The Young and the Restless Recap May 18: Nick Asks Christine to Drop Charges, Patty Warns Matt He’s Being Used

TL;DR: In today’s Young and the Restless recap, Nick tries to trade Phyllis’ freedom for Matt Clark’s location, leading Christine to accuse him of being extorted. Patty warns Matt that Phyllis is setting him up, and Adam urges Victor to intervene.

The Young and the Restless Recap May 18

At Society, Chelsea and Adam talked about Phyllis’ deal and how Nick insisted on being the one to negotiate. Adam knew that given Nick’s obsession with getting Matt, he could make the wrong deal.

Chelsea asked Adam if a man raped her decades prior, terrorized their family, and tried to blow them up, if Adam would want him dead. Adam could see her point, but said he wouldn’t risk the family for what he wanted. 

Adam reminded her that every moment that Nick spent chasing Matt meant he wasn’t getting help with his addiction. “Nick is still using, I’m sure of it. And I don’t know when it’s going to stop,” he added.

As they stepped outside, Adam added that Phyllis was exploiting Matt to get what she wants, and Nick was using the situation to avoid treatment. He worried that going the way it was, everything would spiral out of control in the worst way possible.

Nick Makes A Deal

At GCAC, Nick immediately told Phyllis that she could forget everything Victor said and just trade Matt for her freedom with him. Phyllis was happy to accept but insisted he do his end before she’d bring him to Matt.

Phyllis promised that she had Matt somewhere safe nearby. Nick called Christine and asked to see her as soon as possible, and told Phyllis he’d be taking Matt off her hands real soon and warned her not to be playing games. “I want my freedom; I want my company. And then you will get Matt Clark,” Phyllis snapped.

Sharon Tries To Change Phyllis

Phyllis went to Crimson Lights to look for Matt, where Sharon blasted her for buying coffee for Matt. She said Nick told her about the deal she offered, and Esther said she thought it was strange she’d buy two lattes since she didn’t have friends.

Phyllis tried to walk away, but Sharon told her she couldn’t have Matt out there and could help them. “And you could put an end to it all. Please, Phyllis, do the right thing,” she pleaded. Sharon told her how Matt was Mitch for 20 years, and he enjoyed inflicting pain. “You could be next,” Sharon warned.

Phyllis told Sharon that her back was against the wall with Victor and insisted that Matt didn’t know who he was. Sharon told her that she was being played, but suspected Phyllis knew that because she needed a trophy instead. 

Phyllis told Sharon that Summers Conglomerate wasn’t a trophy; it was her legacy. “How sad and small for you. If you would hang your legacy on the devil,  you’re not the person I thought you were,” Sharon scorned.

Sharon thought the difference was that Matt attacked unprovoked, while Phyllis brought on Victor’s wrath. Phyllis said that she wanted to hand over Matt but needed her freedom, too, and she wasn’t backing down.

Patty and Matt Get Friendlier

At Chancellor Park Cafe, Matt met with Patty and told her he was freaking out about minimal glimpses of memories returning and he needed a friend. Patty wanted to be clear after her run-in with Phyllis, admitting that most of what she’d said was true.

Patty said she’d been committed, damaged people, got treatment, and had been released. She said that people in Genoa City look at her with fear and disgust, and they won’t see her in any other way. “Part of me wants to run away and another part who is kinder,” she said.

Patty told Matt that she shouldn’t live in shame anymore than they should live in fear. “So the best thing that I can do to heal all of us is to just stick it out. Be brave. Because I’m just like them, no better, no worse. Just human,” she said.

Matt asked Patty to swear that they had never met because something about everything she just said made her feel like they had a kinship. He told her about a memory he had of fighting with Nick; he didn’t know who he was but wanted to figure it out so he could apologize and fix it.

Matt Wanted to Remember and Make Amends

Matt said he wanted to make people hate him less, but part of him wondered if he was the worst person in the world and there was no way for him to make amends. “Maybe the things I’ve done are more horrible than I can even imagine,” he suggested.
Matt wondered about his wedding ring, and if he had a wife who loved him, or if everyone hated him. He said that living like this wasn’t living at all. Matt got worked up about his situation, but Patty pointed out that Phyllis used to be Noah’s stepmother and failed to disclose that to him.

“Whatever the Newmans have against you, she knows exactly what it is,” Patty revealed. She added that Matt was open and kind, and Phyllis was withholding the information he needed, which means she wasn’t his friend. She said that Phyllis must be setting him up.

Matt couldn’t believe that about Phyllis, and thought he would sense it. The Phyllis he saw was someone carefree and honest, and didn’t see how she was setting him up. “Of all the things I wondered about myself, I never considered I might be a sucker,” he said. Patty promised to take care of it for him.

Adam Tells Victor His Concerns

Adam went to see his dad at the main house and told him he had a bad feeling about Nick negotiating the deal with Phyllis. Given his obsession with Matt, he warned they might never get the company back.

Adam told Victor that Nick has gotten too close to getting Nick out of his life for good that he’s lost focus. Victor said that Nick needed to be in treatment. He picked up his phone and said he was calling Phyllis to negotiate before Nick gave her an easy out.

Nick Asks Christine To Drop Charges

Cricket met Nick at the GCAC bar and told her he needed Phyllis’ charges dropped. Christine told him he’d need quite the reason for her to forget all the evidence she had for a prosecution. Nick told her she could bring down Matt Clark instead.

Christine understood what a monster Matt was but didn’t understand why he didn’t want to bring down both Matt and Phyllis. She argued with him about why she thought Phyllis needed to be held accountable for once, but Nick wouldn’t back down.

Nick told Christine that she says she takes her job seriously and that going after Phyllis wasn’t personal. He suggested they stop talking about her and start talking about Matt. “Okay, where is Matt?” Christine asked. 

By Nick’s reaction, Christine deduced that he didn’t know and that Phyllis was holding Matt as leverage. “You’re letting her extort you? What the hell is wrong with you, Nick?” Christine snapped.

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