Y&R: Week of May 11, 2009

[y&r_fan]

Because clearly a lot of people wish he hadn't.

[Khan]

No.

There is something wrong, however, with casting actors who have the emotional depth of a soggy paper towel. And not even the "Quicker Picker-Upper" paper towel, either. I'm talking about the Dollar General-brand you put out for relatives because they're too trifling for the name brand.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

It might have been a mistake to kill Phillip III, but his death still drives story to this day. Cane's arrival added nothing whatsoever to Jill's life or her dynamic with Katherine.

Can we honestly say Jill would be a much different woman today has Cane not arrived? I don't think so.

[Khan]

Well, now we have a Billy recast who isn't a disaster, so can we just make like Cane never happened? Please?

[classicmoment]

That doesn't mean that it was a mistake on Bill Bell's part it's a strong part of the shows longest running story, in which he created which is Jill/Katherine

[Chris B]

I don't think it was a mistake killing off Phillip because the character of Nina flourished in a way that would've never happened if Phillip remained alive. Plus with Thom Biertz being gay and having those personal family issues, he wouldn't have remained on the show so it would've meant another recast or Phillip being off screen. I think killing Phillip was brave and the aftershocks were felt for an extremely long time. Nina was constantly brought back into Jill and Katherines orbit and Phillip's legacy remained important to the show. In fact, I'd say it's one of *the* best handled deaths, even if it meant losing Phillip III.

[Ry1]

Agreed. Love her right now too, but if there is an ounce of truth to this she's way worse than Lynn. They should move heaven and earth to keep Melody, IMHO.

And add me to the CANE MUST DIE party list, please.

[CSF]

I don't think it was a mistake killing off Phillip because the character of Nina flourished in a way that would've never happened if Phillip remained alive. Plus with Thom Biertz being gay and having those personal family issues, he wouldn't have remained on the show so it would've meant another recast or Phillip being off screen. I think killing Phillip was brave and the aftershocks were felt for an extremely long time. Nina was constantly brought back into Jill and Katherines orbit and Phillip's legacy remained important to the show. In fact, I'd say it's one of *the* best handled deaths, even if it meant losing Phillip III.

Gotta agree with this here. Personally I would have liked for Phillip III to have continued living, even if it meant for him to leave Genoa City and return at a later time. However, that is not what happened and Phillip III was killed off and the actions that took place thereafter would be forever remembered and felt throughout all of Genoa City. Kay and Jill's rivalry fueled the show and Jill and Nina going face to face were amazing scenes. Jill testifying against Nina in court at the David Kimble trial, etc. things like that would have never happened had Phillip III remained living. Jill was given another chance to do those things again when she had Billy. That is how Bill Bell made up for allowing the audience see Jill becoming a mother again and eventually being highly involved in that son's adult life. Due to poor casting Billy was written out. Phillip's death was the result of drunk driving. How ironic since his father was killed while driving in a car with a drunken Kay Chancellor. Bill Bell made no mistake when he wrote the stories involving Kay and Jill. They were all bitter ironies that allowed new stories to flourish from previous ones.

[Juliajms]

I don't think it was a mistake killing off Phillip because the character of Nina flourished in a way that would've never happened if Phillip remained alive. Plus with Thom Biertz being gay and having those personal family issues, he wouldn't have remained on the show so it would've meant another recast or Phillip being off screen. I think killing Phillip was brave and the aftershocks were felt for an extremely long time. Nina was constantly brought back into Jill and Katherines orbit and Phillip's legacy remained important to the show. In fact, I'd say it's one of *the* best handled deaths, even if it meant losing Phillip III.

What does being gay have to do with it? If being gay means someone is more apt to leave the soap world, I have a feeling many of our favs would have been very short lived.

[Chris B]

His being gay would hurt things only because it seemed he struggled so much with it along with his family issues. It's not the only thing he was dealing with is all I meant.

[Juliajms]

His being gay would hurt things only because it seemed he struggled so much with it along with his family issues. It's not the only thing he was dealing with is all I meant.

I see. I used to live in Cali (well, that and I'm straight), so I tend to forget that a lot of people struggle with coming out and all. Whenever I'm reminded I feel like we're living in the dark ages.

[YRBB]

Because I like Amber

[DRW50]

I don't think Phillip dying cut off stories for Kay and Jill and Nina (as mentioned, Cane's return hasn't given Jill major story), but I do think it moved them into places where they became more and more isolated. After the Kimble story, Nina was reduced to spending years pining for Ryan, to the point where she nearly blew her brains out at the thought of losing him. Jill had some marital drama with John, but was reduced to a supporting player by the mid-1990s. Kay had little story of her own for most of the 90s. The big revival for Jill and Kay was when they went back into the history of Phillip II and the man they'd lost.

I was amazed watching those old clips of the Brenda Jill/Kay war over Phillip, and how much of the story was about their pain and their regret. In later years, their emotions became an afterthought. Every time Jill has a story with Billy, it's always about what a victim Billy is supposed to be, with no thought to Jill. So maybe it's not the loss of Phillip, but the loss of Jill having any real perspective of her own. The same thing happened to Nina, they became so comfortable making her into someone who was put on the side.

[BadZoe]

Maybe the news of Jill and Kay being mother and daughter hit the global headlines, and Jill's real brother, Billy Bob, saw her picture and said, jesh, that Jill woman looks just like poor dead mom did when she was her age. Billy Bob, put two and two together and realized that Jill is the daughter that was given up for adoption because times were tough and there wasn't enough money to put food on the table. Instead of coming to town and risking rejection, and proving that Jill was not an heir to the throne, Billy Bob sends his son Cane to town, with the story of being Jill's real son. Believing that a basic dna test might prove that he is, they really had nothing to lose. The conversation on the phone was Cane letting his daddy know that it worked.

I still think that Kay was in a drunken stupor and just imagined stealing and giving away babies, both her own and Jill's.

[MTSRocks]

What I STILL don't get is how the first DNA test came back stating that Cane was NOT Jill's son, and then miraculously they did another one and it said he was. So stupid.

ETA: Or they ever going to explain why Jill and Kay's DNA suddenly don't match as well? Yes MAB you undid a "horrible" re-write, but now you have to explain yourself, eventually.