ONE FOR THE ROAD! Is Y&R’s Michael Baldwin Drinking More Than Anyone Noticed?

MICHAEL BALDWIN KEPT DRINKING AT BOTH ABBOTT CELEBRATIONS

TL;DR: Michael Baldwin kept drinking at the Abbott party until Cane helped him out, downed more glasses at the wedding reception, and now he is flying to London with Lauren Fenmore and Billy to Jill’s bedside on Young and the Restless, where the stress of her surgery could push this past what Lauren can ignore.

Two Celebrations, Two Rounds Nobody Mentioned

Michael Baldwin drank his way through two big nights in ten days, and nobody has said a word about it. At the Abbott party he kept going after everyone else was done, and Cane Ashby had to help him out. At the wedding reception he took a break from dancing with Diane Jenkins and downed a few glasses. Maybe it is only parties, because parties come with drinks and both nights had plenty to celebrate.

The details do not help the case for harmless fun. When Billy Abbott ran off to the hospital, Jack Abbott said everyone should hold off on toasts until they heard news, and Michael apparently missed the memo. He finished a bottle, and Cane helped him hobble out. Victoria Newman remembers him cracking jokes about her wedding to Billy that night, so he was loose, lively, and exactly the kind of guest nobody stops to worry about.

The pattern is easier to see when you stack the nights side by side. Michael Baldwin has two occasions where somebody noticed and nobody spoke up. The woman best placed to say something is about to be as busy as she has ever been.

Got a wild theory about how any of this shakes out? Email us at amber@soapoperamagazine.com, we want to hear it!

Lauren Has Her Hands Full

Lauren Fenmore is flying to London because her sister, Jill Abbott, had a cardiac event and is in shape for surgery. Lauren told Phyllis Summers she felt terrible about the timing, and Michael told her she and her sister are “tough old birds.” That is a lovely thing to say, and it makes Michael the steady one in the room. Phyllis left the two of them to it, and Michael took over the comforting. A husband in the middle of his wife’s family crisis can look like support and feel like something else.

Being the steady one is a full-time job when the person next to you is worried sick. Lauren will spend every hour thinking about Jill, and that is not the same as having a spare hand to watch her husband. Phyllis even promised that she and Daniel Romalotti can handle things at home while Lauren is away, which clears Lauren’s schedule and fills her head with Jill.

London Is Not A Party

A hospital waiting room has no toasts, but stress has a way of finding another glass. Jill’s surgery, Billy’s nerves, Lauren’s worry, and Cane’s scramble to be there all land on the same few people at the same time. Michael is in the middle of it, surrounded by people who are too stretched thin to count.

The trip itself is a long flight with a worried wife, a rattled Billy, and a husband who told her to relax because they are tough old birds. Victor Newman even pointed out that everyone might run into each other in London, which makes London a small town for anyone trying to keep a low profile.

Nobody is saying Michael Baldwin has a problem. The question is whether anyone has room to notice if he does, and whether Lauren would rather not see it than lose her footing while Jill is sick.

Which storyline has you the most obsessed? Drop it in the comments below, we’re dying to talk about this!

Even Tough Old Birds Notice Eventually

Michael Baldwin may be perfectly fine, or he may be hiding more than anybody realizes. What does Lauren do if the stress of Jill’s surgery pushes this past what she can ignore, and who in London is paying close enough attention to catch it first?

Sound off on our Facebook page and tell us what you think Lauren has already seen.