Genoa City has seen its fair share of revenge plots over the years on The Young & The Restless, but the current storyline involving Tucker McCall may take the cake for one of the most twisted yet. The wealthy corporate raider has certainly ruffled many feathers since returning to town, but it’s his torrid romantic history with Ashley Abbott that has come back to haunt him in deadly fashion.
Ashley has been struggling with dissociative identity disorder, with her alternate personality “Ms. Abbott” taking control at various points. This ruthless alter has made it her mission to “protect” Ashley by eliminating Tucker from her life once and for all – permanently. Having alienated Tucker from his girlfriend Audra already, Ms. Abbott has lured him into a trap, convincing the unsuspecting man to meet up under the pretense of being Ashley herself.
Tucker may be cockily confident, but he’s about to come face-to-face with the grim reaper wearing a very familiar smile when Ms. Abbott gets him alone at the jazz lounge with murder on her mind. The preview footage is chilling, showing Ashley/Ms. Abbott calmly preparing to take Tucker’s life as he remains oblivious to the danger he’s in.
For Tucker, his very survival hinges on a series of unlikely events. First, he has to realize that he’s not actually dealing with the real Ashley, but rather her dangerous alternate personality. Ms. Abbott is not going to make that easy, no doubt intending to poison or incapacitate him before revealing her true murderous intentions in typical soap opera fashion.
Once Tucker puts the pieces together and recognizes the deadly situation he’s in, his only hope will be to somehow get through to the authentic Ashley Abbott lurking underneath and break Ms. Abbott’s control. That’s easier said than done when the person who can save you is someone you’ve wronged repeatedly – his ex-wife Ashley.
Despite their complicated romantic history full of betrayals, the writers have made it clear that deep down, Ashley still loves Tucker just as he loves her. This lingering star-crossed connection may be Tucker’s saving grace and ther path to survival. If he can find a way to reach the real Ashley, to have her “stand up” against her alternate persona, it could rewrite their story from tragedy to one of romantic redemption.
However, that rooting for a redemptive “Tashley” reunion relies on Ms. Abbott not succeeding in her cold-blooded mission first. There’s always the chance that Tucker’s life will hang in the balance at Memorial Hospital while the murderous Ms. Abbott effortlessly slips away, perhaps even framing poor Audra in the process to cover her tracks.
Or in a truly soapy twist, Ms. Abbott’s reign of terror may not end there, with the unhinged alter potentially being arrested for attempted murder of Tucker if he survives. Such a scenario could finally be the wake-up call Ashley needs to confront her mental health struggles, albeit through tragic circumstances.
Only time will tell which direction the writers take this tangled web of delusion, revenge, and enduring love. Tucker McCall has certainly proven to be a despicable character at times through his corporate raiding ways, but does he deserve to actually die at the hands of his ex-wife’s fractured psyche? Redemption and romance or deadly consequences – that’s the drama currently unfolding in this surprising spring storyline.
For a man who has it all in the wealth and power department, the life of Tucker McCall may soon be decided by factors completely out of his control: the dueling identities within the mind of a woman he still loves despite everything. His survival relies on beating oddsdefying plot twists. Whether he makes it out alive or not, it’s shaping up to be must-see television as Ashley’s mental warfare potentially turns physical in the coming weeks.
