Genoa City never sleeps—especially when secrets, ambition, and betrayal rise with the morning sun. Thursday’s episode of CBS’s The Young and the Restless (October 9, 2025) delivered a masterclass in tension, manipulation, and emotional revelation. With power moves brewing behind every conversation and painful truths returning to haunt the past, today’s episode was nothing short of explosive. Here’s your full breakdown of the latest drama rocking Genoa City.

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Victor Newman Draws Battle Lines

At the Newman Ranch, the day started with a sense of quiet menace. Victor Newman, ever the grand chessmaster of Genoa City, was already two moves ahead before breakfast was served. He wasn’t just watching the game unfold—he was orchestrating it.

His target today? Phyllis Summers.

Victor invited Phyllis to a seemingly casual breakfast—though everyone in town knows, nothing about Victor is ever casual. Dressed in her signature red power suit, Phyllis arrived with the fire of a woman who has nothing left to prove but everything to gain. Victor wasted no time in confronting her about her alliance with Cain Ashby, lacing his words with both disdain and curiosity.

But Phyllis wasn’t rattled. She made it clear Cain treated her as an equal—something no one in Victor’s circle had done. She told Victor this wasn’t a game for her. She wasn’t looking to survive anymore—she was looking to win.

Victor, ever the calculating predator, didn’t push harder. Instead, he issued a warning veiled in admiration: she and Cain were perfect for each other—two predators who believed they couldn’t be touched. The tension between them was electric, layered with years of mistrust and grudging respect.

As he left, he crossed paths with his son, Nick Newman. Without missing a beat, Victor murmured a cryptic instruction: “Don’t leave town.” The message was clear. Something big was coming.

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Phyllis vs. the Newmans—Again

After Victor’s exit, Nick joined Phyllis, his concern evident. Their shared history lingered like smoke between them. Nick warned her that Cain’s chaos was beginning to seep into Newman Enterprises—into his family. Phyllis, ever defiant, shrugged it off. Why was everyone acting like Cain was the villain when Victor had played this same game for decades?

But beneath her cool exterior, Phyllis was burning with determination. She wasn’t just teaming up with Cain—she was building an empire with him. One that could shift the balance of power in Genoa City forever.

As she stood to leave, she told Nick that maybe the town needed a new kind of ruler. Someone who didn’t follow the rules—someone like her.

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Nikki and Jill’s Dangerous Dance

Elsewhere, Nikki Newman was preparing for a meeting that could change everything. She had invited Jill Abbott to talk—not just as rivals or allies, but as women with shared ghosts, particularly the ever-present legacy of Katherine Chancellor.

Their meeting at the Grand Phoenix began with civility but simmered with tension. Jill, always sharp and poised, arrived expecting a business chat. Instead, she was met with unexpected gratitude. Nikki thanked her for what the Chancellor family had built—for what Katherine had left behind.

For a moment, the masks slipped. Jill admitted regrets—not about selling Chancellor-Winters, but about failing her son, becoming the cold matriarch she had sworn she’d never be. The emotional honesty caught Nikki off guard, but not for long. She shifted the conversation toward a more pressing concern: Cain Ashby.

Jill’s defenses rose. She insisted Cain was trying to be better. But Nikki wasn’t convinced. “This isn’t just about Cain,” she warned. “It’s about all of us. If he brings down this town with his ambitions, you’ll be the only one who could’ve stopped him.”

The moment grew tenser when Victor arrived. One look, one word from him, and the energy in the room shifted. He didn’t argue. He didn’t threaten. He simply said: “She’ll change her mind.”

It wasn’t a warning. It was a prophecy.

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Sharon’s World Cracks Open

Over at Crimson Lights, Sharon was trying to hold onto normalcy. With Nick set to join her for a trip to London, she was tying up loose ends, trusting the always-loyal Esther Valentine to manage the café in her absence. Esther’s optimism offered a brief respite—but the calm wouldn’t last.

The bell above the door rang, and in walked Tessa Porter and Daniel Romalotti, their faces tight with something unspoken. Sharon’s heart sank before they even said a word.

They had news about Mariah—and it wasn’t good.

Tessa explained that they’d visited the hotel where Mariah had last been seen. A bartender remembered her vividly, describing how a man approached her. They talked. Then, they left together.

What came next shattered Sharon.

The man, identified as Will Hensley, left the hotel hours later in a panic—shaking, terrified, as if fleeing something unspeakable. And then, the real bombshell: Mariah had allegedly confessed to someone that she nearly killed a man.

Sharon’s world tilted. She tried to rationalize—maybe it was self-defense. Maybe he’d hurt her. But the story grew darker still.

Tessa said the man’s build and mannerisms matched someone haunting from Sharon’s past: Ian Ward.

The mention of his name drained the color from her face. Ian—manipulator, predator, villain—had once nearly destroyed her. Could someone like him have found his way into Mariah’s life?

If so, what did Mariah do to survive?

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The Shadows Are Growing

Thursday’s episode revealed a city teetering on the brink.

• Phyllis and Cain’s alliance is growing into a threat no one anticipated, not even Victor.

• Jill and Nikki find themselves torn between loyalty to family and duty to the city.

• Sharon faces the terrifying possibility that her daughter may have done something unforgivable—to someone too much like a nightmare from her own past.

Meanwhile, returning faces like Daniel and Tessa carry truths that could reshape everything. And with Victor sharpening his claws and Nikki questioning old alliances, the power dynamics in Genoa City are shifting once more.

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Final Thoughts: What Happens Next?

This episode laid the groundwork for explosive fallout in the days to come. The ghosts of Katherine Chancellor and Ian Ward still cast long shadows, and the ripple effects of every whispered conversation are about to hit with full force.

Will Jill choose Cain over her better judgment? Can Phyllis actually dethrone the old guard? And what happened between Mariah and Will Hensley—was it an act of self-defense, or something much darker?

Genoa City is bracing for a storm. And as we all know in this town—when it rains, it pours.

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Catch The Young and the Restless weekdays on CBS, and stay tuned for our next spoiler breakdown. The drama’s only just beginning.