There are a lot of strategic moves happening on The Young and the Restless.

Characters are being moved around like pieces on a chessboard. Will new couples be formed or old flames re-ignited? 

Time will tell. Let's take a look at what went down this week on our favorite sudser.

The week started off rough for Philly fans with Phyllis angrily pushing Billy away in the elevator. She's trying with everything she has to convince the both of them she doesn't love Billy. It's utterly unconvincing. Nonetheless, she wonders if he gets what she's trying to say.

By way of response, Billy walks up as closely as possible to say, "Perfectly," while his breath blows a breeze into her hair. Suddenly they are face to face. Cut scene. That's all we get.

Jack and Jill discuss her favorite topic. Billy. Jack is a bit down on her treatment of his brother just because she disagrees with his interior decorating choices.

Jill rebuts with too much, including noting there is a lot more behind her overbearing nature and should be behind his, as well. Oops. Billy doing well is less wear and tear on them, she claims. She's going to spill it all at some point.

Jack's next stop is to offer Billy a position on the foundation board.

Billy accepts Jack's foundation board invitation only after Jack begins talking about Phyllis' role on the board. Like a bee to honey, that one. Phyllis, though, treats Billy terribly at his first board meeting. Calling out his past addiction as making him a poster boy for the work is harsh.

Ashley delivers bad news to Hillary and Devon just after the couple toasts to their fresh start and bright future. Every single patient from the drug trial is suing them. 

Hillary is immediately up in arms and probably wouldn't mind taking them up against every single one of them. Devon wants to settle. He recognizes their hopes were crushed. They are not on the same page.

You get rid of Hillary, you get rid of the problem. So that's what happens at the foundation board meeting. Everyone turns on Hillary (not that they have ever been with her), but Jack has the final say when Hillary puts Devon's money where his mouth is. I really hope they're going to stop making this character borderline crazy. Pick a personality and stick with it.

Meanwhile, we also had Jill threatening Phyllis. If she doesn't promise Jill she's going to work on her marriage so Billy can go back to his family, Jill is going to Jack TONIGHT to tell him exactly what kind of woman he married. And I'm screaming to the TV, "Do it, Jill! Do it!!"

Does anybody know how this is at all a threat? Isn't this exactly what Billy and Phyllis truly want? Billy is still in the dark about what's going down with Jill, but yes, this is what the couple wants. Ridiculous. This entire storyline. Ridiculous.

And how is all of that working out for Jill? Not well. Her plan to pit Billy and Cane against each other is terrible in any world, but now Billy wants to see Cane crash and burn. It's hard to blame him. Where the heck is Victoria? I kept waiting for her to walk in for her first day right in the middle of their bickering over Co-CEO responsibilities.

At first, Jill continues trying to recruit Victoria for Brash and Sassy, using words like visionary and functionaries. But even though Victoria eventually tells Victor she's leaving to be the third CEO at Brash and Sassy, when he responds positively, she rethinks her decision. Victor is such a turd.

Vicki does wind up at Brash and Sassy, though, after Jill plied her with alcohol. Rum, to be exact. Does the woman have no standards? 

So with Vicki in his arms, drunk, is that the first move toward reuniting Villy? Victoria is so much more pleasant when she's drunk or outside of business. If she can be lightened up just a bit, I'd allow Villy over Philly. I wouldn't like it, but I'd allow it.

After Victor trashed Chloe's motel room, it opened up that story quite a bit.

First, Chelsea delivers the news about Chloe's return to Adam. He's the first person to put together Chelsea's appearance in town with his downfall. Their conversation convinces Chelsea she needs to look into Chloe and Chelsea visits her erstwhile friend. 

It's good timing, because Chloe is cleaning up the motel room after Victor trashed it. Chloe blames it on the bad neighborhood which opens up a window of opportunity. Chelsea insists Chloe and Bella move in with her. And oh by the way, she should work with her as well. How handy!

Chloe is sharing her thoughts about Adam and the vengeance she once wanted against him. The thing is, she can lie about it because he's been punished already. It's easy to lie to Chelsea's face about how she wouldn't hurt him because it would hurt her and Conner.

Kevin is so excited he may be a father that it's obvious he will not be. He hasn't talked to Natalie at all during this time. Will discovering he isn't a father change his feelings about things going forward? Looking at him and Mariah holding hands in anticipation of receiving the results across a table at Crimson Lights makes me think so.

But then Kevin is pretty good with Natalie, even when the same can not be said for her about the possibility he may be a father. Meanwhile, Mariah's still standing up for her (non)man when she runs into Chloe at Chelsea's place.

Even though Kevin assured Natalie he wasn't still in love with Chloe, when he discovers he's not the biological father of Bella, the first thing he does is offer up his services as Bella's father figure. So sad. She gives him the heads up of her new living situation and suggests he knock up Natalie and get out of her business.

Michael sees writing on the wall for Kevin and Natalie. The writing he sees is for Kevin and Chloe. Can anyone believe Kevin still has it that bad for Chloe? Why? He's the one who should have been in the asylum. When is the guy going to wake up to what's right in front of him? Pfft. 

What do you think? Will Natalie stay in Genoa City or is the breakup the last we'll see of them?

Meanwhile, Faith is sad the family hasn't done anything fun and summer is almost over. They're swimming at the pool. Frankly, I'd be sad if I were her because I had no friends. Can't they at least bring out Lily and Cane's kids at the pool?

The ladies take the idea of a vacation, especially something exotic, back to Dylan. But Dylan can't get enough time off of work. Camping. Nick laughs out loud. Sharon says she can camp. Faith is in for fireflies, smores and scary stories by the fire. Camp reconsiders the vacation idea.

And thank goodness they did, because Sharon and Mariah are a hoot! Sharon thinks she has poison everything within minutes of arrival, while Mariah spotted creepy crawly things in the water and is certain they'll be murdered in their sleep.

While Dylan and Faith trot off to do some fishing, Sharon and Mariah get really outdoorsy with some goat cheese and artisanal crackers. They're caught, of course, and the trip is really sweet. Mariah guts fish and enjoys eating it.

Things are going swimmingly (punny!), until Faith wants to tell her first scary story..."the tale of the baby switching ghost." Oh my. Dylan's family moments are the ones I appreciate the most.

His character is the most natural then, and it showed when he took the title of that story so casually, noting he heard the one about the hitchhiker, but not the baby stealer. It's new to him!

The bonding between Mariah and Faith, who stayed behind in the woods to camp while Dylan took Sharon and her poison everything to the hospital, was really sweet. Sorry, Kevin, Chloe is no match in the paternal department to Mariah. Mariah would never do anything out of ugliness anymore like Chloe continues to do.

I like seeing Nick and Dylan discuss Adam's future and why he's not tearing the world down trying to find the pages of that journal. Nick thinks something is fishy about the "wait and see" plan. Nothing is ever as it seems, Nick. You're just usually the last one at the party.

When Nick visits Chelsea, she wonders if she shares the big plan they have for Adam, if he'll be on board or will block them to assure his brother remains in prison.

Within seconds Chelsea is at prison talking to Adam. She doesn't think Chloe is guilty. Oh brother. Speaking of brothers, Nick is flat out asking Victor if he's guilty of framing Adam.

It sure took me by surprise when Chloe went to visit Adam mere minutes after Chelsea mentioned it. Their conversation is troublesome on many levels. Chloe really can't hide her disdain for Adam even when she's telling him she forgives him.

Who asked Summer and Luca to this week's party? You guys never share with me. Do you like their storyline? Are they like a breath of fresh air or are they stale and rotting from the inside out. And a pregnancy story? Ewww.

The best thing about it was when Nick called Luca a jackass. That word is so funny even in the most mundane setting, but hearing it out of his mouth with regard to the probable future father of his grandchild is laugh out loud funny.

But something strange happened while watching Luca wait for Summer to take the pregnancy test. When he was remembering all of their moments, the editing only focused on his sweeter side. And I didn't hate him anymore.

In fact, I fully expected Summer to come downstairs saying the test is negative and for Luca to turn around and ask her to marry him. He's feeling as though losing her would be the biggest mistake he could make and this "test" (both literally and figuratively) is enough for him to get the message.

Of course, they broke away from the scene to go to commercial and we never learned the results. But Luca's getting Summer an iced latte. She isn't going to be drinking coffee if she's pregnant, right? Right! About everything, really.

Yet Nick still has that niggling feeling about Luca in the back of his mind, and he's not alone. Are they doing an about face with Luca's character, or was he really behind the oil disasters?

Can it be that Luca is actually in love with Summer and still a terrible guy? Maybe he's a bit more Victor than I realized and that's exactly why Summer is so into the guy.

Are they the next Victor and Nikki? I thought it would be Adam and Chelsea. Both Justin Hartley and Summer King seem destined for things beyond Y&R, so can EITHER of them be poised as a part of the next supercouple?

What do you think of the new conference room set for the foundation?. It came to mind there must have been a sale on teal paint ($5 oops cans at Home Depot anyone?) because the board room walls are the same color as Billy's house. Everyone in town must have rushed on over!

OK, I realize the walls probably ARE from Billy's house, but I thought it was funny. What I really thought was what a cool and wonderful new room, because I am still loving how the town is opening up again. Genoa City continues to come alive under the direction of Mal Young, and it's wonderful. Seriously.

The McAvoy family didn't go camping in the park. If they had attempted a camping trip at this time last year, they would have been doing it under Katherine's memorial plaque! It even went from daytime to night.

Two big thumbs up for all that's going down on The Young and the Restless at the moment. I can't even bring myself to hate Victor's scenes, because not any one character is hogging the limelight. And, I tried writing my recap differently this week. I wasn't pleased. Back to normal next week! 

Share your thoughts on all things Y&R with me down below!

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.