The Young and the Restless is one of the most ppopular and iconic daytime soaps on American television, and has seen many prominent stars over the years. Known for its epic story arcs, liberal use of popular soap opera tropes, and complicated characters, Y&R has become one of the most renowned and critically acclaimed soaps on television.
However, in recent weeks, the soap has been consumed with Cane Ashby’s return to the show, and Y&R’s twist reveal that Cane is actually Aristotle Dumas. This has been a prominent plot point over the past few weeks, but it has also happened at the expense of other storylines and character arcs.
There have been important and seminal moments in the show that I feel have not been given adequate screentime, and The Young and the Restless frustratingly seems to have wasted its best recent storyline. A key emotional event that occurred has been glossed over in favor of providing more screentime to Cane Ashby – Cole Howard’s agonizing death.
Cole Howard’s Slow Death From Legionnaire’s Disease Was Barely Given Any Time
It’s One Of The Soap’s Most Tragic Events In Recent Memory
J. Eddie Peck as Cole Howard in The Young and the Restless
Cole Howard has been one of the best The Young and the Restless characters, and the ranch hand-turned-writer has been played by J. Eddie Peck since 1992. Peck played the character in his initial run from 1992-1999, before Cole divorced wife Victoria Newman, and eventually left for England to take a job as a professor.
N.P. Schoch was the first actor to play Cole Howard. He portrayed him from 1980-81 before the character reappeared with Peck’s portrayal in 1992.
The character returned to the show in 2023 and attempted to reconcile with Victoria. The pair then discovered their “late” daughter was actually alive, and was, in fact, Claire Grace, and the family reconnected. When things seemed to be going well for Cole, the writers hit the audience with the body blow that he was suffering from Legionnaire’s Disease.
In the July 3 episode of Y&R, Cole sadly passes away from the disease, but it felt anticlimactic, and a waste for a legacy character. Barely any screentime was devoted to Cole’s battle with the illness, and the emotional devastation that his unexpected death caused threatened to damage the still-tentative foundations of the relatively newly reconciled Victoria and Claire.
Young & The Restless Has Spent Too Much Time On The Cane Ashby Storyline
It’s Time To Call It A Day With The Cane Story & Bring Things Back to Genoa City
While it’s true that the Cane Ashby storyline was compelling to begin with, it has grown stale, and the show needs to draw it to a satisfactory conclusion. After being gone for six years, Cane Ashby returned, but revealed he’d been hiding behind the identity of mysterious tycoon, Aristotle Dumas, in a plot reveal that was dragged out longer than it actually needed to be.
Cane returned to the show for the first time since 2019, with a new actor, Billy Flynn in the role.
Then there was the Young and the Restless promo trailer reveal that confirmed someone was trying to kill Cane at his French residence, which he’d suspected. The France-based Cane storyline has largely come to a conclusion, which it needed to, but it detracted from Cole’s death. The show did not at all spend enough time with the latter in his final, heartbreaking moments.
Y&R’s Unbalanced Focus Robs Cole’s Death Of The Impact It Might Have Had
The Storyline Deserved A Decent Arc Dedicated To It
Claire and Victoria sit at the hospital bedside of a dying Cole in The Young and the Restless
It feels as though the show didn’t really know how to integrate the Cole storyline with the Cane Ashby one and still have time for the latter story, so it just decided to sideline Cole’s death arc in favor of staying in France. This was frustrating for me, as I feel that Cane had enjoyed more than enough plot and screen time by that point, and the show could have focused elsewhere for a while.
Even one or two episodes focused solely (or predominantly) on Cole would have made for a far more satisfying conclusion. Aside from Victoria and Claire, none of the other characters are around when Cole dies, as they’re all in France. His history with characters like Victor and Nikki could and should have been explored more in his final days.
Most of the other characters are not yet even aware that Cole has passed. As a major plot point and a devastating development, it’s definitely something more of them should be aware of. The show’s lack of focus throughout his storyline ultimately robbed it of the impact it should have had. It feels especially disrespectful for a character who had been off and on the show since the ’80s, even before Peck.
Cole’s Death Will Undoubtedly Be Buried By The Cane Ashby Vs. Newman Vs. Abbott Storyline When They Return To Genoa City
Considering His Death Was A Footnote, It’s Unlikely The Show Will Dedicate Much Time To The Aftermath
Eric Braeden as Victor Newman and Billy Flynn as Cane Ashby in The Young and the Restless
The most frustrating thing about all of this is that when Cane and the rest of the characters return from France, the show won’t stop being caught up in their machinations. Cole’s death and the aftermath of it are unlikely to get much screen time over Cane’s blossoming feud with Victor Newman and the Abbotts, not to mention his pining away for his ex, Lily.
Victor figured out Cane was Aristotle before anyone else, and this presents a feud between the duo that will doubtless take up plenty of the plot, especially with Cane making a play for Chancellor Industries. However, I am hoping that Cole’s death will be felt and matter in The Young and the Restless and won’t simply be swept aside in favor of Cane vs. Victor.
