B&B: A 'Bold' Byrne tries her hand at writing

[rangethatrover]

I loathe B&B but will definitely tune in for Martha's work on Tuesday

[DeliaIrisFan]

I don't know why I tuned in to watch this episode today. I don't watch regularly to see Patrick Mulcahey's episodes.... But I have a lot of respect for Martha Byrne and would love to see her transition to a successful new career behind the scenes, even though I wasn't expecting to really get into B&B, which I never have before.

I have to admit, I've never given much thought when I have watched to Ridge or Taylor's "voices"...what did people think? Poor Martha, had to get stuck incorporating a product placement for Macy's online bridal registry in her first script... Well, I enjoyed the scenes between Stephanie and her sister from Knot's Landing, but I must confess I was probably projecting somewhat. I kept wondering if MB had been channeling her on-screen ATWT mom Lucinda. Nonetheless, a woman (on a Bell show, no less) wanting to feel needed and find fulfillment through success in her career without pining for a man who cast her aside was lovely to see. I did cringe listening to Taylor talk about the Oedipus complex, which was probably in the breakdown, and I found any scenes with Ridge to be kind of stilted, but I always have whenever I've watched this show. Seriously, B&B has never been my show, and I'm sure Martha had to remain consistent to the kind of heightened dialogue that viewers would expect, not write the kinds of down-to-earth, hyper-realistic conversations she learned by acting out Doug Marland's scripts. It was certainly dramatic and seemed to be building cinematically/theatrically. Not a bad first script at all, I would say. Go Martha!

[MarkH]

DeliaIrisFan, Stephanie's sister was the mom on Wonder Years.

What Y&RWorldTurner said is the truth. The script was fine. Actually, better than fine. It picked up specific themes and dialogue from the recent past (e.g., Rick's renewed claims of ownership vis-a-vis Steffy). The Stephanie-Pam conversation was not lyrical, but it was convincing. Jack Wagner was actually fun (and his dialogue was too) in scenes with Stephanie and Bridget. One gets the sense he is delighted to be free of sappy romance for a while. The Taylor stuff was ridiculous. Just godawful ridiculous...Oedipus complex or whatever? But one never knows if that is the actress or her scripts. I love that KKL was given a flip comeback.

But in the end, though this script was fine...Martha will do well if she gets a real deal...Martha was "undone" by the actual storylines...especially the "Sick" tale. Until this story tells stories that do not provoke eyerolls, nobody is going to be writing scripts that smack of artistry. The problem is at the top.