Aback

I’m honestly appalled by this latest development, and if I’m not stopping watching, it’s only because I promised myself I’d give the show a full year before passing final judgment. Honestly, MVJ is coming across more like a soap hack than a soap fixture like Bill Bell or Agnes Nixon. The reason people might be turned off by this whole Leslie/Barbara/Vernon fiasco is that it reeks of a last-minute retcon to save Leslie. They’re clearly propping her up—and it’s just not fair. I don’t care that they gave her a throwaway line about losing her virginity to the Articulettes, or that Anita foreshadowed to Eva that she’d never be a real Dupree. They saw Leslie’s popularity, swept her crimes under the rug, and came up with this unnecessary plot just to keep her relevant. What I especially dislike is that we all know this will fizzle out like everything else. Sure, the reveal might be mildly exciting—but what about everything in between reveals I’m still waiting for Nicole to deal with the fact that her parents hid Martin’s truth from her. She was supposed to “pause her anger” for the Articulettes concert, but instead she just forgot all about it and was suddenly Anita’s confidante the very next day. Too many characters. Too many people connected to the Duprees. Too many male cheaters. Too many aliases. Too many convoluted, desperately overcomplicated plots.

Agreed. BTW why is she doing everything she does? What makes her tick? She seems like Y&R's 90s Cricket - without an office though. Big agree. It's a nothing-burger of a story, much like Dani/Andre's reveal and most others. They're burning through story too fast and skipping interesting beats. Big agree on everything. They should have had some extras at Uptown doing the class. And Allison is the umpteenth external foil threatening the precious Dupree bunch. How many of those will we have during the show's run? It's almost as if they're playing all their cards just in case the show gets canceled. Reminds me of young filmmakers filling their debut film with all the ideas they've harbored in film school. Love the idea. And this black sheep should also be like 'I'd never wear those purses, thank you'. Good writing would have made Hayley an interesting character, so to make the triangle rootable. Instead they have to bend over backwards to convey the message that Dani is the best Bill could ever have.

I swear MVJ is obsessed with giving aliases to her characters. The only explanation for these stories is to prop Dani. BTW let me quote a tweet I’ve seen: who needs enemies when you have family like Naomi and Jacob? 🤢

It's a convoluted mess and it's not the first time it happens. (remember Nicole saving Sherry from jumping off the terrace and then Sherry being left by herself...) Weird ending. And OMG Devon is like watching paint dry and has been like that since 2003. Please keep him away from BTG. He was supposedly returning Hayley's belongings but yeah, it was dumb and perfectly in line with the rest of this convoluted mess of a story lol

It must not be easy to plan when your network is constantly pre-empting your show. On another note, does anyone else find the latest use of flashbacks to be very B&B-esque?

He'll bring the excitement...LMAO

I had to roll my eyes at Hayley’s recounting of the events. She got that scare then she refused the sonogram then she faked the sonogram, then she tripped and fell, then she lashed out at Dani with blood on her hands, then she rushed to the hospital (?) and rushed to her sofa as rapidly. Sorry, this is TOO CONVOLUTED for words. What are the writers smoking? This is not the way you plot a story.

First of all, I have to say the show has improved a lot in terms of pacing, lighting, and direction. I’m seeing new camera angles, and there’s been a less suffocating use of the usual hangout sets like Orphey Gene’s and Uptown—which is definitely a step in the right direction. I’m still not sure this story rotation model is really benefiting the stories themselves. Elon and Jacob are suddenly back to talking about Kenny’s death, but emotionally it fell flat to me. It feels like we’ve already moved past the point of being invested in that storyline. What’s most frustrating to me is how the writers seem to struggle consistently with character motivations. Especially when it comes to plotting, they keep creating story holes, often completely unnecessary. The latest example is the storyline around Hayley’s collapse. Why did Randy have to invent a fake name? (These writers are obsessed with fake names!) Why didn’t he take Hayley to the hospital—especially when we know she likely has an accomplice there? (Remember that female doctor we saw once?) And then we suddenly see Hayley on the couch in her living room… Why would she let Naomi into the house right after a supposed miscarriage? So many of these gaps could easily be avoided with more careful writing.

I’m actually quite liking the show. The lighting, the blocking, the directing have improved tremendously. Even OJ's and Uptown don’t feel so overused lately. I love the way characters are mingling and gossiping all the time. Some things still don’t work: - Andre does not come across like a world traveled player. His intentions are unclear and he seems underwritten. He’s getting the Tomas treatment. - BTW the whole ‘Dani/Andre affair reveal’ was a nothing burger. We all could tell that the characters would have just gone ‘oh well’ with it and moved on. - Hayley’s motivations, whatever they are, are not going to sound plausible. - Naomi is my least favorite character. I want Jacob to investigate her and have her disbarred. - To me the show does not play all the beats at all. It’s actually missing a lot of beats. Carlton being Ted’s partner has not been discussed in ages and should have been mentioned more in the last few episodes. - The show doesn’t know what to do after a big reveal. Martin’s story has fizzled, much like Leslie and everyone else. It feels like in 6 months the show has burned through so much story (sometimes even repeating tropes like the 'mysterious phone call' ad nauseam) that I worry for the next 6 months.

100%!

People tend to shower after their work out. We even saw the changing room sets when Kenny was homo-erotically threatening Martin post-workout. That’s a problem I have with Jazmen as a scriptwriter. Not everyone speaks like a sassy gay man.

I loved these last two episodes, they were instant classic with lots of heart. I’ve been saying from the get go that even in its worst days, BTG has a wholesome quality about it.

It's obviously Ted King. He interacted with MVJ's social media a few weeks ago implying them working together.

Thought Friday’s show was superb. Excellent production values. The songs were decent. Loved the energy. Btw if that’s Kat’s real hair, please KEEP IT that way. I have a fondness for Sharon and Tracy. As for the rest of the storylines… looks like even the latest big story (Martin’s) has fizzled. Good luck going from point A to B. I expect some more friction with Jacob and then everything will be swept under the rag, much like what happened with comic-relief Leslie.

Yeah yet another case of the writers doing a 180 from a story they themselves had plotted. Again, big agree. Anita is obnoxious yet portrayed as a Queen. Such a waste of TT’s talents. Further thoughts: - I loved the last couple of episodes. Especially love it when soap characters get fixated on ordinary details like “Are you coming to the party or not?”. And they go canvassing each other’s sets as if it were an election campaign. It reminds me of Bill Bell’s Y&R. Love it. - I thought Sharon’s panic attack was SO SWEET. Here you have this hardened, sassy woman whose emotions come back to surface and take a toll.

YESSS Big fan here!! ❤️

So exciting… 😅🙄

I’ve yet to understand how Joe was involved in Martin’s story. They’ve explained the Duprees’ version a thousand times already, but what’s that saying—there are two sides to every story… I also wanted to comment on Ted possibly being watered down after the recast. Honestly, Ted has been a non-character from the very beginning. Where’s his fatal flaw? What does he want—and what does he really need? Most of these “characters” aren’t even stereotypes—they’re archetypes. In many cases, there’s just nothing more to them. In other cases, I’d say it depends on what the actor brings to the role and how the character is translated from page to screen. Case in point: Tomas. Here we have this avid sci-fi reader (plot device alert) who was 100% committed just a few weeks ago, and now he’s bouncing between one sister and the other—and then back again—all within the span of a couple of episodes. There’s no clear motivation behind him, no consistency with what we’ve seen so far. And obviously, the robotic actor doesn’t help. (Oh, and by the way—I detest his ugly tattoos.) Finally, I don’t understand what Nicole is planning for the rest of her life. Notice how the word divorce has never even been mentioned. She and Ted are stuck in a lull—just stalling—much like Leslie and everyone else after that “epic” reveal three months ago. And I predict Martin and Smitty will end up in the same boat once this stupid Kenny ordeal fades out.

I echo what Maxim has said upthread. The soaps are dead - creatively. Gone are the days when they would push the envelope with what could be said and shown on television. If they keep coasting their existence, well I’ll liken that to the rise of conservatism because there’s nothing more conservative these days than US soaps.

Honestly it looks incredible

What do you mean 'back'...

If you enjoyed this week, I’m happy for you—and I genuinely want BTG to succeed regardless of my own feelings. But if you’re triggered by criticism, please be advised: the following message will be extremely critical. * * * * * * I don’t even have the words to describe how disappointed and cringed out I am—not just by this week, but by the entire breakdown and plotting of the Martin storyline. As GLATWT and ranger have pointed out, the plot is riddled with holes. Nobody knows if Martin remembered or didn’t remember, why he confided in Nicole, or what the big threat with Kenny even was. Kenny wanted money—so what? It’s not like the Duprees are strapped for cash. So that never really came off as a real threat. And now the Duprees are acting all scandalized that Kenny’s been killed… but it’s not even the first time he’s been killed, lol. I don’t believe for one minute that Marcel actually offed Kenny, he’ll obviously reappear to clear everyone’s conscience. It’s all so bland, uninspired, and straight out of a Harmony book. And honestly, I don’t see how this storyline is supposed to create growth for any of the characters. So really, it’s not even a story. If you look at the last few months, the other major arc was Leslie’s reveal. And that had massive plot holes too—what exactly was Leslie hoping to gain by outing Ted? Weeks later, it’s become clear the writers had no long-term direction. The characters are stuck in a lull, and the writers clearly don’t know what to do with them. The same thing is happening with the Martin plot. The writers don’t know where they’re going—and honestly, they don’t even seem to know where they are right now. That press conference at Orphey Gene with Bill buying time? Completely ludicrous. I disagree with the idea that the show is exploring Nicole’s role in the family. The writers are treating her like an afterthought. Just look at how Kat is used in this storyline—she’s a total non-factor. MVJ needs serious support when it comes to structuring these storylines. She’s no Bill Bell or Agnes Nixon, and sorry but Guza is not the answer. Let’s see what the new head writer brings. Extra comments on other storylines: - Jacob NEEDS to hook up with Kat or Smitty because we need SPICE. This show plays it way too safe. It shouldn’t give viewers what they think they want, but what they secretly crave. And sorry, “spice” is not Dani and Andre hooking up for the upteenth time in their toxic relationship, and it’s definitely not Chelsea talking about her 'fluid' love life. - Naomi calling that invisible number on the photo, and the woman on the other end hanging up on her… really? In just five months we’ve already had this kind of scene with Anita and Sharon, and the mystery-voice-offscreen thing with Barbara. It’s a tired ’90s trope (like giving birth in an elevator), based on the idea of fixed telephones and they’ve already recycled it. I’m sure I’m forgetting more (like Martin and Smitty AIMLESSLY walking around the park), but I’m just really frustrated with this show. There are so many missed opportunities. And no, the show does not cover every single beat.

My random takes: - Pacing, Tone & Overall Fatigue Honestly, watching this week’s episodes felt like a chore. I’ve officially started watching the show at 1.5x speed. Maybe it’s the post-break slump, but I’m kind of out of the mood right now. The show lacks guts right now. Everything feels half-assed. Like they’re scared to take real risks. Stakes are so low it’s laughable. Example? Smitty and Jacob should’ve hit the sheets already. Same for Jacob and Kat. We need MESS—not the delusional Dani Dupree brand of chaos, but actual emotional messiness. Also: does Martin take a nap in every episode? - Dialogue & Continuity Issues Since when is “good dialogue” just ripping off social media catchphrases Continuity continues to cheat viewers. One cliffhanger ends with Dani raging at André and Ashley, and the very next episode she’s all smiles and sass at their table, while they act like nothing happened. What?? The Leslie investigation has lost all momentum. It’s just spinning in circles at this point. I’ve lost track of the plan and the plot holes—and honestly, I don’t even care anymore. - Visuals & Styling I officially can’t stand the following wigs: Dani’s, Kat’s, Naomi’s—and OMG, Madison’s. - Plot Directions I honestly couldn’t care less that the trees in “the remote” were dead. I’ll still take that over another scene at Orphey’s or Uptown. But really… why was Martin running to the park? Did he get a push notification that Samantha was chatting with a dangerous man or something? 😂 The whole Martin/Joey/secret/money storyline is ailly, convoluted, straight out of a Harmony plotline. And Joey being portrayed as some sort of threat? Please. He’s not scary, let alone terrifying. - Villains & Recycled Conflicts How many criminal enemies are the Duprees going to rack up? We’re five months in and we’ve already had Leslie, Kenneth, and now possibly Alison… And I agree that Leslie has entered Passions villain territory I’m not liking it Shallow note: Randy is officially the hottest man on the show. 🔥

So how does moving to a new studio affect their sets as JMC seems to imply?

I really don’t understand how staying in the same studio where they could afford glitz and glamour 40 years ago suddenly is the reason they haven’t been able to afford glitz and glamour anymore. The rent went up?