Last week’sThe Young and the Restlesssaw the new rival teams start to solidify in the wake of Cane Ashby’s emerging plan to take over the Newman and Abbott empires. After the show had stagnated for a while, the past few weeks have seen it rebound with more action. Unfortunately, that action has come in the form of death.
The Grim Reaper has come for two ofThe Young and the Restless' charactersin the past few weeks. First,Cole Howard died from Legionnaire’s Diseasejust before the show’s July 4th mini-break. Duringthis past week’sThe Young and the Restless(July 14-18), Damian Kane was murdered by an as-yet unidentified killer in Cane Ashby/Aristotle Dumas' French estate. It would seem his murder will set the stage for this week’s main event.
What’s Happening This Week On The Young & The Restless: July 21-28
The Investigation Into Damian’s Killer Takes Center Stage
As is common with soap operas, Damian’s murder last week wasn’t exactly straightforward. First, he was poisoned while drinking with Cane, making it seem as though Cane had been the one to poison Damian, perhaps to get rid of his romantic rival for Lily’s affections. But though he was poisoned, Damian was also then stabbed - quite literally - in the back by an unknown assailant, which definitely killed him.
Cane’s reaction was odd, to say the least, as he rushed to declare Damian dead. And while he claimed that he also felt woozy and off from something that had been in their drinks, he seemed just fine when Damian’s body was found. To complicate matters, the week before last, Cane told Chance that he was certain someone was trying to kill him - but was he telling the truth or was it all a setup to deflect suspicion from him when Damian was killed? This week, the murder mystery takes center stage.
What Big Storyline That We’re Following This Week
Who Killed Damian? And How Is Cane Involved?
The big question is still the same one from last week: Who killed Damian? And was Cane behind it? With a new suspect apparently in the cards for this week, the investigation will continue. Friday’s synopsis also hints that there is an “innocent victim,” so it’s entirely possible that the new suspect on Victor and Chance’s radar is, in fact, completely innocent – or even set up to take the fall.
There’s also the possibility that this person may be under suspicion, but they’re a different person than the suspect who will be revealed a day earlier. The motivation behind his murder is also a big mystery right now. It could be that Cane had him removed as competition for Lily’s heart, but that seems excessive, even for Cane. He’s a former con artist, and may still, but murder seems out of character.
How This Sets Up Next Week’s The Young & The Restless
Almost Everyone Is A Suspect Right Now
Just when it seemed the Cane Ashby storyline was dying down, Damian’s murder has certainly reignited it. Obviously, this won’t be wrapped up this week, judging from the episode synopses, so it appears that the killer will be on the loose for at least a few weeks longer. It will certainly make the group dynamic at the estate all the more interesting.
Carter, Cane Ashby’s bookish, competent assistant also seems poised to have a bigger role. He was introduced early in the French estate arc, but didn’t have much to do. Now, though, it’s fair to wonder if his screentime will expand as he becomes more integrated in Cane’s business. It’s been implied that he knows everything there is to know about Cane and his affairs, maybe even more than Amanda.
He also certainly appears to be loyal. Does that loyalty extend to murdering someone in his boss’s way, whether professionally or romantically? It remains to be seen. For now, it seems that, while other storylines are still ongoing, the events at the estate will continue take up the lion’s share of the focus onThe Young and the Restless.
