On The Young and the Restless, the rivalry between Sharon Newman (Sharon Case) and Phyllis Summers (Michelle Stafford) is one of the most intense in soap opera history. Both have played a big part in Nick Newman's (Joshua Morrow) life for years.
Their feud started with tragedy. When Sharon's daughter, Cassie (Camryn Grimes), died in a car accident, she and Nick broke up. Later on, Nick slept with Phyllis, who ended up pregnant with Summer (Allison Lanier), their daughter.
This permanently altered Sharon and Phyllis's dynamic for it was impossible for the two women to get along again on The Young and The Restless. Business problems, mental health issues, and family matters have only intensified their rivalry over time.
Their conflict has now reached a dangerous level as Sharon's mental health deteriorates and her feelings for Nick resurface, reigniting old tensions between them.
How did the feud between Sharon and Phyllis begin in The Young and The Restless?
Sharon and Phyllis's feud on The Young and The Restless began after the tragic death of Sharon's daughter, Cassie, in a car accident. This event strained Sharon and Nick's marriage, leading Nick to have an affair with Phyllis, who later became pregnant with their daughter, Summer. Sharon was deeply hurt by the betrayal and grew to resent Phyllis. Over time, their personal conflict escalated into professional rivalry.
The two women ended up being business partners with Nick and Jack Abbott (Peter Bergman) on The Young and The Restless. But their inability to even agree on something would just heighten the rivalry between them further. In every new meeting, Sharon and Phyllis grew more hostile with each other, paving the way for even more dramatic confrontations.
Sharon and Phyllis's conflict escalated when Sharon altered a paternity test, making everyone believe Summer was Jack's child instead of Nick's. This caused major chaos, and during a confrontation, Phyllis fell down the stairs and ended up in a coma. Sharon and Nick then reunited, but their relationship grew more complicated, especially as Phyllis was expected to wake up and reveal Sharon's deception.
What role did Nick play in the rivalry on The Young and The Restless?
Nick Newman is at the center of the feud between Sharon and Phyllis, only complicating things for him. His love affair between the two women has been in fight mode over the years; the man cannot seem to get his allegiance to Sharon or Phyllis right and keeps going back and forth between the two women, only causing one thing to add more fuel to the fire of the rivalry that exists between Sharon and Phyllis as the two continue in their battle for his attention and love.
Nick's affair with Phyllis after Cassie's death put a schism in his marriage to Sharon that never was fully repairable. Even when Nick reached out for a new beginning with Sharon, his connection to Phyllis kept pulling on him, which really ended up creating more ill will between these two women.
When Phyllis regained consciousness from her coma and unleashed Sharon's lie about Summer's paternity, Nick was once again caught between a rock and a hard place, torn between his feelings for both women. However, since Sharon's mental state has recently begun deteriorating, Nick's involvement in the feud again reared its ugly head.
His desire to be concerned for Sharon again placed him in a vulnerable situation and back into Phyllis' support and understanding arms. As Sharon's hallucinations drive her over the edge, Nick's involvement with Phyllis threatens to continue their rivalry in even more dangerous ways.
Could Sharon's mental health lead to a deadly confrontation on The Young and The Restless?
The mental health issues of Sharon had a lot to do with the latest installment of her ongoing battle with Phyllis on The Young and the Restless. Diagnosed with bipolar disorder, Sharon's condition has been at the root of her increasingly unstable erratic behavior. The hallucinations recently involving Cameron (Linden Ashby) have called to mind again agonizing the memories of the past concerning Phyllis and her son, Daniel Michael Graziadei, whom she holds responsible for Cassie's death.
Now that Sharon's grip on reality is loosening, the old hurts, including bitterness towards Phyllis, seem to have resurfaced. Their feud, once again, is at its forefront. Sharon's obsession with Nick and her family has finally reached a boiling point.
She refused the visitation of Phyllis for Faith Newman from her father, Reylnn Caster. Her obsession with the teddy bear Phyllis got Faith also reveals the degree of psychological disturbance Sharon has undergone, with her, in desperation, looking for solace through symbols of her broken family.
With Sharon's mind deteriorating and hallucinations thrusting her closer to violence-oriented thoughts, the long-standing hostility between the two women can turn deadly. With Nick remaining a quintessential character of both women, it reaches new heights of danger. Sharon may go on to act on her deepest instincts because she lacks a sharp division between reality and delusion. This would put both Phyllis and Daniel in grave danger.
Interested viewers can watch The Young and The Restless on CBS every weekday.