Credit: Howard Wise/JPI
Sharon, Sharon, Sharon. Must you always prove to be your own worst enemy? Even as Young & Restless fans shout at their screens in the vague hope she might somehow hear and reverse course, the poor thing is making one bad move after another where the seemingly resurrected Matt is concerned.
This week, she threatened him repeatedly, even grabbing his arm in an aggressive fashion. She’s made sure that anyone and everyone who crosses her path in Los Angeles knows exactly what Matt did to her, Nick and their family over the years. Heck, she’s even talked to Phyllis, of all people, about the mess that’s unfolding far from home. (Anybody else think those messages she left for the redhead and, later, for Nick, are gonna come back to haunt her, big time?)
All of which makes me think that this is heading toward the blonde bombshell once again being up to her neck in trouble. Because unless I miss my mark, Mitch/Matt is going to wind up deader than a doornail before long… or at least so everyone will believe. We, the constant viewers, will likely be left wondering whether rumors of his demise are greatly exaggerated.
There are more than a few ways this could play out, and the ultimate path taken could depend on exactly what motivates Matt. Assuming he caused Noah’s accident not because the young man was having an affair with his wife but rather to lure Nick and Sharon to Los Angeles, the question then becomes why.
My theory: Matt is dying, perhaps of a behavior-altering brain tumor. While his life in Los Angeles has clearly been a pretty good one, he’s long resented the way things went down with Nick and Sharon all those years ago. What better way to get revenge than by making it appear that Sharon’s public attacks eventually took a fatal turn? Soap villains have been framing heroines for their murders — real or supposed — since first the words “tune in tomorrow” were uttered by breathless radio announcers.
Sure, this twist would be coming directly on the heels of a long story in which Sharon was framed for the Heather’s murder. But even that wasn’t the first time she’s been falsely accused of killing someone. (Remember when Adam’s ex-wife, Skye, fell into a volcano and Sharon wound up being convicted of her murder?) Yet here we go again. Poor Sharon apparently has never learned that those who forget the sins of the past are doomed to repeat them.
In my mind, the only real question is whether Matt really dies (at the hand of someone other than Sharon) or simply fakes his demise. He’s got past experience, after all, having apparently been playing possum for decades while living it up as Mitch Bacall.
Which way the storyline goes might well depend on exactly how long Roger Howarth is slated to remain on Young & Restless. A short-term stint would certainly explain why the show hired such a high-profile actor only to have him step into the shoes of a character who — given his past — would seem to have a short shelf life.
If my theory (or theories, as the case may be) prove true, things should pick up rapidly. After all, we can’t have the Newman clan hanging out in Los Angeles forever, right? At some point, they’re gonna need to head back to Genoa City. Perhaps once Sharon stands accused, Michael and Lauren will join them out in California so he can defend the accused. It’s either that or call upon the legal skills of
Fire Country Season 3 ended with a heartache so severe I still feel it through my ribs. Vince Leone’s death left a void that’ll be tough to fill.
Station 42 did not just lose its Battalion Chief, but a father figure and a voice of reason that kept its head in the game.
The Leones are still struggling to cope with Vince’s absence on Fire Country.
Bode nearly went back to drugs. Sharon is yet to resume work.
And Walter? He is nowhere to be seen.
We know that Vince’s death affected him deeply. But we have yet to see the fallout.
What’s worse is the mental state he is currently in, which is possibly deteriorating even more, thanks to the trauma he faced but cannot share with anyone.
In the wake of Vince Leone’s death, the Leone family has fractured in ways that feel irreversible.
Bode has Audrey. Sharon has Eve, Manny, and even Jake. But Walter? He has no one.
The only person who ever truly understood him — his son — is gone. And the one person who could’ve stood by him, Luke, is still off-screen, absent from the chaos that’s swallowing Walter whole.
Since Vince’s funeral on Fire Country Season 4 Episode 1, “Goodbye for Now”, Walter hasn’t appeared once.
There’s been no mention of his whereabouts, no check-ins from Luke, and no acknowledgment from Sharon. It’s a silence that feels deliberate and devastating.
Walter, who once struggled to recognize Vince due to his dementia, now seems to be the only one not allowed to mourn him.
It’s a brutal contrast to Bode, who’s surrounded by support even when he lashes out. Sharon, despite her grief, still has people checking in on her.
Walter, meanwhile, is the ghost in the Leone house. His absence is deafening. And with Luke gone, there’s no one left who knows how to reach him.
If Fire Country is about redemption, then Walter’s arc is shaping up to be the most tragic of all.
Because how do you redeem a man who no one wants to remember?
The two-episode Fire Country Season 3 finale was a masterclass in emotional devastation.
But buried beneath the chaos of the Zabel Ridge fire and the memory care center inferno was one haunting detail: Walter Leone may have been the first to see Vince die.
In the final moments of Episode 20, Sharon stumbled toward the wreckage, calling out for Vince.
Walter, visibly shaken, intercepted her. He wrapped his arms around her, almost as if shielding her eyes.
It’s a moment that passed quickly, but its implications linger. Walter saw something so horrific that he didn’t want Sharon to witness it.
And the show never shows Vince’s body; only the explosion, and its aftermath.
Walter’s dementia has always been a quiet subplot, but now it’s a ticking time bomb.
There was a time he didn’t want to see Vince — didn’t recognize him, even. But now, Vince is the one memory his mind refuses to let go.
Survivor’s guilt has fused with grief, and it’s breaking Walter in ways no one is tracking.
The fact that viewers never saw Vince’s body is telling.
It suggests a level of horror that even Fire Country, known for its visceral realism, chose to withhold.
And Walter, already fragile, is now the sole witness to that final moment. It’s a burden he’s carrying alone.
What do you think about Walter’s solitary grief? Were you hoping we’d see more of him as he struggles in the aftermath of Vince’s death?
Fire Country Season 4 Episode 5, “Happy First Day, Manny,” drops Friday, November 14.
Tune in to see who finally checks in on Walter, and tell us in the comments who should be the first one to do so!
If procedurals like Fire Country are your comfort zone, give Sheriff Country a try!