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On the Anniversary of Her Shocking Young & Restless Return, Celebrate Mishael Morgan’s Triumphant Comeback With a Photo Album Full of Memories
Credit: John Paschal/JPI, Howard Wise/JPI (3), Sean Smith/JPI
On September 19, 2019, the actress headed home to her old soap in a new role.
The Young and the Restless’ viewers asked for it — and got it. Three years ago today, after being killed off as Hilary Curtis, Mishael Morgan was returned to the canvas as Amanda Sinclair, a lawyer who resembled the supervixen in every way but those bangs. Or so it seemed.
Beneath the surface, Amanda has proven to be as different from Hilary as, say, Adam is from Nick. “In terms of the general description of the characters, they’re very similar, which I was happy about just because I like playing strong women on TV,” Morgan told Michael Fairman TV a few weeks after her new role was revealed. But “Hilary had this very malicious, unscrupulous side to her… I don’t know if Amanda has that.”
Over time, we’ve learned that nope, the attorney is more of a straight shooter, someone who’s less likely to hatch a plot than to foil one. Nevertheless, Amanda would have liked to have known Hilary, the lookalike she had no clue existed before she met the late GC Buzz host’s widower, Devon Hamilton. “Being the person who played Hilary and plays Amanda, I feel Amanda’s loss even though I’m the one who played Hilary,” Morgan told TV Insider in 2020. “There’s a feeling of loss and that Amanda can’t get any closure. Hilary’s gone. Amanda is stuck in this place of ‘Oh, I had a sister, but I don’t have a sister.’”
At least she has lots — and we do mean lots — to distract her these days, what with navigating the creaky branches of her newfound family tree and embarking on a relationship with brother-in-law Devon. You, too, have lots to distract you, come to think of it — by way of the below photo gallery, which revisits highlights of Morgan’s stints as both Hilary and Amanda. Take a peek!
Video: YouTube/Young & Restless
Get your Emmy reels ready, Jason Thompson (Billy) and Melissa Claire Egan (Chelsea), with your riveting scenes from this week’s episodes of The Young and the Restless.
The drama continued this past Monday after the stunning cliffhanger the Friday prior, where Chelsea was getting ready to jump off the hotel roof as her depression over took her, and she felt ending her life was the only way to stop the voices in her head. Just as Chelsea is ready to step off the ledge, Billy appears. Now realizing he is in way over his head, when confronting someone who is in the middle of a suicide attempt, he does his best on the fly to save Chelsea.
Courtesy/CBS
Eventually, when Chelsea won’t get off the ledge, Billy climbs up on the ledge next to her. Chelsea wants to be alone. She cries, “It hurts every single day when I wake up. I don’t want to wake up anymore.” She goes on to say, “I’ve hurt so many people. I don’t think I deserve happiness. Maybe I’m just not meant for this world.” Billy thanks her for sharing that with him, but suggests they get down from the ledge and they can just talk. He tries to assure Chelsea that there are people who love and care about her, but she disagrees. When the subject goes to her sons, Connor and Johnny, and how Victoria (Amelia Heinle) wanted her to stay away from Johnny, it affected her seismically. When Billy tells her to get down from the ledge, she kisses him and tells Billy he is a good man with tears in her eyes. However, she begins to jump anyway! Billy manages to grab her and pull her down from the ledge, and ultimately, saves her life.
Now with his coat around her to keep her warm, Billy promises Chelsea she will find her way out of the hell she finds herself in. Adam (Mark Grossman) finds them as Billy escorts Chelsea off the roof to get her inside, and to her hotel suite, without explaining anything to his enemy.
Once in Chelsea’s suite, Billy tells Chelsea he’s not leaving her alone. Chelsea is angry that he saved her from jumping, telling him that he had no right and he took that choice from her. Billy tells her it’s not a choice she would have made two weeks ago or two weeks from now. He was not going to allow her to do that to herself, or her sons.
Courtesy/CBS
Billy admits he doesn’t know how to handle any of this, and is not sure what exactly do, but he’s staying put. Chelsea admits, “I keep hearing voices.” She also talks about a previous kiss with Billy and how it was a mistake, and how Connor and Johnny are better off without her, stating, “The world is better off without me!” Billy asks her not to say that, as he is getting increasingly more lost and what to do for Chelsea and is desperate for some help.
When Chelsea admits she is worn out and needs to sleep, Billy helps her to her bed, and tucks her in. Then he, sits on the edge of the bed in tears and overwhelmed. In a smart move, Billy contacts Sharon (Sharon Case), and tells her about Chelsea: “She wanted to end her life, Sharon”. Billy hopes Sharon knows what to do because Chelsea’s feelings haven’t changed and she could try to end her life again. Sharon tells Billy they need to get Chelsea into a mental health facility with professionals.
Once Sharon arrives at the suite, and in another emotional moment played to perfection by Thompson, Billy recalls the night his daughter Delia died, and how he held her in his arms before the ambulance arrived and how minutes seemed like hours. He told Sharon, all he could do was hold Delia and tell her she would be OK, but he knew in his gut she wasn’t going to make it. Billy shares “I had the same feeling tonight”. Feeling inadequate on how he tried to help Chelsea, Sharon says he handled it perfectly. It was then Billy admits, he couldn’t save his daughter, but he won’t let the same thing happen to Chelsea.
When Chelsea stirs in the bed, she calls out for Billy. He tells her Sharon is with them now. Billy explains he called her as he needed some help on how to deal with this. Stunningly, Sharon makes inroads with Chelsea assuring her that she is there to help her, expressing: “Trust me. And if you can’t trust me, trust Rey. He saw the good in you and gave you another chance. Don’t throw that away.” It is then that Chelsea agrees to let Sharon and Billy help her.
Courtesy/CBS
Next, they bring Chelsea to a mental health facility where Sharon meets the therapist Ms. Lawson. Despondent in the room, Billy gets Chelsea to snap out of it, when he asks her if she realizes what is happening. She then panics realizing where she is. Billy assures her she’s in a much better place than before. Billy vows he will go through this with her, and be there when she needs him. Billy also assures her that Connor will be well taken care of, and she should concentrate on getting better so she can enjoy Thanksgiving with her son.
Once alone with the therapist, Chelsea doesn’t think she wanted to die, she just didn’t want to be out of pain. She admits she felt alone, unworthy, and that her presence was ruining other’s lives. In tears, Chelsea admits she needs help, and wants to get better, but she doesn’t know if that will even be possible.
While clearly this entire situation will bond Chelsea and Billy forever, it cannot be overstated how impactful this story was for anyone who has considered ending their life, is struggling with depression, or for those on the other side of it; thrust into a desperate situation they have never had experience with while knowing one wrong move, or one wrong word, could send the person over the edge.
Courtesy/CBS
Jason Thompson played all the beats so realistically that you could feel Billy’s struggle, and yet his willingness to see this through with Chelsea however it would turn out. Melissa Claire Egan took viewers on an emotional rollercoaster as all of Chelsea’s raw pain was exposed and tapped into someone who felt they had nothing left to live for. The writing of this story arc was also effective, and we can only hope Y&R stays on track and sees this important story on mental health through.
For these very effective scenes, Michael Fairman TV names Jason Thompson and Melissa Claire Egan’s work The Power Performances of the Week.
So, what did you think of the Billy and Chelsea scenes? What did you think of Jason and Melissa’s work? Do you think Billy and Chelsea will wind up in a relationship together, when Chelsea gets out of her depression and deals with what’s been troubling her … or do you want Billy to remain with Lily (Christel Khalil)? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.