The Young and the Restless Performer of the Week: Peter Bergman as Jack Abbott

Cane may have paid for the empanadas when he invited Jack for a meal at Society on The Young and the Restless, but it was the Abbott patriarch who ended up owning the lunch meeting. Peter Bergman has earned Soap Central’s Performer of the Week for Y&R honors this week for his deft portrayal of Jack Abbott, a business exec who showed Cane who is -- and who isn't -- in charge.

Peter Bergman, The Young and the Restless, Performer of the Week

Bergman had Jack betray a look on his face that showed he knew exactly what Cane (Billy Flynn) was up to by ordering lunch for them both – it was a power play. After Jack referenced the horrific events of Nice, Cane apologized for Carter’s (Vincent Stalba) actions as if his former aide had simply misplaced dinner table name cards and not committed murder.

“He killed two men,” Jack firmly reminded Cane, using a tone that indicated right away that this wasn’t going to be a social get-together. The former Aristotle Dumas tried to assure Jack that he wasn’t a threat to him, which prompted Jack to quip that if he felt that he was a danger, he wouldn’t be sitting across from him at a table that had cutlery on it.

Bergman brought both coyness, awareness, and strength to the Jack/Cane scenes. Jack made sure that Cane wasn't going to insinuate himself into Jack's life despite his charm and offer to spring for lunch.

Empanadas for thought

Jack suggested to Cane that they stop talking cryptically and, instead, asked the billionaire to focus on specifics. Jack wondered why Billy had an interest in Abbott Communications, as it was an untried entity.

“This is not about money,” Jack pointedly told Billy, who suggested otherwise. Cane tried to get Jack to drop his defenses by pointing out that he and Billy were once practically brothers. Jack deftly shot down the brief period in which Cane passed himself off as Jill’s son.

“Whatever short time you had as Billy’s brother was based on a lie,” Jack said. He called Cane out of his civility and charming smile, and said that ordering his lunch was an unsuccessful attempt at trying to gain control.

Neither of the men raised their voices in these scenes, but Jack made it clear in his tone that he wasn’t buying Cane’s act for a single second. Bergman brought a controlled intensity to his character throughout, sending Cane the message that he was in for a fight if his plans included hurting the Abbotts.

Jack said he had thought about doing a deal with Cane, but he had a change of heart. Instead, he wanted to sell Cane something – the idea that he should leave Genoa City. “No one wants you here, Cane,” Jack said. “No one trusts you enough to do business with you.”

Jack quipped that any chance Cane had at garnering some good will with folks in town was left on the other side of the Atlantic. He queried Cane as to what drove him to expand an already vast and successful empire. Next, Jack went in for the kill when he told Cane that whatever his plans were, he wouldn’t succeed in getting back Lily’s heart.

The Young and the Restless, lunch to go

The Abbott exec knew that comment would push Cane’s buttons, so he started to make his exit before emotions ran wild. First, though, he delivered a powerful warning to his adversary. Bergman maintained eye contact with his scene partner to emphasize Jack’s state of mind.

“You would be wise to remember the scope of power, the range of tenacity of the people you are pitting yourself against,” Jack stated, pointing out to Cane that his billions were no match for the accumulated smarts belonging to him and other Genoa City power players.

“Thank you for the empanadas,” Jack quipped. “I lost my appetite.”

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Bravo to Bergman, who has won three Daytime Emmys for his role on The Young and the Restless. He portrays Jack as a powerful force, a businessman who has succeeded in life by knowing his opponents better than they may know themselves!

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