Y&R: Week of December 1st

[Antoyne]

Wow so I finally finished watching this episode and what an ending. So many great things in this eppy. Brad and Colleen's talk was nice and amusing, and it's nice to see Colleen acknowledging the change in her personality and Brad relating it back to himself. I love that Gloria was very much Gloria but not completely over the top, and Jack's smug little looks throughout were absolutely perfect. And that ending with Billy stepping out..loved it.

The Ana story doesn't interest me at all..But Karen's little speech was nice, but unfortunately it means we're probably going to get more unnecessary scenes of that little girl singing...

[Antoyne]

Loooved Ashley's arrival. Jabot back to the Abbotts...Love the Ashley/Jack dynamic. Love Brad's smug little reactions.

Michael being the voice of reason for Phyliss is nice..but she has her mind set and it's obvious she's going ahead.

New Eden hasn't really done much so I can't really say she's better or worse.

I think the best thing about this takeover is the dialogue...It's absolutely hilarious hearing everyone's jabs at one another...I personally don't feel Cane's pain in this at all..I dunno if DG just isn't selling this or what...

[Toups]

I had no idea about Ashley's arrival so when I saw her walk and said that she will be running Jabot, I had a huge smile. I'm glad I wasn't spoiled or else that smile would've been taken away from me. LOL

[Y&RWorldTurner]

According to Michael Logan, December 5th will make 20 years since Y&R's been #1 in the ratings. He describes Maria and Rauch's working relationship as a "match made in heaven." He called Latham a "an audacious and erratic ayatollah," who destroyed the history of the show that caused talent to "leave" and hired her friends and family as writers. Maria says that Bill's vision is being honored now and that the feeling on the set is similar to what it was in the 80's and 90's, everyone is happy that there is a sense of "real leadership" again. Maria says this regarding their research: "our research says they (the audience) want: romance and the characters they love and the production values they've come to adore." She says that budget cuts similar to that on DAYS are NOT on the horizon for Y&R and that they'd all "go down kicking and screaming" if that happened, and that they consider themselves fortunate that they don't have to make those types of decisions at Y&R.

[Manny]

OMG! The Jabot take over was pure brilliance! Such old school soap opera drama! LOVED IT!

First the build up... everyone arriving slowly... Jill being clueless... then Gloria announces her stuff... then Billy announces his stuff.. then Ashley shows up! AMAZING!!

I HATE Cane! God! But I love to see him fired! Billy vs Cane is great! And I'm all on Billy side! Awesome!

Jack/Ashley talk was great, how she asked him if he was honest about getting Jabot back for John.

Jill/Brad was SO FUN!

Kevin being ditched by Billy...

And I was even on Colleen's side when she sparred with Lily. Oh and now Lily walked up to Cane.. UGH! Die, Lily! And take Cane with you!

As for the rest of the episode.. Love seeing Michael/Phyllis friendship showcased again. I've missed it. Always loved Malcolm/Phyllis friendship as well. I miss Malcolm...

New Eden.. well, she didn't get much to do..

I FFed Daniel/Amber/Jana scenes... BOOOOORING!

Cane: You wanna get out of here?

Chloe: As much as I wanna be a size 2... :lol:

I just LOVE Ashley whenever she's not around Victor..

Chloe needs to go back to the bitch mode... she's kinda boring lately... Chloe was even bitched out by Colleen the other day...

Oooh, Sharon, Nick and Noah just left together.. Phyllis is a NERV WRECK!!!

Great, Lily... you don't like Billy anymore... Awesome! Leave him alone and never speak to him again!

AMAZING TWO EPISODES!!

[MarkH]

Forgive me while I effuse about this show for a minute. My god, Y&R is becoming a master class is how to do a soap. It may not pay off in ratings (which is why I keep thinking CBS/Sony will one day again pull some kind of bonehead move), but I get the sense the team has decided to "party like its' 1999". Bravo. Shocks, surprises, and happy revelations from today's (US 12/3 episode)

The Quad. I have been wondering "why aren't Lauren-Michael and Nick-Phyllis together anymore? Their friendship was something I really liked about Latham." And, lo and behold, it happened. I forgot that Lauren-Sharon had been at odds over the teens...so it was kind of nice to see how Nick would respond to that. I was proud of him for standing his ground about Noah...but in the end, they all worked it out.

Phyllis gets a talk-to. Of course, the quad is really built around the Phyllis-Michael axis, and how great that she finally told him about her pain. Leblanc did a great little snarl when Sharon came in...and the fresh pain perfectly motivated Phyllis' next move...(which I can't WAIT to see).

Ashley's arrival. I knew, in broad strokes, she would appear. But I was as pleasantly surprised as anyone about this. I didn't realize she was going to surprise EVERYONE, including Jack. I also didn't realize that she would appear just like that. So, the twist had almost full effect for me. Good writing!

Ashley as checkmate. In the glory days of Y&R, Ash and Jack had this great dual levelled chemistry. They loved each other, but they were ENEMIES sometimes :-). She threatened him when she discovered him having sex with Diane Jenkins on the eve of their wedding. He threatened to reveal to John the truth of her paternity when he wanted the presidency of Jabot back. The show has kind of lost track of their negative side over the years...but it sure was there today!

Ashley as the new John? Ashley was responding with morality and integrity. I loved how she was the ONLY one to pull Billy aside and express her value for him, and her willingness to mentor him. It made me think that Ashley's long-term place on this show is as John's rightful heir: strong leader, integrity, moral center. Ironic that John's non-biological child is the one who channels him best.

Billy masterfully stradding the creep line. So, for the most part, I've seen more of Billy's smarm than charm...even as I enjoy his new portrayer. But today's episode made me realize how essential this recast was. Billy was visibly uneasy as he assumed the mantel of leadership. He was visibly pained by the pain he was causing his mother. He was visibly upset when Lily gave him the brushoff. He was visibly and justifiably angry when Jack tried to blackmail him with his indentured servitude. And he was oh so grateful when Ashley extended him simple kindness and respect. All that in a single episode, and most of it conveyed with the face and body...not dialog. Not shabby!

Brad. I wondered why Brad was there. It was truly kind of random. Except, of course, it was not. Brad had a recent acrimonious history with Jill. How delightful to see him rub her face in it. Brad played that admiration for his fellow player, Jack. But of course the real moment was Brad's GENUINE delight at Ashley's victory. It made me like Brad again, for that instant. I never doubted the sincerity of his feelings for Ashley. It made me wonder (spoilers notwithstanding) if there might be a place for a seasoned Jabot executive like Brad in Ashley's administration.

Kevin and Billy. Kevin and Billy had been adversaries since Latham. How beautiful to see them now bound together in this conspiracy Everyone must rely on everyone else.

Gloria, Jeff, and Kevin. You know what? I have been one of Gloria's biggest (sole?) fans. But right now, I just can't STAND her, her confusing and abusive marriage, or that snarky greedy Kevin who turned bad again for now reason. They really are the unnecessary darkness right now in this highly improved show.

Brilliant construction of the coalition. Let me say, whoever realized how fragile this coalition is structured this "Abbott" storyline brilliantly. If any ONE of them pulls out (Billy, Gloria, Jeff, Ashley, Traci), the whole coalition crumbles. There are a few enemies in that list :-). This will be more interesting that Italian politics!

Noah. I didn't want the recast, but I honestly think Kevin Schmidt is giving one of the most authentic teen portrayals I have seen on daytime. I remain impressed. Also, with very little to judge, I found Eden to be playful, pretty, natural. I have hope.

Colleen defined as an Abbott. Today was really the first day in forever that I began to connect this Colleen with being an Abbott. Maybe this turn to the dark, and this Abbott allegiance, will be good steps to help define this lost character.

Could Amber and Kevin be headed into a torrid affair? They were such friends, and they had loads more chemistry (in the roommate storyline) than Amber and Daniel. Now, it is believable that they would be adversaries, as Amber tries to protect Mrs. Chancellor and find out why she died. But I wonder if they are building toward an affair between Kevin and Amber. That could really rock that youthful quad.

Chancellors vs. Abbotts In the end, I marvelled at what MAB/Sheffer have accomplished. There is now a full-blown "Abbots vs Chancellors" feud. That is a new spin on two families with long, non-adversarial history. But think about it a year ago. There were no "Chancellors" (Jill-Kay drinking tea doesn't count, and Cane...well he was an outsider). The Abbotts were distilled down to Jack. Now, we have a messy clan of Abbotts and allies (Billy, Ashley, Jack, Gloria, Kevin, Jeff, and now even Colleen) and a pretty big bunch of Chancellors too (Jill, Cane, Chloe, Esther). Not bad. What a great way to build on two core families with deep roots on this show, and to infuse them with a new dynamic.

This dialogue between Jill and Ashley was delicious (transcript courtesy of this site):

Ashley used one of Victor's CLASSIC lines! Ooh, this might get even better than I thought if Ashley turns into some kind of Victor-John hybrid with a feminine spin!

I'm so happy my show is good again. Even if this run of fun ends tomorrow, we'll always have November 2008 to remember .

[DaytimeFan]

Well, CBS has no say in the show...everyone forgets that. Barbara Bloom is consulted in order to make her feel important and active in the management of the CBS daytime lineup...but when it comes down to it, she's all bark and no bite.

Sony, post LML, realizes that the Bells are the only people who can handle this show...it helps that certain agreements were signed, again post LML, between Sony and the Bells...we must remember, Sony only got to hire LML because Bill Bell Jr signed off on it (stupidly I add, even he'd agree with that) with the provision that Kay Alden stay on as Co-HW. What the Bells didn't expect was that Kay Alden would quit, as she did, imploding their plan of bridging the old with the new. Well, we all know how LML did on her own and how poorly the show was managed. Que Sera Sera!

The show has STRUCTURE and there appears to be a PLAN. I think it's all around fabulous.

[MarkH]

DUDE! I don't know where you get this info sir, but if it is correct (as I trust it is) you have shed so much light on some things. Wow, what a great post.

I assumed Bloom was important, in part, because LML credit her as part of the "team" (with Steve Kent, Bill Bell Jr., and Babs) that signed off on the changes.

At SOME level, Babs does have say, right. I mean she could choose to cancel the show or cut the license fee.

Although Y&R is the ONE show, I believe, that if cancelled by CBS tomorrow could find another network home (in addition to the other distribution methods you talked about the other day).

You mean Steve Kent? I mean, I realize he has superiors.

But I find it so odd that Sony would let go of this. Can I put words in your mouth and say that Bell has been given "managing authority" in the partnership? If yes, "meddling by the suits" might truly be minimized!

I wonder if Sony would sign off on such a deal in perpetuity, or for a limited time?

Whoa, whoa, whoa. So much here!!!

Kay QUIT? I know that was the official story, but I assumed she "quit" like Jack Smith quit and Ed Scott quit and...

Kay couldn't take it anymore and she bailed, saying "I don't need this sh*t"? That's how it went down? Really? I'd love love love to know what straw broke the camel's back. At what point did she say "I can't hold this torch for the Bells anymore"?

I find it so odd that you say "..with the provision that Kay Alden stay on...". They didn't make that provision for Jack Smith? Why was Kay the one? Because she was most directly Bill Bell's protege?

That is not only visible from what is on the air, but it is visible from the published spoilers.

==

I wonder if LML watches the show? I'm guessing not. But there is a part of me that thinks she tunes in every day and studies what she sees. In this fantasy-Lynn image, she is incredulous, shocked at what kinds of stories they are telling and how they are pacing and producing the show. I imagine she is saying "Oh, I went wrong in so many ways! Of course, this is a fantasy. I gather for real this is a woman who is too prideful to watch, or to learn.

[DaytimeFan]

It's a funny thing what a lowly dermatologist can learn in between injections of Botox and Restylane or during a laser treatment, those can last for an hour you know...

Barbara Bloom really doesn't have that much say at all, she manages CBS Daytime and reports to Nina Tassler. The cancellation of a show has to be OK'd by Nina Tassler who has to get the OK from Les Moonves. For example, Barbara doesn't organize the CBS Daytime budget, that's done for her. Thus, I can't really blame her, as much as I'd like to, for how pitifully CBS Daytime is promoted.

Lucy Johnson had MUCH more power when she headed up CBS Daytime.

Steve Kent yes...but more importantly Steve Mosko, his boss. The Bells and Sony haven't ever really had an acrimonious relationship, they know they need to work together in order to keep the money flowing, which is what both parties want. It's all very Hollywood, if you're a sh*t with a private plane, you're in, if you're a sh*t without a dime, you're out.

Yes, you certainly can put those words in my mouth...Sony knows it's got a good thing with Y&R and that DAYS is the show that needs the intervention on. I don't want to say too much, but, Y&R was Bell run for more than 30 years...limited time was what I'd describe Sony's input regarding LML.

Yes, Kay Alden actually quit. The Bells insisted that she stay on at Y&R because of her longtime history with the show, although it had been planned years previously for Kay to transition out of the team and into a different role in Bell-Phillip Television, the run of Jack Smith gave the Bells pause for thought and they changed their minds. It helped that Jeanne Cooper and Eric Braeden both went to bat for her. Basically, Kay Alden was the Bell's HW and LML was Sony's HW.

The breaking point was not really a creative one, it was personal between Kay and LML. LML made it very clear that although Kay was present at the behest of the Bells she was NEVER going to have any input and lots of rather unpleasant things were said, scripts were never emailed, conference calls were canceled etc. Scott Hamner, surprisingly, disagreed with LML's stance on Kay Alden, believing that Kay was a valuable reference, having been with the show since '74, but that only pissed off LML even more. Funny how Scott Hamner is still on the team...

Jack Smith was fired outright by LML. The Bells didn't offer Jack any sort of protection at Y&R because Sony loathed him, they felt he was bad for business and his Nielsen surveys were dreadful, the cast was also unhappy with him. Kay Alden's Nielsen surveys were never that bad and her solo run on the show was good for business, the ratings were 'OK' and the actors were happy. The Bells did offer Jack Smith a job at B&B.

For whatever reason, Jack turned it down, he probably hated being demoted so bluntly. When ABC Daytime offered him the consulting gig for big money, he told Kay and the two of them cashed in their chips with Brian Frons. I think both of them were left with a bad taste in their mouths post LML.

After their runs at ABC Daytime ended Jack took a vacation and Kay called Brad Bell and asked for a job. He hemmed and hawed, he felt she usurped what could have been his gig as HW at Y&R, but then gave her a 13 week contract as a test run, he found he liked working with her and she's been there ever since, taking one for the team during the WGA strike.

Ed Scott sorta quit, he got along OK LML and delighted in the fact that Kay Alden was gone (Kay and Ed hate each other, the Bells and Ed no longer interact), but in the end, it was Sony's decision to move him to DAYS.

You're 'fantasy LML' is just that, a fantasy. If she does watch it, which I doubt, she shakes her head at what she sees as being 'tripe'...she's an ego driven maniac.

[MarkH]

I enjoy reading you every day.

This tale you told tonight, though, is my Christmas gift. Dots connected.

Thank you.

[DaytimeFan]

The dots do connect quite nicely don't they?

And you're very welcome!

[MarkH]

Okay, here's another one :-). (Greedy bastard, ain't I).

Twice LML shut down production of Y&R for a week.

Once it was referred to as "catching up" on scripts. The second time, I think, it was prepping for Clear Springs.

But what was the real scoop? What on earth would cause you to shut down production like that? How did she let herself run out of scripts in the first place?

[DaytimeFan]

"Catching Up On Scripts" was actually just that. She RAN OUT OF SCRIPTS! That woman couldn't plan to save her life. I posted the number of scripts left during the WGA strike for Y&R, they literally had less than 2 weeks.

"Prepping for Clear Springs" was actually "Listen LML the focus groups HATE this sh*t, you'd better not [!@#$%^&*] up this Clear Springs sensation...oh and Eric Braeden wants you fired, oops, did we say that, err umm LML, get writing"

[AddictedToSoaps]

Today's show was great - loved seeing Cane all sad and depressed! Team Billy all the way!

Thank GOD that Eden Sanders is gone - I already like the new Eden and she barely said anything!

[Dan]

Well, isn't THAT a scary [!@#$%^&*] thought?!