FrenchBug82

1 hour ago, John said:

RSW will get work and he's been on the show almost 9 years. Thats great employment for an actor.

Sure. But I often feel for actors who get screwed over because they are in a supercouple and the other half wants to leave and writers decide to write them both out, even if that actor would have wanted to stay

Granted, here it is more than time to write them out regardless of what either actor wants but...

As for the blind item, repeat after me: stop. killing. young legacy characters. Period. I don't care who. I don't care what show. I don't care how great the short-term story is or how awful the character is.

That sense of time and legacy and family ties is one of the few remaining things that keep us loyal to these shows.
Write them out into the sunset and stop killing characters just because whatever latest actor playing them is bored

His praise for Courtney Hope (and in B&B's defense Y&R is squandering her even worse) is interesting.
I could have bought a Rick/Sally/Thomas triangle.

I think one of the final major storylines for Y&R should be Victor's passing.

Make his inheritance a battle royale between his four kids, pulling in all characters, bringing back all kinds of characters - for his funeral, a la Asa - and then during the skirmishes.
It is momentous enough to be the focus of the end of the show and Victor has had enough hands in enough pots over the years that it can easily be an umbrella story.
And you can write in some closure for some characters: Jack finally accepting he will never beat Victory and feeling liberated from it, Nikki reflecting on who she is other than Victor's wife. Have Devon someone get involved and hint at the end he is on the way to being the next business tycoon etc.

To be fair, I think this is how the story should go when it sadly happens but I don't trust the writers to know how to write the kind of all-encompassing massive story that lasts a year that the fallout of Victor's death would need to be.


I bet Days would end on a Bob Newhart massive twist. Maybe all that has happened in Salem forever was all an illusion a la Melaswen or something and have a hologrammed Stefano toast with MarDevil and laugh looking at what they pulled off. Or something

4 hours ago, MichaelGL said:

It was until those missteps Griffith had at DAYS is when I started having serious issues with his writing. However his Y&R is atrocious. Storylines are started, and then suddenly stop at the drop of a hat. His tenure on this show lacks any drama, any follow through, and there are very little or zero stakes. He's supposed to be penning a soap opera, but Y&R in it's current incarnation is anything but that.  And I am so annoyed that so much is either based on what transpired off screen. 

What confuses me though is that his errors at Days are completely different from the current mess at Y&R.

With someone like Ron C. you see the pattern of his flaws between shows. But here we are going from someone who went way too far to someone who is doing nothing at all and writing nothing.

So either he way overlearned from the backlash at his bad calls at Days or at least part of what is ailing the show now has to do with constraints from upstairs for whatever reason.

Because personally I don't see a straight line from his previous work to the nothingness he is giving us here. Either way it is unforgivable and he needs to go but I allow the possibility he is not given completely creative freedom and some of the do-not-write-anything-interesting-lest-you-alienate-someone current writing style might continue under someone else if it is orders from the suits.

Even the best have bad periods and make wrong choices. It is VERY untrue that Bill Bell "cannot" be criticized; go to the Y&R Old Articles section and you will see people discuss at length the bad calls BB made at times.
But BB's entire career is a huge success and he had proved his talent more than once.
I have yet to see anything even briefly comparable from JG and he has been writing the show long enough that being infuriated by the state of the show is entirely fair game. No excuses.

And I don't know what being a nice person has to do with whether the show he is writing is any good. I am sure he is lovely person and maybe we'd be friends. So what?

The writing for Y&R has been dreadful with almost zero saving graces. Even accounting for the constraints he is under - and I realize that things like everything happening at the hotel isn't his creative choice but a budget it - he is still blowing it.

They greatly damage the character of Devon seemingly in service of setting up a big conflict between the three main families of the show ... and they don't even get a story out of it.

If this doesn't sum up JG's Y&R I don't know what does.
 

I am going to be boring and say that I am torn on the way C/S is written right now.

On one hand I do love that they are exploring an organic conflict within a couple with understandable real emotions and subtext on both sides and where no one is wrong or right. That's soap I love and there have been little moments that have been very interesting to me.
And actually it works for me that LW and MB don't have the same kind of passionate chemistry he had with previous Carlys. We are talking two older people who have loved each other in some way for twenty years. The love might be there but the heat isn't sizzling anymore and that makes some sense to me. I agree that keeping them together in a soap is more out of inertia than real planning but in real life, that muted affection would seem like a reasonable vibe for an older married couple.

On the other hand, I do agree that they have not done very well at giving those scenes some sense of progression - either towards resolution or bigger conflict. It is that stagnation that makes them feel repetitive.
And I am not super happy that the way they are going to make the story advance is manufactured conflict like Sonny not taking his meds anymore.

I believe there was good organic drama to squeeze out of this but just like we so cruelly learned during Sonny's botched post-Mike return, they just don't know how to write human emotions.
If it is not big and yelling and violence and plots and secrets and villains, they fumble.

 

17 minutes ago, ironlion said:

I don't get why B&B can't just run six or so storylines  that run at least 6-9 months, instead of rushing through about two simultaneous show consuming plots for three months straight, having a dull period, then moving on to another.

The really bad pacing is especially bizarre because 30-min shows abroad do just fine balancing stories and always have a A-story climaxing while B-story is progressing and C-story is being set up.

THAT being said, I think it has to do with the production model. For the balance I see in foreign soaps to work you need to be able to have characters come popping in an episode for one 2-min scene here and a 5-min scene there until the crux of the story gets you full time.
US production model - both in terms of scheduling shoots on certain days for each actor AND being paid by episode - means it doesn't make financial sense. Each episode cast needs to be small and pre-set which is why we get a lot of repetitive dialogue and scenes.

Both in terms of contract - letting actors take on other projects while being willing to come back to the show -, in terms of how they schedule and film scenes and the payment structure, they would be to rethink everything to give themselves more leeway to write things differently

I have rarely seen a show having so much trouble figuring out what to do with a character and being all over the place trying so many things as Y&R has with Sally.

I like CH and I like Sally - at least as she was established on B&B and as potential - but boy is this is so awkward to watch them flail about with this character.

1 hour ago, Faulkner said:

I think these soaps are being relatively more careful about sexual situations than could be construed as rape (like Nina and Sonny not doing the do on GH while he had amnesia). I do understand her concern considering how over the top Ridge had recently been about Deacon. It’s a hard situation to explain away, and he probably wouldn’t believe it was just a kiss. But I agree somewhat. Lots of stories being dragged out with filler. I get that it’s likely a budget thing.

Ironically this would have had more bite to me if they had used to further the Hope vs Ridge dilemna rather than portray it as "cheating" guilt.
It was only a kiss. But if Hope had found out quickly and begged her mom not to say anything lest Ridge really bans Deacon or something, playing into the already dilemna for Brooke, it would have felt like a real tough choice for Brooke.
This, as much as I am enjoying how KKL is playing this storyline, feels a bit hollow coz I don't buy the stakes.

45 minutes ago, janea4old said:

Well this is a soap, so you'd think that Johnny Abbott would learn that he was conceived via rape.  He's in boarding school now. Maybe they'll reveal it after he's SORASed and returns to canvas.

But on DAYS, Johnny DiMera still doesn't know he was conceived via rape.  Maybe they'll reveal it after or during the possession storyline.

 

 

Yeah Johnny and Connor interact as cousins at family gatherings.  As cousins because they are sons of Victoria and Adam. 

I'm my opinion, Chelsea should not have even a whisper of a right to speak -- because she raped the child's father.   Victoria and Billy never gave Chelsea any rights.
When Chelsea was pregnant with Johnny, she and her mother Anita moved into the grounds of Billy&Victoria's home, maybe an apartment or garage or something at the residence.  Chelsea viewed the whole thing as just another scheme to live with rich people and not pay rent, and wanted a payoff when the baby would be born.

That's the main difference: Chelsea didn't care and was never shown to have any attachment to that child.
I would be more interested in seeing her grapple with why she never felt anything for that child vs Connor. Chelsea is very much not a character I enjoy but they are not even using the character beat they have

But ultimately OF COURSE it will be a plot point later. Took more than a decade for them to go there with the secret of Lily's paternity - when Lily was old enough for the story to be reacted to and have an impact. The list is long: GH Lucky and the rape, AW Matthew and the story of how he was conceived, etc... It always comes up but later.
Doing it while the child is still a child is pointless - usually soaps explore those things when the child is a teenager so that they can add the reveal to the good ol' teenager angst and rebellion against the parents.
I have never taken to Chelsea so I have trouble believing she will still be around then but you can definitely see a story where she uses her "son"'s antagonism to his parents and his being intrigued by his new "mother" to further whatever scheme she will have then.

I am glad Brooke didn't sleep with Deacon but it kinda lessens the stakes here.

Considering that Ridge was smooching Quinn not so long ago and that Brooke was drunk and that Ridge was already inclined to believe the worst of Deacon and therefore blame *him*, that Brooke is so scared of telling Ridge is another example of fake drama

12 hours ago, titan1978 said:

Is it strange that I think Krista Allen would make a better Hope than she did Billie?

I would not be surprised that the really positive reaction to her arrival as a recast Taylor is a factor in whichever show opening their mind to recasting another long-time character.

We know that #4 used to apply to Joshua Morrow and Michelle Stafford so this is where my mind went but as everyone said, there are no clues to narrow anything and it could be anyone.

So 2022 is opening with two new strong entries in the list of most misguided wigs in daytime history with the atrocity B&B is putting on Krista Allen's head and whatever unflattering thing is going on on top of Days' Nancy.

So I was thinking... what other example do we have of the worst (but also the best) hairpieces and wigs ever worn daytime? Excluding of course wigs worn as wigs... I mean only wigs intended to pass as real hair.
And to be clear this is not intended to mock the real-life reasons that might prompt a show or a performer to require a wig, especially if it is health-related. But if it is a bad wig, it is a bad wig!

I still have Andrea Evans' last OLTL stint as the absolute most ridiculous wig but I am open to new entries.

On the best front, I don't know if it is the best - arguably the best will be the ones I didn't even know about - but I remember being quite surprised how long it turned out Susan Flannery had been wearing a wig on B&B. The hair was pretty thin and not particularly flattering - close to her real-life hair - so it never occurred to me it had been fake. 

But I am sure ya'll will have better ideas!

3 hours ago, carolineg said:

I am not against Craig being gay.  That's great, but it does undermine his devotion to Nancy which has never seemed to waiver.   I just don't like Craig being gay for the sake of being gay because the actor is.  Nancy/Craig were always an unconventional  love story and this sort of demeans it.  I am probably not conveying this right but it just seems lazy to do this now.   

You are conveying this absolutely perfectly. I have been ranting about it in the spoiler section and you succinctly and calmly exposed the various things that are problematic about this: the fact this obviously came to their mind because KS is gay, the fact Nancy/Craig are a particular bad couple to do this to and the fact RC will make a joke out of it.

5 minutes ago, cassadine1991 said:

Why are some people on Twitter questioning if Carson is a Trump supporter?

This was discussed as soon as he was cast actually.
His instagram had a lot of content that indicated, say, sympathies for arguments usually made by Trump supporters and he follows all the big figures from MAGA world.
Not sure if something new has come up since.

4 hours ago, Paul Raven said:

Gonna kickstart this thread and give some guys the spotlight

Jeff Trachta is  61. The second photo is from a few years back.

1986

I am also getting Jim Parsons in today's photo.

Just now, Videnbas said:

I agree there is a certain visual resemblance! 

On a side note out of curiosity - are you sure about the politics thing? I kvow Ingo has been pretty vocal about his views but I don't see Jeff stating his political views anywhere. A web search says he is a registered Democrat who did Trump impersonations, and he also appears to be in a long-term same-sex marriage/relationship.

We had a conversation here a few months ago where people were finding it an interesting coincidence that three of the Thornes turned out to be Trumpers.
So I was left with that impression but maybe I or someone in the initial conversation got their wires crossed with his impersonation or with Norcross?
The fact he is gay, however, is not a reason to be skeptical. You would be shocked (I know I am appalled every time) how many gay men are/were wholehearted supporters of Trump.
Either way it is not the most botched plastic surgery I have seen (at least on photo) but he doesn't look like himself.

It is ironic considering they share their politics but doesn't his pulled and tucked face look give Ingo vibes? Is it just me?

50 minutes ago, Soapsuds said:

It's nice seeing Nancy but the writing for the Craig stuff is cringe worthy. Craig Wesley does Dallas?? Someone's watching too much porn. The condom reference...etc..etc..just bad...

I don't want to self-congratulate too much but didn't I call it or what?
 

On 1/14/2022 at 7:18 PM, FrenchBug82 said:

The only thing that is going to make me angrier than them writing this story for this actor is that it is going to devolve into dumb gay jokes and sexual innuendos past the first week.
Just so that we can make the story as unhelpful for LGBT representationas possible.

I was giving him too much credit that he'd at least try to tell the story properly for a week before going into bawdy humor and caricature.

I don't know if this is new stuff (it is to me) but here Ana Alicia says she was killed off because the new producer had "a connection" with an actress he intended to fill roughly the same spot as Melissa on the show.

If I know anything about Hollywood speak, at least in my dirty mind, I can read between the lines here. And we know who she means.

Curtis was killed in Retribution but Esther and Jack are going to come back to the main show to deal with the fallout.

And yeah killing Tess is weird. To be fair I kinda thought it was weird she'd stay on when Prince was written out so I am not that surprised that she ended up leaving too but it is a weird choice because they need a non-remarkable straight heroine.
All the other female characters have a quirk and the show generally has one or two nondescript leading lady. We are left with noone right now. That leaves Tom pretty stranded atm too. 

From the double episode it seems that at least at the outset Amelie is intended to stay with Chris (and those very last seconds of Chris giving this obviously forced smile to cheer her up was actually a very nice acting touch) but I imagine there will be a story there, especially since they were leaning harder than I would have expected on Viv being involved with that. Considering they too just got together, it seems weird to me for Viv to declare herself Amelie's mother figure.

I like Madonna and Vili but I find it hard to find the Jojo triangle compelling. The actor who plays Vili is fine and attractive but he is not giving me anything that would suggest he is interested in Jojo at all. He plays those scenes so robotically while he at least tries to engage with Madonna. So even setting aside the old-fashioned vibe, which makes sense from Madonna but not from him, the whole marriage thing feels so contrived. He asked her to marry him and be a family like he would ask someone if he can buy her ice cream at the mall.

And I really like Francesca as a character but even though they were setting it up pretty heavily I am not buying the Samira pairing at all.

2 hours ago, AMCOLTLLover said:

Oh no… did she die? The season return wasn’t available for me at my source right now

 

Apologies for spoiling it.
Yes, she did die.

This show really kills off too many characters too often. The survival rate for the staff at that hospital is shocking.
Not that I was a super fan but killing off Tess feels weird to me. She was popular and they needed a basic good girl straight heroine. Unless they are bringing Sass back (I think both actresses really look alike) I don't understand the play here.

On the upside, killing off Curtis makes sense and does solve the Esther problem that was discussed here earlier.

31 minutes ago, Khan said:

Poor Iris.  As far as anyone knows, she's still languishing in prison.

What a terrible awful mediocre and insulting ending for a legendary character.

1 hour ago, Melroser said:

Then they wrote the Carl/Rachel scenes in NYC. 

 

I mean, in a vacuum they didn't go a bad job of selling it and making it work. And I get why VW wanted it; it gave her character a rebound after years of drift post-Mac-death, and the chemistry was undeniable and CK is a great actor

It is just that it should never have been even considered rationally speaking

Just now, titan1978 said:

That’s why a character like Holly does work for me- already portrayed as neurotic, past full of trauma including rape.  Issues present to explore.  Terrible relationships in general, especially with men.  If this was being written by a good writer, and taken with care, it could easily work and not feel so out of place.  For me it can come directly from her character, not because MG is a lesbian in real life.

My mind was too focused on gay men but now that you say it, you know who else I could buy it for?

Alexis on GH. She has the same type of character profile as Holly and while I loved her with Julian, I feel that she is not that associated with enough straight romances in the public's mind that if she fell in love with a woman now, later in life, the audience would go on the journey with her. It fits the character and you know NLG would love it and sell the hell out of it.