Y&R: Rebuild The Winters Family?

[JackPeyton]

There has been a lot of discussion about this family, so im wondering How would you rebuild this family? And you can not bring Dru back...

[JSROCKS]

There needs to be either a matriarchal or a patriarchal head and Neil is not it. There needs to be a re-establishment of family roots. Bring Mammie and Nate home--Olivia and Lily need them. Malcolm is gone and Neil is alone--Karen and TGVN dont count. Tyra and Ana belong to Devon who IMO has never really been developed. These three need to go back to the where they came from. Devon is older now so he could handle it.

The Winters are susposed to be upper middle class family of color, but they are not "The Cosby's". Neil is a corporate executive and owns a night club he's married to a women who also hold an executive position and they're still not the Cosby's. The writers don't seem to know how to write for this minority family that they have created.

[Dr Neil Curtis]

I would definately bring Mamie back (though she is not really a winters). Mamie and John should have been together, I think the writers were afraid to do that. Mamie should have been at John's funeral (loyal friend and almost lover). I would give Neil and Malcolm an older sister played by Renee Jones, Lark Voorhies or Renee Goldsberry. A mother on recurring basis played by Joan Pringle or Diahann Carroll who shared a past with...........not Victor, not Jack, but someone like Snapper Foster, Carl Williams or even Phillip Chancellor. I would bring my Dru back, because I like the character and even Olivia and Dru need some sister time. Nate definately needs to come back and shake things up with Colleen and Abby as fighting sisters/cousins over the new young chemist played by Michael B. Jordan

[Paul Raven]

The latest firings have destabilised the Winters even further.

I'd love to see MAB questioned as to why the story has received hardly any air time.

Anyway,I would bring back Malcolm.Shemar won't be returning and there are any number of actors who could take on the role.

Then you could play-Olivia/Malcolm Tyra/Malcolm

Malcolm/Neil(both are Lily's fathers in different senses) Malcolm/Lily

Malcolm has a connection to Phyllis and could interact with Jabot and the dreaded Restless Style thru his job as a photographer.

mmmm....Malcolm/Sharon? Malcolm/Lauren? Malcolm/Mary Jane?

Also,Nate can return and Mamie on a recurring basis

[MoTheGreat]

If they not going to bring back VR. They going to need a strong Lily. A step/niece daughter to bring Niel to life like Dru did. She doesn't have to be like Dru but somebody that can bring life to Neil. & that's the far I'm going to go with that comment.

If they not going ot bring back Dru or get a stronger Lily

There is option -Or phase them out & start a new black family.

[Manny]

I think they SHOULD bring back Malcolm. Although I adored Shemar Moore as Malcolm, I would accept a good recast. I loved Malcolm's friendship with Phyllis. But that could have been due to the amazing chemistry between Shemar and Michelle. I also loved Malcolm with Olivia.

So maybe they could do a stroyline where Nate is hurt and brought back to Genoa City and is in critical condition. This brings Malcolm back, who was always like a father to Nate. And slowly, Malcolm and Liv start to bond and grow closer again

In the meantime, Devon, Ana and Tyra all leave town, never to be heard of again.

Oh and I do love the idea of Malcolm and Sharon! Wow! Shemar and Sharon Case would have been SO HOT together!

[MarkH]

Great thread.

- Olivia to contract. In story, Olivia and Neil become a couple...a real, loving, stable one. I'd like to see Olivia be more of a strong, fierce b*tch...not manipulative or deceptive, but tough talking. I'd have her become chief of staff at the hospital, and oversee a young cohort of medical professionals (Nate, Lily ... see below ... maybe Phillip IV [if he returns home having been a medic, and now wants to become a Physician's Assistant or something]. I'd have GC Memorial run through financial challenges (the reality in today's health care world), and Olivia needs to solve that

- Neil drives BUSINESS story. Not just in a supporting role. He threatens to quit Newman, and is given some tough project to lead. Perhaps it involves a takeover or something, but NEIL is the driver

- Because Neil is so busy, he can no longer give Indigo the time it needs. Malcolm returns home (recast with an EXCELLENT actor), reunites with Neil, and he runs Indigo by night and does some limited photography by day. Perhaps he hires Daniel (if Graz stays) as his young apprentice

- Mamie returns home, lives with the Abbotts, but as a family member. Mamie does help with Delia a little, but she is mostly the matriarch for the Abbotts and the Winters. This is a non-contract role, but we see her at least once a week

- Nate is returned home. He will be a young medical resident, and he will be best friend to the returning Phillip IV (in my mind, that's happening)

- Lily feels she has spent enough time trying to honor her mother's modeling career. She returns to college and becomes more intellectually substantial. I'd actually like to see her become a nurse or a psychologist, so that her "niceness" can become more genuinely channeled into helping others. She is separated from Cane forever. If Graz stays, they explore a Lily-Daniel-Amber triangle, where Lily is like "Mac" for Daniel...or "Sharon" for Nick. In other words, there is the "true love/soulmate" versus the "sexy skank".

- immediately, of course, Karen, Tyra, Anna are gone.

[Manny]

Oh no... I have to disagree there.. Olivia and Neil together were boooooring. In fact, every relationship I've seen Neil in was amazingly boring, except his Dru romance.

I do agree with Neil driving a busienss storyline. He is actually okay when he's in a business sourounding. But his personal life is boring. Although, I like his scenes as a father to Lily. Christel and Kristoff really play off each other well as daughter and father, IMO.

And of course, since I was a HUUGE Daily fan, I wouldn't mind them revisiting Lily/Daniel/Amber love triangle.

[MarkH]

I agree with you on Kristoff, except Tonya has grown up, and she is bringing a sterner fierceness to the role. (Not much yet, but I liked how she was getting in everyone's business at the beginning...even if I didn't like her pushing Neil to Tyra).

I think, though, I am suggesting that they sort of have Olivia and Neil realize they were meant to be together, do it, and then close the romantic part of their lives for the most part. In other words, they become the stable matriarch and patriarch of their clan. Neil has lost a LOT of audience respect with this latest dalliance, and so I think it is better to lock him in a committed relationship and use him as the business man and father figure.

I'd like to see Neil -- basically a man with integrity -- struggle with having to do some business dirty dealings. And I'd like to see him sort of embrace those dirty dealings, but then wrestle with a crisis of conscience thereafter. But I'd like to see Olivia be his non-judgmental partner, supporting him, just loving him. For Olivia, I'd like to see her be more than the doctor. I'd like to give her a hospital CRISIS (budget, quarantine, emergency, unreasonable demands from donors like Victor) to MANAGE.

I really enjoyed "Daily", especially on the run (in fruit costumes on the beach, and all that jazz). I'd more enjoy Daniel and Lily tentatively finding their way back to one another, with Amber fighting her attraction to Kevin (as Kevin and Mac, I think, discover a certain chemistry).

What about Jana? Much as I love her, I think she needs to die tragically and beautifully of her brain tumor. Because a widowed Kevin (I love Kevin. He's in my top-five characters) will be a thing of beauty. He'll wrap his heart up just as tight as Mac...which makes the Mac-Kevin thing the story I really want to see.

You're all probably VERY happy I'm not writing this show by now

[Manny]

Yeah, first thing first... you know I'm gonna talk about Mac and Kevin I don't want her anywhere near that lunatic I mean, okay, I will wait to see if Ford and Miller have chemistry to fully decide if I want Billy and Mac back together (I am late on my episodes, so...), but I don't think I could watch Mac and Kevin together. I hated it the first time around.

BUT, I do agree with you on a lot of other things... Daily findig their way back together slowly... with Amber and Kevin getting together after Jana dies.. that's all cool...

Now, since this is actually a Winters thread... I do agree that Tonya has grown... but could she really liven up Neil? I dunno... Okay, I am even willing to give them a chance, but I am VERY skeptical. But I do love your suggestions on Neil's business storyline!

[Cat]

First of all -- I wish Nia Peeples hadn't been fired. I thought she brought a lot to the Winters dynamic. Karen was the only one with any balls! There, I said it.

Secondly. I would hire Vivica A. Fox as Stephanie or whatever she was called. Because VAF has lived and is fierce and we need that fierceness. As a medical professional, perhaps she could connect with Olivia? Perhaps she and Olivia could be rivals going for the same job? Perhaps she could be Mac's professional mentor?

Thirdly. Tonya Lee Williams, I would put her on contract. But not as Neil's love interest. That would be Stephanie's job! Olivia would be the rival sphere of influence in the Barber-Winters family. Neil thinks he knows best. Olivia thinks she knows best. Let the fireworks begin.

Fourthly. KSJ as Neil needs to regain some ambition and claw back some of the latent resentment he feels at being Victor's lackey all the time. This is where Neil would come into his own -- in a business SL. Powerful men are aphrodisiacal! And I think Victoria would be intrigued by Neil's newfound aggression. I honestly think that AH had chemistry with only two people on the show -- MTS and KSJ.

Next. Lily. Needs to be recast. No way is this Dru's daughter who was raised in Paris. There was a lovely young actress who played Danielle (I think) on AMC a few year's ago. What about her?

Either Devon is recast or comes back at a later date played by Bryton McClure. Or Nate is SOREASed and played by Anthony Montgomery who played George on Popular, was on House recently and also on some Star Trek show.

I actually don't think Eva Marcille as Tyra is as bad an actress as everybody says she is. But she would be better as a trouble-making, secret-hiding vixen. I don't buy the niceness that everybody says she is. EM plays it like she's hiding something, like she's putting on a front of niceness. So instead of forcing that "niceness" -- how about play up to what's already there?

[Manny]

The problem with TLW is that she doesn't want to go on contract.

[Adam]

I think first and foremost as others have stated, it starts with Olivia. Maria Bell needs to convince Tonya Lee Williams to sign a contract and take on a more front burner role. This does not mean pairing Olivia with Neil, quite the contrary. Nate needs to be brought back and they can build around that..... I think Malcolm should stay in the past, honestly... the character is done.

I think they should perhaps use that detective that has been on lately (can't remember his name) Turn him into a love interest for Olivia (if there is chemistry)

Neil needs to move on with someone currently on the canvas, established. Whether it be Phyllis,

or even Sharon. There are options.... while I don't see chemistry between Phyllis and Neil.... it could create quite the dynamic. And while we aren't allowed to use Dru , I think it would be an awesome thing to have in place just in time for her return on the scene.

But yeah, Olivia is the key! Start with her and branch out.

[MoTheGreat]

people was complaining about how short Davetta was. Isn't that girl shorter then Davetta & isn't her real age is around 30? She night not came off ghetto but She one short cookie. I know she was way older then that boy who played Reggie.

[Adam]

Tanisha Lynn is over 30 now I think.... certainly did not look it. She was under utilized at AMC big time. Very capable of handling a supporting role.