THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS: Nick Reflects on His Love Story with Sharon, Being Victor and Nikki’s Son, in Joshua Morrow’s 30-Year Milestone Episode
On Friday’s June 21st episode of The Young and the Restless, the top-rated soap delivered Joshua Morrow’s 30th anniversary episode as Nick Newman.
The show utilized plenty of clips from the past (as had been promoted) as a look back from the teenage Nick who grew into the man he is today. At the epicenter of the storytelling vehicle, the show decided to tell most of it through the ups and downs of Nick’s love story with Sharon (Sharon Case).
In the present, the two are together getting ready to welcome home their daughter, Faith (Reylynn Caster), who has been abroad. When she returns, she breaks down in tears. She informs her parents that Moses broke-up with her. Faith says she plans on never falling in love again and is impressed that her parents still get along after splitting up “a zillion times.”
Photo: JPI
Nick chimes in it wasn’t all bad, there were some good times too. Cue the clips and we go to a young Sharon and Nick about to go skinny-dipping on a tropical island. All of sudden, Mariah (Camryn Grimes) and Tessa (Cait Fairbanks) arrive and then sit down and join the trip down memory lane, wanting to hear all about Sharon and Nick’s past.
From there, we get moments from the Matt Clark (Eddie Cibrian) story and murder, Sharon sleeping with Diego, and Nick sleeping with Grace and then Sharon asking for a divorce, how Cassie came into their lives, and how Nick accepted her as his own daughter.
Photo: JPI
In two pivotal moments, Nick reflects back at Cassie’s death and how Victoria (Amelia Heinle) came to try to comfort him, but he could not cope with the loss and turned to Phyllis (Michelle Stafford). Later, there is the confrontation scene where Sharon tells Nick she knows he has been having an affair with her arch enemy.
Eventually, Sharon tells Faith, Tessa and Mariah, how before Cassie died, she had the premonition that she and Nick would have another little girl, and that turned out to be Faith. Sharon and Nick recall their ‘almost wedding, where she slapped him at the altar. Even through all of this, they explain to the young woman that they still share a lot of love between them.
Photo: JPI
At the end of the episode, Nick comes by to see his parents, Victor and Nikki. At first, he comes upon a photo of his sister, Victoria. Nick remembers seeing her again and welcoming her back to Genoa City (and when Amelia Heinle took over the role), and when Nick and Victoria shared a classic sibling moment before her wedding to Billy.
Next, Nick’s parents, Nikki (Melody Thomas Scott) and Victor (Eric Braeden) walk-in. They sit down and Nick says there is something he needs to say to them. It is then where it felt to us, that Joshua was speaking to Melody and Eric, just as Nick wouspeak to Nikki and Victor.
Courtesy/CBS
With tears in his eyes, Nick says that he wants them both to know how much he loves them and how indebted he is for the life they’ve given him. Nikki asks where is all this coming from? Nick reveals that he and Sharon told Faith the good and bad of their relationship and it reminded him of some of the mistakes he’s made.
Reflective, Nick says he hopes he has become wiser in the process. In the touching final moments, Nick tells his parents that he couldn’t have asked for better role models. Victor says they couldn’t have asked for a better son as Nikki holds Nick’s hand tightly. The camera pans up to a few photos of Nick through the years that are with his parents.
