Things are still moving forward at a pretty fast pace on The Young and the Restless.

It really feels like they're in the midst of out with the old in with the new, and I like it.

So Ian escapes from the courtroom after Victor committed so much perjury even he couldn't possibly keep track of it all, and Meredith ultimately helped Victor escape police custody in the hospital to save the day.

The police are clowns in Genoa City, aren't they?

At first, Dylan and Paul were all over the place trying to figure out who helped Ian escape. WHY Adam and Chelsea admitted to their plan is a mystery, but Adam was already on house arrest (can anybody explain that?), so it didn't really matter.

If Adam left the apartment, it would only be three for three escapes in the week. 

Meredith listened in on the family chats with the Newmans, and somehow, despite being thrown under the bus by Victor and humiliated in court, she found it in her heart to love him even more. Enough to help him break the law. Again.

Ian wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer, allowing Nikki to speak with Victor on the phone, and that meant he learned where the ladies were being held. Of course he wanted to be the superhero.

Now I am of a certain mind to believe even more Meredith will be pregnant. 

If the divorce had gone through and Vic and Nik were not ultimately pledging their love through tears, I would have expected Meredith to walk quietly into the night. Or maybe to become embroiled in another storyline.

But I still say Alicia Coppola has been brought onto the show with greater intentions than a mere prison doctor, and all of her devotion to Victor will pay off. 

As so many of the same men are currently fighting over the same women, that could also ultimately mean (in my scenario) Meredith will not be pregnant for long, but will find her way into the arms of another man. How about Dylan, after Nick and Sharon get together again?

In other words, once in the Newman family, always in the Newman family. I think she'll stick around.

Which makes it interesting that we saw none of Travis this week, despite all the drama. Where was he when Victoria needed a shoulder to cry upon? 

Was that the writing on the wall for him and Victoria? Are the powers that be going to force the issue of Victoria and Billy despite the lacking chemistry between the latest Billy and Vicki? 

One thing is sure...they're moving forward on Hilary and Jack. At least Hilary is moving, whether Jack expected it or not. And did anyone else find it interesting that Jack didn't really protest too much?

So that will leave Phyllis for Billy and they seem pretty keen on each other. While the whole town pines for Villy, the two most important characters in that equation seem miles away from that happening again.

Their scenes together are stilted and uncomfortable. Neither of them seem to agree with everyone pushing them together, so can Jack and friends just leave it alone? 

Now that Summer has been left to her own devices, merely a "keep an eye out" from Nick, it's actually worked. She needs to hone her senses a bit, but she's onto Luca.

And...surprise, surprise, surprise. Luca is behind the oil crap. Will he be working with someone on the oil rig? Does it matter? Does he even have a reason to be on canvas any longer? I vote no. 

If Vicki and Travis are breaking up, keeping Travis in the family by way of dating Summer sounds like a great idea to me. They'd make a pretty cute couple. See? Bright side. If I have to suffer through Vicki and Billy, let's at least see another unique pairing.

And Travis and Summer both have beds, so that must mean something. Have you noticed that Mal Young has been paying attention to viewers with regards to sets? He has to have been. Not everyone is using the same bed at the club anymore. Thank God. That was getting pretty disgusting.

Additional sets, no matter how small, are really appreciated. Genoa City is starting to feel like a real community again. Part of that has to be since some room has been freed up now that Victor isn't actively filming in prison.

If they take away so many prison and hospital settings, there will be more room for LIFE to happen. That's exciting. To me, anyway.

And just the week after I brought up the missing Abby, she appeared again. Max had surgical issues (I had forgotten about his surgery), which will allow for everything that came before with the wacky kid to go away when he returns, but they don't have to make the kid go away completely. Nice.

I'm kind of excited. If Mal Young can keep Charles Pratt moving along with the stories at the pace I've seen on UK soaps, then we'll be in good shape. 

What do you guys think? Let me know. Chat with me. Let's talk!!

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Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She's a member of the Critic's Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on X and email her here at TV Fanatic.