Six years after Cane Ashby was unceremoniously written off The Young and the Restless, the character’s been reintroduced via an elaborate story twist and a new name, the fictitious Aristotle Dumas. Originally portrayed by Daniel Godard from 2007 to 2019, Days of our Lives star Billy Flynn, who’s still airing as Chad DiMera on the Peacock soap, has taken over the role. Considering Cane’s complicated past and family ties, former supercouple status with Lily, and the fact that he’s now a billionaire mogul, it’s going to be a major undertaking.
Chemistry Test
The buildup to Flynn’s introduction couldn’t have been bigger. Aristotle was the talk of the town for months, everyone speculating about the mysterious entrepreneur. Upon finally surfacing in France, where he invited half of Genoa City to meet him via an elaborate party, his identity was finally revealed in a powerful scene opposite Christel Khalil’s Lily.
While Khalil drove the scene as Lily, outraged by her ex-husband’s deception, Flynn held his own as the duplicitous Cane, justifying his methods for luring her there, while conveying his character’s deep, lingering love for his former wife and, later, his desire to win her back. Considering there was no actual history between the two actors, it was quite the feat, and Flynn accomplished it.
Power Player
As important as Flynn’s connection with Khalil is, there’s another crucial one he’s going to have to master. Now that Cane’s a power player hell-bent on taking control of Chancellor-Winters, Flynn will constantly be going head-to-head with Eric Braeden, who plays the omnipotent Victor Newman.
Braeden’s a formidable presence in both stature and demeanor, so Flynn’s going to have to dig deep to make sure Cane comes across as a worthy adversary. He’s going to have to ditch the boyish charm that worked so well for Chad in order to be taken seriously as a wheeling and dealing billionaire.
So far, Flynn’s taken a cool, calm approach to Cane, and it’s working, but at some point, he’s going to have to step up his power game to compete with Braeden’s Victor.
Friends and Foes
Flynn’s fit into the rest of the Genoa City fold fairly effortlessly. His initial scenes with Mishael Morgan’s Amanda, who plays Cane’s attorney and confidante, had a natural flow. The pair instantly vibed as bonded schemers on a secretive and major mission with so much more to unveil.
Meanwhile, the tension in the air was palpable in Flynn’s early interactions with Bryton James’ Devon, who doesn’t trust his former brother-in-law. And Flynn’s scenes with Jermaine Rivers’ Damian, Cane’s former right-hand man who defected to spy on him for the Winters family, had an instant intensity to them.
Things only escalated when Lily planted an impromptu kiss on Damian to get a rise out of Cane. While Flynn casually played the moment off, yet you could sense his botherment and underlying jealousy. It set the stage for an adversarial relationship between the two businessmen, who are being set up as rivals for Lily’s affections.
The Verdict
Flynn has a long road ahead as he attempts to make Cane his own, master the many intricacies of the man he’s become, and fit into his new role as a daytime power player. But considering his lengthy daytime experience and acting acumen, he’s well on his way to getting the job done and getting it done well.
