It’s been a while since we’ve seen The Young and the Restless’ Victor (Eric Braeden) pursue the destruction of a couple with such vigor. Sure, over the last couple of years, he didn’t want Nick (Joshua Morrow) with Sally (Courtney Hope), Adam (Mark Grossman) with Sally or Victoria (Amelia Heinle) with Cole (J. Eddie Peck), although he changed his mind on the latter coupling. However, his determination to break up Kyle (Michael Mealor) and Claire (Hayley Erin) reminds us of when Victor went as far as to have Victoria arrested to keep her away from Billy (Jason Thompson).
The Newman patriarch is going into overdrive to keep his granddaughter from Jack’s (Peter Bergman) son, especially now that Claire has informed him that she and Kyle are planning to move in with one another, eyeing Adam’s old apartment as their new home.
We can only assume Victor’s fury over the happy couple’s news is actually bad news in some part for Audra (Zuleyka Silver) in some capacity. He gave her entire company to run in exchange for her ruining the #Kylaire relationship, and so far, she’s produced no results. Victor’s patience with Audra is bound to be running out with the couple showing no signs of slowing down, so Audra may soon find herself without a company… again.
So let’s say Victor’s impatience reaches a fever pitch, and he decides to take another approach to his breakup mission. We can easily imagine him taking on some other ally to accomplish his desired goal. Someone who has an ax to grind against Kyle and would love to see him squirm, perhaps even more than Audra. Enter Tara Locke (Elizabeth Leiner).
Now, viewers will recall Tara is Harrison’s (Redding Munsell) biological mother, who was thrown into prison for committing fraud thanks to Phyllis (Michelle Stafford). Tara misrepresented her company and then attempted to steal funds from Lauren (Tracey E. Bregman), but Phyllis, with Nick’s help, discovered the truth and had Tara arrested. Although Kyle didn’t actively have Tara sent to lockup, we suspect she still carries some resentment for him being able to raise their son, and Kyle’s former mother-in-law being the reason she’s separated from the little boy.
It wouldn’t surprise us at all if Victor reached out to Tara and promised to get her out of prison if she agrees to cause a major headache for Kyle. Tara’s mere presence could send Kyle spiraling, which could cause tension for his relationship with Claire. Heck, if Tara gets an attorney to request that her parental rights be restored, that could prompt Kyle to lose it.
A custody battle of any kind could also push him and Summer closer, given Summer adopted Harrison. Kyle and Summer would need to present a united front for a judge, and where would this leave Claire? She has no parental rights, and Kyle’s attorney could inform him that Claire may be a liability given her past with Jordan (Colleen Zenk).
For now, this is all largely a theory we have. For all we know, Audra will actually come through for Victor, so there will be no need for him to get Tara out of prison. Although we have to admit, Tara back in Genoa City would certainly shake things up. Phyllis might also find herself on the end of a Tara revenge plot.
New episodes of The Young and the Restless air weekdays on CBS. Episodes become available to stream on Paramount Plus the next day.