Y&R: Goodbye Ashley

On today's show (October 29, 2018 US airing), Ashley Abbott (Eileen Davidson) departed from Genoa City, as the actress ended her latest run at "The Young and the Restless". Below I discuss this situation.

It was announced months ago that Eileen was going to be leaving Y&R, and wasn't going to be appearing as an actress on any program. The news was a bit of a surprise, but she's allowed to enjoy her life away from the camera. For this reason, Y&R had to come up with a way to write out Ashley. Thankfully, it didn't involve the character dying, a coma, mental illness, or prison.

The character's departure was based on issues, she was having with her family. Ashley lied about Jack's paternity, and made him believe he wasn't John Abbott's son. She was that upset about the so-called "Blood Abbott" clause, which she felt was a punishment against her that she went after Jack. Honestly the only part of Ashley's behavior I didn't like was using Dina's Alzheimer's against her, and fabricated a fake love affair between Dina and Jack's so-called father. There was a lot of hemming and hawing about Jack's situation, including the fear he was Lauren and Jill's half-brother, or Victor's, both which would have been bad. The first as he's been involved with Fenmore women, and the second as Victor is Victor.

Ashley left with her head held high, as she had all the patents she created for Jabot and was starting a new company called "My Beauty", she was moving to Paris. The family wouldn't reinstate her to CEO, and she wouldn't settle for less. The patents going to Ashley in perpetuity was a request Dina had asked John to do, to show that she was a good mother to Ashley. This was to have taken place during one of her earlier visits to Genoa City. Dina had Kyle take her to the office, and find the documents, which Kyle told Jack about, and they shredded them. The one weakness in this was the shredder at the company as it isn't secure, as like Traci showed you can reassemble documents easily. There were recreated flashbacks with kids playing the Abbott siblings, and younger actors playing John and Dina. The night Dina left, Jack was 15, Ashley was 12, and Traci about 8. They had gone to see "Bedknobs and Broomsticks", which if I was one of those kids I'd never want to see again. Afterwards, John told Jack that he had to be a man, and not show emotion, and be another parent to his sisters. Ashley had always been John's favorite, while Jack was Dina's, and Traci just wanted to please everyone. This situation from their youth influenced everything that happened as adults. At least before Ashley left, she and Jack made a bit of peace.

So that's the write-off for Ashley for now. I hope one day things change, and Eileen Davidson decides to return to soaps either as Kristen on Days or Ashley on Y&R.