Adam Wilson (The Young and the Restless)
Encyclopedia
Victor Adam Newman, Jr. (formerly Victor Adam Wilson), better known by simply Adam Newman, is a fictional character
on the CBS
soap opera
The Young and the Restless
. He is the younger son of business tycoon Victor Newman
(Eric Braeden
) and his ex-wife Hope Wilson
(Signy Coleman
), born onscreen in April 1995.
The character came to mainstream attention in May 2009 when portrayer Chris Engen
quit the series prematurely, reportedly due to personal objections over his storyline. Within days of Engen's replacement by actor Michael Muhney
in June 2009, heterosexual villain Adam engages in an off-screen sexual encounter with another male character. Engen defended his decision in a statement, and co-stars Eileen Davidson
and Braeden noted in subsequent interviews that Engen had been unhappy with his character's storyline and villainous actions long before the gay plot twist had come up.
). Engen became the subject of some criticism, including a post by celebrity blogger Perez Hilton
who wrote "homophobe
" on a photo of Engen.
On May 27, 2009, Maria Arena Bell
, the co-head writer
and co-executive producer
for The Young and Restless, told TV Guide Canada
s Nelson Branco, "While I won’t comment on Chris’ decision, I will admit I was saddened that we had to recast because Engen was really [gelling] in the role. However, I have no doubt that Michael will make Adam his own." In a subsequent June 10, 2009 interview with Branco, Engen's co-star Davidson (who portrays Ashley Abbott
) said of his exit, "Everybody has his or her own demons — and makes their own choices due to their creative process. I can’t judge his decision because it was a personal one." She also noted, "I can say I love working with [recast] Michael Muhney. He’s a terrific actor." In subsequent interviews, co-star Braeden stated his disappointment with Engen's departure. Braeden told Soap Opera Digest
that he unsuccessfully attempted to convince Engen to stay. "He was somewhat disturbed by the fact that he was playing this evil character," Braeden stated. "I said, 'Listen, I remember Victor feeding rats to people.' I told him to embrace it because he had the most riveting storyline around, period." In Soaps In Depth, Braeden said, "I'm saddened by the fact that he left ... It was a hell of a role. Whatever personal reasons he has, you've got to respect that. But he was a very nice guy, very professional. We all liked working with him. We were shocked when he decided to leave, but that's his personal decision."
On May 26, 2009, Engen released a statement on his Myspace page where he denied accusations of homophobia as well as reports that he "stormed off set."
Addressing the accusations of homophobia against Engen, Davidson told Michael Fairman of The Advocate
, "He was having problems with the character long before this homosexual thing came up... I think it was a series of events with Adam killing Ashley’s baby that got to him much more than the gay thing...I believe Chris was having a hard time wrapping his head around where the character was coming from and where it was going."
Engen's last airdate was June 24, 2009, and Muhney appeared the following day. A day later on June 26, 2009, a storyline twist evolved in which heterosexual Adam seduces male lawyer Rafe to distract him from discovering Adam's criminal activities. Some fans were upset that Adam and Rafe's June 29, 2009, "sex scene" was implied rather than shown onscreen; Nelson Branco of TV Guide Canada made the point that "Filming a sex scene between a straight and gay man could come off as offensive. Firstly, Adam would have to appear uncomfortable in the situation which could anger gay right groups, etc." Muhney also approved of the choice not to show the sex scene. "For me, the way it was done was tasteful and it almost makes the audience wonder what exactly happened," he said in an interview with The Advocate. "You can create that in your head and try to interpret it by how the characters reacted afterwards."
created Adam (then known as Victor Newman, Jr.) in 1995 as part of a social issue storyline. The plot involved Hope Adams's decision to carry Victor's child to term despite the possibility that he could inherit his mother's blindness later in life. Adam departed the series in 1997 and returned in 2008, portrayed by Chris Engen. Adam's off-screen background was established to reflect his father's, with the character making his own way in the world by putting himself through college and beginning a career in finance. The first adult to play Adam, Engen told CBS Soaps In Depth, "Luckily, I'm not going to be compared to anyone else ... anything I do and anything I try to project, and [the] kind of ideas that I have to influence the character are okay." Engen stated his intent to portray Adam as a "rich, three-dimensional character" with ambitions, flaws, and the positive qualities of his mother Hope.
As the character's story progressed, he ultimately became "one of the most devious characters on daytime" as part of a gothic plot in which Adam secretly torments Victor's love interest, Ashley, to get revenge on his father. Since the story called for Adam to be blind with ambiguity surrounding whether or not the disability is fake, Engen said he was not sure how to portray the impairment. "I didn't want to nail it on the head completely with the blindness, because I wasn't sure if the blindness was real]," Engen said in an interview with CBS Soaps in Depth. "Signey
(who played Hope, Adam's mother) won awards for her portrayal of retinitis pigmentosa
, and I thought it would be a dishonor to that if I came too close to the mark." Engen said that in regards to his character he thought that Maria Arena Bell, co-executive producer Paul Rauch
, and the writers "know what they're doing, and right now it would seem like Adam is instigating more ... drama." He worried about the character's actions leading to him becoming irredeemable, but also said he took it as a challenge for him to make what Adam does "interesting and human."
In May 2009, Engen departed the role in the middle of his contract because of his objections to the growing darkness in the character. Bell recast the role with Michael Muhney. In interviews, the actor said the darkness of the character did not make him hesitate to take on the role. He instead embraced the prospect of taking on such a character. Muhney said the plot point of seducing Rafe broadened Adam's horizons. "What it did was move a character who represents a person who lives in Genoa City and moved him outside of a box that you can neatly check off," he said. "'He is straight, he is this, or he is that,' and the fact that some lines are blurred makes him more real ... When they did that with this character, I loved the opportunity to play into a different realm which is usually not touched upon on television." Muhney described the character as a "puppeteer" with "survival instinct", but also someone with a conscience.
in 1997, with Hope insisting that Victor stay out of his son's life. Hope later marries ex-fiancé Cliff Wilson. Victor has limited contact with this son over the next few years but Victor Jr. never knew Victor was his father, until June 26, 2002 when Victor made a visit to Hope who allowed him to spend time with an excited Victor Jr.
. Their son, who is now known as "Vic," arrives and is shocked by his mother's dying admission that Victor is his father. A Harvard
-educated Wall Street
stockbroker, Vic thinks of Cliff as his father and is resentful that Victor would "abandon" his own child. However, Hope's dying wish is that her son get to know Victor. Soon accepting Victor's offer to return to Genoa City
with him and work at Newman Enterprises, Victor Jr. – now going by "Adam Wilson" – insists that it is merely a career decision and keeps his distance from Victor. Adam receives a lukewarm reception from Victor's wary other children, Victoria
(Amelia Heinle
) and Nicholas
(Joshua Morrow
), who resent him for their parents break-up when Victor had gone to Kansas. Adam's conflicts with Nicholas and Victoria strain each of their relationships with Victor. Adam and Victor's own relationship improves, in part due to Victor's girlfriend Sabrina Costelana's (Raya Meddine
) urging, and Adam soon meets and becomes romantically involved with lawyer Heather Stevens
(Vail Bloom
). They keep the romance secret because Victor holds a grudge against Heather for previously attempting to prosecute him for murder, and Heather's father Paul Williams (Doug Davidson
) disapproves because he fears Adam will hurt Heather the way Victor hurt Nikki.
Sabrina later dies in a car accident, and a distraught Victor leaves home to go to Mexico to find and confront the men responsible for her death. Victor disappears and is presumed drowned. Adam assumes the surname Newman, moves into Victor's ranch home and soon asserts control over his father's company. The rest of the Newman family is powerless to stop him as he gets rid of Victor's personal belongings, fires Victoria and longtime employee Neil Winters
(Kristoff St. John
), and rehires Victor's long-time nemesis, Brad Carlton
(Don Diamont
). Nicholas and Victoria's hopes for a turnaround are dashed when Victor's will leaves most of the company and ranch to Adam, thanks to their difficulties with Victor before his death. Victor eventually turns up alive and returns to his ranch and is shocked by Adam's actions. Victor fires and disowns him, once again referring to his son as "Adam Wilson."
Seeking revenge, Adam plots with Victor's longtime enemy Jack Abbott (Peter Bergman
) to use a forged diary to frame Victor for murder. When Victor is exonerated, Jack subsequently frames his co-conspirator Adam for the plot, and Adam is arrested. Later in jail, Adam breaks down in front of Victor, saying that all he ever wanted has been to be Victor's son. Victor tells Adam to prove he is a Newman by being strong. Later, visiting Adam on the anniversary of Hope's death, Victor sees a positive change. During a jail house visit, ex-girlfriend Heather, Genoa City's prosecutor, notices that Adam's eyesight is beginning to fail; Victor is at first suspicious, but soon realizes that Adam's condition is real. Adam's mother Hope had also gone blind and the doctors warned the couple when Hope was pregnant, that the baby might inherit this blindness gene as well. When Adam is brutally beaten by another inmate, he tells his father that as Victor's son he is a target there. Victor finally agrees to get the charges dropped and have Adam freed if he agrees to certain terms. Released into Victor's custody and eventually reunited with Heather, Adam also befriends Victor's current girlfriend and ex-wife, Ashley Abbott
(Eileen Davidson
). By this time, Adam is one of the leading antagonists of the show.
In April 2009, a pregnant Ashley begins hearing a baby crying on the ranch, and begins finding objects seemingly left for her by Sabrina, who was pregnant at the time of her death. The housekeeper Estella Munoz (Anne Betancourt) is blamed and arrested, but a vengeful Adam is secretly the one gaslighting
Ashley, injecting Botox into his eyes to simulate blindness before medical exams. Nicholas and Victoria's mother Nikki Newman (Melody Thomas Scott
) voices her suspicions that Adam is involved, but Victor and Ashley dismiss her. Adam dresses up like the late Sabrina to frighten Ashley, who tumbles down the stairs, is knocked unconscious, and miscarries her baby. Adam attempts to cover up the incident by placing a knocked-out Ashley in her bed and burning her bloody nightgown. Ashley wakes up screaming, but Adam convinces her that she just had a bad dream. He then blackmails Dr. Charles Taylor into convincing Ashley that her baby is still alive.
Victor becomes increasingly suspicious of Adam while he is living at the Newman ranch; subjected to a surprise eye exam at Victor's request, Adam is shocked to discover that even without his secret self-injections, he is now really losing his eyesight. When the doctor also notes that Adam has punctures in his eyes, a quick-thinking Adam "confesses" that he had been attacked by inmates with hypodermic needles and was too ashamed to speak up in jail. Estella's nephew Rafe Torres (Yani Gellman
), Adam's friend and former court-appointed defense attorney, becomes suspicious of Adam. Rafe goes to Adam's room to investigate and nearly stumbles upon evidence of Adam's guilt; to distract Rafe, Adam seduces him. Getting dressed after an offscreen sexual encounter, Adam sends Rafe away, and the heterosexual Adam, disgusted by what has just happened with Rafe, summons Heather, and has sex with her as well. After Victor asks Rafe about Adam's prison attack with needles, a suspicious Rafe comes to see Adam on July 8, 2009. Though Adam intends to put a quick end to his "relationship" with Rafe, he immediately reverts to his seduction tactics to deflect Rafe's questions; Rafe initially resists, but gives in when Adam says, "I thought I found someone that I could be 'me' with." A shocked Nikki stumbles upon the men kissing, but leaves unseen. She later reveals what she saw to Victor and Nick, while Adam "breaks up" with Rafe, only to be confronted by his father moments later. On August 7, 2009, Heather sees a note left from Nikki, revealing that Adam is "gay." Heather confronts Adam about his relationship with Rafe, and despite Adam's denials she breaks up with him.
) is pregnant by Nicholas, her ex-husband and Adam's half-brother. Ashley still believes she is pregnant when she is really not. When Sharon goes into premature labor and Ashley believes that she is as well, Adam steals Sharon's baby and passes it off as Ashley's. Adam elopes with Sharon on December 28, 2009. Suspicions about Adam arise as his connection to Dr. Taylor is revealed. Nicholas and Jack, both previously married to Sharon, believe that Adam stole Sharon's baby and team up to find out the truth. Sharon breaks it off with Adam and begins to remember things that contradict what she has been told about her baby's death. As everyone confronts a captive Adam, Nicholas's wife Phyllis Newman
(Michelle Stafford
) finds a note left by the dying Dr. Taylor saying that Ashley had miscarried. The group realizes that Ashley's baby is really Sharon's missing daughter. Victor, Jack, many of the other Newmans and Abotts, Heather and Rafe used Sharon as bait to lure Adam to the Abott cabin in order to confront him of his crimes but Adam didn't talk, so they put the pieces together using trails of evidence Adam had left behind. Adam subsequently escapes and disappears on March 12, 2010. Adam does not get very far as he becomes unconscious after he falls into a nearby wooded ravine as Victor catches up with him giving him CPR before Adam is taken to the hospital where he regained consciousness and was handcuffed. In the next few days, Adam unsuccessfully tries to fake being unstable so he won't be found fit to stand trial, but he is found fit, and Heather announces that Adam will be jailed on April 2. However, in order to not go to jail, Adam gets a nurse to bring the insane Patty Williams
, whom Adam blackmails as he confronts her about knowing her true identity, to the hospital. With Patty's assistance, a disguised Adam escapes police custody and the hospital and makes his way to the masquerade ball at the Genoa City Athletic Club.
Adam makes one final attempt to reconcile with Sharon and finally confesses about having taken her baby to give it to Ashley. A non-forgiving Sharon asks him to leave just as Nick arrives. Adam escapes the room by jumping out Sharon's room window then later calls Sharon to meet him in the Athletic Club basement, which Nick, Victor, Jack and several others go instead when they detect a gas leak, just before the building explodes. After the explosion, a burned body beyond recognition is found and is presumed to be Adam and later it was learned that the person was dead before the explosion. Days later on April 8, 2010, Detective Phillip Chancellor IV informs Sharon and the Newmans that the deceased corpse has been positively identified as Adam.
Later on, Adam and Skye initiate the Newman fund, much to Nick's disbelief & anger.
In rest dicoveries, it was found out that it was indeed Patty Williams who killed Richard Hightower, tha man whose dead body was mistaken for Adam's. She has vivid memories of the night and remembers specific details on how she stabbed Richard. Patty was also responsible for the gas leak at the Masquerade Ball and the explosion that occurred right after. Later Adam tells Skye that he is meeting with Vance and that since Patty confessed to Hightower's murder, he is feeling a lot more confident. Meanwhile, Patty has a nightmare of the night Hightower was murdered and wakes up in a cold sweat whispering to herself that she didn't do it. Paul arrives to visit Patty and realizes that she is in distress over Hightower's murder. Paul calls Emily Petersen to come and help Patty try to figure things out. Jack, however, is not too pleased when Emily agrees to go to the hospital to help Patty. At the hospital, after talking to Patty without anything crazy happening, Emily tells Paul that it is clear that her confession is more questionable than ever and she is calling the D.A. Meanwhile, vVance assures both Adam and Skye that Adam will be a free man soon, but Jack warns them not to get ahead of themselves. Later Adam eavesdrops on Emily and Owen's conversation as Emily tells Owen that Patty's confession is no longer seems solid and that he should meet with her. Upstairs, Adam tells Skye that he needs to do something to make sure that Patty doesn't recant her confession. Meanwhile, Emily tells Jack that she is going to continue to treat Patty, causing Jack's concern to grow even more. Later, Adam tells Skye that while he goes to see Patty & thatshe is going to be his alibi. As they continue to argue over Patty, Emily realizes that Jack is asking her to choose between their relationship and helping Patty. At the hospital, Patty continues to write in her diary in crayon that she didn't kill anyone. Meanwhile, Adam works to break into the hospital to get to Patty again. Later, Jack tells Emily that if given the chance Patty will blow up their lives again. Meanwhile, Adam finds Patty's diary and tears out the pages that she wrote in saying she didn't kill anyone and then starts writing something of his own.
Emily finally sees how much Jack loves and fears for her and agrees to stop seeing Patty. Meanwhile, Patty wakes up to find Adam in her room. Adam tells her that he is the ghost of Richard Hightower, and that he looks like Adam because that is who she meant to kill the night of the ball. Adam tells Patty that he needs to take her down the rabbit hole after hearing her talk in her dreams, and Patty decides to trust him. She writes Paul a goodbye note, and she and Adam take off together. Later, Adam gives Patty a new identity and tells her that she is going to Canada to start her penance as a nun. He also tells her never to return to Genoa City.
Then on a rainy night, Sharon hears someone trying to get into the Abbott cabin, where she has gone to clear her mind & to get away from things for awhile. Scared, she pulls out a gun from one of the kitchen drawers & demands to know who it is or else she shoots. When the person doesn't answer, Sharon fires the gun. When the door opens, she is horrified to discover that Adam is the one she has shot. She goes to him, & he lets her know that he believes that she still loves him. Adam then passes out from the pain caused by the gunshot wound he sustained in his right upper arm, & a terrified Sharon cries with Adam in her arms & screams out for help.
Adam and Skye go to the opening of Gloworm, and while there an angry & jealous Skye makes it clear to Adam that she is Mrs. Newman now, not Sharon possibly setting the stage for another feud almost similar to the one Sharon had had with Nick's now estranged wife Phyllis. At the end of the show however, Adam and Sharon were kissing. Sharon is still repulsed by Adam knowing all of the horrible things he did & is still doing but does still have feelings for him.
In the August 10th episode, Adam is in court against everyone, and much to the others' shock and anger, gets off scot-free. He later sues everyone, revealing that he plans to make them suffer for what they did to him. When Adam brags to Victor at the Genoa City Athletic Club that he intends to make him pay for what happened at the cabin, Victor punches Adam & warns him that Adam's going to be the one who's going to pay for everything that he's done.
Adam, however, suffers a setback when he realizes that his wife Skye has turned on him & is now scheming with Victor to bring Adam down. Adam is also trying to win back Sharon, but Nick is determined to do whatever he can to protect Sharon & his family from Adam, who he knows is dangerous & could hurt Sharon if he really wanted to.
When a terrible storm hits Genoa City in October 2010, Sharon & Faith get stuck in a barn. Adam comes to try & protect them, but when the beams of the barn start falling off due to the storm's powerful winds, Adam throws himself on Faith, who is laying on a bale of hay, in an attempt to protect her, causing Sharon to freak out in fear. They all survive, and Sharon tells Adam he's a hero & thanks him.
When Adam tries to leave town on Halloween, Sharon stops him, which lets him know that she does still cares for him despite the hate she still feels towards him for all the bad he has done.
Adam and Sharon tell Phyllis that they can work together; Sharon and Adam can find evidence that Adam didn't kill Skye, and Phyllis can report it. Adam is later sent to jail. Sharon with some help of Adam's began to trace Skye beginning with Skye's perfume. Apparently, Skye used a rare perfume that was discontinued decades ago, but Skye orders it online. Sharon discovers that someone bought it in Hawaii recently. Believing Skye is there, Sharon leaves for Hawaii looking for Skye. However no one had seen her. At the same time Victor Newman is following Sharon to make sure she doesn't figure out the truth about Skye. Eventually, Sharon takes a hike near a volcano and she finds Skye. The two argue and Sharon takes a picture of her. Suddenly, Skye slips and falls into the volcano. Sharon tried to save her, but couldn't hold her up. Sharon also looses the camera with Skye's picture. Nearby, Victor sees what happened, but does nothing to help. Instead he runs over to Skye's hut and burns up every last trace of Skye.
When Sharon returns from Hawaii she sees Jack and Phyllis at the airport. Sharon explains the story to the two of them. Phyllis says she can't run that story in Restless Style, but Jack seemingly believes Sharon saying she wouldn't lie. At the jail, Sharon explains everything to Adam and says they will find someone who saw Skye. As Sharon and Adam seem to be hitting a dead end, Vance's law firm backs out of the lawsuit leaving Adam on his own. Later on, Jack
decides to look into Sharon's claim of seeing Skye in Hawaii. Jack confronts Victor
on Skye and says that he will go to Hawaii. Right afterwards, Jack left for Hawaii and tries to find out the truth about Skye. After some minor investigation, he finds a burned down hut with Skye's perfume there.
Thanks to Vance, on January 14, 2011, Adam surprises Sharon by showing up at the GCAC & reveals to her that the charges against him have been dropped, much to Victor's dismay. Adam & Sharon then leave & go to her house together. Victor, on the other hand, vows to get revenge on his son.
master scribe and Paul Rauch BFF/frenemy, Harding Lemay
, is freaking if he’s watching this gothic, macabre and super-creepy mystery. Moreover, camp-ilicious Chris Engen (Adam) is stealing the story with his very bitchy, and sexy performance of a deranged son scorned." CBS Soaps In Depth also commended Adam's stories. The magazine named Engen a gold star for playing Adam as a gray character with "sardonic humor." Soap Opera Digest named the actor performer of the week for his work in his final scenes as Adam. The magazine said, the actor "gave a performance that elevated Adam from an average villain to a complex mastermind." The story of Adam causing Ashley's miscarriage was named editor's choice by the magazine.
Branco referred to Muhney "as the most-talked-about recast in Y&R history" and praised his performance as he debuted on the show. TV Guide Canada's Denette Wilford also complimented the actor's portrayal of Adam, saying, "Viewers aren't supposed to empathize with him, but his portrayer managed to make it happen – a testament to Muhney." AfterElton.com's Michael Jensen reported that viewers enjoyed the character as portrayed by Muhney. The actor said he received both positive and negative reviews from online fans.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
on the CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
The Young and the Restless
The Young and the Restless
The Young and the Restless is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in a fictional Wisconsin town called Genoa City, which is unlike and unrelated to the real life village of the same name, Genoa City, Wisconsin...
. He is the younger son of business tycoon Victor Newman
Victor Newman
Victor Newman is a fictional character on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless played by actor Eric Braeden from February 1980 through November 2, 2009 and again from January 15, 2010 to present. The character briefly appeared on The Bold and the Beautiful in 1999...
(Eric Braeden
Eric Braeden
Eric Braeden is a German-American film and television actor, best known for his role as Victor Newman on the soap opera The Young and the Restless and as John Jacob Astor IV in the 1997 film Titanic...
) and his ex-wife Hope Wilson
Hope Wilson
Hope Wilson was a fictional character on CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless. The role was originated and played by Signy Coleman from 1993 to 1995, again from 1996 to 1997, with brief appearances in 2000, 2002, 2008, and 2010...
(Signy Coleman
Signy Coleman
Signy Coleman , sometimes credited asSigney Coleman, is an American actress.-Background:Coleman grew up in Bolinas, California and attended Tamalpais High School in Mill Valley...
), born onscreen in April 1995.
The character came to mainstream attention in May 2009 when portrayer Chris Engen
Chris Engen (actor)
Chris Engen is an American actor known for his portrayal of Adam Wilson on the daytime drama The Young and The Restless.-Personal life :...
quit the series prematurely, reportedly due to personal objections over his storyline. Within days of Engen's replacement by actor Michael Muhney
Michael Muhney
Michael Muhney is an American actor, known for his role as Sheriff Don Lamb on Veronica Mars, as well as his role as Adam Newman on The Young and the Restless...
in June 2009, heterosexual villain Adam engages in an off-screen sexual encounter with another male character. Engen defended his decision in a statement, and co-stars Eileen Davidson
Eileen Davidson
Eileen Davidson is an American film and soap opera actress. She is known for her role as Ashley Abbott on The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful and for the multiple roles she portrayed on Days of our Lives....
and Braeden noted in subsequent interviews that Engen had been unhappy with his character's storyline and villainous actions long before the gay plot twist had come up.
Casting
The character was first played by infant twins Celeste and Coryn Williams, then by Danielle and Sabrina Helper, followed by Spencer Klass, all in 1995. Hayden Tank played young Victor Jr. from December 1996 to August 1997 and made a guest appearance on June 26, 2002. Engen originated the adult role on February 21, 2008, and was nominated for a SoapCentral Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in 2009. On May 21, 2009, it was announced that Engen would be leaving the role, which would be recast with Muhney. Engen's last airdate was June 24, 2009, and Muhney debuted on June 25, 2009.Controversy
When news broke of Engen's exit, it was reported that he had allegedly quit the series due to personal objections over an upcoming same-sex relationship between Adam and male character Rafe Torres (Yani GellmanYani Gellman
Yani Gellman is an American film and television actor.Gellman was born in Miami, Florida to a Canadian father and an Australian mother; he was named after a family friend, writer Jan Joors...
). Engen became the subject of some criticism, including a post by celebrity blogger Perez Hilton
Perez Hilton
Mario Armando Lavandeira, Jr. , better known as Perez Hilton , is an American blogger and television personality. His blog, Perezhilton.com , is known for posts covering gossip items about celebrities...
who wrote "homophobe
Homophobia
Homophobia is a term used to refer to a range of negative attitudes and feelings towards lesbian, gay and in some cases bisexual, transgender people and behavior, although these are usually covered under other terms such as biphobia and transphobia. Definitions refer to irrational fear, with the...
" on a photo of Engen.
On May 27, 2009, Maria Arena Bell
Maria Arena Bell
Maria Arena Bell is an American novelist, television and freelance writer. She is currently the Head Writer and Executive Producer of CBS Daytime's The Young and the Restless.-Personal:...
, the co-head writer
Head writer
A head writer is a person who oversees the team of writers on a television or radio series. The title is common in the soap opera genre, as well as with sketch comedies and talk shows that feature monologues and comedy skits, but in prime time series this function is generally performed by an...
and co-executive producer
Executive producer
An executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
for The Young and Restless, told TV Guide Canada
TV Guide (Canada)
TV Guide was a Canadian version, and later spin-off, of the American weekly magazine of the same name. It was originally published by McMurray Publishing from 1953 to 1976, and after its split from the US parent, became the property of Transcontinental Media since 1977...
s Nelson Branco, "While I won’t comment on Chris’ decision, I will admit I was saddened that we had to recast because Engen was really [gelling] in the role. However, I have no doubt that Michael will make Adam his own." In a subsequent June 10, 2009 interview with Branco, Engen's co-star Davidson (who portrays Ashley Abbott
Ashley Abbott
Ashley Suzanne Abbott McCall is a fictional character from the American soap opera The Young and the Restless, currently played by American actress Eileen Davidson, who had played the character for a total of more than 16 years prior to her return in September 2008...
) said of his exit, "Everybody has his or her own demons — and makes their own choices due to their creative process. I can’t judge his decision because it was a personal one." She also noted, "I can say I love working with [recast] Michael Muhney. He’s a terrific actor." In subsequent interviews, co-star Braeden stated his disappointment with Engen's departure. Braeden told Soap Opera Digest
Soap Opera Digest
Soap Opera Digest is a weekly magazine covering American daytime soap operas. It features onscreen and offscreen news about the series, interviews with and articles about performers, storyline summaries and analysis, and related promotional information...
that he unsuccessfully attempted to convince Engen to stay. "He was somewhat disturbed by the fact that he was playing this evil character," Braeden stated. "I said, 'Listen, I remember Victor feeding rats to people.' I told him to embrace it because he had the most riveting storyline around, period." In Soaps In Depth, Braeden said, "I'm saddened by the fact that he left ... It was a hell of a role. Whatever personal reasons he has, you've got to respect that. But he was a very nice guy, very professional. We all liked working with him. We were shocked when he decided to leave, but that's his personal decision."
On May 26, 2009, Engen released a statement on his Myspace page where he denied accusations of homophobia as well as reports that he "stormed off set."
"I felt generally unhappy about my contribution to the show, and had greater and greater difficulty making any sense of the challenges they were asking me to face ... I was allowed ONE meeting with Maria Bell, and I called in sick ONCE in my 16 months on the show. In the end, I didn’t feel that decisions were being made in my best interests, personally or professionally...Ultimately, the producers were very understanding and amenable and I, in fact, worked until they told me they didn’t need me anymore."
—Engen, MySpace
Addressing the accusations of homophobia against Engen, Davidson told Michael Fairman of The Advocate
The Advocate
The Advocate is an American LGBT-interest magazine, printed monthly and available by subscription. The Advocate brand also includes a web site. Both magazine and web site have an editorial focus on news, politics, opinion, and arts and entertainment of interest to LGBT people...
, "He was having problems with the character long before this homosexual thing came up... I think it was a series of events with Adam killing Ashley’s baby that got to him much more than the gay thing...I believe Chris was having a hard time wrapping his head around where the character was coming from and where it was going."
Engen's last airdate was June 24, 2009, and Muhney appeared the following day. A day later on June 26, 2009, a storyline twist evolved in which heterosexual Adam seduces male lawyer Rafe to distract him from discovering Adam's criminal activities. Some fans were upset that Adam and Rafe's June 29, 2009, "sex scene" was implied rather than shown onscreen; Nelson Branco of TV Guide Canada made the point that "Filming a sex scene between a straight and gay man could come off as offensive. Firstly, Adam would have to appear uncomfortable in the situation which could anger gay right groups, etc." Muhney also approved of the choice not to show the sex scene. "For me, the way it was done was tasteful and it almost makes the audience wonder what exactly happened," he said in an interview with The Advocate. "You can create that in your head and try to interpret it by how the characters reacted afterwards."
Characterization and portrayal
The Young and the Restless creator William J. BellWilliam J. Bell
William J. Bell was the creator and executive producer of the soap operas The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful.-Personal life:...
created Adam (then known as Victor Newman, Jr.) in 1995 as part of a social issue storyline. The plot involved Hope Adams's decision to carry Victor's child to term despite the possibility that he could inherit his mother's blindness later in life. Adam departed the series in 1997 and returned in 2008, portrayed by Chris Engen. Adam's off-screen background was established to reflect his father's, with the character making his own way in the world by putting himself through college and beginning a career in finance. The first adult to play Adam, Engen told CBS Soaps In Depth, "Luckily, I'm not going to be compared to anyone else ... anything I do and anything I try to project, and [the] kind of ideas that I have to influence the character are okay." Engen stated his intent to portray Adam as a "rich, three-dimensional character" with ambitions, flaws, and the positive qualities of his mother Hope.
As the character's story progressed, he ultimately became "one of the most devious characters on daytime" as part of a gothic plot in which Adam secretly torments Victor's love interest, Ashley, to get revenge on his father. Since the story called for Adam to be blind with ambiguity surrounding whether or not the disability is fake, Engen said he was not sure how to portray the impairment. "I didn't want to nail it on the head completely with the blindness, because I wasn't sure if the blindness was real]," Engen said in an interview with CBS Soaps in Depth. "Signey
Signy Coleman
Signy Coleman , sometimes credited asSigney Coleman, is an American actress.-Background:Coleman grew up in Bolinas, California and attended Tamalpais High School in Mill Valley...
(who played Hope, Adam's mother) won awards for her portrayal of retinitis pigmentosa
Retinitis pigmentosa
Retinitis pigmentosa is a group of genetic eye conditions that leads to incurable blindness. In the progression of symptoms for RP, night blindness generally precedes tunnel vision by years or even decades. Many people with RP do not become legally blind until their 40s or 50s and retain some...
, and I thought it would be a dishonor to that if I came too close to the mark." Engen said that in regards to his character he thought that Maria Arena Bell, co-executive producer Paul Rauch
Paul Rauch
- Another World :Rauch is best known for his work on Another World, which he produced from 1971 to 1984. For much of that time, he worked in conjunction with Head Writer Harding Lemay, and the team garnered the show critical acclaim and strong ratings....
, and the writers "know what they're doing, and right now it would seem like Adam is instigating more ... drama." He worried about the character's actions leading to him becoming irredeemable, but also said he took it as a challenge for him to make what Adam does "interesting and human."
In May 2009, Engen departed the role in the middle of his contract because of his objections to the growing darkness in the character. Bell recast the role with Michael Muhney. In interviews, the actor said the darkness of the character did not make him hesitate to take on the role. He instead embraced the prospect of taking on such a character. Muhney said the plot point of seducing Rafe broadened Adam's horizons. "What it did was move a character who represents a person who lives in Genoa City and moved him outside of a box that you can neatly check off," he said. "'He is straight, he is this, or he is that,' and the fact that some lines are blurred makes him more real ... When they did that with this character, I loved the opportunity to play into a different realm which is usually not touched upon on television." Muhney described the character as a "puppeteer" with "survival instinct", but also someone with a conscience.
Early life
Hope Adams gives birth to Victor Adam Newman, Jr., in April 1995. Hope and Victor divorce that year and she later returns to KansasKansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
in 1997, with Hope insisting that Victor stay out of his son's life. Hope later marries ex-fiancé Cliff Wilson. Victor has limited contact with this son over the next few years but Victor Jr. never knew Victor was his father, until June 26, 2002 when Victor made a visit to Hope who allowed him to spend time with an excited Victor Jr.
2008-2009
In February 2008 Victor visits Hope, who is dying from pancreatic cancerPancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer refers to a malignant neoplasm of the pancreas. The most common type of pancreatic cancer, accounting for 95% of these tumors is adenocarcinoma, which arises within the exocrine component of the pancreas. A minority arises from the islet cells and is classified as a...
. Their son, who is now known as "Vic," arrives and is shocked by his mother's dying admission that Victor is his father. A Harvard
Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School is the graduate business school of Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts, United States and is widely recognized as one of the top business schools in the world. The school offers the world's largest full-time MBA program, doctoral programs, and many executive...
-educated Wall Street
Wall Street
Wall Street refers to the financial district of New York City, named after and centered on the eight-block-long street running from Broadway to South Street on the East River in Lower Manhattan. Over time, the term has become a metonym for the financial markets of the United States as a whole, or...
stockbroker, Vic thinks of Cliff as his father and is resentful that Victor would "abandon" his own child. However, Hope's dying wish is that her son get to know Victor. Soon accepting Victor's offer to return to Genoa City
Genoa City (fictional city)
Genoa City, Wisconsin is the fictional setting for the long-running American CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless. The real U.S. village of the same name is otherwise unlike and unrelated to the mid-size city depicted in the series.- Overview :...
with him and work at Newman Enterprises, Victor Jr. – now going by "Adam Wilson" – insists that it is merely a career decision and keeps his distance from Victor. Adam receives a lukewarm reception from Victor's wary other children, Victoria
Victoria Newman
Victoria Nicole Newman is a fictional character from the American soap opera The Young and the Restless...
(Amelia Heinle
Amelia Heinle
Amelia March Heinle Luckinbill is an American actress best known for her roles in American soap operas.-Career:...
) and Nicholas
Nicholas Newman
Nicholas Christian "Nick" Newman is a fictional character from the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless. He has been portrayed by American actor Joshua Morrow since 1994, but was earlier portrayed by various child actors, including John Nelson-Alden, a son of the show's former writer, Kay...
(Joshua Morrow
Joshua Morrow
Joshua Jacob Morrow is an American actor and former pop singer who plays the role of Nicholas Newman on The Young and the Restless.-Private life:In 2001, Joshua married his longtime girlfriend, Tobe Keeney...
), who resent him for their parents break-up when Victor had gone to Kansas. Adam's conflicts with Nicholas and Victoria strain each of their relationships with Victor. Adam and Victor's own relationship improves, in part due to Victor's girlfriend Sabrina Costelana's (Raya Meddine
Raya Meddine
Raya Meddine is an American actress. She is known for her role as Sabrina Costelana Newman on The Young and the Restless. Sometimes credited as Rana Alamuddin.-Personal life:...
) urging, and Adam soon meets and becomes romantically involved with lawyer Heather Stevens
Heather Stevens
Heather Stevens is a fictional character on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless. She was born onscreen in 1979 as the daughter of Paul Williams and April Stevens....
(Vail Bloom
Vail Bloom
-Private life:Bloom who was born in Boston, Massachusetts and grew up in Connecticut and Florida. The daughter of a high school guidance counselor and businessman/college professor, Bloom graduated from Princeton University in 2004 with a Bachelor's Degree in Architecture. In 2003, she placed third...
). They keep the romance secret because Victor holds a grudge against Heather for previously attempting to prosecute him for murder, and Heather's father Paul Williams (Doug Davidson
Doug Davidson
Douglas Donald "Doug" Davidson is an American television actor. He has portrayed private investigator Paul Williams on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless since May 1978, making him the series' senior male cast member.On September 12, 1994, he began hosting a five-night-a-week,...
) disapproves because he fears Adam will hurt Heather the way Victor hurt Nikki.
Sabrina later dies in a car accident, and a distraught Victor leaves home to go to Mexico to find and confront the men responsible for her death. Victor disappears and is presumed drowned. Adam assumes the surname Newman, moves into Victor's ranch home and soon asserts control over his father's company. The rest of the Newman family is powerless to stop him as he gets rid of Victor's personal belongings, fires Victoria and longtime employee Neil Winters
Neil Winters
Neil Winters is a fictional character in the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless, portrayed by actor Kristoff St. John since his first appearance in January 1991...
(Kristoff St. John
Kristoff St. John
Kristoff St. John is an American actor, best known for his role as Neil Winters on the daytime US drama The Young and the Restless.-Career:...
), and rehires Victor's long-time nemesis, Brad Carlton
Brad Carlton
Bradley "Brad" Carlton was a fictional character on CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless. Actor Don Diamont played the role since May 1985 until he departed the show in 1996 and returned on July 28, 1998. Diamont was temporarily replaced by Russell Todd in 1993. The character has also...
(Don Diamont
Don Diamont
Don Diamont is an American actor, best known for his long-running portrayal of Brad Carlton on the CBS daytime drama The Young and the Restless. In 1990, he was chosen as one of the 50 most beautiful people in the world by People Magazine, becoming the first daytime drama actor to receive the honor...
). Nicholas and Victoria's hopes for a turnaround are dashed when Victor's will leaves most of the company and ranch to Adam, thanks to their difficulties with Victor before his death. Victor eventually turns up alive and returns to his ranch and is shocked by Adam's actions. Victor fires and disowns him, once again referring to his son as "Adam Wilson."
Seeking revenge, Adam plots with Victor's longtime enemy Jack Abbott (Peter Bergman
Peter Bergman
Peter Bergman is an American soap opera actor best known for his portrayals as Dr. Cliff Warner on All My Children, as well as Jack Abbott on The Young and the Restless.-Biography:...
) to use a forged diary to frame Victor for murder. When Victor is exonerated, Jack subsequently frames his co-conspirator Adam for the plot, and Adam is arrested. Later in jail, Adam breaks down in front of Victor, saying that all he ever wanted has been to be Victor's son. Victor tells Adam to prove he is a Newman by being strong. Later, visiting Adam on the anniversary of Hope's death, Victor sees a positive change. During a jail house visit, ex-girlfriend Heather, Genoa City's prosecutor, notices that Adam's eyesight is beginning to fail; Victor is at first suspicious, but soon realizes that Adam's condition is real. Adam's mother Hope had also gone blind and the doctors warned the couple when Hope was pregnant, that the baby might inherit this blindness gene as well. When Adam is brutally beaten by another inmate, he tells his father that as Victor's son he is a target there. Victor finally agrees to get the charges dropped and have Adam freed if he agrees to certain terms. Released into Victor's custody and eventually reunited with Heather, Adam also befriends Victor's current girlfriend and ex-wife, Ashley Abbott
Ashley Abbott
Ashley Suzanne Abbott McCall is a fictional character from the American soap opera The Young and the Restless, currently played by American actress Eileen Davidson, who had played the character for a total of more than 16 years prior to her return in September 2008...
(Eileen Davidson
Eileen Davidson
Eileen Davidson is an American film and soap opera actress. She is known for her role as Ashley Abbott on The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful and for the multiple roles she portrayed on Days of our Lives....
). By this time, Adam is one of the leading antagonists of the show.
In April 2009, a pregnant Ashley begins hearing a baby crying on the ranch, and begins finding objects seemingly left for her by Sabrina, who was pregnant at the time of her death. The housekeeper Estella Munoz (Anne Betancourt) is blamed and arrested, but a vengeful Adam is secretly the one gaslighting
Gaslighting
Gaslighting is a form of psychological abuse in which false information is presented with the intent of making a victim doubt his or her own memory and perception...
Ashley, injecting Botox into his eyes to simulate blindness before medical exams. Nicholas and Victoria's mother Nikki Newman (Melody Thomas Scott
Melody Thomas Scott
Melody Thomas Scott is an American actress, best known for playing Nikki Newman on the soap opera The Young and the Restless since 1979.-Early Training:Melody Thomas Scott has been a working actress since the age of three...
) voices her suspicions that Adam is involved, but Victor and Ashley dismiss her. Adam dresses up like the late Sabrina to frighten Ashley, who tumbles down the stairs, is knocked unconscious, and miscarries her baby. Adam attempts to cover up the incident by placing a knocked-out Ashley in her bed and burning her bloody nightgown. Ashley wakes up screaming, but Adam convinces her that she just had a bad dream. He then blackmails Dr. Charles Taylor into convincing Ashley that her baby is still alive.
Victor becomes increasingly suspicious of Adam while he is living at the Newman ranch; subjected to a surprise eye exam at Victor's request, Adam is shocked to discover that even without his secret self-injections, he is now really losing his eyesight. When the doctor also notes that Adam has punctures in his eyes, a quick-thinking Adam "confesses" that he had been attacked by inmates with hypodermic needles and was too ashamed to speak up in jail. Estella's nephew Rafe Torres (Yani Gellman
Yani Gellman
Yani Gellman is an American film and television actor.Gellman was born in Miami, Florida to a Canadian father and an Australian mother; he was named after a family friend, writer Jan Joors...
), Adam's friend and former court-appointed defense attorney, becomes suspicious of Adam. Rafe goes to Adam's room to investigate and nearly stumbles upon evidence of Adam's guilt; to distract Rafe, Adam seduces him. Getting dressed after an offscreen sexual encounter, Adam sends Rafe away, and the heterosexual Adam, disgusted by what has just happened with Rafe, summons Heather, and has sex with her as well. After Victor asks Rafe about Adam's prison attack with needles, a suspicious Rafe comes to see Adam on July 8, 2009. Though Adam intends to put a quick end to his "relationship" with Rafe, he immediately reverts to his seduction tactics to deflect Rafe's questions; Rafe initially resists, but gives in when Adam says, "I thought I found someone that I could be 'me' with." A shocked Nikki stumbles upon the men kissing, but leaves unseen. She later reveals what she saw to Victor and Nick, while Adam "breaks up" with Rafe, only to be confronted by his father moments later. On August 7, 2009, Heather sees a note left from Nikki, revealing that Adam is "gay." Heather confronts Adam about his relationship with Rafe, and despite Adam's denials she breaks up with him.
Baby Switch and Relationship with Sharon Newman
Sharon Newman (Sharon CaseSharon Case
Sharon Case is an American actress. She is known for her roles on daytime television soap operas. Her most well-known role has been on CBS Daytime Television's The Young and the Restless. She has portrayed the role of Sharon Newman since August 1994...
) is pregnant by Nicholas, her ex-husband and Adam's half-brother. Ashley still believes she is pregnant when she is really not. When Sharon goes into premature labor and Ashley believes that she is as well, Adam steals Sharon's baby and passes it off as Ashley's. Adam elopes with Sharon on December 28, 2009. Suspicions about Adam arise as his connection to Dr. Taylor is revealed. Nicholas and Jack, both previously married to Sharon, believe that Adam stole Sharon's baby and team up to find out the truth. Sharon breaks it off with Adam and begins to remember things that contradict what she has been told about her baby's death. As everyone confronts a captive Adam, Nicholas's wife Phyllis Newman
Phyllis Summers Newman
Phyllis Summers Newman is a fictional character in the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless. Phyllis has been portrayed by actress Michelle Stafford from the week of October 17–21, 1994 to February 17, 1997 and from July 13, 2000 to the present. From March 21, 1997 to February 22, 1999, the...
(Michelle Stafford
Michelle Stafford
Michelle Stafford is an American actress, best known for her role as Phyllis Summers on The Young and the Restless.-Career:...
) finds a note left by the dying Dr. Taylor saying that Ashley had miscarried. The group realizes that Ashley's baby is really Sharon's missing daughter. Victor, Jack, many of the other Newmans and Abotts, Heather and Rafe used Sharon as bait to lure Adam to the Abott cabin in order to confront him of his crimes but Adam didn't talk, so they put the pieces together using trails of evidence Adam had left behind. Adam subsequently escapes and disappears on March 12, 2010. Adam does not get very far as he becomes unconscious after he falls into a nearby wooded ravine as Victor catches up with him giving him CPR before Adam is taken to the hospital where he regained consciousness and was handcuffed. In the next few days, Adam unsuccessfully tries to fake being unstable so he won't be found fit to stand trial, but he is found fit, and Heather announces that Adam will be jailed on April 2. However, in order to not go to jail, Adam gets a nurse to bring the insane Patty Williams
Patty Williams
Patricia Ann "Patty" Williams is a fictional character in the American soap opera The Young and the Restless, portrayed by originating actress Tammy Taylor briefly in 1980 before Lilibet Stern took over the role from 1980 to 1983 and by Andrea Evans from 1983 to October 1984...
, whom Adam blackmails as he confronts her about knowing her true identity, to the hospital. With Patty's assistance, a disguised Adam escapes police custody and the hospital and makes his way to the masquerade ball at the Genoa City Athletic Club.
Adam makes one final attempt to reconcile with Sharon and finally confesses about having taken her baby to give it to Ashley. A non-forgiving Sharon asks him to leave just as Nick arrives. Adam escapes the room by jumping out Sharon's room window then later calls Sharon to meet him in the Athletic Club basement, which Nick, Victor, Jack and several others go instead when they detect a gas leak, just before the building explodes. After the explosion, a burned body beyond recognition is found and is presumed to be Adam and later it was learned that the person was dead before the explosion. Days later on April 8, 2010, Detective Phillip Chancellor IV informs Sharon and the Newmans that the deceased corpse has been positively identified as Adam.
Return from the Dead
However, it has been determined on the May 27th episode of the Y&R in Canada, (May 28 in the U.S) that Adam faked his own death and is indeed alive and living at an undisclosed location. He apparently did this by using a man named Richard Hightower whom he gave a bone marrow transplant to give him his DNA. Since he looked like Adam and has some of his DNA, he is the real body that was discovered in the basement of the Athletic club. Adam has recently been shown taking up residence in Brazil with a female accomplice, later confirmed as his old Harvard girlfriend Skye Lockhart. The two have recently been plotting a huge con. Meanwhile Adam has vivid daydreams about Sharon in which she hopes to reunite with him, and confesses that Skye means nothing to him as it is Sharon he really loves. After Sharon arrives in Brazil with Victor, Adam reunites with Sharon. Skye loses her card game vs. Victor and Victor gets to bring Adam back to Genoa City with him. After some coercion (and with reluctance), Adam agrees to return to Genoa City with Victor and Sharon, who plan to take him to court so that he can testify on Nick's behalf. Shortly after arriving in Genoa City and being asked to testify, Adam suddenly has a mental breakdown and is dragged out of the courtroom. He ends up in the mental hospital where Patty currently resides. As it turns out, the breakdown is yet another ploy for Adam to avoid going back to court, and Victor and the others quickly see through his act. Adam hides in an air vent and whispers to Patty about her actions, much to the latter's terror. While Adam is torturing Patty, the psychiatrist's evaluation confirms that Adam is indeed fit to return to court. Afterward, Adam is sent to jail to join Nick, but is later released on bail via help from Skye, who blackmails him to marry her, which he does. Nonetheless, he continues to see Sharon, much to Nick's exasperation. Sharon tells Adam that she will never forgive him what he has done.Later on, Adam and Skye initiate the Newman fund, much to Nick's disbelief & anger.
In rest dicoveries, it was found out that it was indeed Patty Williams who killed Richard Hightower, tha man whose dead body was mistaken for Adam's. She has vivid memories of the night and remembers specific details on how she stabbed Richard. Patty was also responsible for the gas leak at the Masquerade Ball and the explosion that occurred right after. Later Adam tells Skye that he is meeting with Vance and that since Patty confessed to Hightower's murder, he is feeling a lot more confident. Meanwhile, Patty has a nightmare of the night Hightower was murdered and wakes up in a cold sweat whispering to herself that she didn't do it. Paul arrives to visit Patty and realizes that she is in distress over Hightower's murder. Paul calls Emily Petersen to come and help Patty try to figure things out. Jack, however, is not too pleased when Emily agrees to go to the hospital to help Patty. At the hospital, after talking to Patty without anything crazy happening, Emily tells Paul that it is clear that her confession is more questionable than ever and she is calling the D.A. Meanwhile, vVance assures both Adam and Skye that Adam will be a free man soon, but Jack warns them not to get ahead of themselves. Later Adam eavesdrops on Emily and Owen's conversation as Emily tells Owen that Patty's confession is no longer seems solid and that he should meet with her. Upstairs, Adam tells Skye that he needs to do something to make sure that Patty doesn't recant her confession. Meanwhile, Emily tells Jack that she is going to continue to treat Patty, causing Jack's concern to grow even more. Later, Adam tells Skye that while he goes to see Patty & thatshe is going to be his alibi. As they continue to argue over Patty, Emily realizes that Jack is asking her to choose between their relationship and helping Patty. At the hospital, Patty continues to write in her diary in crayon that she didn't kill anyone. Meanwhile, Adam works to break into the hospital to get to Patty again. Later, Jack tells Emily that if given the chance Patty will blow up their lives again. Meanwhile, Adam finds Patty's diary and tears out the pages that she wrote in saying she didn't kill anyone and then starts writing something of his own.
Emily finally sees how much Jack loves and fears for her and agrees to stop seeing Patty. Meanwhile, Patty wakes up to find Adam in her room. Adam tells her that he is the ghost of Richard Hightower, and that he looks like Adam because that is who she meant to kill the night of the ball. Adam tells Patty that he needs to take her down the rabbit hole after hearing her talk in her dreams, and Patty decides to trust him. She writes Paul a goodbye note, and she and Adam take off together. Later, Adam gives Patty a new identity and tells her that she is going to Canada to start her penance as a nun. He also tells her never to return to Genoa City.
Then on a rainy night, Sharon hears someone trying to get into the Abbott cabin, where she has gone to clear her mind & to get away from things for awhile. Scared, she pulls out a gun from one of the kitchen drawers & demands to know who it is or else she shoots. When the person doesn't answer, Sharon fires the gun. When the door opens, she is horrified to discover that Adam is the one she has shot. She goes to him, & he lets her know that he believes that she still loves him. Adam then passes out from the pain caused by the gunshot wound he sustained in his right upper arm, & a terrified Sharon cries with Adam in her arms & screams out for help.
Adam and Skye go to the opening of Gloworm, and while there an angry & jealous Skye makes it clear to Adam that she is Mrs. Newman now, not Sharon possibly setting the stage for another feud almost similar to the one Sharon had had with Nick's now estranged wife Phyllis. At the end of the show however, Adam and Sharon were kissing. Sharon is still repulsed by Adam knowing all of the horrible things he did & is still doing but does still have feelings for him.
In the August 10th episode, Adam is in court against everyone, and much to the others' shock and anger, gets off scot-free. He later sues everyone, revealing that he plans to make them suffer for what they did to him. When Adam brags to Victor at the Genoa City Athletic Club that he intends to make him pay for what happened at the cabin, Victor punches Adam & warns him that Adam's going to be the one who's going to pay for everything that he's done.
Adam, however, suffers a setback when he realizes that his wife Skye has turned on him & is now scheming with Victor to bring Adam down. Adam is also trying to win back Sharon, but Nick is determined to do whatever he can to protect Sharon & his family from Adam, who he knows is dangerous & could hurt Sharon if he really wanted to.
When a terrible storm hits Genoa City in October 2010, Sharon & Faith get stuck in a barn. Adam comes to try & protect them, but when the beams of the barn start falling off due to the storm's powerful winds, Adam throws himself on Faith, who is laying on a bale of hay, in an attempt to protect her, causing Sharon to freak out in fear. They all survive, and Sharon tells Adam he's a hero & thanks him.
When Adam tries to leave town on Halloween, Sharon stops him, which lets him know that she does still cares for him despite the hate she still feels towards him for all the bad he has done.
Recent Events
Sharon feels she needs some time alone with her thoughts, so she decides to take a short trip to New Orleans; but Adam has followed her there and Nick and Michael are trying to track her down and Phyllis had also gone there to focus on a new article for Restless Style. While there, Sharon was questioning which man she should be with, and when she ran into Adam they spent the day together and made love. Nick is in New Orleans searching for Sharon, and then he finds her embracing Adam so he dumps her while Adam is arrested for the "murder" of his wife, Skye. Sharon is now planning to help Adam get out of jail, while her life with Nick could truly be over for good. Sharon is losing support and friendship from the people that care about her the most, including Jack and her son Noah. She is also the central person in Phyllis' newest article in Restless Style. Later at Gloworm, Sharon pushes Phyllis in a chocolate fountain.Adam and Sharon tell Phyllis that they can work together; Sharon and Adam can find evidence that Adam didn't kill Skye, and Phyllis can report it. Adam is later sent to jail. Sharon with some help of Adam's began to trace Skye beginning with Skye's perfume. Apparently, Skye used a rare perfume that was discontinued decades ago, but Skye orders it online. Sharon discovers that someone bought it in Hawaii recently. Believing Skye is there, Sharon leaves for Hawaii looking for Skye. However no one had seen her. At the same time Victor Newman is following Sharon to make sure she doesn't figure out the truth about Skye. Eventually, Sharon takes a hike near a volcano and she finds Skye. The two argue and Sharon takes a picture of her. Suddenly, Skye slips and falls into the volcano. Sharon tried to save her, but couldn't hold her up. Sharon also looses the camera with Skye's picture. Nearby, Victor sees what happened, but does nothing to help. Instead he runs over to Skye's hut and burns up every last trace of Skye.
When Sharon returns from Hawaii she sees Jack and Phyllis at the airport. Sharon explains the story to the two of them. Phyllis says she can't run that story in Restless Style, but Jack seemingly believes Sharon saying she wouldn't lie. At the jail, Sharon explains everything to Adam and says they will find someone who saw Skye. As Sharon and Adam seem to be hitting a dead end, Vance's law firm backs out of the lawsuit leaving Adam on his own. Later on, Jack
Jack Abbott
Jack Henry Abbott was an American criminal and author. He was released from prison in 1981 after gaining praise for his writing and being lauded by a number of high-profile literary critics, including author Norman Mailer...
decides to look into Sharon's claim of seeing Skye in Hawaii. Jack confronts Victor
Victor Newman
Victor Newman is a fictional character on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless played by actor Eric Braeden from February 1980 through November 2, 2009 and again from January 15, 2010 to present. The character briefly appeared on The Bold and the Beautiful in 1999...
on Skye and says that he will go to Hawaii. Right afterwards, Jack left for Hawaii and tries to find out the truth about Skye. After some minor investigation, he finds a burned down hut with Skye's perfume there.
Thanks to Vance, on January 14, 2011, Adam surprises Sharon by showing up at the GCAC & reveals to her that the charges against him have been dropped, much to Victor's dismay. Adam & Sharon then leave & go to her house together. Victor, on the other hand, vows to get revenge on his son.
Reception
CBS Soaps In Depth reported that Engen gained fan support quickly after joining the cast as Adam, as did the character's romance with Heather. "I thank God for that aspect of my storyline," Engen said of the romance. "I really do feel that he genuinely loves her. Heather has been the only light in this world of darkness that the character has lived in since I started. She's probably responsible for me still being on the show." As the character took a dark turn, fans continued to root for him. "To think there was any likability left in the character baffles me!" Engen said. "I'm very grateful to the fans ... they've been so supportive." He said fans wanted Adam either redeemed or turned into a gray character. Davidson credited the characters likability with Engen's looks. "[H]e really nailed this character," she said. "Chris’ all-American looks add another layer to this story: he looks like he regrets being so evil, but he can’t help himself. When Chris informed me he was leaving, I told him he really accomplished something by being so likable playing this villain." TV Guide Canada's Nelson Branco repeatedly praised Adam's storyline with Ashley and Victor and Engen as an actor. "The Haunting of Ashley is fast becoming one of my favorite all-time soap storylines ever," Branco said. "It's so 1970s. I have no doubt former Another WorldAnother World (TV series)
Another World is an American television soap opera that ran on NBC from May 4, 1964 to June 25, 1999. It ran for a total of 35 years. It was created by Irna Phillips along with William J...
master scribe and Paul Rauch BFF/frenemy, Harding Lemay
Harding Lemay
Harding Lemay is an American screenwriter and playwright. Born near the Mohawk Indian reservation, where his mother grew up, he ran away to New York City at age 17, where he has lived ever since.-Career:...
, is freaking if he’s watching this gothic, macabre and super-creepy mystery. Moreover, camp-ilicious Chris Engen (Adam) is stealing the story with his very bitchy, and sexy performance of a deranged son scorned." CBS Soaps In Depth also commended Adam's stories. The magazine named Engen a gold star for playing Adam as a gray character with "sardonic humor." Soap Opera Digest named the actor performer of the week for his work in his final scenes as Adam. The magazine said, the actor "gave a performance that elevated Adam from an average villain to a complex mastermind." The story of Adam causing Ashley's miscarriage was named editor's choice by the magazine.
Branco referred to Muhney "as the most-talked-about recast in Y&R history" and praised his performance as he debuted on the show. TV Guide Canada's Denette Wilford also complimented the actor's portrayal of Adam, saying, "Viewers aren't supposed to empathize with him, but his portrayer managed to make it happen – a testament to Muhney." AfterElton.com's Michael Jensen reported that viewers enjoyed the character as portrayed by Muhney. The actor said he received both positive and negative reviews from online fans.