OMFG.

Forgive this, but if I do not effuse, I will explode.

1. Just before cutting to the first commerical break, Adrian walking into Restless Style, waving the magazine, saying "What the hell did you do to me?". PERFECT commericial tag. We have real writers, folks! At least the breakdowns, script writers and script editors know their craft. And they are NOT afraid to write a daytime show.

2. David's appearance. Standard issue...except since we didn't see him die on screen, I was filled with wonder. BUT THEN...oh my...THEN....the dark-complected girl with the silver rattle...INSTANTLY identifiable as Sabrina's lost baby....HORROR.

Now, I'm wondering if David will be like "Matt Clark"...an evil figment haunting Nikki for a while. That could be very good.

3. The return of Nikki Newman. When she broke down yesterday sobbing in Nick's arms, I hadn't realized till then that we hadn't seen THIS real Nikki since before LML. Shot in the back, marriage breakup, husband near death with brain surgery, daughter in a coma, and on and on...never once one of these patented breakdowns.

But yesterday, in the tenderness of her son's arms, we saw it.

It makes me think that the material is FINALLY emotionally connecting with Melody again. That is a good sign.

4. Phyllis...I totally felt her snark at rubbing the "fourth printing" into Jack's face...but I didn't perceive any residual tenderness to her ex-husband. Okay...they're trying to bitch Phyllis up again...that has been clear.

But the revelation was Jack and Sharon. She is totally his sounding board. And him...she asks him "would you do anything differently?" and he says...almost haunted with the fact..."no". Bergman remains the most nuanced multi-layered male actor on daytime.

But I felt something much angrier today between Sharon and Phyllis. I mean, their barbs felt penetrating...no longer just the fun sniping it has been, but truly angry and hateful. I see baaaaaaaaaaaad things happening here, but I can't imagine what. This last sentence is what excites me. I cannot imagine what.

5. Knife in the heart...KNIFE. DAVID: "You were such an easy mark....All I had to do was PRETEND to care...Everyone else had me figured...I played you, and you still begged for more."

6. Eric Braeden. What that man can do...wordlessly....with a single look or glance or grimace. Just as he sold me Nick's funeral 2 years back (even though most of us knew that was bogus).

Yet his deathside words chilled me to the core. Crisis of faith ("How can there be a god..."), acknowledged anger, ESPECIALLY at Victoria. This is gonna continue to rain fiery hail for that poor girl! The one most desperate for daddy's approval is now not going to get it.

"I loved her so much...why didn't I act like it?" says Victoria? That felt a bit like crocodile tears to me.

But of course, what is exciting is to see Victor now left with a "scorched earth" vengeance arc. We know Eric Braeden loves vengeance stories (he made a movie about one recently!), so that means we're going to see the actor playing the material he loves.

That half of his vengeance is aimed at Nikki is...scary.

I shouted at the screen FOUR times today, and I haven't done that in AGES (not since Victor's lavender phase). The biggest shout was when Nikki came into the room and VICTOR DID A CLASSIC JAW-CHOMP. I feared for her...mostly emotionally.

(My three other OOHs were: the appearance of Sabrina's daughter and her rattle, the Adam flashback...that kid back then REALLY could have been our Adam...and then Adam taking the name Victor Adam Newman).

(I guess there was a fifth OOH...during the previews. Victor MANHANDLING Nikki is scary stuff)

7. I loved Hill Street Blues, in part because no matter how much sh*t happened on the screen, at the end of each episode Furrillo and Davenport melted into one another and gave each other comfort in their love.

I feel like Adam and Heather can be like this. I loved them simply talking together at the end of the episode. I hope the writers keep building this relationship. It can be an anchor for the show.

What a great, uplifting gift for a Friday!!

I don't agree that Y&R has rebounded because this feels like a stunt to get rid of two unpopular characters, but I will agree this is another good episode.

It's the climax of a year of multiple character arcs & created a ton of story for those characters all while keeping every character in character.

That's the very definition of a succesful rebound.

Edited August 1, 200817 yr by DeeeDee

A stunt? This has been in the works for months. It's what we've been waiting for.

Well, I think David's departure has been in the works for month. Killing off Sabrina, I'm guessing, was a more recently-made decision, based on ratings and focus groups who didn't like the Frenchy talk.

Is all this nightmare talk from the Friday US episode or the Friday Canadian one?

One thing I forgot to mention is the scenes with Adam and Heather at the end and how it faded to the last Victor/Sabrina scene. Forshadowing, anyone?

Looks like our boy Adam is about to get a whole lot more like his father, IMO. And if it kicks off some good 'ol sibling rivalry between him and Nick or Victoria, I think it will be a good thing.

I don't think this is a stunt either. The entire couple of weeks, in particular, have been building to this moment and I can't see MAB/HS sputtering now. I am f'ing LOVIN this show.

Yeah, i'll wait for a few more months.

I want to see this batch of writers start a story from scratch and see it all the way to the end. They've basically tied things up and there have been way too many change of hands. But, the fact that I can't wait to see what happens next is really a good sign, as Toups said.

Then again, according to a guest star on TVGuide, it gets kinda fishy. I don't know about Victor going to Mexico to chase someone.

^^^^ MarkH, I don't wanna quote your entire posting, but ICAM. Great post.

And Cat - the Nikki nightmare scenes are from the US Friday show. They're very dark.

Edited August 1, 200817 yr by Greg's GL

I'll buy David's betrayal being in the works for a while, but Sabrina conveniently hopping into the limo SCREAMS stunt. Even a friend of mine who watches Y&R and never goes online, cynically asked me a couple days ago if they decided to kill off Sabrina yesterday since it made no sense for her to get a ride with David. Sabrina and David's deaths with David having mob ties and suddenly being the killer of Ji Min has the feel of a stunt. Stunts aren't bad things necessarily, but we'll see if the audience sticks around afterwards because in the end that is what counts, not our opinions.

Is all this nightmare talk from the Friday US episode or the Friday Canadian one?

Friday US.

How are David's mob ties sudden?

He was scheming with Walter for over 6 months.

That half of his vengeance is aimed at Nikki is...scary.

I had hoped that Y&R would go this route, in a twist to the usal Victor-and-Nikki-find-their-way-back-to-each-other SL. Thank you for confirming this for me!

I really don't want to see a Sharon/Phyllis feud. At all. I'd rather Phyllis get back to being a complex character and not this mess I see everyday.

Nikki's dreams were well done though. Things seems to be looking up.

Give Mel Scott her Lead Actress Emmy NOW!

ITA, I kept saying to the TV-- girl just go pick up that gold RIGHT NOW.

So let's see, should Eric Braeden submit his work during Hope's death or Sabrina's death?

Hope, because he seemed more sincere.

Oh and let's hope the Sharon/Phyllis feud re-awakens, and not the pathetic school yard antics Latham played out.

It is way past time for these two to have a knock down drag out fight. It's also time for the return of the RED TEDDY wearing Phyllis of old.

I love the way Nikki just walked into the office all glamorous and declared she's still alive.

TOTAL classic moment and the Kay/Jill fight before that was superb!

You know, one thing I wish would change....

The fade-out to black at the end of the show, followed by the EP's name.

I'm so glad someone else misses that, too!

A stunt? This has been in the works for months. It's what we've been waiting for.

Exactly. There has been a sense of things building up to something for weeks now and I really think it paid off!