Keeping with the theme of Melody and Nikki’s 40th year Anniversary with The Young and The Restless. We are highlighting Dylan McAvoy as our Throwback this week.
Dylan McAvoy’s name was mentioned before he showed up in Genoa City. Dylan was the man that Avery Bailey Clark had an affair with that ruined her marriage (off-screen) to her husband, Joe Clark. It was more than just an affair. Dylan and Avery fell in love. Avery got pregnant for Dylan but lost the baby.
Dylan’s history and his history with Avery required a lot of on-screen exposition. We will give a synopsis. Dylan grew up in Connecticut around Avery and her sister Phyllis. He moved to Chicago with his family when he was in high school. He left for college. But moved back home to run his father’s construction company when his father injured his back. Dylan started working on a lonely neglected, attorney, married Avery’s house. And it didn’t take long before Dylan “was working on her.”
Dylan’s reserve unit got called up for duty. He proposed to Avery. She said no. He left. Joe found out about the affair and divorced Avery. Avery subsequently, found out Dylan died in Afghanistan. Avery thought Dylan died but her feelings for him didn’t. Avery kept his dog tags in her kitchen drawers.
Dylan tracked down Avery to Genoa City. He knew about her and Nick so he introduced himself to Nick as “Mack” and landed himself a job at the soon to open Underground. Avery was shocked to see Dylan. Avery was new to soaps and believed Dylan was really dead. After the shock wore off, Avery told Dylan she had moved on. She was in love with Nick and loving Nick didn’t hurt. I’m with him. But I’m glad you ain’t dead.
Dylan almost left Genoa City many times (Well not really because Steve Burton was under contract). But he stayed. His father passed away during that time also. His orbit shifted to Chelsea Lawson Newman. He fell in love with Chelsea. She became pregnant. He married her and was involved in a Who The Baby Daddy storyline. Dylan’s envelope said he wasn’t the father. And when he found out Chelsea had tried to pass off Adam’s son as his; it crushed him. Him and his crushed self parked outside of Avery’s place on the day of Avery and Nick’s wedding. Avery nursed an emotional Dylan instead of going to her own wedding. Nick said enough was enough. Dylan obviously is more important than me. Peace Out.
Peace was the last thing Dylan had. He suffered from PTSD that he developed from his time in Afghanistan. Dylan had suffered tremendous loss, fellow soldiers, locals and a little girl named Ara. He felt responsible for the deaths especially Sully’s and Ara’s and felt he had let his unit down. The sorrow over Connor and a bad storm outside caused his PTSD to kick in. Dylan kidnapped Connor. Thankfully, Avery found him and talked him down and Connor was returned safe and sound to Chelsea. Dylan and Chelsea would divorce.
Just around the time Dylan and Avery were getting their second chance, Nikki found out that Dylan was the baby she gave up while in a cult many years ago (she got pregnant around the time she was raped by the cult leader Ian Ward). Dylan and Nick were fighting about Avery. (Dylan got into many of those while on canvas. He was a feisty fellow.) Nikki yelled “Stop fighting! Dylan’s my son!”
In the beginning, Dylan didn’t want to have anything to do with the Newman’s. And minus Nikki the Newman’s felt the same way. Curiously, Dylan wanted to find his father Ian. He went asking questions to people who knew Ian to try and locate him. But then he changed his mind. Too late Dylan had already poked the bear. Ian came to Genoa City and the trouble began.
It took time for Dylan to open up and let Nikki in. Dylan and Nikki finally bonded over a leaking espresso machine at Crimson Lights (Dylan bought Crimson). Dylan and Nick bonded over trying to protect Nikki from Ian and trying to get rid of him. Ian stalked, harassed and threatened Nikki, Dylan and the Newmans. He didn’t let up.
Avery was held at gunpoint by Austin Travers. He was the one who had been internet stalking Avery. They thought it was Ian. Avery got a man off for murder. The man would then kill Austin’s mom. Austin blamed Avery for his mother’s death. Dylan didn’t wait for the police. He tried to get the jump on Austin via the fire escape to surprise Austin. He and Austin fought for the gun. It went off when Paul and the police arrived. Paul was shot and critically injured.
When Paul needed AB blood, a rare type, to save his life it started the process where Nikki realized that if Ian was sterile then Paul Williams was Dylan’s father (rewrite). Dylan donated part of his liver to save Paul’s life. It was touch and go for Dylan as well after the surgery as he developed a post-op infection. But he lived (Steve Burton was still on contract).
Paul thought about his own son Ricky who didn’t get a second chance and wanted to give Austin one. So, he refused to testify against him and Avery wrote a letter to the Judge forgiving him. Austin received no jail time which didn’t exactly sit well with Dylan. But he and Avery managed to move forward. And just when they thought they had reached calmer waters, the ex, Joe showed up.
We will get back to Joe because crazy Ian wasn’t done yet. He tried to set it up like Dylan had murdered him. Ian kidnapped Mariah Copeland for ransom from Sharon (Mariah’s mom). None of these worked and Ian was arrested for drugging and kidnapping Mariah. Bye crazy man.
Now back to Joe. He was buying up the block where Crimson Lights is located for a redevelopment project. He gave Dylan two months to get out. Guess who Joe was working with? Yep, Victor. You know Victor’s always around when something is amiss. Joe picked up where Ian left off goading and trying to get under Dylan’s skin with one big difference. Joe wanted Dylan gone to get Avery back.
Joe made sure to be around Avery as much as possible. It infuriated Dylan. Dylan was spending more time with Sharon, who had been arrested for Austin and Courtney’s murders, helping her clear her name. Avery didn’t like that. It caused discord and their relationship felt the strain. They did break up and Avery eventually left Genoa City alone. Joe didn’t get her either.
Dylan’s started working as a detective with GCPD. His next relationship was with Sharon. She got pregnant. Sage, Nick’s wife, got pregnant around the same time. You know what that means. Baby switching time!
Sharon threw away her bipolar meds. Sharon miscarried but didn’t tell Dylan. She checked herself in Fairview. While there Patty Williams convinced her that their mutual doctor, Dr. Sandy Anderson had confirmed Sharon was pregnant. Sharon saw herself pregnant when she looked in the mirror. Sharon “had” a son (although Sharon had no memory of giving birth), who was named Sullivan “Sully” McAvoy. Sage’s baby “died”.
The baby switching was done by Dr. Sandy Anderson. Dr. Anderson went to high school with Nick. She was an Olympic swimmer who became paralyzed after breaking her back in Nick’s pool. She blamed Nick and the Newmans. She was the puppet master behind the scenes to exact her revenge. She convinced Sharon to get off her meds when she first found out she was pregnant. After Sharon miscarried, while Sharon was at Fairview, Dr. Anderson kept Sharon drugged so she wouldn’t realize she had never been pregnant and given birth. She lied to Nick and Sage and made them think that their son was dead (Sage’s baby was Adam Newman’s), took him and gave him to Sharon.
Patty Williams found out about Dr. Anderson’s scheme. Dr. Anderson tried to silence her. But nobody told her Patty always gets the upper hand. Patty killed her first. Sage found out that Sully was hers but died in a car crash before she could tell Nick. Patty blackmailed Sharon to either find a way to spring her out the loony bin or she was going to tell it. Sharon didn’t, couldn’t. Patty made good on her threat and planted enough seed in Nick’s mind that Sharon confessed to Dylan and Nick that Sully was really Sage and “Nick’s”. Nick came and took his, not son, home. Dylan and Sharon sued for visitation and lost.
Dylan did forgive Sharon but the pain in his heart was too much to bear. Avery’s miscarriage, Conner not being his and now Sully. And Dylan had lived with, cared for and loved him as a daddy for almost a year. Something in Dylan changed. He wanted, needed to just get away and went undercover for the FBI to bring down a leader of a drug ring, Luther Fisk.
When he was undercover a frantic Sharon called to check on him. Alex (a female) his connect became suspicious. Dylan had to sleep with her and kill Stan, a hired hand, to make it out alive. He made it home. But Alex got away and Dylan, Paul and law enforcement feared Alex or Fisk’s men would retaliate. The only answer was for Dylan to enter the witness protection program. Sharon begged to go with him. But her kids would have to live a life on the run or she would have to leave them. That was no life for her kids and leaving wasn’t an option. Dylan joined witness protection, signed over Crimson Lights to Sharon and left town. Six months later Sharon received divorced papers.
Dylan didn’t live long in Genoa City. But he did a whole lot of living while there. It was a role created for Steve Burton but should Nikki’s eldest son come back to Genoa City? With the right recast, it could work.
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