if he could be in Genoa City for an infinite amount of time, pretending not to worry when Oxford would expect his return.
With all that being said, is it possible that Cole is hiding something? Is Mr. Perfect a perfect liar?
We can imagine a scenario in which it’s later revealed that Cole was fired from Oxford and doesn’t have a new book in the works. It’s possible that when Claire lured him to Oregon months ago under the pretense that Victoria needed him, he didn’t have a lot going on and hopped on a plan to help. While he may not have known about Claire being his daughter, upon discovering that news, he’s opting to stay in Genoa City.
Furthermore, what if he’s staying around in Genoa City to get to know Claire but also reconnect with Victoria for some financial gain? It wouldn’t be that hard for him to get Victoria to fall in love with him given their romantic history, and Victoria hails from arguably the richest family in Genoa City. The ideal situation for someone desperate to connect with his adult daughter and looking for a quick fix to financial woes.
Should our theory prove correct, although we hope it doesn’t as we want Victoria to be in a good relationship as it’s been a while for her, Cole better be on guard. Victor almost certainly is about to do some digging around in his past.
New episodes of The Young and the Restless air weekdays on CBS. Episodes become available to stream on Paramount Plus the next day.
