Y&R: Spumor

[YRBB]

The character had amazing potential ever since Bell created her--is there any doubt he was planning to bring her on at some point?

Alas, LML got to do that first, and basically brought on a hair model with a name and a last name, and not much more.

While they haven't done much to improve her (though she was far better while working at Jabot), it's not entirely this regime's fault. Adult Heather was created as a nothing.

What has this go to do with my suggestion?

Did I say that the writing is great? Or that there are no "writing limitations"? It seems that you, of all people, would love an effort to create more of a personality for Heather??? I'm so confused right now, maybe because it's late.....

[dm.]

That's your opinion. She's fine with me. But if a recast is ever in question with a stronger actress, then fine. They just shouldn't even think of killing off another character after so many deaths, who happens to be a legacy character (even though she hasn't made that much of an influence anyway).

Definitely, the new writing team hasn't done anything to improve what LML brought back.

When you said she needs more of a personality, I responded with "these writers have limitations" meaning that they won't put in effort to actually do something with her. Of course I would love it.

[YRBB]

I guess looks go a long way!

[dm.]

This is daytime after all.

She has improved, IMO.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

Latham should've never brought her back, especially with this actress. Paul has had very little airtime this decade, and Heather's introduction brought absolutely NOTHING to his life. This character was botched from the beginning.

They could fix that, but they have too many problems areas that are more important that they don't even pay attention to.

The best thing to do would be writing this character off.

[Sylph]

God, how much would I like for someone to come up and spin this sh!t into something watchable!

Soap on steroids of sorts.

[dm.]

Meh, whatever.

[MTSRocks]

Vail Bloom and Heather deserve better. I don't get all the bashing of the actress.

[dm.]

Apparently she is the worst actress on daytime, while Ford, Goddard, Heinle, Khalil, Marcille and Sursok all will remain on the show for years to come.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

No one ever claimed that, but what does everyone else's suckiness have to do with Vail's? I don't judge her acting compared to anyone else's, I judge her for her own acting.

[dm.]

Oh I was just distraught over the fact that all of these people keep their jobs and probably will stay on this show for years, while she is apparently being written out - meaning that they should start cutting the fat with more talent-less people and then cut her.

But I wasn't addressing this to you.

[MarkH]

I would agree with everything you say...except with Adam (at least in the beginning). I totally bought her as an infatuated young woman. I thought she and Adam were a shockingly good mix...both grew up fatherless, had to work their butts off to get through school, postpone personal lives in order to work their ways through the ivy league, reconnecting with their dads. And in that, with a little Princeton-Harvard rivalry, it just worked.

Vail is a Princeton grad, and she's sexy...so I kind of figured Heather "gelled" when Vail finally started to play herself. INSTEAD of a stuck up prosector.

Had the writing "popped" for her, she would have played the sexy young girl with moony eyes for the man of her dreams (basically what Lily is doing now)...and then we'd have seen her go down the road of disenchantment and bitterness as Adam was revealed as the bad seed.

In the process, it would be Paul who'd be her rock through that (building the father-daughter relationship), and we'd end up with a more substantial Heather on the other side.

I think they are poking around at bits of that...but they aren't using her best asset...flirty, sexy, girly. If they'd write for that, I think she could grow into the role quite nicely...and Heather would mature with Vail.

Yes, and what you write kills me. Heather has such a history on this show. We saw that little girl in the CRIB. A character like that should either be kept off the canvas or, if brought back, should REALLY be written for. There are people who watched her infancy arc (Paul marries April to give her a name; she almost dies; Paul joins a cult to escape his responsibilities), her youth arc (she grows up in the abusive household that causes her mother to kill her stepfather). That character had BUILT-IN history and ROOTING VALUE. Virtually none of it has ever been mentioned, used...not even in subtext.

What a f*cking waste!

On this show, you never want to put a rootable character in the prosecutor's office. Who can root for the character that is always trying to imprison the wrong people? They should have left the recurring Glenn Richards (I hated him, but who cared...he'd be gone soon). Heather should not have been in that role.

Even her brief stint at Jabot, interacting with Jill and Nikki and Brad and Gloria, etc., was marginally better. And there she could be the flirty girlfriend of Adam and dress sexily...all of which suited her better.

Heather also has some trailer-dwelling grandparents (Dorothy and Wayne) and a VERY rich aunt who took care of the family (Bobbi). Where are those people? How did they shape her? We KNOW Heather's backstory, but it has all been wasted.

If you mean "rest the character", I totally agree. And if/when she comes back, it needs to MATTER.

If they kill her, I will spit nails. Not because I care about her now, per se, but because a baby we saw in 1979, aged to adulthood, is SUCH a rarity. If you're going to keep her alive in story, you better USE her well.

[MarkH]

But this list is really quite appalling, dmarex.

I'm not sure I'd put Vail on this list, but to be honest, she would be close to it. I'm also not sure about Ford...for me, the jury is still out...and I'm impressed by what I perceive as growth and improvement.

But, let's pretend that's not true. So, then you have this list:

Bloom, Ford, Goddard, Heinle, Khalil, Marcille, Sursok, Nash

Most of your younger canvas is sh!t. What a horrible, stupid mistake. What an awful investment in the future! How could this have happened???

I realize the casting director changed recently, but as long as all these people consume $ and fail to shine...the show has a significant limitation going forward.

Alvin keeps talking about the problems of this show, and I don't know if this is one of them...but this profusion of actors who are not worthy is quite disturbing. (Though I'd take Bloom and Ford off the list for now).

ETA: I forgot Marano!!!!

What we need is Mark Teschner or someone to come in and get us some well-cast young women

[Y&RWorldTurner]

The problem is writing to these actresses "strengths." They shouldn't have to compromise the character for the actress. If the actress can't play various facets, then her ass needs to be recast!

[dm.]

Of course it is.

I did jump ahead with Ford, at least what she had until Raul. But once that man is out and they reunite her with Billy, will she go back to how she used to act? Because for now she has no chemistry with Miller.

It doesn't seem to me like they tried. They can easily have her in any storyline they want and kick her out if she refuses to participate. The problem is that they don't write for her. She is dependent on Adam's storyline and as soon as that's over they'll be done with her.