Daytime TV Performer of the Week: ‘Y&R’s Ethan Ray Clark Shines as Kidnapped Dominic Is Rescued

Technically, Dominic Winters, played by daytime newcomer Ethan Ray Clark, has been kidnapped twice in his short life as his surrogate mother, Mariah (Camryn Grimes), was held hostage while pregnant with him. This time, the little boy was taken by said surrogate, and while the abduction was only a few days in soap opera time, it, of course, seemed like an eternity for his parents on The Young and the Restless.

In that relative short length of time, Clark established himself as the ideal child actor. He’s a natural and adorable actor, curious without being overly precocious in that way that some child stars who are going on 40 can be.

It was only natural for Dominic to trust Mariah since he’s known her his whole life. And who wouldn’t want to run off with a favorite aunt, play hide-and-seek in hotel rooms, and eat in diners and have sundaes? It sure beats having to brush your teeth, eat your veggies, and go to bed on time.

Slowly, Dominic, however, began to realize something was amiss. He grew impatient and inquisitive. Even as a young boy, he was old enough to realize that something seriously wrong was going on. He looked wistfully out the window of the car in which he and Mariah were traveling, wondering when — and even if — he was ever going to know the security of the home he has with his parents again.

Mariah tried to convince Dominic that they were just searching for the perfect hiding spot. “It’s taking too long,” a frustrated Dominic responded, as he tried to meet Mariah on her level.

Related

Stacy Haiduk Returning to 'Y&R' After 10 Years — What Does It Mean for 'DAYS'?

Kids are often told that childhood is the happiest time of one’s life. Blah, blah, blah. The reality is children at Dominic’s age have no agency. Clark found the right balance between Dominic trying to reason with the grownup behind the wheel and not upsetting Mariah as he was her helpless passenger.

“Can’t we just go home?” Dominic asked. “I miss my parents. And my room.”

Mariah kept blocking Dominic’s efforts to get back home, which prompted him to show his frustration. “You’re being mean! Why are you doing this?” he demanded to know.

“This is your idea — not mine,” Dominic tried to point out to Mariah. “I want to go home, now! Call my mom. I want her to find me!”

Mariah did her best to reason with Dominic as to why she was taking him away from the only home he’d ever known. Despite her emotional plea and despite being a smart kid, he was incapable of wrapping his head around what she was trying to say. (Plus, he had fallen asleep as Mariah was unloading on him.)

Fortunately, just as Dominic had grown exhausted both emotionally and physically, his parents, Devon (Bryton James) and Abby (Melissa Ordway), Det. Burrow (Matt Cohen), and Sharon (Sharon Case), Mariah’s mother, located Mariah’s car.

Sharon, as Mariah’s mother, was elected to make initial contact with the two. “Hi, Dominic,” Sharon said once she was in the car. He replied: “Hi,” delivering that one word perfectly as it was clear his greeting was mixed with apprehension and tinged with a bit of relief.

Was Sharon going to help him reunite with his parents? Or assist Mariah in her “adventure”? Clark played Dominic’s reality of not being quite sure. (How could he be?)

Sharon hastened to inform Dominic that she had some very special people with her who couldn’t wait to see him. The young boy could tell she meant his parents. He bolted from the car and into his parents’ waiting arms.

CBS

Kids are often resilient, and they process things as best they can. Dominic assumed that Mom and Dad were aware of the “game” but that it took them so long to find him.

Dominic then did what most children (who feel safe with their parents, as Dom clearly does) do, and that was to share every detail with them. He said Mariah was playing a game of hide and seek and that they were going to another country with “mountains, a pink lake, and pyramids.”

Despite his ordeal, Dominic said he didn’t want to make Mariah mad — but that he was scared and wanted to see his parents.

He wrapped his head around the idea of an afterlife, too, wondering if his father, Chance (Conner Floyd), was watching over him from heaven as he believed that he’d come to him in a dream.

Dominic is at the age where he recalls pretty much everything. He told his parents that Mariah called him “Bowie,” the nickname Mariah gave him during her pregnancy when she was being held captive herself.

Even the smartest of little kids can have trouble fully grasping concepts like adults who aren’t well in the head. Dominic wondered if he’d done something wrong, but his parents told him he had not.

Kudos to Y&R casting director Greg Salmon for this latest daytime discovery, and to Clark, who brought believability to a challenging storyline for an actor of any age. When Abby told her son that she was just thrilled that they found him, Dominic kept things in perspective, pointing out to his parents that technically Sharon was the one who found him!

The Young and the Restless, Weekdays, CBS