Chaos Ensues When [Spoiler] Finds Matt Clark — and Nikki Reels at Jack’s Horrifying Reveal
Kyle joins Jack at the Abbott mansion and notices he’s working from home. He asks if Patty left town. Jack says she’s sticking around. Kyle wonders if Victor wants her gone or if he’s paying her to stay and cause trouble.
Jack thinks Patty honestly believes she can make amends. Kyle scoffs at the very idea. Jack doesn’t buy it either. He alludes to “seeing how things work out,” and Kyle hopes he’s not still planning to use Patty to go after Victor.
Jack confirms he’ll use his ex-wife. Patty already admitted Victor paid her to be on the yacht; he’s halfway to convincing Nikki to leave him for good. Kyle groans and asks about his mother. Jack confirms there’s been no progress. He’s got nothing to lose by going after Victor.
Truce?
At the ranch, Victor looks up over his glasses as Nikki walks through the door. He deigns to tell her that she looks well. She returns the sentiment but says she didn’t come there for pleasantries. They bicker lightly until she reveals she came there about their son.
They compare notes on Nick’s addiction. She’s furious that Victor knew before her and didn’t tell her, but declares that they need to call a truce to deal with this as a family. They need to present a united front and maybe they can end this war. Victor will do anything to help Nick, but doesn’t care about Jackass Abbott. Nikki fumes that he’s as vindictive as ever. She can’t deal with it and stalks out.
Celebration Time
At the hotel in New York, Lily and Holden are relieved that Malcolm sailed through the surgery. Stephanie, more cautious, isn’t ready to celebrate yet, but Malcolm had champagne sent to the room. As they sip the bubbly, the doctor admits the procedure couldn’t have gone any better.
Lily calls “the man who made all this possible,” and puts Cane on speakerphone. He’s thrilled to hear Malcolm is in the home stretch. Taking him off speaker, Lily tells Cane that the kids are very grateful that he helped Malcolm. He asks how long she’s staying in New York and is dismayed to hear that she planned to stay for up to a month.
Cane is then relieved to learn that Malcolm dissuaded Lily from staying that long and she’ll be home sooner. She puts him back on speaker to say goodbye to Holden and Stephanie, who thanks him again.
On the Cane train, Ashby disconnects as Billy walks in saying they need to talk about this case with Phyllis. Cane hasn’t thought much about it. They recap that the emails are bogus and Billy says he wants a favor… they may be in this together.
Cane sighs. He finds the whole thing hilarious given that he and Phyllis weren’t stupid enough to communicate through email. Billy isn’t amused and can’t afford this right now. He thinks Cane is screwed and has to make sure he doesn’t go down with him.
Back in New York, Stephanie and Lily tease Holden about Claire wanting to “show him something.” As he opens the door to show them out, the blonde appears with a shopping bag. Holden ushers his sister and mother out. Claire gifts Holden a vintage motorcycle jacket with Winters Motorcycles on the back. He’s tickled.
Kinky
In the Club suite, Matt wakes up bound and gagged and attempts hollering in panic. Patty comes to the door, knocking and calling out. She knows Matt’s in there and just wants to talk to him. He tries to make enough noise to get her attention.
It’s not long before Patty convinces a maid to let her into the suite. The woman wants to call security, but Patty convinces her that “her husband” is bound and gagged because they’re role-playing. Once she’s gone, Patty frees Matt, who explains that Phyllis did this after he tried to leave town. She told him horrible things about his past! Matt’s confused. He thought she was on his side. Patty scoffs. Phyllis is only ever on her own side.
Patty guesses Phyllis is using him as a bargaining chip. She found out she was arrested for stealing Victor’s company. She was probably planning to turn him in, in exchange for them dropping the charges. Patty declares that she is the only friend he’ll ever need.
Not Happening
At the outdoor café, Nick asks Phyllis how she knocked out Matt Clark and tied him up on her own. She reminds him what she’s capable of when she wants something. When Nick gets Christine to drop the charges, she’ll take him to Matt.
Nick explains that Christine wants to nail Matt more than she wants Phyllis. He asks Red to hand Matt over to the D.A., insisting that “she’ll arrange things.” Phyllis will not put her life in Cricket’s hands and needs the deal in writing first. “Take it or leave it.”
Nick, getting sweatier and twitchier, pleads with Phyllis, who declares she’ll hand over Matt Clark when he gets the charges dropped and not a second sooner. Nick follows her out of the park.
Phyllis enters the Athletic Club and makes her way upstairs, with Nick hot on her heels.
Dropping a Bomb
At Society, Kyle’s with Jack, but steps away to take a call when Nikki shows up. She wearily sits and blurts that Nicholas is addicted to fentanyl. She doesn’t know if he’s getting help. Jack urges her not to feel guilty. He wants to help (will they remember that he’s co-founder of the Abbott-Winters Foundation?). Nikki reports that Victor won’t take any blame for anything. Jack’s not surprised.
Jack warns Nikki never to go crawling back begging for forgiveness and fumes about Victor refusing to set aside their differences for Nick. Deciding Nikki needs to know what a bastard she’s married to, he tells her that Patty confirmed that Victor paid her to be on that yacht. He brought her to town and had him serve her alcohol with drugs in it. “That’s who your husband is. That’s Victor Newman.” Nikki looks shell-shocked as though this possibility never crossed her mind before. Please. Isn’t that why she left?
The Final Scenes
Phyllis storms up to the door of her room, and lets herself in. She gasps upon seeing the remnants of the gag and ties on the floor, realizing that Matt’s free. Nick immediately follows, demanding, “What the hell is going on here?!”
He guesses Matt’s escaped and fumes, “Nice job.” He warns if Phyllis doesn’t find him before his family or the police do, she’d better get used to the idea of living in a prison cell!
In New York, Holden tries on the motorcycle jacket, and Claire declares it a perfect fit. He was thinking the same thing about her. They make out.
On the Cane train, Ashby tells Billy he’s sorry. If he has any suggestions for poking holes in the D.A.’s case, he’s open to them. Billy has an idea, but they’ll have to work together.
Back in Phyllis’ suite, she rants to Nick that this is Patty Williams’ doing. His dad brought her to town… the woman who nearly killed their daughter! Nick learns she’s befriended Matt, and Phyllis thinks he went with her. They’re both lunatics. “If we find Patty Williams, we will find Matt Clark.”
In Society, Jack assures Nikki that Victor planned every detail of his abduction, even knowing he had nothing to do with her losing her company. “It didn’t matter to him,” he intones. “Nicholas’ addiction doesn’t matter. Your happiness doesn’t matter to him. That’s who he is.”
At the ranch, Victor stews and then walks out of the room.
