CBS
Death Becomes Her: Heather’s (Vail Bloom, l.) sad fate is now inextricably linked to Sharon’s (Sharon Case) uncertain future.
The Thursday, September 26 episode of Young and Restless left viewers’ jaws on the floor as the dramatic confrontation between Heather and Sharon came to a shocking, albeit slightly ambiguous, conclusion — and viewer intrigue has only intensified as the events of the past week have unfolded. Not only was it unclear how Heather became a bloody mess since no blood was present before Sharon “blacked out” and came to — finding the other woman dead — but if Sharon did commit such a horrifying crime as murder, how will the show ensure that the long-running heroine played by Sharon Case remains a viable player in the Genoa City landscape?
Drama-rama
One theory running through fan discourse online is that because we did not see how the actual death took place, Y&R has deliberately and strategically given itself the ability to ultimately absolve Sharon of the crime by revealing that someone else was responsible.
A fake-out would be on brand for the soap (how many promos over the past couple of years had something exciting happen that, once the episode aired, it turned out to be a character’s fantasy?), and things have not always been what they appeared to be when it comes to death in Sharon’s storylines before (remember when she thought she killed Cameron in 2003? remember when she helped bury J.T.’s “corpse”in 2018 and he was actually alive?). Some sort of soapy twist wherein Sharon isn’t the guilty party would surely allow the show to have its cake and it, too, by giving us juicy, over-the-top melodrama honoring Sharon Case’s 30th anniversary on the show without writing one of their most important heroines into a corner.
Then again, is Sharon even really in a corner right now? Assuming Sharon is the responsible party as she appears to be, there would be plenty of character witnesses available to say that Sharon wasn’t in her right mind. After all, she was obviously off her bipolar medication and wracked by the grief and guilt she felt about daughter Cassie’s passing. Even longtime rival Phyllis, who will be livid when the truth all comes out, would acknowledge that she herself quickly realized that something was wrong with Sharon.
If Sharon stood trial for the killing of Heather and got off and swore she’d never stop taking her medication again, facing people in town with everyone knowing what she did would still certainly be a turning point for the character who has enjoyed being the de facto moral center of Genoa City for years. Could her loved ones — ex-husband Nick, daughters Faith and Mariah, son Noah, etc. — ever look at her the same way? This could fuel story for years.
There is also the Daniel and Lucy angle. Phyllis coming to find out that Sharon, of all people, killed the woman her son loved and who was an essential mother figure for her granddaughter is likely to send the tension between Nick’s two ex-wives into the stratosphere — even if Sharon’s name is ultimately cleared. Meanwhile, Lucy was already lashing out at the world and wrestling with the loss of Heather will be a defining moment in her development. Will she try to make Sharon pay? Not that we believe that DNA is destiny, but Lucy is the biological granddaughter of two of Y&R’s most legendary bad girls, Phyllis and Sheila Carter. If anything could speed her transition from rebellious teen to actual menace — and potential threat to Sharon — it’s a storyline with stakes as high as the ones Y&R has mounted here.
And with Vail Bloom hinting to TV Insider that Heather may well be making more appearances (“I don’t think it’s the last time you’ll see Heather” is how she put it), chances are high that a ghost or hallucinated version of Heather is poised to enter the storyline as it unfolds, potentially haunting Sharon and maybe Lucy, too.
Take It All Back
Even if it turns out that Sharon isn’t guilty of killing Heather, the drama Y&R is able to milk from this meaty plot will be worth it. We’ve gotten to see some incredible performances and it’s only at the beginning of the story. We fully expect the fallout to be must-see TV as the ripple effects from that one night continue to be felt for weeks and even months to come. And isn’t that what soap opera viewers want from their daily drama? Way to go, Y&R!
