B&B: 5000th episode

[bandbfan]

It was more low key than I expected.

Stephanie and Eric...uhm.....lol.

And yay for old clips. KKL and RM looked so young, but I guess that really was 20 years ago.

[JamesF]

I can't wait to see this after reading Brad Bell's interview and finding out that Patrick Mulcahey is writing it. It says a lot about B&B's previously lacklustre writing team that a relative newcomer is penning a landmark episode.

It does sound a like nice premise though.

[Chris B]

I thought this was perfect, but those old clips made me so sad. Just from those glimpses you can tell the show has lost it.

[P.J.]

The writing didn't impress me. But, it was fun to see those old clips. Aye Carumba!! Now I remember why I thought Ridge was hot. Both he and KKL were so baby-faced back then. And Susan Flannery...in a dress...was one hot number in those Dynasty shoulder pads.

[Drew]

I just happened to catch this episode, it was very amuzing.

I didnt know Beth Logan was a caterer. All these clips I've seen and my own memories have her living in Paris - how did that come about if she was poor?

[Drew]

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I thought this was perfect, but those old clips made me so sad. Just from those glimpses you can tell the show has lost it.

It's amazing out of 20 years, there are only really 5 that were great must-see TV.

[sheilaforever]

Beth was a caterer when Stephen THE LOSER © Logan had left her and the children for Arizona and loserlife. When Beth became close up and personal with Eric, Queenie dug up Stephen Logan (-> 1988) and with help from the marvelllous Bill Spencer (LOVED HIM!) shipped the senior Logans off to Paris (-> 1989) with a nice income.

[winterguy125]

I thought it was a pretty good show, I was hoping for more flashbacks, but the one's we got were still good.

[bellcurve]

A few years ago, I saw the first five episodes of B&B thanks to a certain website that rhymes with LOST, and the show just looked SO great. The production values were so high and there weren't any location shoots at all. But everything just looked LA. I don't think we even saw an actual fashion show, but the fast-paced behind the scenes action in the first five minutes set you up for what the show was about. You got the impression the show was ABOUT something, fashion and high stakes. Loved how the theme music played in the background as Ridge and Eric were helping the models get ready.

I wish B&B had that glamour and urgency about it today. I mean, in a dream world, B&B would be exploring camera angles, film look, the works, and would have way more corporate intrigue and fashion battles than they do now, but if anything, I would just love to see B&B recapture the glamour that it had in earlier episodes. I don't think that stuff is included in the plot nearly enough as it should be.

ETA: The Episode...it was okay, but not nearly enough clips to satisfy me.

[KateW]

Lets break it down.

Pre-Sheila (1987-1992): practically identical to pre-Victor Y&R in terms of characters and storylines. Still have no idea how they held up against Days (which was riding high from the supercouple craze thanks to Bo/Hope, Steve/Kayla, et al) and All My Children (Susan Lucci, enough said).

Sheila's first run (1992-1995): the only really must-see years. Sheila is pretty much responsible for the rise to #2. Without her I doubt the show would've made it past the 1990s.

Sheila's second run (1995-1998): Now this is when Sheila became cartoonish and the storyline played out.

1999-present: same old, same old

[BadZoe]

I am really hoping that Eileen Davidson has the same effect on B&B that Kimberlin Brown had. Luckily B&B does now have a writer on staff like Patrick that knows how to use History to enhance current storylines. In fact, I've decided to eliminate Y&R from my taping schedule and replace it with B&B. I have taped the last 2 weeks of Y&R and am going to delete without watching. After finding out that the person who killed Carmen has no believable motive, or ties to the character, I am done with it after 27 years. I will not sit and watch something only to have the time I spent invalidated by plot driven drivel, made up on the spot, to fit the current casts contract status.

[Drew]

I would kill for someone to rerun 1992-1998. I really would. Maybe 1998-2000 too - Brooke/Macy/Thorne story was pretty amusing.

But I dont think Ashley's going to have the same effect on B&B Sheila did. Sheila was that kind of special character that came along at exactly the right time and interacted with the right people. Kinda like JERk's first Days run, it was all timing.

[JamesF]

Ashley won't have a tremendous effect IMO. The thing with Sheila wasn't that she was bringing a fanbase over from Y&R, it was that there was no other character like her on B&B at the time. She stirred up all the stories from within the Forrester family. It never ceases to amaze me that despite its camp premise, the show has yet to find another long term "[!@#$%^&*]" to spice things up. Okay, Stephanie Forrester is a villainess in my eyes but the show needs another Sheila -- not even in psycho terms but just as she was in the beginning.

Anyway I loved the 5000th episode. I know I always gush about Patrick Mulcahey but every line if dialogue he writes for the show is so watchable and you can just tell the actors feel privileged to be delivering it. The characters just seem to come alive as real people with him.

The sex thing was hilarious. "What am I, some sort of invalid? At least I don't get a headache every Friday night." And I never thought I'd see the day when Stephanie would utter the immortal line "Get your naughty ass back to bed."

Nice sniping between Brooke and Stephanie too. Even if they insist on having this truce at the moment, it's good to see they don't forget the past they've shared.

As for the clips...*sigh*. It really did make me miss what the show used to be. When Bill and Brad could write for more than just the Forresters and everything was about glamour. I couldn't believe the difference between Stephanie in that white outfit and heels to the way she looks nowadays in her androgenous suits and tennis shoes. There's so much Susan Flannery in the character now I think, both in appearance and the greater "warmth" she displays on occasion. For the first decade, she was such a nasty, vindictive woman. Don't get me wrong, I still hate her but she's mellowed a great deal.

[fee93]

I thought it kinda sucked. There were more than 4 characters on B&B over the last 20 years. Why do they always seem to forget they had/have a larger cast? I could understand the episode focusing on the original 4, but the flashbacks should have been expansive, going back all the way to include the various characters that have come in and out of the Forrestor family (Sally, Darla, Macy, Clarke, THORNE, Kristen, Felicia, etc and etc...)

[sheilaforever]

Will post my detailed comments later on but thought the clipshow at the middle was very well done. They combined a lot of different past episodes within it. The earlist must have been Susan Flannery very grand entrance in episode 2 when she stood with Eric in front of the TV with a fashion show on... Other scenes like Brookes&Stephanies first meeting have been shown till death by now - every third year at least.

Interesting sidenote: The woman in the showstopper, the wedding gown, was Terri Ann Linn (on the show Clarke designed it and Kristen passed it off as hers) and they didn't show her face/front for a reason - the character of Kristen Forrester has been played by Tracy Melchior the last 5 years on and off....