The Young and the Restless spoilers: Ian picks his new target

Ray Wise smiling as Ian Ward in The Young and the Restless
Ray Wise, The Young and the Restless (Image credit: CBS)

It didn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that The Young and the Restless’ Ian (Ray Wise) would soon have someone new in his villainous sights, and in the episode airing on December 26, he shares with Jordan (Colleen Zenk) who that unlucky person is. While he’s still fixated on Sharon (Sharon Case) and recently crossed paths with Tessa (Cait Fairbanks), it looks like the unlucky woman he’s targeting next is Phyllis (Michelle Stafford).

Leading up to the big reveal, Phyllis sits down with Billy (Jason Thompson) to vent about her frustrations with Sharon. Ms. Summers is livid that her nemesis is now claiming she didn’t murder Heather (Vail Bloom) and that someone else is responsible. Furthermore, Phyllis can’t stand the fact that Michael (Christian LeBlanc), Lauren (Tracey E. Bregman), Nick (Joshua Morrow) and a growing number of people in town seem to be buying Sharon’s claims that she’s innocent (Sharon takes responsibility for framing Daniel [Michael Graziadei]).

As Phyllis continues sharing with Billy, he tries to tell her not to give in to her worst impulses and to let Sharon’s case play out without interfering. He even tries to persuade her to redirect her energy to helping him with his payback scheme against Victor (Eric Braeden). Although Billy’s idea is enticing, Phyllis is fixated on making sure Sharon doesn’t skirt justice.

Colleen Zenk and Ray Wise as Jordan and Ian hugging in The Young and the Restless

Colleen Zenk and Ray Wise, The Young and the Restless (Image credit: Sonja Flemming/CBS)

Unfortunately for Phyllis, as she has this conversation with Billy, Ian is lurking nearby and overhears everything. He later gleefully recaps what he heard with Jordan. Initially, Jordan could care less and is a bit annoyed, as her revenge plans have largely been stalled. But Ian again uses his manipulative tactics to get Jordan back on board with their pact, and he convinces her that they should go after Phyllis next.

Now we aren’t entirely surprised by Ian’s tactical move. We suspected that Phyllis’ obsession with proving Sharon’s guilt would only lead to trouble. So with a new target on her back, Phyllis may be in need of a hero. We think that the hero may ironically be Sharon.

The two women hate each other, but no one is more concerned that danger is now lurking around Genoa City than Sharon. She’s convinced that Daniel’s family is still in trouble, so she is on high alert. Plus, Sharon is starting to recall what happened during her blackouts thanks to her hypnosis sessions with Alan (Christopher Cousins).

Sharon Case as Sharon outside of Crimson Lights in The Young and the Restless

Sharon Case, The Young and the Restless (Image credit: CBS)

With all that being said, we can imagine a scenario in which Sharon starts to remember more details about her blackout moments and that leads her to recall a vital clue about Jordan in Heather’s apartment or something else useful. Perhaps this recollection happens at a pivotal time when Phyllis is in a life-or-death situation and her family needs to track her down, and Sharon’s information leads to her rescue.

Whether this scenario plays out or not, we have to think that Phyllis and Sharon will come to rely on each other sooner or later, whether they want to or not. Phyllis is determined to prove Sharon’s guilt and Sharon is determined to find the truth, so they are likely headed on a collision course. They’ll either destroy each other or wind up having to work together in some capacity, especially with Ian and Jordan on the loose. Considering this is the soap world, we can see them helping each other, or as we stated previously, Sharon rescuing Phyllis in some capacity.

New episodes of The Young and the Restless air on weekdays on CBS. If you miss an episode, you can catch up on Paramount Plus..

Terrell Smith

Terrell Smith has a diverse writing background having penned material for a wide array of clients including the federal government and Bravo television personalities.  When he’s not writing as Terrell, he’s writing under his pseudonym Tavion Scott, creating scripts for his audio drama podcasts. Terrell is a huge fan of great storytelling when it comes to television and film. Some of his favorite shows include The CrownWandaVision, Abbot Elementary and Godfather of HarlemAnd a fun fact is he's completely dialed into the TLC 90 Day Fiancé universe. 

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