Young and the Restless has Claire Grace Newman (Hayley Erin), who has been torn between Holden Novak (Nathan Owens) and Kyle Abbott (Michael Mealor) for a few weeks. And this week, Claire has realized that Holden’s lifestyle may be too wild for her. But she’s also not ready to settle down like Kyle wants.
We’re going to talk about why Holden is the better choice for Claire and why she should choose him over Kyle, even if Holden is a little wild.
Young and the Restless: Kyle Won’t Respect Claire’s Boundaries
All right, so after Claire called things off with Kyle and went to LA for time away, she spent time getting to know Holden better as friends, but mostly Claire left Genoa City to get some space from Kyle. And the last time Claire said she needed a moment to breathe, Kyle proposed. So this time, Claire left the state. And guess what?
Kyle, of course, had to follow Claire to Los Angeles to try and convince her to come home, saying that Holden is no good. And then Claire lost it when Holden told her that Kyle was investigating him. But despite all that, you could tell that Claire was still torn about Kyle because she seemed a little bothered when he said he was going home to Genoa City.
A Y&R Halloween Twist and Lingering Doubts
And then on Halloween night, Claire got tipsy. She got a little wild. She told Holden, “Forget about Kyle.” And they had a night of passion. Now, in the midst of that, Claire told Holden she had no regrets. But then she felt a bit guilty when she saw a text from Kyle with him and Harrison Locke (Redding Munsell) in their Halloween costumes. Because Claire was supposed to be the third of the three little pigs on Halloween, but she bailed on them. And then she told her mom, Victoria Newman (Amelia Heinle), that she’s not sure Holden is the one for her and mentioned that he seems a little wild on Young and the Restless.
Holden’s Past with Audra and Claire’s Reaction on Young and the Restless
And that came after Holden told Claire about his past with Audra Charles (Zuleyka Silver). And Holden revealed he took $100,000 in hush money from Audra after she stole half a million from this guy back in the day years ago.
Claire doesn’t see that as a deal breaker, and she’s not judging Holden, but you can tell she’s taking it into consideration. After all, Claire’s done a lot worse than take hush money. But she does sense that trouble may follow Holden, and Claire doesn’t want to live life on the edge, but she’s also not ready to get married to Kyle.
Why Holden is the Superior Choice for Claire Newman
Even so, I’m seeing a lot of fans on soap social media that much prefer Claire to end up with Holden instead of Kyle. And I agree. I actually think Holden is better for Claire than Kyle. And here’s why. Because the way I see it, when Claire got with Kyle, it was basically a starter relationship. Kind of like when you buy a starter home. It’s smaller. It’s not quite what you really want, but it lets you get your feet wet with home ownership, you know?
Claire’s Journey of Recovery and Emotional Readiness on Y&R
So, at that point, Claire was just getting past the trauma from her psycho aunt Jordan Howard (Colleen Zenk), getting her to try and kill her parents, Victoria and Cole, and her grandparents and her uncle. Claire had just spent time in a psych wing of the hospital and she was still in recovery mode and like when you sober up after being an alcoholic or a drug addict, you’re not supposed to get involved with anyone romantically for a year so that your head is clear.
And I think Claire was kind of in a similar position recovering from years of brainwashing at Jordan’s hands. Claire had never had a boyfriend. She’d never been on a date. She’d never been intimate with anyone. She didn’t really have a life. And then Kyle was pretty much getting serious with her almost from the start. He has been more serious than Claire about this relationship the whole time it’s been happening.
Kyle’s Rushed Romance vs. Holden’s Organic Connection on Young and the Restless
I mean, if you think about it, Kyle’s kind of been trying to low-key wife up Claire from the start. I think part of it was because as Harrison’s nanny, she filled a slot that Summer Newman (Allison Lanier) had vacated when Kyle dumped her as his wife. In the end, for Claire, it was all just too much too soon. Kyle was Claire’s first love, but I don’t think he’s going to be her last.
She doesn’t want to get married and settle down with her very first boyfriend, Kyle. Also, to me, the way Claire and Holden got together seems way more organic. We saw that Claire got to know Holden slowly, randomly, and then as a growing friendship, and then later romantically, and then intimately. It’s evolved very naturally. And Claire chose to be with Holden. He didn’t swoop in and take over her life.
Contrasting Approaches to Love on Y&R: Respect vs. Control
If you recall, he’s been very considerate of Claire’s feelings and very aware of her feelings for Kyle and very respectful to all that. Holden has worked overtime to not act threatened, even though he’s been crushing hard on Claire for a while. And at every step, Holden keeps asking Claire, “Is this okay? Is this what you want?” And Holden even said, “You know, Kyle loves you.” And he asked Claire, you know, before they were kissing and before they took it further, “Is this what you really want?” And she said, “Yes.”
Meanwhile, Kyle has been pushing for what he wants and overriding Claire’s wants and needs. Kyle suffocated Claire when she asked for space. So, to me, basically, Kyle is taking away Claire’s agency, trying to push her into this box of being a wife and mom, which is what he wants and needs in his life right now. Meanwhile, Holden is putting what Claire wants first, way over what he wants.
Kyle Using Harrison on Young and the Restless
On top of that, Kyle’s using little Harrison to tempt Claire to come back to him, which is not fair to Harrison or Claire. I mean, she loves Harrison, but as Victoria said, Claire doesn’t have to date Kyle to be in Harrison’s life. And there’s a chance, you never know, Claire and Holden can make a baby accidentally or on purpose, which I think would be amazing for Claire. She’d be a wonderful mom. but not right now.
The Deciding Factor: Honesty and Deception in Genoa City
You know, another big reason I think Holden is a better match for Claire is Kyle’s a liar. He’s lied to Claire repeatedly, both directly and by lies of emission, and he’s still lying. Kyle fibbed about what he was up to with Audra before he went to France, and then fibbed about what happened in France, and then only partially came clean. And if you remember, Holden told Claire the truth about him and Audra and the hush money, knowing that he could lose Claire by coming clean, but he did it because he felt he had to.
So, I will acknowledge that Holden waited till they got serious to tell Claire the truth, but I think that’s okay. You know, you don’t tell people your big secret until you’re way deep in with them. You know, that’s different from being in a relationship with somebody and lying the whole time.
And you know, Kyle has been keeping things from Claire when they were very deep into a serious thing. And let’s be real, Kyle has still not told Claire the whole truth about France. The fact that he was in a towel, half naked, rubbing around on top of Audra, making out with her. If Claire knew the whole truth, I don’t think she would look Kyle’s way again.
Why Holden’s Self-Made Status Outshines Kyle’s Privilege on Y&R
So yeah, Holden may be a bit sketchy, but I mean, who would turn away 100,000? And it’s not like he had an address to send the cash back to Audra. Plus, Holden is a self-made man. He’s a hard worker. He’s not a Nepo baby like Kyle who’s been given everything on a silver platter and still acts like a brat.
And don’t forget the Newman factor. Victor Newman (Eric Braeden), I think, is more likely to accept Holden and give him a chance to prove that he’s good enough for Claire, like how Victor eventually came around on Kyle on a Cole and Chelsea Lawson Newman (Melissa Claire Egan).
But with Kyle, Victor will never accept him. He’s Jack’s (Peter Bergman) son and that won’t change. So, it’s never going to be easy for Claire to be with Kyle and also be close to her family. And that’s not fair to Claire. I mean, Victor’s part of the reason it’s not fair, but he’s also not going to change.
Final Verdict: Holden’s Genuine Connection with Claire
So, clearly to me, Holden tips the scales in his favor. He seems way better for Claire. They’ve got natural chemistry. They have real feelings that are slow burning and mutual. There’s no ex-wife complications, no kid complications. And Holden, as of now, has been totally honest with Claire. And Kyle still has not. That’s why I’m team Holden on this.
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