Y&R: Week of August 04, 2008

[SOAPSFOREVER]

Unfortunately, Tom got a lot of the history of the show wrong, which is typical of a writer who doesn't have a history with the show. The biggest stumble: Victor saying to Nikki: "I loved Sabrina more than any woman I've ever loved." (paraphrase) Hello: does the name Ashley mean anything? Victror always said Nikki was/is the love of his life. There's Hope, too. Even if he was trying to hurt Nikki, or firing back in anger, Victor just wouldn't go there. Personally, I thought the show was very uneven. Tom's going to have to do much better to impress.

[MarkH]

You're right, of course.

What happens is that when Kristoff St. John and Victoria Rowell CARE about these people...well, we do too.

Kristoff IS great. He is the paradigm of strong patriarch...mostly more "authoritative" than "authoritarian". But, there is real genius in writing/acting for this guy. If we forget his jazz-club tangent (which I suspect is more Kristoff than Neil), he has always been conservative, focused on education, a little elitist about education, a little sexist about stay-at-home moms who put family first. In counterpoint to Malcolm, Neil was the guy who DIDN'T do adventures...leaving the sloppy mistakes to Dru and his brother.

Put differently...I wouldn't want to change a THING about Malcolm, but if he's the bare walls--the structure of the family--he needs some design and decoration and homey touches. THAT was Dru. Her background fueled her, even as she "moved up"...she was outspoken, a little reckless, fun. It was the balance of these two that made for a pretty interesting family.

Translation: Kristoff needs to be balanced. From what I have seen, neither Karen NOR Tyra provide that "Dru energy". And, honestly, I'm not sure I'd want to see that.

But, it needs to happen. There are three ways it could happen:

a. Neil's kids should be MAJOR messes. Lily is a spoiled Parisian princess who has witnessed her mother die, learned about her false paternity, got statutory-raped and Chlamydia, AND had a husband who was a porn addict. She also lost a baby in an unwed pregnancy. This should be a MAJOR MESS...think Paris Hilton...or Amber. But instead, Lily is written (as others have said) as the "new Cricket"...and that just perpetuates the boredom. So, too, Devon should be a tough and streetwise kid. He may have been loved and accepted and largely "healed"...but the first 16 rotten years of his life should come through. This was a kid who COULD NOT be retained in any foster home or group home because he was SO MUCH TROUBLE. Now look at him! I'd trust him with my stocks and bonds. He SHOULD be like Drucilla...but instead he is like Neil...and that makes no sense. (Also, he ought to have an angry edge because he deafness has DESTROYED his music career...that is the REALITY...and I don't know why they refuse to play it). Thus, Neil is the stable counterpart to two chaotic kids. That would be interesting.

b. Dru could come back.

c. A new woman could come on the show with that Dru-fire. IT DOES NOT HAVE TO BE AN AFRICAN AMERICAN FEMALE. It does have to be a woman who challenges him and teases him and is hard to reign in. I'll get shot for saying this, but it could EVEN be original-Phyllis. (And wouldn't that cook Dru's last grit, when she comes home to find Neil with that heifer!). Or it could be a new woman of color. That is quite irrelevant at this point. But it has to be a woman with fire.

- This could be fixed in a matter of weeks, without seeming stupid or rushed. I would send Tyra and Ana back to Seattle, ideally after they have pulled a scam on Devon (see below).

- I would not lose Devon. I might recast, and I CERTAINLY would find a way to give him his edge back. An easy way would be to have him embark on this music career for a few weeks, and then fail DISMALLY, because he cannot hear. (They kinda ruined that with his singing at the gala though, sigh. As a hearing impaired man--all my life--with a hearing aid...I know the reality of how hearing affects music appreciation. Devon ain't it). Another easy way would be to have Devon all invested in this 'perfect family' with Tyra and Ana...lend them money for an apartment or something...and then have them take off and abandon him. Couple that with some musical failure, and we have our bad boy!

- Lily...same thing...I might recast (not with Davetta, but with an actress who can emote, and who can play BOTH pampered Parisian princess AND hard-edged, cynical young woman who has had her share of troubles). Again, this is easily done. Chloe could send her over the edge, or Cane could cheat, or whatever, so that she wakes up and says, "F*ck this...I have had ENOUGH of being a victim...NO MORE!!

[Cat]

To be fair, Victor was striking out in anger and grief. And the list of women who have fondled that mustache was probably too long to cite at that particular moment. "I loved her... more than you but not as much as Ashley" would have been random and inappropriate.

However, IA that the show was uneven. Eric Braeden's scenes were hit out of the park. Everything else was strictly filler. There is no question that Y&R is surging on its own renewed momentum, though.

[DeeeDee]

Victor saying her loved Sabrina more than any other woman was a joke.

Four Words: Nikki, Ashley, Hope & Julia.

[MarkH]

Neil's recitation to Tyra was also not TECHNICALLY wrong, but over-stated. Yes, after Dru died, he DID drink (2 episodes), he DID rail out at friends (5 episodes). He DID grieve (for a few family dinners...and then started inviting Karen). This was played out as, really, just a "blip" in their lives. (On the day of her mother's funeral, all Lily could think about was Daniel's PORN?).

But Racina wouldn't know that. Those things might show up in the character history, and Racina might assume they played out over months...not just within a single week .

I give him a pass on the Victor statement, though. In the throes of grief, with the intent of wounding Nikki, he would throw off some sh*t like that. I didn't think the statement was intended to be "real"...just real "in the moment". We sanctify the newly dead...and only time lets the reality shine through.

That said...WHERE ARE THE SCRIPT EDITORS/CONTINUITY EDITORS/SHOW HISTORIANS? I am fine with Thom not knowing it...but I am appalled that there seems to be NO ONE on the writing staff to adjust these things. Is this usual? Is this normal?

[dm.]

I like that Karen is showing signs of jealousy, but I wouldn't like her to just suddenly start acting all fired up and energetic because that won't be Karen anymore. Her character is ruined and won't serve much. If her forum is right, Karen should stay until September, but everything after that is unknown. Meanwhile, they could have used Tyra as an energetic character, but still nothing. Two boring characters combined with Neil... it's just not gonna work. And yes, Devon and Lily are acting too perfect. That's why the Winters are the weak spot of Y&R.

[DeeeDee]

Dru's absence is NOT the reason The Winters have been boring.

That is due to three things.

1. TPTB refusing to write for Kristoff

2. TPTB refusing to write for Bryton

3. Christel's non-acting ass

[dm.]

Well, even for old writers it would be a tough thing trying to remember all the million stories Lynn came up with. It all went too fast after Dru's death.

[DeeeDee]

Karen's been ruined.

She was great until they rewrote her to be a flake.

[dm.]

These three things were into effect even when Dru was on, but at least she was able to make it a bit interesting. Without her, we're left will those three things you described. And LMAO on 3.

[DeeeDee]

LML's pacing was horrible from Day 1.

HORRIBLE.

[DeeeDee]

They were but they were balanced because they worked as a family.

#3 is the main problem.

[dm.]

Yup, that's why we need Dru back. To balance out and save whatever is left of the Winters.

ITA.

[MarkH]

I'm not sure I totally agree that the pacing was horrible from DAY ONE.

First, I liked the speeded pace, and even the end of the flower shots. Later, the nostalgic me missed these things...but it was a welcome new energy to the canvas at first.

Second, I thought the triarchy of early stories (Nikki shot, then Victor smelling lavender, and then John getting confused) played out perfectly. I assumed the story would be Nikki's renewed back pain, and a return to addiction. Nope. (That healed too fast). Then, I assumed that John was going to return to his dementia/stroke story. (He was, sort of, but that really was just a ploy to bring a neurologist on camera, to talk to Jack). The REAL story was Victor's little bump on the head leading to his DELIGHTFUL character transformation.

That played out over several weeks before it became clear what was happening, and I loved every blessed second of it. Every millisecond.

Then, of course, it petered out and went awry. But when Victor and Nick started building shelves together...when puppydog Victor wanted Nikki to travel with him...when Nikki was the career-focused ROCK in that family...those were stellar moments. I even liked what it did to Jack...his villainy ramped up, and I enjoyed throwing slippers at him on the screen.

I also liked John's dementia, because it set up the will-dictation plot, which I think was terrific! It further solidified Jack as a force to be reckoned with.

These things played out over the Summer and Fall of 2006 (right?)...and I thought they were awesome and appropriately paced.

I also liked the introduction of Brad's story. Over several weeks, we saw flashes of old newspapers. He had been a cipher for decades...our only clues to his past before Lisa Mansfield was one furtive meeting with a middle aged woman (his mother?) in a diner in the early 80s. I loved that this was all filled in...again, it stretched out over weeks.

It also included TiVo moments...where you had to freeze the screen to read the newspaper articles. That was a lot like one of my favorite primetime shows (Lost), and I enjoyed it.

Then, again, it petered out and went awry (Reliquary)...but I maintain that DAY ONE was genius. It was just DAY NINETY that started to get f*cked up .

[dm.]

The beginning may have been good, but almost every story wrapped up fast, jumped to the next one, then either was forgotten for more than a month or was yet again wrapped up too fast. She kept jumping from a plot to a plot... The only time she was so-so okay was when Kay Alden and John Smith were still co-HW.