The Young and the Restless spoilers document that Michael Baldwin (Christian Le Blanc) took his wife’s impassioned advice. He was quitting his Victor Newman (Eric Braeden) addiction.

Then, in a period that could be counted in weeks, one of this legendary city’s greatest-ever attorneys decided to reverse course. Not only did Michael go to Victor after Cane Ashby (Billy Flynn) approached him, but he also agreed to be a secret agent.

Viewers see, both visually and in their minds’ eyes, that the refreshed Cane is calculating. He also has money. Both factors create a plausible suspicion of his motives. But was Cane’s offer part of a bigger game?

Cane Ashby’s Goal Is Total Domination

Cane is telling multiple characters different pieces of information. To others, he’s outright lying.

The recast character Flynn is portraying is being sincere when he’s talking with Lily Winters (Christel Khalil). His demeanor shifts to Lily and Lily only when talking with her about reconciliation and making peace with their children.

When speaking with every other person, with the general exception of Amanda Sinclair (Mishael Morgan), Cane is disingenuous or outright lying. With that in mind, viewers should suspect that Cane has anticipated Michael pretending to be done with Victor and using that as part of his overall plan to steal every legacy company in Genoa City, Wisconsin.

Lauren Fenmore’s Concern Was On Target

Lauren Fenmore (Tracey Bregman) knows that Victor doesn’t care about Michael. All the head of Newman Enterprise wants is a lap dog who does his bidding.

Michael’s kidnapping in the recent past was the last soapy straw. Lauren decided at that point in the plot that he needed to break from Victor. But that didn’t happen until much later.

Michael’s decision to remain with the Newman family at the newest edition of the Ranch house meant something to Victor. But that merely was seen as a ticket out of jail after Michael and Cole Howard (J. Eddie Peck) forced Victor to turn Jordan Howard (Colleen Zenk) over to the authorities.

Le Blanc’s character believes he can manage Lauren’s response to his return to work for Victor. That’s a bad miscalculation that could lead to separation or divorce.

Cane Ashby Is Intelligent And Motivated

The return of Cane to Y&R has been engaging, with the understanding that the revision of this character is noticeable. Daniel Goddard’s (Cane) initial and lasting version was an initial schemer and did fake his death.

The major character shift helps to explain why a new actor was cast. It would have been hard to accept Goddard’s edition, doing what Flynn’s is pursuing. The suspension of disbelief has its limits.

Cane’s claimed artificial intelligence tool is a factor Victor fears, which is why he needs Michael’s renewed loyalty oath. Whether Cane’s game includes Michael’s assumed dishonesty and a marital break will soon be seen.