Last week on Y&R, Phillip stunned Nina with the news that he is gay. "It was one of those drop a bomb and then walk out of the room scenes," chuckles his portrayer, Thom Bierdz. "So Phillip just left after he told Nina he was gay and always has been gay."
But now Phillip isn't quite so ready to tell his mother and Katherine. "He is still afraid they will reject him," Bierdz sums up. "He believes this to his core and this is the reason he faked his death years ago. Sometimes gay people, like myself, feel the world would not understand their homosexuality and become very self-contained and detached."
On the day Katherine leaves the hospital, Phillip's family continues to bicker over what Phillip's reason was for faking his death. Through it all, Nina remains quiet -- that is, until Billy makes a rude comment about his brother. Nina immediately springs to defend Phillip without mentioning the real reason for his actions, but Jill immediately senses that her daughter-in-law knows more than she's letting on.
Later, Nina runs into Phillip at the Chancellor Estate and pressures him to tell the truth to Kay and Jill. "Nina is supportive and wants to make it happen," notes Bierdz. "Phillip is stronger than he was before, but still broken, longing to belong and regretful that he has hurt anyone."
When Kay returns home, Phillip finally reveals the truth to her and Jill about why he left Genoa City all those years ago. "His mother seems fine with his homosexuality, but she's still furious he didn't tell them 20 years ago," says Bierdz. "Kay is also fine with his homosexuality, but she is the unforgiving one as far as Phillip staging his death. These scenes are going to be really great to watch because Jeanne Cooper's real love for me, in her eyes, contradicts Kay's harsh words."
Loads of pain and anger over the last two decades are unleashed ("Both women obviously loved and missed Phillip"), with Jill and Kay blaming each other for driving Phillip to fake his death and leave town. When Phillip tells them that he would do the same thing all over again because neither of them really know him, Kay harshly blasts him by saying that he robbed them of the chance.
Just then, Cane arrives to bid farewell because he's leaving Genoa City, but before Kay and Jill can react....
"A 'Chance' Reunion"
Phillip's return from the grave has certainly rocked Genoa City to its core, but his presence as well as the drama leading up to his comeback has been intentionally kept from his son, Phillip IV, who's been serving in Iraq.
"One of the great things his mom did was not tell him what was going on with his dad so that he could keep his mind focused on his tour of duty instead of getting distracted," explains John Driscoll (ex-Coop, GL), who is now playing Phillip IV (now known as Chance, which is short for Chancellor). "So he doesn't know anything about his dad being alive."
Chance has alot of childhood memory of the Chancellor Mansion and makes it his first stop when his troop is pulled out of Iraq. "It's a huge relief to be back on familiar ground. He walks in wearing his fatigues and there are quite a few people in the room, but he zeroes right in on his mom. She's so excited to see him. She comes running to him and jumps in his arms."
It doesn't take long before everyone realizes that an awkward situation has presented itself since Chance doesn't know that his dad is alive. "Nina has a lot to tell him, but that's all put aside so she can just focus on her son because he's home safe," reasons Driscoll, who explains that his character won't be too thrilled with the actions of his father. "Chance has been in the service and putting other's needs before his own, so I don't think he is going to be looking favorably upon his father. He's really going to have to earn Chance's respect. It's not going to be given freely, so you can expect a very cold reaction. He doesn't really know his dad anyway. Chance doesn't even know what to call him now."
"Victor and Ashley Wed"
On the other side of Genoa City, Ashley continues to fear for the safety of her baby (that she already miscarried) as she nervously awaits her first sonogram. "Even though Ashley is still acting like she's pregnant, I think that really, subconsciously, she knows she's not," points out Eileen Davidson. "It's this weird turmoil where she's waiting for someone to tell her that she's not pregnant, but nobody is doing that."
Meanwhile, Dr. Taylor informs Adam that he rigged the sonogram machine to display images of a baby the same age that Ashley's fetus would be. The ruse works and Victor and Ashley are thrilled to see 'their' child on the sonogram. Still, Ashley can't help feeling uneasy. "Adam has been successful in keeping her off balance," reminds Davidson. "Even though everybody knows that someone is doing these strange things to Ashley, her behavior is still erratic. She's not really strong enough to get out of Adam's web. She's in too deep."
Angry at her loss of control, Ashley lashes out at Victor for the way he's handled everything over the last few months. "She basically feels alone," explains Davidson. "Victor is finding it hard to believe that Estella would do anything this bad. Ashley is still adamant that it's Estella because if she isn't guilty then it has to be Adam, and then Ashley loses everything. It's a very complicated story, which makes it really interesting. Finally, Ashley asks Victor to stay in the guestroom because she needs some alone time so she can collect herself."
The following day, Victor tries to ease Ashley's fears by popping the question -- again. This time, Ashley accepts the proposal. 'He sees how vulnerable she is, so he's hoping this will make her feel more secure. She wants what's best for the baby and she feels that marrying Victor would give her a sense of security and some stability. She just wants normalcy back in her life."
Victor wants to get married right away, so Ashley agrees to a quickie ceremony at the ranch. When Adam hears about his father's hasty plans, he devises one of his own involving Sabrina's purple dress. Meanwhile, Victoria stops by and is hurt when she learns that none of her father's family was invited to the wedding. "Ashley explains to Victoria that the only reason for that is because the wedding is so last-minute, plus there's everything that's going on with Summer. But Ashley tells Victoria that it would be wonderful if she stayed."
Meanwhile, Jack -- who just found out about the surprising nuptials -- arrives to change Ashley's mind. Unsurprisingly, Victor doesn't allow Jack in and an argument erupts between the two men. "Ashley tells Victor, 'Let him in so I can talk to him.' She and Jack actually have a good conversation. He gives in and stays for the wedding. These are the most messed-up siblings in the universe."
That night, Victor and Ashley say "I Do" in a very intimate ceremony, but it's not the quick fix Ashley was hoping for. "To her, this marriage is not a sure thing. She's not 100 percent behind this marriage. She just wants to feel good."
While everyone congratulates the happy couple, Mary Jane approaches the window wearing Sabrina's dress. "Ashley sees Mary Jane and thinks she's Sabrina," says Davidson. "She faints in Victor's arms."
After waking up, Ashley claims she saw Sabrina's ghost, and at this point, Victor really begins to doubt his new wife's sanity.