This proposal isn’t Kyle’s best plan ever, that’s for sure.
Wedding bells might be ringing a bit prematurely on The Young and the Restless if Kyle gets his way. The Abbott heir has found himself in quite a pickle with his exploits in Nice coming to light. Fond of grand gestures, he’s apparently set to find no better way to make amends than to propose. It’s a disaster in the making that Y&R star Michael Mealor teased for fans in a Soap Opera Digest preview.
Not to rain on Kyle’s parade, but he and Claire have no business getting married. Not at this stage in their relationship. The events that have occurred on Y&R so far, and that have been forecast, have made that abundantly clear. Let’s go down the list.
The Audra Of It All
Kyle (Michael Mealor) loves a good scheme, but that doesn’t mean he can skate by without facing the consequences. He was determined to best Audra (Zulekya Silver) by lowering her guard and seducing her. But his attempt at weakening her position as a threat backfired. It gave her the upper hand and leverage to hold over him because he neglected to fill Claire (Hayley Erin) in on his plotting. Now he’s the one scrambling to find his footing.
Claire didn’t let him convince her that he stayed silent about Nice because he was ashamed. She pointed out that Audra has actually been more honest with her than with her own boyfriend. And Claire knows that the only reason Kyle told her some semblance of the truth is because she forced it out of him.
Kyle and Claire are partners, but the fallout from his scheming has shown that they’re not a team in the way Claire would like. She doesn’t need him to “protect” her from his manipulative exploits.
Mealor brought this up when discussing Kyle’s motivation for not looping Claire into his plan. This is Claire’s first serious relationship. She’s never dealt with the jealousy that can crop up even when a game is being played for information. The actor said that Kyle didn’t want to burden her but acknowledged:
“Kyle forgets that Claire is a lot stronger than she lets on. She had this terrible past, and so she can handle the good, the bad, and the ugly. But Kyle doesn’t give her that chance. Unfortunately, he makes the decision for her. And so, because of that, he thinks that, you know, what happens in Nice will stay in Nice, and he thinks he can get away with it.”
Kyle Will Propose Out Of Fear
While Kyle’s love for Claire isn’t in question, no one wants to be proposed to out of a sense of panic and fear of loss. However, that’s going to happen when Kyle pops the question to smooth things over. Mealor shared:
“[Kyle] has to prove to Claire how in love he is with her and only her, and how much passion he has for her,” he adds. “And you know, Kyle, being a man of large gestures, at times, goes all the way and goes for the proposal. He’s just so blinded by his desperation and his panic, but also his love, that he can’t see how bad of an overreaction that is.”
It’s a slap dash proposal done by “the seat of his pants.” Mealor acknowledged that Claire likes simplicity but going with a heartfelt but simple plan is different from it being simple because that’s all there’s time for. Desperation is not a good foot to start on when asking someone to spend the rest of their life with you.
Claire Is New To Love
Kyle was wrong to not treat Claire as an equal in their partnership. However, it’s important to note that romance and being in a relationship is a new experience for her. These two should be figuring out how they work together, and what they need separately and as a couple to keep growing. Kyle knows that, he’s not that long into being a divorced man.
Leaping into an engagement, let alone a marriage, after a big fight is not the answer. It’s also liable to blow up in both of their faces down the line. A ring doesn’t change Kyle’s poor choice or Audra’s position in the middle of their relationship. Kyle said he was disgusted trying to play his part, but he still chose seduction as a tool in his manipulation toolbox.
Will he do it again? If so, would Claire be okay with it? If not, she may find herself wondering about the other fish in the sea. She and Kyle haven’t been a couple for so long that she’d be willing to tough out anything.
Holden Is In The Wings
Claire has made a friend in Holden (Nathan Owens), one who has the potential to be a love interest if their flirtation is anything to go on. There’s no doubt that she’s fully committed to Kyle ,even with her upset over the Nice debacle. But there is obvious chemistry between Claire and Holden. The spark that lit over their shared love of James Bond has only grown in the aftermath of Cole (J. Eddie Peck) and Damian’s (Jermaine Rivers) deaths.
An engagement really shouldn’t be coming at the same time that Claire’s eyes are beginning to wander. Say the two do make it down the aisle, it may only result in a short marriage and a fast annulment. Kyle’s clearly not done playing games to get what he wants. The more he schemes without considering Claire, the more likely it is she’ll confide in another man about their problems.
Conversation breeds intimacy, and Claire could find she trusts Holden with her heart over Kyle, especially if he’s better at being her partner when it counts the most.
