B&B: Suggestions For Reviving The Ratings

[Cat]

I have a feeling my ideas are going to be unpopular here.

First of all, the Jackie hate. If anybody can pull an Alexis Bitch Goddess out of her ass, it is Lesley Anne Down. I think Jackie could definitely resusitate Spectra's fortunes (once she gets rid of that chihuahua on her head and restors her gorgeous locks to their former mahogany beauty). Clarke would be her maybe gaybe/maybe skirt-chaser sidekick. I don't get the Clarke-hate either. Dan McVicar is no Laurence Olivier but he is a great David Vickers-type.

Bottom line, Spectra needs a second wind. Starting with a proper, two-episode send-off to Sally Spectra (and by extension, the magnificent Darlene Conley). I want a full-on Irish funeral with Adam and Kimberly showing up as special guests. I want Mae West on stereo belting out "See What the Boys in the Back Room Will Have" as Sally's flower-draped silver coffin is carried down the aisle of the church (pallbearers: CJ, Clarke, Thorne, Rick).

I want CJ (Mick Cain) given a haircut and a smart makeover to move him from teen realm into B&B's next generation of 20-somethings.

Patrika Darbo as Sally's vengeful sister Irene? I could go for that.

Stephanie giving a reading during the service. Cue a 5-star set of flashbacks depicting their brilliant rivalry.

The funeral -- and the will -- will jumpstart a story featuring CJ (and possibly Irene) joining forces with Jackie to spearhead Spectra's renaissance. All is not hunky-dory at the Spectra offices, though, as CJ, Irene and Jackie butt heads.

Bring Back Deacon. I know Owen is the new Deacon and I am fine with him to stay (with as little clothing on as possible if need be). The way every female preened in his direction last week (Ashley Jones could not stop flicking her hair!), he needs to be there, getting all these girl's knickers in a twist (especially if B&B are not going to go the bisexual route with him). I am also really interested in the whole Owen/Donna/felicia/Marcus/Steffy direction they are pushing him in. Just how much of a bad boy is he? Will Donna fall for his charms? Will he fall for Donna? Or will Felicia get there first?

As for Deacon, once Sean Kanan is sprung from jail, he needs to come back either for Bridget or for Brooke (and, of course, Hope is his daughter). Too much unfinished business there. And, yes, I love Ashley Jones as Bridget. I think she's a great little actress, actually. She is cruising for a nervous breakdown, though. I would love to see that play out. And then Bridget returns to her job as a doctor. But is she all there? How close is the line between sanity and insanity for her? I'd like to see shades of early Sheila here -- Bridget should not be an out-and-out psycho but she should struggle with her obsessive perfectionism -- and her recurring hatred of Nick, Brooke and Katie!

And might Deacon be her saviour? Or trigger her darker impulses? Is CJ the stabilizing influence she longs for?

Ridge is going to be running scared of Deacon because of all the men in Brooke's life, this was the illogical one. The one nobody could explain. The suicidal choice. And therefore the most dangerous past-love. Because Brooke is nothing if not self-destructive. She hates Deacon and hates his hold on her via Hope. Might this be a case of love-hate? Or just hate-hate?

So Ridge pulls on his best bitch-face and acts more and more like Stephanie (hasn't he always? And isn't that just like Brooke -- to be in love with a Stephanie clone). Except without the brains. Felicia will be Stephanie's true heir apparant -- only with the brains. And a weak spot for Owen Hot-Bod, who is almost as crafty as her. Lesli Kay is a leading lady and needs to be given more frontburner action in this role. I would love for Owen and Felicia to fall for each other, in spite of themselves.

Stephanie needs to go out with a bang. If Susan Flannery doesn't want to do the show anymore, nobody can stop her. Have her depression segue into the selective amnesia that she had back in the late-80s -- which led her to run away and live on the streets. Stephanie runs away again, and nobody can find her. She literally just walks out of her house and goes.

Rick & Taylor... gosh, I don't know why but I like them. I'd like to see them as a viable May/December couple. Brooke scheming to keep them apart. Crossed wires, misunderstandings, the whole soapy gamut.

Same with Marcus & Steffy. If Owen were to mess with them in a manner close to what I posted on the B&B thread (i.e.: Marcus and Owen. Were they ever lovers?), that would be cool with me.

Ashley & Ridge would be a-go. Even though Ashley hates Ridge's evil side. This would create conflict for the couple.

Recast Beth with Judith McConnell if the Logan's are going to stay on. I can't get into Riker's version.

Katie & Nick, I can't even deal. I used to love Nick but he (and Ridge) have eaten this show alive. He's such a blowhard. If he were ice-cream, he would lick himself to death. They can run off on the Shady Marlin together at this point, although I doubt they will.

So... Katie + Brooke: the joint CEOs of FC? Wonder how Ridge, Thorne and Felicia would like that? And would Thorne be torn by the family business and those drmant feelings he has for Katie?

Finally, a word about "camp." I remember Stephanie Beacham giving an interview when she was on The Colbys, talking about how Aaron Spelling understood that camp had to be subtle, with a little vulnerability, humanity and relativity balancing it out. Saying "campy" to Brad Bell is like waving a red flag at a bull. He is not a writer of nuance and this could push B&B down that slippery slope towards Passions. The campiness needs to be there -- it is part of B&B's DNA -- but it should be restrained and well-managed. Darlene Conley and Susan Flannery always understood how to judge the campy tone of the show when it needed to be. But if it becomes to campy, then we risk not caring about the characters ever again.

With that in mind, Brad Bell should be made EP of the show only. I'd like to see Patrick Mulcahey and Jack Smith as co-HWs. Or, heck, just give Nelson Branco the HW position. He loves the show, loves the actors and has some good ideas. I'm serious! He'll need some awesome breakdown and dialogue writers, though.

[nicknack]

Spectra hasn't contributing anything in a fashion sense since, let's see.... CJ sabotaging Kimberly's runway. They have been dead in the water for ages. And they haven't been a viable oponent for Forrester since the early or mid 90s. At some point they ended up as nothing but a bunch of odd amusing characters who never really did anything. Some time ago they still did the yearly amount of blustering that never amounted to anything. There's just no point in beating the dead horse. If they want to do fashion rivalry it needs to be a new house that actually seems like it could take out Forrester.

Jackie? Yeah right. Isn't that what they tried to do when they tried to give her that boutique storyline? She sucked in that too. She just isn't believable as a real foe and the character is a joke. She barely is a character. Her support of Brooke always barely made any sense (they surely never developed a believable rapport between those two), her dislike of Bridget just plain odd and her support of Katie again worthless and with no emotional resonance. Nick always comes across like he doesn't even take her seriously. I don't buy for a second that she could ever be a Stephanie like character who can control her children and daugther in laws.

How often has her characterisation flip flopped? Classy lady. In love with Eric. In love with Massimo. Ex-prostitute. Loser alcoholic diddling Deacon. Again, years no the show, contribution zero. At least Clarke used to be interesting and fun ages ago. Even if those ages were 10-15 years ago. But with Jackie? How long does a character be bland and uninteresting for them to get rid of her?

Again, I don't care if the actress did on other shows. On B&B she isn't working. If they really want somebody to play Nick's mother, go an recast her with some cheap no-name.

That I like. Only that again we run into the problem of just way too many storylines for a half hour soap. I still say that three storylines (alternating two frontburner, one minor each week) is the optimum number for B&B.

[Cat]

^^ LOL, well obviously I'm not suggesting that my 20 billion random SL ideas by introduced all in one go! Balance, rotation of SLs, rotation of characters.

I still think Jackie can be reinvented into a Willamina-type (from Ugly Betty), but that's only because, once again, I feel B&B needs balance. The doom and gloom needs some light and comedy. And Forrester Creations needs a counter-balance in the fashion world. However, I wouldn't shed many tears if the Marones were written out of the show completely.

Re: the Spectras, I would not compromise on my idea to give Darlene Conley the send-off she deserved. I want to see her contribution to the show properly acknowledged at the very least.

[DavidEvanSmith]

Cat, I loved all your ideas. And I love the notion of Sally's death being what revitalizes and refocuses the show, and Spectra Fashions, much like Asa Buchanan's death revitalized and refocused OLTL, the Buchanans, and B.E.

For a show called Bold and Beautiful, they really don't make any BOLD choices with the cast, and I think the sentimentality of leaving Sally off on a cruise somewhere is diminishing her value to the show and viewers more than it's honoring or enhancing her value.

And Patrika Darbo as sister Irene! Love it to pieces!!! I'd kill for it.

[Port Oak Valley]

Cast Heather Locklear as Nicks new love interest. She brought Melrose Places ratings up maybe she can do same thing 15 years later for B&B.

[novsag86]

Great ideas...but why would C.J. be a pallbearer at his own mother's funeral. Who does that? LOL

[y&r_fan]

All of a sudden I'm Brad Bell's biggest fan.

[novsag86]

Great ideas...but why would C.J. be a pallbearer at his own mother's funeral. Who does that? LOL