Last week on CBS’s The Young and The Restless, viewers found that Adam Wilson (portrayed by Michael Muhney) is not only faking blindness – he’s now faking romantic feelings for his lawyer friend Rafael “Rafe” Torres (portrayed by Yani Gellman) in order to keep Rafe from discovering that he framed Rafe’s aunt Estella for gaslighting Ashley Abbott.
The character of Rafe Torres, introduced late last year, is the first openly gay character on Y & R. Although the character of Adam is not gay, on-line fans have already begun referring to the pair as “Ram,” or less commonly “Radam.” Before the story of Rafe and Adam materialized, speculation was rampant that Rafe would be paired up with either Phillip Chancellor III or the IV, both of whom are returning to Genoa City this month. It appears that, for the time being anyway, the writers intend to keep Adam and Rafe together…
Background on Rafe Torres
In October 2008, Rafe Torres was introduced to the scene as a college friend of Billy Abbott who had just graduated from law school. He represented Billy’s girlfriend Lily’s family in a child custody case and later represented Billy in another custody case. Afterwards, he was assigned to be the public defender of Adam Wilson, who had been arrested for framing his father for murder.
On April 24, Rafe was revealed to be gay when Lily Winters, unaware of this fact, attempted to set Rafe up with her best friend, Colleen Carlton. This revelation was extremely subtle (Rafe simply stated, “Obviously she doesn’t know I’m gay”), which is a marked departure from other soaps, such as CBS’s As The World Turns, which previously featured a dramatic coming out and struggle for acceptance storyline.
Adam’s Gaslighting Plot
Adam faked blindness in order to be granted house arrest at his father Victor Newman’s ranch, where Rafe’s aunt Estella was the house manager. While living at the ranch, Adam made Ashley Abbott, his father’s girlfriend, believe that she was being haunted by his father’s former wife, who had been killed in a car accident almost a year earlier. Ashley, believing that Adam was blind and incapable of perpetrating the crimes, immediately accused Estella, who had clearly disliked Ashley since the beginning of her relationship with Victor.
Eventually, Estella was arrested for gaslighting Ashley, but Nikki Newman was suspicious of Adam. She explained her reasoning to Rafe, who served as his aunt’s lawyer, and although Rafe and Adam had become good friends, Rafe was more willing to believe that Adam was behind the plot than his aunt Estella.
The Beginning of “Ram”
On June 26, Rafe confronted Adam about his suspicions that he was really behind the gaslighting. A desperate Adam exclaimed, “I can’t believe you of all people would accuse me… I thought we knew each other better than that.” He then claimed that he and Rafe had “more than a lawyer/client relationship” – that there was something deeper and special, and that he had feelings for Rafe. Rafe admitted that he felt the same way.
After sharing an (off-screen) kiss with Rafe, Adam immediately slept with his girlfriend Heather. Adam was also visibly disturbed when Rafe said that he returned Adam’s feelings. Thus, it is clear that Adam is only using Rafe in order to regain his trust and make him believe that he did not frame Estella. Summer teasers for the show, however, indicate that a surprising couple will develop impulsively and under unusual circumstances, and it may lead to a genuine relationship. It is unclear whether this spoiler refers to Adam and Rafe, although if it does, there will certainly be much more of “Ram” to come in the next few months.
Controversy
On May 25, it was reported that Chris Engen, the original actor who portrayed Adam Wilson, had suddenly quit Y & R. Original reports claimed that Engen had stormed off the set in protest after learning about his character’s upcoming involvement with Rafe. Engen later released a statement on his MySpace page in which he admitted that he had been unhappy with Adam’s dark storyline for months before he learned about Adam and Rafe’s affair. He claimed that “[his] visage and [his] craft were being utilized to tell a story that [he] wasn’t inspired to tell” and all reports of him being homophobic or leaving the show due to a same-sex storyline were “absurd.”
The role of Adam was subsequently recast, with Michael Muhney taking over on June 25.
What Happens Next?
Show teasers indicate that on July 8, Adam and Rafe get “up close and personal.” Adam is already forbidden from locking his bedroom door because his father is suspicious of him. Are the writers setting it up for someone to (eventually) walk in on Adam and Rafe?
How will Heather react when (if) Adam’s betrayal is revealed? How will Adam’s father Victor react when (if) he learns about Adam and Rafe? And how will Rafe react when (if) he learns that Adam really was responsible for framing Estella, and that Adam has been playing him? Be sure to catch Y & R at 12: 30 p.m. EST on CBS or at 4:30 p.m. EST on Global (in Canada) to see this shocking storyline play out.
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