A Young & Restless Slashing Could Be Just the Thing to Bring Back an MIA Character — and Introduce Two Fresh Faces

No, we haven’t gotten a postcard from storyline Siberia to tell us what The Young and the Restless’ Elena has been up to since she vanished from the canvas. But we do have an idea. (Don’t we always?)

See, the doctor’s disappearing act, however inadvertently, presents the show with a golden opportunity to in a way reintroduce her — and with her, bring on a couple of fresh faces. Imagine the episode in which Jordan’s attempt to escape from Victor’s clutches sends him to the E.R. in need of stitches. “Horseback riding accident,” he lies to Elena since admitting that he’s holding a madwoman prisoner in his wine cellar isn’t really an option.

Suspicious that the tycoon has been the victim of some sort of an attack, Elena consults with fellow M.D. Dante Rivera (Carlos Miranda, since Station 19 is ending this season). He agrees that unless Victor fell off his horse onto a knife, somebody took a stab at Ginsu’ing him. They call in GCPD chief Chuck Lovett (who perhaps looks a lot like Harding’s former portrayer, Chris L. McKenna?).

What? You didn’t think that nobody was running the GCPD, did you?

More: Young & Restless couple headed for trouble

Yep, in this scenario, we’re reestablishing the GCPD and the hospital in one fell swoop. More importantly, we’re taking advantage of the radiant Brytni Sarpy and returning her to the frontburner. Dante, we’d discover straight off, has been crushing on his colleague for months. But heartsick after one disaster (with Nate) after another (with Devon), she keeps him at stethoscope’s length.

Chuck, meanwhile, has an advantage. He’s instantly interested in Elena, too, but he doesn’t have to ask her out to get to know her. He can request her help in figuring out what really happened to Victor… by agreeing to pay him house calls until his wound is completely healed.

Once inside, Elena would be tasked with playing detective. Not hard, considering how often Victor sneaks away to taunt Jordan. The doc may not be able to get down to the basement, but she could certainly get a sense that something is amiss. How to prove it, though? Chuck couldn’t order a search of the premises without a warrant. But, he notes, if there were, say, a fire…

“You want me to set the Newman ranch on fire?!?” Elena asks.

“Just a small one,” he clarifies. “Just enough to set off the fire alarms so I can come in with the GCFD. It’s like an all-access pass.”

Dante doesn’t know all of what is going on, but he knows enough to figure that Chuck has roped Elena into something. The doctor confronts the cop, and tempers flare — just in time for Elena to walk in on them. “Maybe you haven’t noticed,” Chuck says, “but Elena is a grown woman. She does whatever she wants, with whoever she wants. It’s not my fault if she likes me better than you.”

“Who said I liked you at all?” Elena asks.

More: Controversial storyline for Adam and Sally

And just like that, she realizes that she’s backed into two relationships without ever having so much as kissed either guy, and now she’s supposed to choose which one she actually wants to pursue. It’s delicious, classic soap — and, ironically, with the good-guy cop as the bad boy who wants to break all the rules and the “playboy doctor” as the straight-laced “safe” option.