Y&R: What happened to Jack and Nikki's friendship?

[Antoyne]

I know back in the 80's and some of the 90's the two married/dated and even as late as the early 2000's they were still pretty good friends despite her involvement with Victor...So when did that all come to an end?

[DRW50]

Jack and Nikki ran against each other for a senate seat (state senate, I believe, even though with all the hoopla you would have thought it was the US Senate) and Jack flung mud at her.

[Antoyne]

Oh I saw that storyline, I didn't realize that's what ended things..

[DRW50]

I thought that's what ended it. I'm not completely sure.

I miss their friendship. I would much rather see him hang around Nikki than Sharon or Billy.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

Jack and Nikki have been civil to one another in recent months. But she was angry with him in 2008 because he wanted her to give a tell all interview about Victor and his alleged murdering of Walter Palin in Mexico. I don't think they're enemies per se, but they're not close friends either right now.

[DRW50]

Oh, that's right, the Palin story. I blanked that story out. I think I heard way too much of the word Palin in 2008.

[MarkH]

Actually, I thought it started with NVP and Jack's horrendous behavior during Victor's epilepsy.

As I recall, Jack bought NVP out from under Nikki (this was when he was taking advantage of epileptic Victor). Nikki sort of discovered that whole business of Jack taking advantage of Victor.

Nikki's animus to Jack PREDATED the Senate race, because -- remember -- she could not back Jack for Senate (that was Victor's plan...build Jack up, then tear him down or take advantage of his power). So, Nikki went against Victor's wishes PRECISELY BECAUSE SHE ALREADY DISLIKED JACK.

Her decision to take the Senate seat (which brought David Chow, eventually, into her orbit), coupled with Victor's absence immediately after Nick's "death" (he went to Sri Lanka to find a missing Victor Jr./Adam), led to the breakdown of the Newman marriage.

Then, of course, much mud was flung during the Senate race...further building the anger between them.

One thing I disliked about the LML regime (as her staunchest defender, for a very long time) is that she lost track of old alliances. Nikki and Jack always had a closeness, despite everything that happened (much as Jack now has with Sharon). So, too, Nikki always had a sweet spot for Brad -- her former fiance and then, later, former lover. She would have been vaguely jealous/icked by his marriage to Nikki...and she would somehow have always defended and befriended him. All that fell to the wayside...and she was horrible to Brad...during the LML years.

I lost a little respect for MTS during the LML regime, actually, because she so readily played whatever LML threw at her. She didn't try...with non-verbals or other stuff...to preserve the integrity of her character. Thus, Nikki was the most ruined character...bar none...during the LML regime. Nikki didn't start to become Nikki again until -- ironically -- Out of the Ashes and her remarkable mother-routine in the hospital with Vikki.

[BadZoe]

Was MTS even in a position to complain? Her husband was already fired and never returning and she was probably told to lump it or be shown the door herself. Personally I think Y&R would actually die without MTS, but I don't expect some fly by night new HW to realize her importance or care about the long term future of the Y&R.

[DRW50]

I hope the current writing for Nikki isn't punishing Melody because of her work during the LML years. I've rarely seen Nikki as such a pointless, sad shell of a character. To see her sitting on the sidelines in Kay's story, seeing her as the whipped puppy for the nauseating Victor/Ashley relationship, it's one of my sticking points with Y&R at the moment.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

I've always thought it was a mistake when Bill Bell had Nikki's child with Jack die soon after birth. A child out of that relationship would've produced good drama for years to come, especially with Nikki ALWAYS going back to Victor. How would Jack have reacted to his child at least partially being under Victor's influence and possibly even close to Victor? Missed opportunity, but I guess we're never supposed to see Jack as a father.

[Heyou]

Things were really bad during LML's tenure for the actors (unless you were one of her minions) and if I remember correctly even EB didn't complain until after she was fired.