considering Tracy is only recurring, we're lucky we're getting as much of her as we have been over the years.They really have no obligations to write leading material for her. You'd think Lauren were a contract character and she does better than most recurring characters on this soap as well as others

That's true, they have to work the people they have on contract to their guarantees, which they don't have to do with Tracey. When they have to craft storylines and balance the budget efficiently, I'm sure recurring players like Traci aren't given a thought, because she has no guarantee obligation to the show, and that can be difficult to work around. If this were GH and she were recurring, she'd be lucky to make an appearance once a year.

Edited February 11, 200916 yr by Y&RWorldTurner

So, I again enjoyed Y&R.

But I'm just a little worried.

There are now all these "grand flourishes". I've already talked about the three big event-deaths since August. We have Ashley's grand entrance at the LAST Jabot takeover. We have Paris. Now we have the "mystery lady" with the hidden face. And so forth.

Don't get me wrong, these are entertaining!

But I fear they are ratcheting up the "shock and awe"...and that's an addictive drug. It can spiral (reference: General Hospital), until soon you barely have a show between these adrenaline infusions.

I can't tell if this a "good" thing (i.e., the once-staid Y&R has been rendered more exciting)...or if it is a sign that Y&R might be losing its identity a little...sacrificing itself to become something more sensationalistic. Too much of that can kill even a Bell soap (reference: Bold and Beautiful).

Yeah, I don't disagree with this. We're nearing Kimberly-blows-up-the-building-on-Melrose heights, and we all know a show trying to top itself constantly never works.

But I have faith. I think... Like you said, it's all still entertaining. But I think Y&R will probably hit a downcycle or a misstep and everyone will call for MAB's heads, and the people who haven't liked her will say "I told you so", and it'll be another few months until they get back in the swing. That seems to be the general course...

Edited February 11, 200916 yr by brimike

It's alright to have "shock and awe" moments as long as they fit with the stories. If the opportunities naturally present themselves, it's all good. I just hate when they have to manipulate the stories to fit the event rather than the other way around.

So far, Y&R has done a good job at making it all work. Of course, they also manage to keep the show fresh and exciting between all the twists rather than making viewers suffer through months of boring, so...

It's alright to have "shock and awe" moments as long as they fit with the stories. If the opportunities naturally present themselves, it's all good. I just hate when they have to manipulate the stories to fit the event rather than the other way around.

So far, Y&R has done a good job at making it all work. Of course, they also manage to keep the show fresh and exciting between all the twists rather than making viewers suffer through months of boring, so...

Good points. And let us not forget that the -- ahem -- less exciting Spring 2007 cost Y&R a half-million viewers. So I guess remembering to be consistently exciting...while trying to hold back on the gunfire and explosions...maybe a necessary concession to holding onto viewers. Most Y&R viewers (myself included) do NOT want Masterpiece Theater, after all.

It's alright to have "shock and awe" moments as long as they fit with the stories. If the opportunities naturally present themselves, it's all good. I just hate when they have to manipulate the stories to fit the event rather than the other way around.

So far, Y&R has done a good job at making it all work. Of course, they also manage to keep the show fresh and exciting between all the twists rather than making viewers suffer through months of boring, so...

Yep.

Maria's done a really good job between character work & plot movement.

Almost every character's motivations properly progress the various plots.

Yep.

Maria's done a really good job between character work & plot movement.

Almost every character's motivations properly progress the various plots.

I agree.

Besides, aren't soaps supposed to be exciting and intriguing and cliffhanger-y? There's no law saying that we have to have periods of boring just to make us appreciate the shock and excitement more when it finally comes, LoL. A good writer is able to balance it all and make the show consistently exciting with a shock around every corner without turning it all into a clusterfcuked mess. Not everyone can pull it off, but I have faith in the Y&R brass.

One great thing Maria's done is allow everyone to be smart again.

When Eden went missing Michael & Lauren immediately knew she went to the hospital to be with Noah.

Under LML Michael & Lauren woulda spent two weeks careening around the GCAC yammering at Eden via cell phones, another week searching Crimson Lights for her, then a final week dragging her home & lecturing her only for her to really be Eden's long lost identical twin sister who moonlights as a part time art fencer & PETA activist.

Edited February 11, 200916 yr by DeeeDee

One great thing Maria's done is allow everyone to be smart again.

When Eden went missing Michael & Lauren immediately knew she went to the hospital to be with Noah.

Under LML Michael & Lauren woulda spent two weeks careening around the GCAC yammering at Eden via cell phones, another week searching Crimson Lights for her, then a final week dragging her home & lecturing her only for her to really be Eden's long lost identical twin sister who moonlights as a part time art fencer & PETA activist.

LMAO! So true!

One great thing Maria's done is allow everyone to be smart again.

When Eden went missing Michael & Lauren immediately knew she went to the hospital to be with Noah.

Under LML Michael & Lauren woulda spent two weeks careening around the GCAC yammering at Eden via cell phones, another week searching Crimson Lights for her, then a final week dragging her home & lecturing her only for her to really be Eden's long lost identical twin sister who moonlights as a part time art fencer & PETA activist.

Oh I am sure some of their time would be spent in the Newman break room no doubt, grabbing a bottle of water out of the fridge while they are frantically searching for Eden.

Oh I am sure some of their time would be spent in the Newman break room no doubt, grabbing a bottle of water out of the fridge while they are frantically searching for Eden.

That's what sweeps are for!

considering Tracy is only recurring, we're lucky we're getting as much of her as we have been over the years.They really have no obligations to write leading material for her. You'd think Lauren were a contract character and she does better than most recurring characters on this soap as well as others

They have been hiring quite a few actors as recurring who have had story last year or are getting story this year. The recurring characters include not only Lauren but also Jeffrey, Noah, Eden, Abby, and Olivia.

I just don't see Tracy Bregman as your typical recurring character though.

I think Dee Dee might have a point though. Lauren and Michael deserve a story focused on them and some romance but Maria seems to have issues with Tracey and/or Christian or at least don't value Lauren and Michael. That is one thing she does have in common with LML. Not enough to write them off, but enough to make them a really low priority. It almost seems like that "It's a Wonderful Life" episode and these little Tracey/Lauren scenes are bones she throws at them.

Don't get me wrong about the Pheila and Sheila story. It was blatant how LML took a Lauren centric story and served it up as a Michelle Stafford vehicle. Even after Lauren killed Sheila it was all about how Phyllis' suffered when her and her daughter were kidnapped for half a day. Lauren's torment and any issue with her killing Sheila was ignored while Lauren and Michael were forced to beg Phyllis to forgive them.

My point was that CLB and TEB acted the hell out of their scenes even if the material sucked and that this Lauren story appealed to fans so I think fans would like to see a story focused on Michael and Lauren once in awhile. Maybe not a A story, but at least a B story.

My point was that CLB and TEB acted the hell out of their scenes even if the material sucked and that this Lauren story appealed to fans so I think fans would like to see a story focused on Michael and Lauren once in awhile. Maybe not a A story, but at least a B story.

The problem with Lauren is that her relationship with Michael has NEVER been about her.

It's ALWAYS been about Michael.

Tracey deserves a LOT better but Lauren's a plot device used to service Michael's Redemption.

A significant plot device but a plot device nonetheless.

The problem with Lauren is that her relationship with Michael has NEVER been about her.

It's ALWAYS been about Michael.

Tracey deserves a LOT better but Lauren's a plot device used to service Michael's Redemption.

A significant plot device but a plot device nonetheless.

I wish I could disagree, but I can't. I love Lauren and Michael as a couple but she is used that way. I would love to see her working with some other characters also, but almost all her scenes are with Michael and his family. Tracey seems pretty philisophical about the whole thing. She mentioned in a recent interview that she loves the pairing with Michael but misses Lauren's edge and would like more story. She also said that she was grateful she had a job and was able to work with people she really cares about so can't complain too much.

The problem with Lauren is that her relationship with Michael has NEVER been about her.

It's ALWAYS been about Michael.

Tracey deserves a LOT better but Lauren's a plot device used to service Michael's Redemption.

A significant plot device but a plot device nonetheless.

Michael and Lauren are done in my opinion in terms of story.....

If I was Maria Bell.... I'd gradually make Michael into a John Silva type character.... be used whenever someone needs a lawyer, if Phyllis needs a confidant....

Chuck the rest. Lauren really serves no real purpose anymore as you have stated.... Kevin and Jana can go to jail right alongside Gloria and Eden can go back out on that lake during the March thaw.

Part of the reason I don't mind Michael and lauren is because we hardly ever get a married couple for longer than a year (maybe two) without conniving and cheating.

It's nice to see a couple making it work and sticking together. AS weak as it may seem, Lauren's story is that she married a man who's extended family is a wreck. The Everybody Loves Raymond of daytime.

She is constantly trying to figure out how to make her marriage work while keeping them (Gloria and Kevin) out. That in itself requires some realism in the dialogue and Tracy's performance.

They could do a better job showcasing her perspective, but I don't need Lauren to become the nagging wife that seems to be plaguing television.