The Chloe/Billy/Lilly/Cane triangle, with a stronger Lane, shouldn't've ended with Cane giving up Delia. I think it should be revisted. Mac is truly wasted on this group of characters. I think she should fly on into the Kevin/Jana/Daniel/Amber orbit or the JT/Victoria one.

Or maybe the whole problem with this version of Mac is that she's not neurotic enough to survive in this version of Genoa City, which isn't filled with enough impulsive people where her stoic nature provides the balance.

There are too many Macs running around, even Victoria's Mac. She should befriend Gloria or something.

Or she should just go back to Darfur..... its obvious this Mac re-intergration wasn't thought out beyond "Lets give Billy Miller another actress for his orbit"

Billy Miller is becoming AMC's Cameron Mathison in record time. I love Billy..... but over exposure will only kill the character and the actor.

Mac/Adam should seriously be given some more thought. I can picture it

Or she should just go back to Darfur..... its obvious this Mac re-intergration wasn't thought out beyond "Lets give Billy Miller another actress for his orbit"

Billy Miller is becoming AMC's Cameron Mathison in record time. I love Billy..... but over exposure will only kill the character and the actor.

Could that really be true? Was she brought back JUST to give them a satisfying double-cliffhanger at Chloe's wedding?

I would lose a lot of respect if that were true. I have to assume there are long-term plans. If not, then I'm very worried about some other rumored upcoming returns. If they are really just happening to generate satisfying Friday cliffhangers, and then they peter out....

My feeling is this: Mac has enormous potential. But the ONLY way that is going to work is if SOMETHING pierces the armor around her. It doesn't have to be a man. For example, she could see that busy Billy and Chloe are basically neglecting Delia...and so she starts to fall in love with that little girl. And maybe we learn in Darfur she had a kidney infection, and it is unlikely she'll ever be able to carry a child to term because her kidneys aren't up to the task.

I worry a lot, though, about the bloated canvas. And the plethora of rumored returns worries me more. On the heels of GROSSLY neglected veterans (Neil, Paul, Nikki, even Michael/Lauren), GROSSLY neglected promising newbies (Noah?), this show seems over-full.

I resume my call for pruning. I can live with pruning at any level...I'd even live with losing Melody/Doug or the Fisher-Baldwins. But I'd like to see the story telling more focused.

For example, over at ratsc, one poster is REALLY complaining about how, on Tuesday's show, Adam's recorder dropped to the floor...but on Wednesday it was on his nightstand. Is this a "mystery", or a dropped thread?

ETA: I just got my "SOD Insider". Look at what it says about Clem:

Devin Owens: In my interview with Clementine Ford, the new Mac on Y&R, the actress voiced a common challenge that a soap newcomer experiences — the pace. Here's a more in-depth confession from Clementine. "It's hard because there isn't that much preparation time," she laments. "You find yourself thrown to the wolves and please let this work. That's something hard for me because I'm the type of person who likes to work through my stuff. I don't like to just throw it out there but you have no choice here. Whether you're ready or not, they're not waiting for you. And when I first got my lines to learn, I was like, 'Are you serious?' There was so much." Clementine also reveals that she had an interesting reaction to when she performed in her first scene and learned there was not going be another take. "It was unreal," she chuckles. "I wanted to throw up on my shoes and pee at the same time."

Also, here is a quote from

Raul: "

And Y&R's David Lago promises Raul is "no longer the same kid he was.""

Edited May 14, 200916 yr by MarkH

Mac/Adam should seriously be given some more thought. I can picture it

Not sure if I want to see her in the Newman realm. But if it caused her to emote in some way, I might be ok with it.

Not sure if I want to see her in the Newman realm. But if it caused her to emote in some way, I might be ok with it.

That's the issue. Is the lack of emotion an actress problem or a character problem?

If it is the former, then recast/fire. If it is the latter, then fix it. For example, what if she got cervical cancer, and it affected her fertility? Now, noble Mac would want to never-marry, so as not to "deprive" a man of his family. And she'd latch on to Delia... With Delia, if written right, we could see moments of real joy.

Or she should just go back to Darfur..... its obvious this Mac re-intergration wasn't thought out beyond "Lets give Billy Miller another actress for his orbit"

I'm thinking still more about this, and I confess it worries me.

Because that is Brad Bell's disastrous methodology. He makes interesting casting choices, but then runs out of inspiration after the first few weeks. (Hello, Texas Battle! Hello, Ric Hearst a few years ago! Hello, Lesli Kay!). I'd just hate it if that were now true here.

I'm going to assume this group has a plan.

Devin Owens: In my interview with Clementine Ford, the new Mac on Y&R, the actress voiced a common challenge that a soap newcomer experiences — the pace. Here's a more in-depth confession from Clementine. "It's hard because there isn't that much preparation time," she laments. "You find yourself thrown to the wolves and please let this work. That's something hard for me because I'm the type of person who likes to work through my stuff. I don't like to just throw it out there but you have no choice here. Whether you're ready or not, they're not waiting for you. And when I first got my lines to learn, I was like, 'Are you serious?' There was so much." Clementine also reveals that she had an interesting reaction to when she performed in her first scene and learned there was not going be another take. "It was unreal," she chuckles. "I wanted to throw up on my shoes and pee at the same time."

This just confirms whatwe've all been saying!

This just confirms whatwe've all been saying!

Can you amplify that? Are you saying because she feels so rushed, and so unprepared, and so anxious...that she's not offering anything but simple line readings? That the lack of emotion is either a lack of preparation or a lack of ability to cope with the speed of daytime?

Not sure if I want to see her in the Newman realm. But if it caused her to emote in some way, I might be ok with it.

Does anyone emote in the Newman family now?

Mac/Adam could be an interesting pairing if Mac helps redeem him. I know that's trite, but this character needs some redemption at this point. Redemption and time away from Victor.

My complaint with Billy is Sharon more than Mac. I thought that was an unnecessary storyline which made him look extremely sleazy and damaged one of the only good relationships Billy had on the show, his bond with Jack.

Can you amplify that? Are you saying because she feels so rushed, and so unprepared, and so anxious...that she's not offering anything but simple line readings? That the lack of emotion is either a lack of preparation or a lack of ability to cope with the speed of daytime?

You amped it perfectly. Soap acting is often criticized for being hammy. But when learning 20 pages of dialouge or more a day, you don't have time to really put in a lot of emotional beats, so most soap actors (greats included) do a trick called "posturing" where they define the mood of the scene in its simplest terms and just punch it up a few decibels. She's from the new school of actors who wants everything to be "real" and "deep" and she doesn't want to be showy or fake, but in making that choice she's doing way more harm than good cause now we get an actress who won't do ANYTHING but line recitations.

Not sure if I want to see her in the Newman realm. But if it caused her to emote in some way, I might be ok with it.

Mac needs to be newly characterized for one. Maybe it's the actress, maybe it's the character maybe it is both. It is so easy to blame the actress, what's telling anyone that her actions and reactions isn't what is intended by all creative forces involved? We know nothing about Mac since she last went away except her charity work and her broken heart over Billy. Many events could have taken place since to mask all of that. Anyway Adam and Mac looks good to me because of how sinister he is being made and Mac's character seems to contrast that in a sense. Yet they are both cynical from what I've seen. They have many things in common and are yet opposites in many ways that's drama waiting to happen. Victor and Katherine's dynamic could be explored more. Heather could be more layered at this point with added angst (if they plan to keep her). Much potential here. Billy vs Adam begins in a way, I don't know I just think there might be something there

You amped it perfectly. Soap acting is often criticized for being hammy. But when learning 20 pages of dialouge or more a day, you don't have time to really put in a lot of emotional beats, so most soap actors (greats included) do a trick called "posturing" where they define the mood of the scene in its simplest terms and just punch it up a few decibels. She's from the new school of actors who wants everything to be "real" and "deep" and she doesn't want to be showy or fake, but in making that choice she's doing way more harm than good cause now we get an actress who won't do ANYTHING but line recitations.

Hmm this makes sense. It makes so much of her choices clear. I'm going to watch how this Raul situation play out because it is giving the actress a bit more to work with as far as what you described I think. If she fails to show any of the right emotions over her recent affair turned possible love (with an old friend) then yeah I am inclined to agree with many about her not getting it

Mac needs to be newly characterized for one. Maybe it's the actress, maybe it's the character maybe it is both. It is so easy to blame the actress, what's telling anyone that her actions and reactions isn't what is intended by all creative forces involved? We know nothing about Mac since she last went away except her charity work and her broken heart over Billy. Many events could have taken place since to mask all of that. Anyway Adam and Mac looks good to me because of how sinister he is being made and Mac's character seems to contrast that in a sense. Yet they are both cynical from what I've seen. They have many things in common and are yet opposites in many ways that's drama waiting to happen. Victor and Katherine's dynamic could be explored more. Heather could be more layered at this point with added angst (if they plan to keep her). Much potential here. Billy vs Adam begins in a way, I don't know I just think there might be something there

You make some good points - especially establishing Mac outside of the Billy/Chancellor world would cement her more in the show and let us discover WHO she is. But the burden is on Clem at this point, not the writers.

Hmm this makes sense. It makes so much of her choices clear. I'm going to watch how this Raul situation play out because it is giving the actress a bit more to work with as far as what you described I think. If she fails to show any of the right emotions over her recent affair turned possible love (with an old friend) then yeah I am inclined to agree with many about her not getting it

Yes. It would be nice if--with Raul--she showed genuine happiness.

The PROBLEM is that she CAN'T. Because, if Billy is her TRUE love, there will always be reserve and hesitation with Raul. More of the same...

AshBash actually played that a bit too, I seem to recall. It was only to Billy that she really gave her heart (though I loved her with bad boy JT).

Even if they would give her a scene of intense sadness. Like, she witnesses a moment of bonafide family happiness with Chloe-Billy-Delia...and she goes to her room and SOBS HER BRAINS OUT. Then we'd see the range.

I've been much more patient than the rest of you. But I'm thinking...for the audience to invest in her more...we have to have the opportunity to see her move away from 'reserved' soon. We have to know there is a feeling, caring, needing soul underneath all that defense.

Mac needs to be newly characterized for one. Maybe it's the actress, maybe it's the character maybe it is both. It is so easy to blame the actress, what's telling anyone that her actions and reactions isn't what is intended by all creative forces involved? We know nothing about Mac since she last went away except her charity work and her broken heart over Billy. Many events could have taken place since to mask all of that. Anyway Adam and Mac looks good to me because of how sinister he is being made and Mac's character seems to contrast that in a sense. Yet they are both cynical from what I've seen. They have many things in common and are yet opposites in many ways that's drama waiting to happen. Victor and Katherine's dynamic could be explored more. Heather could be more layered at this point with added angst (if they plan to keep her). Much potential here. Billy vs Adam begins in a way, I don't know I just think there might be something there

She wasn't heartbroken over Billy when she hooked up with JT. Billy & Mac was so six years a go. What about Mac & JT who happen two or three years ago?

Yes. It would be nice if--with Raul--she showed genuine happiness.

The PROBLEM is that she CAN'T. Because, if Billy is her TRUE love, there will always be reserve and hesitation with Raul. More of the same...

AshBash actually played that a bit too, I seem to recall. It was only to Billy that she really gave her heart (though I loved her with bad boy JT).

Even if they would give her a scene of intense sadness. Like, she witnesses a moment of bonafide family happiness with Chloe-Billy-Delia...and she goes to her room and SOBS HER BRAINS OUT. Then we'd see the range.

I've been much more patient than the rest of you. But I'm thinking...for the audience to invest in her more...we have to have the opportunity to see her move away from 'reserved' soon. We have to know there is a feeling, caring, needing soul underneath all that defense.

I bet Clem would poop her pants if she ever got half of what you want Mac to experience. if the writers made any mistakes with Mac, it was not introducing her slowly.

ETA: Now the casting directors are a different story

Edited May 14, 200916 yr by Cashton