Yep! MAB should teach a master class on how to create/integrate a "new" or technically, a returning character. Murphy, MJ, Rafe, and Aunt Virginia are good examples of this.

Sabrina, Tyra, and Ana however - are not.

MAB shouldn't be teaching any writing class. She ignores her flaws and they end up becoming bigger problems than they should have been.

Sabrina, Tyra, and Ana however - are not.

MAB shouldn't be teaching any writing class. She ignores her flaws and they end up becoming bigger problems than they should have been.

Did she create Sabrina, though?

Did she create Sabrina, though?

Yes, she did. Sabrina was created by MAB, and has the markings of EVERYTHING MAB. The love of art, fashion, and the European background.

I have no problem with Michael/Lauren. My problem is with anyone seeing the return of P3 as less than awesome. This is exactly the kind of story that will help Y&R build on its momentum. I am sure there are Likey fans, but we have no evidence that they ever spiked ratings, etc. We do know that Jill & Kay have a historical appeal. Will P3 make the ratings go up? I don't know. But it's worth a shot. If done right, the return of P3 will provide some serious mileage for the Kay/Jill feud.

P3 coming back is awesome but I agree we don't need old-timers coming back if they don't have a purpose. I don't see the point of Mac or Mac/Billy because they were never that big of a couple. They worked mainly because they served Kay/Jill and the original actors had chemistry. Billy is a grown ass man now. The forbidden nature of the romance (Kay's granddaughter with Jill's son) doesn't work any more. Now they are "forbidden" because Billy is a married to woman who he actually has chemistry with! There's nothing in the return of Mac that serves the larger story of Kay/Jill. And without any chemistry with Billy, there's just no point at all.

I can see why people wouldn't think his return is awesome when they don't know the story yet, or don't know if it's him. They're better at bringing people back than writing good story for them. I know of all the fanfare when Eileen Davidson returned, but I still don't think this story is anything but Ashley in Sabrina's place.

There's a chasm at the moment between the ideas they have and how these ideas are executed.

Yes, she did. Sabrina was created by MAB, and has the markings of EVERYTHING MAB. The love of art, fashion, and the European background.

Well she started writing officially for Y&R on Dec. 26 and Sabrina debuted Feb. 28, so I'll give her some slack for Sabrina as her hands were VERY full when she started. Also, Josh Griffith should take some of the blame for her too.

I have no problem with Michael/Lauren. My problem is with anyone seeing the return of P3 as less than awesome. This is exactly the kind of story that will help Y&R build on its momentum. I am sure there are Likey fans, but we have no evidence that they ever spiked ratings, etc. We do know that Jill & Kay have a historical appeal. Will P3 make the ratings go up? I don't know. But it's worth a shot. If done right, the return of P3 will provide some serious mileage for the Kay/Jill feud.

P3 coming back is awesome but I agree we don't need old-timers coming back if they don't have a purpose. I don't see the point of Mac or Mac/Billy because they were never that big of a couple. They worked mainly because they served Kay/Jill and the original actors had chemistry. Billy is a grown ass man now. The forbidden nature of the romance (Kay's granddaughter with Jill's son) doesn't work any more. Now they are "forbidden" because Billy is a married to woman who he actually has chemistry with! There's nothing in the return of Mac that serves the larger story of Kay/Jill. And without any chemistry with Billy, there's just no point at all.

I don't know how I feel about the P3 story yet personally. I think it has some major holes, and I don't quite get the pressing need to bring back P3 from the dead after 20 years. I wonder how much acting Thom Bierdz has done recently although I know he was well loved when he was a young man. I know Tricia Cast is a good actress, and that helps. We have seen one quick scene of Thom Bierdz, so I can't say if bringing him back is awesome or will hurt the historical importance the character and his death had two decades ago, but I will give it a try. This story has the potential to be good, but it also has the potential to be a major bust.

Mark is the ratings guru. I do know that the highest rated storyline under LML was the Sheila as Phyllis story which heavily featured Lauren, Michael, Paul and Pheila. Not saying it was a quality story, but it did get high ratings. Michael and Lauren'e wedding also brought in high ratings to, but they had a big event wedding which draws in an audience. So while I don't think any character brings up ratings since it is an ensemble, I don't think them getting a story will have a detrimental effect on the ratings either. Frankly, individual character don't raise ratings. Hopefully, good and consistant writing will no matter who is featured.

I equated Michael and Lauren with Jill and Katherine with the fact that Jill and Katherine were wasted under other writer's regimes, not that I think they are as important as Jill and Katherine. I do think they are more important to the show than other characters that are getting story consistantly though.

I agree about Mac. I thought the timing was all wrong to bring her back from the start.

I don't think the cat is real and today is definitly Clem's best episode

I don't think the cat is real and today is definitly Clem's best episode

Is that because she was interacting with other characters? I think they should put her in more scenes with other characters she had a past with like Kevin, maybe JT, Katherine and see how she works with them. I would prefer they explore Billy and Chloe for awhile before forcing a pairing that is not working.

This story has the potential to be good, but it also has the potential to be a major bust.

Exactly. If it really is Philip III and he sticks around this could change the structure of the corporate type stories in a major way.

Philip could bring CI to the forefront and go up against Victor/Jack/Adam or whomever. He has the potential to take the show into the next generation, which is going to have to happen at some point in the next few years. EB isn't going to live forever.

OR

this story could really, seriously fall flat on it's ass and make zero sense. I guess we'll see soon enough. I wish we knew TB's next air date.

I don't think the cat is real and today is definitly Clem's best episode

i've never seen people WANT to like a character as much as people want to love Mac!

i've never seen people WANT to like a character as much as people want to love Mac!

I really really do and today I did. I pray she can keep it going!

Yep! MAB should teach a master class on how to create/integrate a "new" or technically, a returning character. Murphy, MJ, Rafe, and Aunt Virginia are good examples of this. I have no problem with her mining the history of this show to create new stories - if GL had done this, I think they'd still be in business. All the soaps really should entice lapsed vieweres with another chapter of their favorite storyline and make them relevent.

OMG. Some posters just put you on their sh*t list for encouraging "historgasms". You don't get it, Cashton! No no no!

(Just joking. We think with one brain on this issue).

Yep! MAB should teach a master class on how to create/integrate a "new" or technically, a returning character. Murphy, MJ, Rafe, and Aunt Virginia are good examples of this. I have no problem with her mining the history of this show to create new stories - if GL had done this, I think they'd still be in business. All the soaps really should entice lapsed vieweres with another chapter of their favorite storyline and make them relevent.

We have just spent five previous weeks and more talking about how Maria Arena doesn't know how to introduce "new" and new characters.

We have just spent five previous weeks and more talking about how Maria Arena doesn't know how to introduce "new" and new characters.

What is more, she is inconsistently bad at her introduction of the characters... At times, it takes months to even see anything with the new characters, supposedly because they are being integrated slowly (which translates to MAB's mind: We never see them!) and at times, she throws them relentlessly into story, 5 times a week the moment they join. Bad, and bad.

What is more, she is inconsistently bad at her introduction of the characters... At times, it takes months to even see anything with the new characters, supposedly because they are being integrated slowly (which translates to MAB's mind: We never see them!) and at times, she throws them relentlessly into story, 5 times a week the moment they join. Bad, and bad.

Really? you think MJ was poorly introduced? Mac was, but it's not MABs fault, it's Clems. Murphy is universally liked and he was introduced fine. The new/returning character introductions (save Tyra and Anna) have been seemless, IMO. And again, Tyra/Anna were more casting flops than character flops. Rafe was brilliant and modern. Aunt Virginia was a casting coup and even made people care about Devon which is a Herculean task. Just because a few people don't like something doesn't make it law. There's a whole legion of fans for Lane. Your opinion is important cause i like you guys, but not the only opinion nor the populist opinion either.