DramatistDreamer

That was my first thought...that his sister is the Impaler.

Some of the optics have been truly terrible and yeah, it's unbelievable that the writers don't see it.

I have similar feelings on this. Also, having a full episode just focusing on one storyline...if it's going to work, and there were some revealing moments (Hailey/Val expressing an apparently genuine moment of regret for the loss of her friendship was odd, after just calling her and Chelsea brats, but Marquita Goings made that contradiction work, somehow) every scene has to work really well, or else, you feel like there are definite lulls and there were scenes where I felt restless, as if I were watching filler. Maybe it was the overly-expository dialogue, at times. The idea was a good one but the execution, at times, was a bit clumsy. And yeah, the idea that Joey was too smart to be scammed but big dumb Bill is, really toes the line into being borderline offensive. I don't think that Bernie Madoff ever thought that there was a mark out there that was 'too smart' for his schemes. In a way, that statement also makes Hailey and Sammy/Randy look incompetent as confidence man and confidence woman. These implications, bordering on stereotypes give me the ick.

I remember Jeanne Cooper talking about how much literal dust the studios had accumulated. She worried that someone was going to get sick. It just doesn't seem like standards have been raised since then.

Eric Braeden is basically saying that the studio where Y&R is film is DUSTY.🤣 Eric, sir, advocate for Y&R to step up their standards, if anyone has the juice to make that happen, it's you.

I saw the teaser on Netflix and thought is was pretty good, using the theme music and flip glasses (there was a guy in my high school who wore flip shades and I had the biggest crush on him for a minute, lol). It's interesting that they went for a Single-Camera shot series, rather than the original Multi-Camera that was used in the past, especially since it's only 10 episodes in a Season. I'm interested in hearing from Felicia and Debbie as to why they made this choice, as I think there are definite "pros" and "cons" to each. Since my group got bored with and stopped discussing BTG so, maybe they'll start discussing ADW lol. Hillman technically takes place in the "V" of the DMV, let the comparisons of how Black culture is portrayed commence!😂

Thanks @Errol my two Gallery images were already saved. Considering the advice I was given recently by some posters regarding using the Blogs, I am living for the irony right now.😂

Peaches, Anita and now Mona. Hm, whose next in the over 50 Black lady gonna get a disease carousel? Jacob and Izaiah's mama?

So Derek's daddy somehow knew that Jacob, whose identity was supposed to be protected as an undercover cop, was not only involved in the warehouse bust gone wrong but that Derek saved Jacob's life? Naomi better have a talk with her friend Ashley.

Things have always run smoothly for me on this site but thank you for your enduring diligence @Errol it is appreciated.

All of a sudden, I'm starting to hear whispers of boycotting Paramount. I would have thought this would have happened before the Skydance merger happened. Is this now because of Stephen Colbert's show? Beyond The Gates is the only show I watch on that network these days and I may be taking a break from that show but I'm not sure how serious folks actually are about boycotting.🤷🏾‍♀️

I didn't read any previous comments except for yours and Paul Raven's. I didn't realize I was that chick who caused a whole lotta conversation. 😆 I won't be doing anymore noodling at the keyboard again in regards to this show at this point, because as I said before, I don't work for free (although this is more of a thumbnail sketch, nothing more, no serious plotting involved). The cotillion remark and this-- is where it ends. It was more of a nod to the fact that I actually have a M.F.A. in this sort of thing but I realize soaps aren't written like this and soap fans are used to more basic scenarios. It was an impulse, won't happen again. Oops. Nothing interesting happened on this show today except the scenes between Doug and Deanna. It looks as if they may have Deanna have a mental breakdown, which would be a shame because it looks like they want to strip away everything that made this character interesting.

LOL, I'll never be as desperate as Leslie.

😭I mentioned this months ago. I thought it would have made sense for Leslie to use her connection to Marcel to either taint evidence, essentially, the helmet, or prove that other sets of fingerprints have touch the helmet besides Leslie (Eva's prints have got to be on there, Kat may have worn gloves when she handled the helmet but I don't remember) thus muddying the chain of evidence and creating "Reasonable Doubt". I also mentioned months ago that when Leslie is arrested, that would have been a good time for BTG to bring back Mike Davis, because he's the only lawyer that Eva could find to represent Leslie. Of course, the show makes up this silly malpractice lawsuit against Madison to bring back Mike Davis (they listen but they don't listen 😩🙄) because the show needs a good ole fashion soap opera style court case with a jury and members of the community and county in the court room gallery. I also mentioned that during this time, Leslie should spend some time behind bars in prison and maybe run into Allison but I remember a few folks poo-pooed that idea🤷🏾‍♀️but I think those scenes could be interesting. It's not a problem for Mike to show up again and Bill will roll his eyes and say "I really should have had that guy disbarred when I had the chance" as he watches Mike deliver his opening statement from the gallery. Procter & Gamble soaps had some fantastic court cases, I always loved seeing character's reactions to testimony revelations and when the judge admonishes a witness (I could imagine that happening to Kat when she tries to add in extra commentary during her testimony😂), even a bit of a reversal when on the stand, when Ted (who the defense has called as a character witness) has to admit under cross-examination the number of times Leslie has crossed the line, including the time where he wound up in bed with her and Ted reluctantly admits that he did not give consent, causing gasps from the gallery. That would be the perfect time for Leslie to urge her lawyer to put her on the stand when her lawyer Mike has been explicitly trying to avoid this but with Ted's revelations they may have no choice. Leslie, under oath is forced to admit that she and Ted never slept together that night in his hotel room because he was passed out cold. More gasps from the gallery and the camera closes in on the Duprees reactions, Nicole's face and Anita's face as she looks at Nicole's reaction with concern. When they get to the issue of the helmet, Leslie, Eva and at least another set of unidentifiable prints are on the helmet which builds Mike's case for reasonable doubt. We can see Kat's face, searching her mind to try to remember whether she wore gloves when she handled the helmet (a well placed flashback would go there). Are the fingerprints hers? Are they Marcel's? Or someone who Marcel found to taint the evidence? Ultimately, the jury finds Leslie "Not Guilty". Once the judge bangs her gavel after the verdict, the Duprees look around to see that Laura has disappeared. Kat and Naomi offer to try to find her. News gets around that Leslie was found "Not Guilty". The reactions are mixed. Vanessa shakes her head in disbelief and is irritated to see that Joey only chuckles in response. Joey mentions something about Vanessa being naive about the way the wheels of "justice" and how it actually works. Mona and Jan are outside of the courthouse. Mona, in particular is angry, Jan questions whether Leslie actually could have done it and points out that she was found innocent. "Not guilty...it's a big difference", Mona corrects her. Later, Leslie is scene with Mike and Eva at the country club. Leslie orders a bottle of their best champagne. Eva squirms under the stares and glares of the other patrons. At the Dupree mansion, commiserations all around as Nicole is on her phone and declares that there is still no word from Laura. Anita, backed by Vernon, reminds everyone that Laura is one of the most conscientious people she knows and won't do anything rash. Kat and Naomi are at Uptown when Laura walks in. They have been looking all over town for her and are ready to console her when Laura says she went back to the courthouse but everyone had already left, she's also been looking for Naomi and wants to discuss something with her and she thinks it needs to happen fast. Later- At the Dupree mansion, Nicole informs everyone that Naomi texted her to let her know that they found Laura and are discussing something, and Kat's on her way. Caroline enters Bill's office and says "he insists on seeing you", Bill groans and says "show him in". Mike, gloating says "what a great day to be in the legal profession" to which Bill responds "I should have had you disbarred when I had the chance". Mike replies "It's not to late". Bill: "too late to do what?" Mike: "bring me back to the firm". Bill is slack-jawed. Mike: "my answering service is overflowing with clients who want to hire me...more clients for me, would be more clients for this firm...think about it" and Mike leaves. Bill heaves a deep heavy sigh. Naomi and Laura are outside of Uptown. Naomi is on her phone. Naomi: "Can we have that done today?" she looks at the expectant face of Laura and nods. Laura breathes a sigh of relief. Ted sits in an office. Ted: "I can't believe I'm sitting here in a therapist's office. And it's not my ex-wife's". Therapist (a Napiera Groves type) "well, I am glad that you have entrusted me to guide you on this journey. Shall we begin?" Ted, nervous, nods. Ted: "let's begin". At the Dupree mansion- The Duprees, Jacob, Mona, et al are gathered when Naomi enters, followed by Laura. Everyone looks sad but relieved. Anita takes Laura by the hand. Anita: "how are you?" Laura: "I am trying to deal with...all of it but thanks to Naomi, I think there may be some shred of justice that can come out of this whole situation". Vernon: "Wow, that is an optimistic way to look at things". Laura: "It may hit me later but, then again, I'm still in processing mode"- At the country club: Leslie, looking like the cat that swallowed the canary, tries to clink glasses with Eva. Leslie: "Aww, Eva, one more 'gain. Eva: "Enough mama, don't you think you've had enough? It's late, why don't we call car service?" Leslie: "Baby, don't be a wet blanket or is it...a party pooper? In all these years, I thought I told you how to live it up?" The maître d', followed by another man walk over to Leslie and Eva's table. Leslie (tipsy): "Don't tell me you called a bouncer?". Man: Leslie Dana Thomas? Leslie: "No autographs please". Man, hands her an envelope. Man: "You've been served". Man, processor server walks away. Leslie has a sober expression, Eva is stunned. At the Dupree mansion. Kat (to Laura): I'm glad you're going to stay and have dinner. Anita (to Laura): I was worried you wouldn't have an appetite. Nicole, with her arms around Laura. "I know it doesn't seem like it now but, we'll find a way through this". Laura, silent, has a faraway look on her face and a glint in her eyes. Music cues as scene fades to black Geez, I could write this storyline myself in one weekend.💅🏾

I thought I posted an Essence article about Yolanda Renée King, the daughter of Martin Luther King III's cotillion on this board. On her Instagram, she posted a clip of her dancing with her dad and there is always a "break" from formality to contemporary/hip hop dance moves. This has been done for a very long time.🤷🏾‍♀️ In terms of the plasma ring climax taking away from the cotillion, yes, I agree but that plasma story was on life support. They needed to give it as much bang for its buck as they could manage because absolutely nothing had been going on with that storyline up to that point. Was it due to poor plotting and lack of detail? Absolutely but it still needed to end. FWIW, the cotillion storyline overall just left out a lot in the run up to the event. The fact that some viewers still don't understand some of the traditions means, they should have shown, not tell. But oh well, the dance and camera work was very good. It was perplexing to see Nicole, a trained therapist so frazzled that she couldn't stand still and take two photos (it really wouldn't have taken that long) before excusing herself. I remember hearing from some former soap actors that those group scenes take a lot of time and we all know that time is money. But the phrase of the day seems to be "We'll see...". One comment regarding ATWT and that aspect of 'before & after Gunnar' for Barbara...well, different writers so yeah, Barbara was bound to be written differently. It wasn't Gunnar who caused Barbara's evolution from "doormat" ex-wife of James Stenbeck to vixen, it was the failed relationships that culminated with the breakup with Brian and seeing Brian quickly move on with Shannon, a woman Barbara dislike, that help shift Barbara to a vixen. Barbara even says this to a back from the dead James when she gloats that she's no longer a doormat, she's an even match for him. An excellent scene, written by the late great Douglas Marland. But I digress :-)

Upthread, I mentioned how Vanessa characterized Deanna to be mentally fragile but to be clear, add me to the list of people who do not want Deanna to be turned into a mentally fragile person,. Y&R (a show I no longer watch) pretty much ruined Sharon Collins Newman this way. Deanna, as portrayed by Angela Fairley is a force to be reckoned with and I want BTG to tap into that, not weaken it by turning her into this maudlin tragedy. The only way I would accept any appearance of this is if, Vanessa assumes Deanna is breaking down but Deanna is tapping into some inner sense ("inner vision") that her dad is still alive and later turns out to be correct. I don't want a ghost dad/Doug floating around, I hate that idea. I would love to see the character given another chance to restart his life, reunite with his kids, ultimately turn away from Vanessa and maybe even build a friendship (something more?) with Shanice? Unlike with Nicole and Carlton, I think Ted and Doug could genuinely maintain a friendship, even if Shanice and Doug eventually get together but only if the writing took time in building a friendship before going 'there'. Any classic ATWT viewers here? Does anyone remember when Barbara Ryan was having these dreams and visions of meeting and falling in love with this man during some medieval/gothic era? And from what I understand (I was very very young during that storyline, so admittedly, I don't remember details), the man, who turned out to be named Gunnar, appeared in the 'real world' of Oakdale and he and Barbara did indeed fall in love. I'm not saying to make Deanna psychic or anything but perhaps a bit clairevoyant.🤷🏾‍♀️It would add such an interesting dynamic to bring Doug back.

I saw a guy on a YouTube video who doesn't even refer to Vanessa by her name, he just calls her "Trash". When I heard him say it, I couldn't help it, I burst out laughing. Thankfully I wasn't drinking water at the time. But the list of people who actually believe Vanessa is still mourning Doug is could probably fit on a Post-Its sticky tab, not a note, a tab! Maybe if the series had opened with scenes, any scenes of Doug and Vanessa as a happy couple, I might have believed that she ever cared. Now, it just looks like a woman who wanted to get a foothold in a majority Black enclave, possibly to tap an untapped market and add some business to her real estate firm.🤷🏾‍♀️

Similar to how I've felt about Keith and Daphnée with it being a shame we never really got to see the romantic, sexy side of their pairing, Jason and Lauren seem a lot more fun than what we ever got to see of their characters on camera. In Season 1 posts, I mentioned that it was a real shame that we never got to see Doug as a dad or the happy times he and Vanessa had as a couple, not even in flashbacks. Even though the show spoiled it themselves by listing him in the previous episode's closing credits, Jason Graham popping up onscreen (expected, though it may be) did add a good cliffhanger, unless you were spoiled ahead of time, like some of us were) was otherwise a decent cliffhanger. I do suspect that Deanna may be headed for some sort of nervous breakdown, or people will believe she is losing a grasp on her mental health. The writing, the way Vanessa has talked about her always suggested some emotional fragility since Doug's death. Now, the young woman who showed up on the canvas has appeared to be the opposite, more of a force and maybe a bit of a loose cannon, but perhaps the writing will not revert to the characterization of Deanna that Vanessa and Donnell made of her. And Jason Graham looks great! The skin is glowing and moisturized! Forgot about the rest of the show to be honest, but Ted suggesting Nicole as chief of staff...sigh, okay, that man clearly wants his ex-wife back and he probably wants to prove that he will ride for her but this is not the way to do it. (Question: are they just teasing a board meeting that we will never see? Or will be actually see a board meeting onscreen? I loved when As The World Turns had hospital board meetings with Dr. Bob, Dr. John, Lucinda and Rex Whitmore. When hospital malfeasance is an issue, a board meeting should definitely be done onscreen and a full on crime ring running through the hospital is good reason to dramatize a board room scene) I would much prefer Ted see a life coach or better yet a therapist who can help him learn how to set boundaries with Leslie , that SA encounter that nobody seems to want to acknowledge (speaking of matters of mental health), and also help Ted to realize that he doesn't need to interact with Leslie (like, at all) in order to forge a relationship w/Eva (by the way, did anyone think Ted giving Eva all those milestone Birthday gifts could be a foreshadowing of some sad split in that dynamic, leaving only the memories of those gifts to cling to? Just me? Okay). It will be weird to see Grayson work his way back into Ashley's good graces after living a double-life and putting Ashley in jeopardy, especially since she was so hard on Derek for keeping his improving health a secret from her for like, what, six weeks? Grayson told multiple lies, committed a felony, put patient care at risk and likely violated several oaths or at least duty of care principles, but oh well, he does a brief desk interview at the police station, so that takes care of that! Having said that, the blood plasma storyline was unfortunately, as poorly plotted as observed from the beginning and nothing that happened has changed my mind. The intercutting of the cotillion and the warehouse action added an 11th hour dose of interest to what had been a lifeless, bloodless (pardon the pun) story with zero human interest. I'm glad it's over and I hope they do not try to bring back any threads from the storyline. Let the Impaler disappear in the wind, never to be seen or heard from, it's not worth revisiting.

Has anyone seen this show? I will be honest, I've never seen it but I'm glad to know that Nafessa is getting that work.

Not even looking too far into the whys but I just knew that the link wouldn't embed properly. Oh well, I tried. 🤷🏾‍♀️Thanks @janea4old To be clear, Tonya is pretty well known across the Caribbean, in particular, Jamaica and the West Indies. She has been active with arts and humanities initiatives for decades now. One year, she was bestowed with the Doctor Bird award, Jamaica's highest award that can be given to a non Jamaican citizen. And I have heard, from family in Canada that she has consistently been a big advocate for the Black arts movement (which is likely a smaller community than in the U.S., which itself is also relatively small) in Canada for decades.

Maybe "seeded" isn't the right word, because seeding requires intent and I'm not sure that they intended to do this but that sequence on the evening of the anniversary party, where there is an awkward scene between Carlton and Eva where I wondered if there was some familiarity between the two of them. Carlton's concern toward Eva seemed strangely paternal. This was way before Eva started working in Ted and Carlton's office. Up until the anniversary party debacle, Eva had worked as a temp for Laura in Nicole's office. Ted would've known Eva through Nicole but Carlton had no previous interaction with Eva. Was it just basic concern for a young woman who appeared conflicted? Possibly. Did it come off as having some deeper subtext? I thought so.🤷🏾‍♀️ Piggyback on that, the paternity/DNA aspect with Eva's results was implied that it was made explicit but then there was that strange phone call between Leslie and some unseen person, along with Leslie's very quick handling of the DNA testing. Do we trust someone who put on a leather suit and helmet to go run someone off the road to be telling the truth? I don't remember Ted doing his own DNA test, I think he just trusted Leslie's word regarding the results. But that entire story thread still has me scratching my head, including why on earth Leslie waited two decades to tell Ted. It's not like she couldn't find him or wanted to protect Nicole, or Ted or their children...why. wait. so. long?? The only thing that makes sense is if there were another possibility for Eva's biological dad. There is that idiom that says "too many cooks spoil the broth", and I have read (and heard anecdotally) of many a screenplay that ultimately became unrecognizable from its original pitch and concept because the screenplay changed hands and authorship one too many times. In an ideal world, you'd want one writer per story, from beginning to end but that's just not possible for a 37 page script (they used to have a longer running time!) for each episode, 5 days a week. Honestly, some writers did this in the early days of soaps and even some head writers like Douglas Marland did a year's worth of story projections and wrote what appeared to be the bulk of the stories during his tenure. And he wrote some brilliant stories. I am also convinced that doing so much of the writing on his own created enormous strain and might just have likely ruined his health. In some ways, the best writing tends to be done in solitude but television and movies tend to be highly collaborative enterprises, but it's easy to see why so many movies and television shows can flop because the more people involved in the creative process, the more things can go off-target. Miscommunication of ideas, especially if they are not carefully plotted out in advance, can happen. Also, depending on the production process, there can be script changes, right up to filming, which can make for a chaotic process.

I loved Kameelah, who is a doctor now. She read Sean Duffy for filth and every time I read news of him, I hope she can take satisfaction in knowing how right she was about him. During the 2024 election, I also thought about the microaggressions she faced when people deliberately mispronounced her name, not unlike what VP Harris experienced.

I had a feeling Derek's fate was sealed when, after hardly seeing the character, all of a sudden, he was in the thick of a storyline that was destined to culminate in some sort of bloodshed. In Season 1, I was thinking that Ben, Jen Jacobs and Alex Alegría should all go recurring but it appeared to me that, when paired with actors other than Jen, Ben seemed to have improved and was performing well. I actually thought he had forged way ahead of Alex, in terms of how much he had improved and his screen presence overall. Oh well. Good luck to Ben. And yes, I glimpsed those closing credits when I watched last night. Sigh. Whether it's a retcon flashback, fantasy or a real time "reunion", I wish we could actually have room for total surprise, I guess those days are in the past? I vote for switching in some writers. I really enjoyed the last 2-3 episodes but the fact remains that Anita's BRCA storyline has been the only storyline so far that has had a genuine story arc. The Hayley "Kill Bill" storyline is in a holding pattern and up until the last two days of the plasma ring story, it's been a mess and some characters who are supposed to be intelligent, consistently making decisions that defy logic. It would be great not to have to wait for the next big event or health crisis to get some satisfying storytelling. Since Season One, almost all of the least experienced actors have shown so much improvement. It's time to give everyone more complex stories. Interestingly enough, some ideas have already been seeded in the first season but, for whatever reason, haven't yet been pursued.

Hopefully this embeds properly.🤞🏾I don't know whether this was posted but Mishael Morgan posted some moments from a fundraising event for the University of the West Indies (UWI) a university of which some of my relatives are alumni. There is a blink and you miss her cameo from fellow West Indian/Canuck Tonya Lee Williams. Sean Dominic asked Mishael whether she had a chance to meet up with Tonya in the comments.

I thought those formations were great! I think the choreographer probably guided the director's hands on these in terms of making her vision clear.