YRBB

EPISODE 12: WHAT A SWELL PARTY THIS IS

If you told me a few weeks ago there’d be an episode mostly focused on Michael and Linda's story and that I’d like it, I would have never believed you. But what a swell ride this was.

Michael's birthday is the catalyst for most of the events in the episode. While Karen and Mack are busy planning and then unplanning a party, Michael focuses on helping his newest shouldn’t-have-feelings-for-her girl find an apartment. What a lovely surprise when Eric returns. The scene in which he apologizes to Michael for scamming him out of a baseball card when they were young is touching and heartbreaking, both in its irony and because you can totally see this happening between the two of them back then.

I can’t believe we’ve watched these two kids grow up all these years. When Eric tells Michael that he thought growing up would be easier, it carries so much weight.

Tom kisses Paige until she agrees to play hooky with him. They try to find things in common they’d like to do but end up back in bed. Greg spotting them outside and telling Paige he’s glad she’s feeling better is hilarious. Speaking of Greg, he brings Paula to the ranch hoping to have sex with her but Paula, astute as she is, can tell she’s nothing more than a diversion and refuses to give it up unless Greg burns with passion for her. I did very much like her in this scene.

The Harold/Olivia situation is kind of comically tragic. They argue over money again, then they argue over arguing in general, and then they fight about how they fight. Looking back at how they met, got married, as well as their ages (particularly Olivia's), it’s no surprise that things are imploding so spectacularly. Still, that final scene where Olivia throws her ring into the glass of water and leaves the house resonates a lot. I don’t know what it is, but I could see so much of Abby in Olivia here.

Following a brief visit from Val (where she says she won’t let another one of Gary's demented lovers ruin her life – and she’s got a point), we get a lot of funny moments during Michael's party. Although Mort bringing a blow-up doll to a party full of his colleagues is too close to sitcom humor, one can’t deny Karen catching Mack trying to deflate it was very amusing. I loved all the little bits of Karen and Mack deciding to mingle with their son’s friends and then realizing they’d rather by upstairs eating chocolate cake in bed.

Underneath all the shenanigans, the Michael/Eric/Linda situation is finally boiling over and it all comes to a head when Linda runs off in tears. Karen later finds her crying downstairs and thinks she’s about to comfort her but instead gets shocked into a freezeframe when she is told Michael is who Linda wants to be with!   

FINALLY!!!

Kylie returns this month with single "Dancing" and a new album titled "Golden" later this year! YAAAAAS. Bless us, Kylie!

May he R.I.P.

I never did realize it was him on BSG.

Horribly disappointed Timothee Chalamet didn't win.

Oprah's speech was ICONIC.

On 1/2/2018 at 4:00 PM, DRW50 said:

Thanks for keeping these recaps coming.

 

That line from Val is a great example of the plot-over-character motif of these years, and one of the reasons JVA was likely so unhappy. They likely put that in so viewers would feel her pain more when she was made a mug of. All it really did was just spit on her character's history for a man and a relationship that was never, ever believable.

You're welcome.

It really did spit on everything. I agree that's likely why they did it, but I don't see why they would -- having to date and kiss Danny was painful enough and I'm pretty sure the audience already felt for her!

11 hours ago, Khan said:

"Twice Victim" had its moments, but I think KL did a much better job of handling this issue in the first-season episode, "The Lie."  There, Laura's rape was less a plot twist and more an exploration of her character, especially in regards to her relationships with men.

Without a doubt. I don't think "The Lie" can ever be topped, and the focus on plot here is clear. Still, a decent exploration of rape and a really good episode for the latter era of the series.

EPISODE 11: TWICE VICTIM

A classic Knots episode. Although it gives Val the shaft once again (more on that later), it’s a wonderful exploration of rape that manages to feel both soapy and gritty at the same time. Exclusively focusing on the Danny/Amanda/Gary/Val story, it leaves majors like Greg, Paige, as well as the supporting cast, out of this one.

Shackelford and Peyser turn in excellent performances as Gary approaches Amanda about her rape and helps her through the process of reporting it, getting examined, and ultimately being disappointed in the outcome. It’s all very sad and dramatic, but one has to chuckle a little at Gary constantly being surprised (Amanda was raped – Danny was the one who raped her – Amanda slept with Danny just two weeks ago – Val's engaged).

Amanda is given a couple of very good speeches here: First, she erupts when Gary wants to go beat up Danny, desperate to avoid the endless cycle of payback that’s about to get ignited. Then, she reveals she thought of herself as dirty following the rape and catches herself saying that she 'admitted' to being raped. This is where the episode comes the closest to sounding like an after-school special, but nevertheless, its condemnation of the misogynistic way rape gets handled (what coincidence to be watching this while the Weinstein scandals reign supreme) is noteworthy, even if it does feel at times they’re just checking off boxes.

Gary turns to both Mack and Karen for help and advice before telling Val that Danny raped Amanda. "She says she was raped by Danny!" Listen, Val's reaction is normal, even expected. Why would she believe her? She does have reasons to lie. And, Danny is Val's biggest love (rolls eyes). But the Val I know would have voiced these concerns before choosing to believe the woman in this situation… or, if she couldn’t, it would take one long, meaningful moment staring into Gary's eyes, and she would have known it’s true. A greatly acted scene from Shackelford and Van Ark but my blood pressure was through the roof. Of course, this is only happening like this so the Danny/Val relationship continues, sacrificing Val's character for the sake of the plot.

That being said, the whole thing is sorta saved by the final two glorious scenes. Gary lures a smug Danny to the ranch to discuss helping Amanda in what is one of the best Gary scenes, and instead goes after him with a baseball bat until Danny is on the floor, whimpering with fear. In those few minutes, Gary metaphorically raped Danny by completely taking away control of Danny's life and making him feel helpless and scared. "Did you enjoy it, Danny?" he asks kind of sexily. Oh, yes we did.

Meanwhile, as Amanda readies to kill herself by taking care of a variety of chores, she gets a knock at the door: It’s two young girls selling magazine subscriptions in order to save to go to college. Their joy, optimism, and enthusiasm touches Amanda and she orders a bunch of subscriptions, changing her mind about her suicide. She stands there, smiling widely as we fade to credits, an unexpected, touching, poignant ending.  

11 minutes ago, Vee said:

I must have forgotten - I'm sure it's been mentioned here, but I just saw it again today - apparently Jerome Flynn (Bronn) and Lena Headey had a tumultuous past relationship IRL and refuse to share scenes. Allegedly it's more Flynn who refuses to do so. Wild!

Now, that's some interesting Westeros tea!

57 minutes ago, Khan said:

A real low point for the character of Val, AFAIC.

52 minutes ago, Soaplovers said:

I can't believe Val would utter such a line..

You're not kidding! In 11 years, this is the first time I've actively disliked Val. A shocking way to start the episode, indeed.

53 minutes ago, Soaplovers said:

considering the work the show did to.show that Val loved Ben just as much as she loved Gary.

The show did a wonderful job of developing a second love of Val's life in Ben, without lessening what she felt for Gary.

The way I see it, there's two ways to justify that line: We can give them the benefit of the doubt and assume Val is so caught up in the passion and so desperate for a partner that she's lying even to herself (but there was no onscreen indication of this) or they want to really make the point that this is actually Val's biggest love and therefore all this Danny stuff happening is more important. Sadly, I fear it's the latter.

58 minutes ago, Khan said:

As for Karen's talk show...well...you'll see.

EPISODE 10: NEVER JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER

Danny's reaction to raping Amanda is just as disgusting as you’d expect it to be: He denies it, belittles her, calls her weak, and throws her out. They don’t skimp on the graphicness: At some point, Amanda's on the floor, her hand protectively between her thighs following her trauma. It’s not the type of imagery you’d expect on a network show. I really love the unexpected direction they’ve taken with this villain type story. It doesn’t feel like your typical dating-a-psycho scenario. Danny comes off charming, totally normal, everyday, and yet capable of extreme anger and actions. Sadly, the writers are trying to amp things up by having Val say things like, she loves Danny more than she ever loved Ben or even Gary, which is totally unnecessary. Honestly, I don’t truly buy that she loves him (the chemistry isn’t really there) but the story doesn’t require that we feel a strong sense of love between the two. The drama is still good enough on its own.

I loved Mack and Karen conspiring to get Tom and Paige back together and how the two ended up in bed again. They have nice chemistry. As for Oakman, he’s not exactly Mark St. Claire, but he’ll work as a shadowy figure for now. I feel Mack is being a little stupid not seeing through Tom though.

I’m starting to like Thing a little more now, and the actress playing Amanda has really impressed me with her work the last couple of episodes.

I was right – Karen is now a talk show host! Well, if anyone would be, it’d be Karen. In great Knots Landing fashion, they connect this story to Danny's when Karen does a show on rapists. It’s a little obvious, of course, but such a great joining of storylines.

The ending – Amanda calling in to Karen's show to discuss her rape, while Danny watches uncomfortably with Val by his side, and Gary recognizing Amanda's voice – is great. This season has kindly been giving Gary lots of cliffhangers.

It's Tuesday, December 26, 2017, and this is gorgeous and gorgeouser! 

Merry Christmas Part Deux

I've been incredibly remiss with this thread.... but it's Monday, December 25, 2017, it's Christmas, and I think we need to get back on it... right?  Merry Christmas, lovelies!

EPISODE 9: PERFECT COUPLES

What a doozy of an episode.

Once more, Paige is left feeling angry over something Tom did and pining after him. The fact that she’s this involved in such a short amount of time says a lot about just how much she actually likes him. Nevertheless, Tom ends things and pines away for Paige by looking at a lingerie shop window. Weird.

The Sumner Group fun continues. On the one hand, you have Polly. Dating- every-guy-in-the-company Polly. I like her. There’s a really funny scene where she brings Paige chocolate to help her get over Tom. Typically, Paige chews her out but takes the chocolate – and then we see her trash bin is full of empty candy bar wrappings.

On the other hand, you have the ever-douchey Mort making it his life’s purpose to date ‘Teresa’ aka Thing. Michael eventually snaps and tells Mort that only he will be sampling his brother’s wife’s giftbox. Somewhere in all of this, Mort meets Harold and Olivia (you guessed it, they’re having money problems) and lets the cat out of the bag: Michael is ‘dating’ Thing! Bob, ever so sweet and touching, actually defends Mort: "He’s really not such a bad guy. He’s just insensitive and crude." And you know… yes. Mort is just clueless.

Eternal loser Mark Baylor gets sentenced to three years and begs Karen to get Mack to stop investigating. Karen is being flattered by the bailiff (who speaks not at all like real people would when he praises Karen's talk-show skills), so I hope she does get the message. Karen's funniest moment of the episode comes when Mack announces he’ll invite Tom and Paige to dinner, without them knowing the other is coming, and she deadpans: "You don’t want to meddle, do you?" Well, I don’t know what else he’s supposed to do.

Pat finally makes an appearance but most of the scene is handled by Frank. Nevertheless, it’s a stand-out: Mack suggests Pat and Frank talk to Mark about what it’s like being in the witness protection program. Frank’s ensuing monologue is great, and gave the Williams’ season 9 introductory storyline some very nice resonance.

The music on the show has gone crazy. There’s setting the mood and then there’s clubbing you over the head with it. Still, it’s charming. The focus of the episode is Danny's descent into madness. Despite an unconvincingly acted first scene (where Danny casually calls Val and then breaks down crying by himself over receiving divorce papers), his increasing desperation is must-see TV. There’s nasty Danny sex. Ridiculously on-the-nose live singing that makes Cathy seem subtle. Dog-napping. And then the harrowing, unexpected, devastating final scene: Several minutes of Amanda being slammed against the wall, threatened, choked, dragged across the floor, hair-pulled, raped. A stunning, heartbreaking end, wonderfully played by two actors I’m still on the fence about.

PS. Hard to believe, but in 11 seasons, I think this is only the second rape?

EPISODE 8: THE GOOD GUYS

My God, this season doesn’t even give you a second to breathe, does it?

Tom calls Paige to apologize for hitting it and running. Before long, we (and Mack) learn that Tom is a cop. It’s all Mack needed to hear. You think the story will be about Mack trying to push Tom onto Paige, but you soon realize that he’s somehow involved with the Shady Corporation and probably been intimidating and hurting people right and left.

Karen fills in for the talk show again. Is this the beginning of some Karen-becomes-a-talk-show host story or something?

Everything else is pretty much put on hold while the episode majorly focuses on Tom and Paige. Olivia and Harold are still arguing about money. Michael and Thing are still attracted to each other. Karen still worries about Michael's spending. Gary, Amanda, and Danny take the week off.

All this, and the cliffhanger is that Tom stood Paige up.

I'm so scared they'll succeed. 

God bless the black men and women who overwhelmingly voted against Moore. 

F*ck the massive amount of white men and women who did vote for Moore.

I just saw the announcement for this. Apparently, it was a rights/money issue. So glad they'll continue. I have the entire series but will definitely be buying the DVDs as they are released! 

One of the best miniseries I've ever seen... Every single episode was great... and then the last few minutes... perfection!

And, now, it's coming back for a second season!

Does part of me wish they wouldn't? Yes. Will I be watching the hell out of it? YES!

Please let it be as good as Season 1!

1 hour ago, Daphne said:

It was just a matter of time . . . .

 

http://variety.com/2017/film/news/bryan-singer-cesar-sanchez-guzman-1202633573/

 

Stannis Baratheon was apparently confused and didn't know what he was doing.

Finally saw this and thoroughly enjoyed it! In fact, I'm thinking of going back for seconds. Certainly better than Suicide Squad and B vs S. 

I thought Flash was charming, Cyborg worked great too. Baffleck is Baffleck. Gal Gadot fantastic as always. Aquaman GREAT on the eyes but meh on execution. He needs more to do/more work.

They FINALLY gave my Superman the treatment he deserves. None of that Batman v Superman BS. As if he can't beat the sh!t out of all of them with little to no effort! And that's exactly what he did (while shirtless, bless the Gods). His resurrection was probably the best scene in the movie. Good stuff with Lois Lane and Martha Kent. 

Wasn't crazy about the Bugs design and I still hate Snyder's vision of Krypton with a passion. The climax was slightly underwhelming but good overall. 

But Cavill's CGI upper lip area? Oh my God, the horror! It's like Superman was brought back to life but the space between his lip and nose remained dead. Couldn't they make it more natural? Maybe make it move along with the rest of his face? Did Superman come back from the dead with a massive amount of Botox on his upper lip? So many questions. And apparently, this cost them millions!

The only interesting thing is it helps spot the reshoots easily. And it seems there was a tooooon of them (and I'm sure there's more that didn't involve Cavill directly). I didn't notice Whedon being credited. Only Snyder was credited as director. 

Overall, a lighter tone, more fun, some good moments. Hope they keep going this direction but Snyder needs to be gone. He can't bring humanity to these characters.

The first post-credit scene was a lot of fun. I groaned at the second one when I realized it involved Lex and hoped he'd been recast. No luck but he seemed toned down and it was awesome to see Manganiello. The idea of an evil Justice League has promise. 

7 hours ago, YRfan23 said:

I think the press praised Cooper in the beginning for Marge's portrayal, but the story just dragged on too long, and according to SOD at the time....the gimmick wore off quickly................I guess fans also thought Katherine and Esther trapped in the isolated cabin when this was all going on was boring...

7 hours ago, soapfan770 said:

Amongst viewers and some of the soap press while they lauded Jeanne Cooper and were entertained, the common criticism of the story was the doppelganger part was a bit of stretch for a more reality based show like Y&R, quite similar to Brad in a cage the previous year. Of course no one in 1990 could predict twenty years later doppelgangers would become a dime a dozen and more ridiculous with the next one, that we'd see Katherine Chancellor in a landfill and co-piloting helicopters, or there would be death by volcano. 

33 minutes ago, yrfan1983 said:

^ I was riveted by the story, thanks to the excellent acting and tight plotting. Sad when it ended

Thanks. Yeah, I loved it and thought it was fun and entertaining. Cooper certainly seemed to be having a ball. I just became curious when someone on YouTube said it was "unpopular" with viewers and had to be wrapped up sooner than planned. I took it with a heavy dose of salt, but figured I'd check. Maybe it'd be different if we watched it unfold day by day.

I do like the occasional outlandish story though, and late 80s, early 90s Y&R served it nicely with Brad in the Cage and Katherine's kooky doppelganger. I feel they always found ways to ground the crazy stories like those, or Matt Clark's face-change and deliver them as realistically as possible.

Does anyone know/remember: Was the Marge plotline unpopular with the audience? Did it go pretty much as planned?

11 minutes ago, amybrickwallace said:

I just heard this. Of all the unmitigated nerve!!! 😠😠😠😠😠😠😠😠😠😠

 

http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2017/11/30/matt-lauer-reportedly-seeking-30-million-from-nbc-following-firing-for-sexual-harassment.html

The nerve! I hope he doesn't get it.