Y&R: Potpourri Thread

[Y&RWorldTurner]

As controversial as she is, Y&R badly needs some type of change. An "innovator" like her would do it some good. If she's paired with a strong HW that respects the show, she would be a wonderful asset to the show. I can DEFINITELY see Jill getting rid of the dead weight, especially those aimless characters whose storyline potential dried up long ago.

According to this site: http://www.redpostnyc.com/bios.html

Who knows, but I agree with what you said.

If the ratings fall and get worse, I'm sure the show will blame it on the gay aspect. They're going to be looking for some scapegoat.

[DRW50]

I think they don't want us to care too much, I think they want us to be detached. I'm just guessing, but otherwise I have no idea why we barely saw Rafe leading up to this storyline.

They seem to be avoiding a story which would have central characters involved in homosexuality. You could say Phillip is a central character, but he's also a character who has not been on the show for twenty years, and will probably not be around for long.

They have an out because they can say they tried and viewers didn't respond, but viewers haven't been given a reason to respond, at least not yet. I know that there are people just waiting to claim gay stories have driven off viewers and it irritates me because these are stories which few who oppose gay rights should be offended by, yet they are still going to blame us.

I know it's early and I know this is why Thom Bierdz returned, but I wish they had kept Phillip as straight, mostly because I think he still works very well with Tricia Cast and while I don't know how Nina can ever forgive Phillip, I think a good soapy story would have been Nina and Phillip being drawn back to each other again, and if or when they are written out, they could have left town together.

For all my gripes, Tricia's work is impressing me so much I still want to watch. I went back and watched her amazing work on Monday's episode. I wish the Daytime Emmys were still worth something because she is giving the performance of her career.

[CSF]

As much as I dislike JFP, I agree with those saying she would be good at Y&R. She'd kick some serious ass and that show would definitely bounce back!

[MoTheGreat]

They just want to blame somebody. I'm sure black people doesn't like incest either but they don't mind passing that [!@#$%^&*] to Devon. Back to the gay storyline. A while back I said that they should have done Rafe & Devon. Because there's a lot of down low brothas.

[DRW50]

Rafe and Devon would have been a very good story, at least with the right pacing.

[Cat]

By that rationale, what about Catholic Latinos (since everybody assumes that all Catholics are homophobes )? Rafe is Hispanic.

TPTB would not have pushed this SL if they felt it would not appeal to an already entrenched fanbase (the gay viewer) and attract a new audience via some promo work on Advocate or AfterElton. Heck, there's a reason the current regime cultivates a strong working relationship with Nelson Branco.

I don't think Y&R is afraid of alienating anybody. It is merely getting on a bandwagon built by OLTL, cemented by AMC and hitched to a horse by ATWT. As such, it is going to ape all those other shows and their reticence in showing any type of gay love scene, with the possible exception of Reese & Bianca on AMC which I think is the furtherest a show has ever gone in showing us a gay character's "O" face.

The fact is, they can never show a gay love scene like they can a straight one. Noah entering Luke from behind? That doesn't even happen on Primetime CBS, let alone Daytime.

The other issue is this term "the gay SL." What gay SL? Adam & Rafe is NOT a gay SL. They are NOT the next gay supercouple. This is a SL about a villain who will do anything to cover his tracks. Anything. He will pretend to wuv Rafe just as he pretends to wuv Heather. For his own ends. Adam is probably incapable of feeling anything for anybody at this point. He is consumed by his nefarious plans.

The Y&R gay SL? Will probably be the Philip Chancellor one.

[JackPeyton]

WORD!

This post is fantastic.

[Ann_SS]

JFP!? Bwaaah. I knew there was a reason I stopped visiting the Y&R threads. Some of ya'll done lost your damn minds.

[MarkH]

I love every word of this post. Each day, you cement my affection for your perspectives more and more.

Michael Muhney just gave an interview at AE.

Although a lot of people here tend not to accept actor enthusiasm or actor perspectives, I found it a remarkable interview. Yes, he is thrilled with the gig, but that's not it.

He talked about how he is playing the role. He asserted that, from his perspective, Adam is not a sociopath. He privately feels and dislikes the burden of his lies. Of course, his monologue was meant to show that...but he also thinks his shower showed that. Adam was not necessarily washing away Rafe, from Muhney's perspective...he was washing away the "sick and twisted" part of himself that he cannot control but despises.

He also surprised me, because he was cagey about whether Adam was gay or straight. Reading between the lines, what he seemed to imply that he was playing was Adam-as-straight but who -- by dint of what he did with Rafe -- is questioning at some level. I find that to be a very intriguing nuance. It is the cognitive dissonance provoked by doing the unexpected act.

Some of you will loathe Muhney out of the gate, because he compares the writing to Shakespeare !

He admits to checking out message boards, and taking to heart botht he positive and negative comments.

He also justified the "not showing" of the intimate moments between Rafe and Adam. Paraphrasing, he says that by not showing, the audience is left to wonder how much Adam gave himself up to these moments. Was he guarded and pretending and struggling to be aroused? Or did he lose himself in the moment, and surprisingly relate to Rafe on a level he did not expect? Was Rafe the beta boy, throwing caution to the wind? Or did Rafe remain guarded, even as succumbing to his lust?

Muhney makes a compelling case, for me, that it is too early in the story to answer these questions. The story actually gains power and audience involvement, at this point, by requiring the viewer to imagine and fill in the blanks. (Indeed, I commented on this very issue yesterday, when I singled out Adam's line about "...the things I did with you I never did with anyone before...").

I really, really, really like this recast. I also like that he is apparently a thinking actor, and that he really is trying to bring a perspective and commitment to the role. I know...I'm just a positive fanboi glomming on to any positive spin. But I personally thought this was a terrific and insightful interview.

[MoTheGreat]

Muhney post somethinjg at SOC yesterday. Thanking the viewers who like him.

[Cat]

Why, MarkH. Thank you very much for the kind compliment!

I did read the Mark Muhney interview. Evan posted it in DTS.

[Cat]

Earlier this morning, this thread had me convinced that JFP would be a great fit at Y&R.

But, you know, I think Rauch does a good job as the silent partner EP (or should that be the "silent assassin"? lol). His production experience seems to mesh well with Y&R's lush production history.

JFP has a different aesthetic and a different pace. Given some of the stellar work she did on Santa Barbara, I always thought that she'd be right up GH's alley, given the amount of SB's brain talent which defected to behind-the-scenes GH over the past 15 years. I still think she'd be what the soap needs if she had more control over the show -- more creative control, like Gloria Monty had. This cannot work on Y&R where the HW has always held the reins of power and the EP position was simply a means to an end to further the writer's vision. Therefore, it would not matter so much who the EP is. The fact is, MAB is in charge of SLs and if some of you guys are envisaging a time when she'd be gone, then you should come up with potential single-visionist writers who might take her place.

Not that I think she is going anywhere. Not unless she and Jr have an acrimonious split.

[MarkH]

I really wish I had some magical way of expunging JFP's name/initials in connection to Y&R, much as SON has expunged K.*l* B.**f from this site.

She may have skills...but goodness, look at her tangible record. It sure looks like the swath of a show-killer. Given that some have argued that other members of the creative time are show killers...really...please...expunge expunge expunge. The thought of this is making me as anxious as a mention of Brittany Hodges.

[bellcurve]

I think part of that has to do with the gay auds, but another part of it has to do with the fact that Nelson gives the best rimjobs in the soap press.

Then why are they afraid to show two guys kissing on Y&R?! Sharon and Billy used each other for sex, but they had no problem showing them having sex together.

And that's a pretty stereotypical and ignorant statement. As if that's the ONLY position gay men can assume during sex.

And if they aren't going to show a love scene, then why not show the two of them in bed together after the sex, show the two of them kissing? Maria said that she wanted to portray being gay as a part of life. Why can't we see Adam and Rafe kissing while Nikki spies on the two of them? Why does it have to be shot in such an ambiguous, cowardly way?

That's what pisses me off...they(and by they I mean Maria and her huge vision and ego) dangle this carrot in front of the audience like they're doing something so beautiful and so progressive for the gay community and the gay audience. What's so beautiful about Rafe being a victim and allowing him to be manipulated by this babykilling, down-low psycho? What's so progressive about that?! Haven't we seen enough gay victims in daytime? And their victimization doesn't allow them to grow as people...it makes them extremely weak or even more sanctimonious than before.

But this IS a story about GAY SEX! It involves a GAY CHARACTER! I don't get what's so hard to understand about that?!

And God help us all when Rocky Gayboa declares his feelings for Rafe before they both move to Fire Island.

[bellcurve]

Exactly my point. Just you wait...the gay audience will turn its back on Y&R soon enough when they realize they've been manipulated into watching this c**ktease of a story.