'Dancing With The Stars' Season 14 Dream Casting
What To Watch On TV This Week
The Young and the Restless serves up a winner
by Allison Waldman, posted Jan 1st 2010 5:00PM
On soaps, every now and then the powers that be -- usually the head writer who's overdosed on Red Bull and jelly beans months before -- comes up with the idea of doing a special episode. They'll focus on a single character and think outside the box. Sometimes they hit the jackpot; sometimes they create a clunker. The Young and the Restless offered a very special New Year's Eve episode yesterday and it was a home run. Headwriter Maria Arena Bell and her talented team, including Hogan Sheffer, decided to put the character of Billy Abbott under the microscope and, as it turned out, Y&R pulled off a great episode.
It wouldn't have worked nearly as well if not for the riveting performance of actor Billy Miller. He rose to the occasion and this could be an award-winner if it's submitted for the next round of Daytime Emmys. If you haven't seen it yet or it's in your DVR waiting to be viewed, be warned that there are SPOILERS ahead.
In 2008, The Young and the Restless wisely brought back the character of Billy Abbott. It wasn't just that the youngest son of the Abbott family was integral and necessary to the show's dynamic. It was that they recast the role with a very good actor, Billy Miller. He had torn up the screen as Richie Novak on All My Children and in no time at all, he was making waves on Y&R.
Kudos to the writers for the concept and recognizing that Miller could make a special show fly. Basically, on New Year's Eve, Billy had an It's A Wonderful Life experience. The spirit of his father, the late John Abbott, appeared as Father Time -- without the white robes, thankfully -- to guide Billy through the New Year's Eves to come. Here's a scene from early in the show:
With Dad -- the wonderful Jerry Douglas -- showing him how things will be, Billy saw that if he doesn't clean up his womanizing, carousing, wayward ways, he's going to not only miss out on enjoying the best times in his daughter Delia's life, but he's going to be dead before he's 30 years old. The image of Billy draped over a steering wheel after driving his car into a steetlamp was graphic, but it hit home.
So, too, did the ending. It was a surprise that of all characters to reach out a hand to help Billy, it was Victoria. She has little reason to want to forgive Billy, but she showed real humanity. In another pointed moment, the snow globe remained shattered, a telling reminder that disasters can not be undone... like fatal car crashes. Great episode... great way to wrap up 2009.
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