B&B: Week of March 30th, 2009 Discussion

[DaytimeFan]

I think the key to the story is that it isn't actually Winsor who is in default...but Winsor's company (the same sort of company like Deidre Hall has)...for all we know the car was used for a nanny, or Winsor's parents or his in laws or a niece or nephew who he took it away from or lost interest in.

Winsor is fabulous as Thorne, he simply doesn't get written for like Jack Wagner or Ron Moss do...Grant Aleksander...oh MarkH, how could you?! He's as big a ham as Ron Moss! We don't need two of them...oh wait...we've already got that with Jack Wagner...three's a crowd.

I loved Stephanie's 'Scarlet O'Hara I'll Never Go Hungry Again' moment...Susan Flannery is fabulous.

[MarkH]

Ladies and gentlemen, DaytimeFan is an enabler.

Every time I try to quit B&B he draws me back in .

So, on the strength of some of these comments, I fired up the computer and watched B&B. (I actually watched it on Joost.com and, surprisingly, IMDB.com -- thanks to Roger Newcomb for those links -- because the CBS.com feed was not properly going "full screen" when I hooked the computer up to my LCD TV. It's nice that there are so many online options, so you never need to be frustrated by technical limitations).

Some things I enjoyed/thought:

1. Owen is a skanky ho. But I love that Doris-Day-in-San-Francisco-circa-1970 set he's trying to get her to move in. Perfect. I was so happy to see a new set, and I am very hopeful that it will be regularly featured. That set, by itself, says "we're returning to the fashion world". Anyway, just getting an apartment with a spiral staircase and a loft would be very cool.

2. I hate the contrivance of Eric firing Stephanie again, her suddenly become the core of Forrester again. But I like that it will set us up for "warring fashion houses". Note, however, that it won't be all camp. "This time it's personal" for Stephanie...so she is going to labor mightily (with compadres she doesn't really like) to teach Eric a lesson. Coupled with some spoiled-high-profile-returns, it does seem clear that the fashion world will be front and center.

3. Much as I don't like Nick, I like him best with Flannery (I like 'em all best with Flannery), and I like him best when he's the squinty-eyed-shrewd-guy, not the romantic lead. So, this positions him in a way I can tolerate much better.

4. I want them to bring Heather Tom into the Jackie M orbit. That will be tricky, given the "war" between Katie and Jackie...but I want Katie and Stephanie working together. Those two had chemistry in spades, and it is squandered on a daily basis.

5. Poor Felicia and Thorne. Weeping over Stephanie's departure, but no...ACTION. I don't really want to seem 'em over at Jackie M, because they'll still just be props.

6. I like how Forrester is being positioned for ruin. With "the brain" gone, Eric will be distracted with honey, Ridge will be distracted with the evil spawn (whom was he on the phone with, plotting to break up the wedding??), and the evil spawn (The "R" part of "Sick") is evil and twisted and couldn't run a lemonade stand.

Forrester will melt into puddle of self-imposed ruin. If anyone saves the day over there, mark my words, it will be Brooke.

7. Points go to Katherine Kelly Lang. I loved her visible discomfort talking about weddings with Sick. I also loved her taking a moment to "mask" her face before she went to talk to Ridge about Sick.

8. I'm no Taylor fan anymore. I can't get that "chicken dance" image of her out of my mind. The actress' personal travails (most recently letting her children's alleged abuser back into their lives) have colored by judgement too. That said, seeing her as the sensible "talk-to" (as she was with Eric, about Stephanie) is a role I enjoy her in. She can stay if she has no more storylines, okay?

So, here is my new strategy (because online is cool, but I need the captions and I like the higher resolution of my cable feed):

I'll DVR B&B again, but only keep the last two episodes . If I am inclined to watch I will, but otherwise I'll ignore. We'll see if I can stick with that. Usually when I have recorded it, I cannot fight my compulsion to watch . There goes another 18 minutes of my day.

ETA: They go through the effort of bringing back "legacy hunks" like Rocco and Jake. Why??????????????? For what purpose???????????

[bellcurve]

Memo to Lothar Struff:

Please, God, enough with these terrible score choices and especially those "Safety Dance" stings during the middle of these scenes(Monday's show, when Rick confronted the family was the worst!).

B&B has a vast bank of excellent cues that can be chosen that could fit in with their new, more hip approach. Chill the hell out with the stings. This isn't a game show!

[MarkH]

Whaddya think of Jackie M/Owen's new apartment?

[Y&RWorldTurner]

LOL! No, more subtle hip-hop inspired cues!

I don't know why the Bell soaps have ditched so many music cues over the years. Y&R's recently gone back to using some stuff that they haven't used in years, but they've also neglected a lot of stuff for what seems like ages, and B&B is just as bad.

[bellcurve]

I know. There are some cues I hear in older episodes that are awesome that would still fit in with B&B.

And what the hell is "Rick and Steffy's Theme"? Not the soft rock music at the arcade, but the saxophone cue they've been playing in their scenes.

I mean, I enjoyed the dialogue-less montage at Santa Monica Pier, but damn, that music with the proposal was cheesy as hell! And this is coming from the queen of Velveeta! I mean, what was that? Some diamond ring commercial?!

[bellcurve]

Damn. Is that a new set? I don't think I've ever seen it!

I absolutely, totally love Jackie's new apartment! Kudos to the Art Department for this beautiful new set.

I am aware that social issues isn't this show's forte, but what the hell is Jackie(whose company and finances are in the shitter) doing even THINKING about purchasing, or leasing an apartment in downtown Los Angeles when she lives in that huge house with Nick and Katie? Does she expect a handout from Uncle Sam too?

Leave it to B&B to do a story about living beyond your means and WASPy welfare!

[MarkH]

I think they said something about this being a "starter" apartment for young people?

I guess the direct dialogue quote was:

Anyway, I didn't realize until this how starved I was to see something new on this show.

[DaytimeFan]

It is a beautiful set! I've always thought B&B did house sets particularly well...

I think Jackie can afford a condo in LA...this place, realistically, would cost under a million bucks...sure Jackie M is in the toilet and Nick is going broke...but Jackie, personally, has some cash. That's the thing, Jackie M is actually Nick's company, not Jackie's...she simply runs it and has the 'vision'...Nick's the one holding the debt.

[bellcurve]

If Jackie has some cash, why can't she "bail out" Jackie M or pay the past due amount on the rent on the building?

[MarkH]

I guess Jackie can get a MORTGAGE, but doesn't have enough to do more than that. Plus, Clark Howard would tell you never to risk PERSONAL equity for a business or something like that. Protect your house, he'd say.

I'm gonna try out my question again from earlier today

Who was Ridge on the phone with Friday, talking about putting a stop to Rick's wedding? If she weren't on Y&R, I'd have wondered if he'd try to deploy Amber. It surely won't be "Kimberly Fairchild". Could he align with Deacon, and somehow use "little E/little D" to pull Rick away from Steffy? I'm actually a bit intrigued about that twist, because I don't see where it is going....

[DaytimeFan]

For this reason...

Jackie is damn brilliant. Screw Jackie M, that's Nick's problem...if girlfriend can scoop herself up a posh pad in an up and coming area of LA in THIS crappy market...she'd be a fool not to.

Exactly right MarkH, Jackie's got personal equity that she's putting first.

Essentially, Jackie is going totally against what Suze Orman says: People First, Then Money, Then Things...Jackie is more Things First, Then Money, Then People!

[sheilaforever]

Jackie's new condo is a remake of Constantine's studio which also used to be a re-modeles previous set (although I can't remember which).

LAD & BB could be an irresistable combination kinda like Olivia & Cole. 'bout time that LAD has chemsitry ladden story...