Y&R: Episodes discussion., Week of June 29,2009

[rhythmchyc]

Sounds pretty logical to me.

[MarkH]

I love every word in this post.

Nick elevated to my FAVORITE after he grew up, IMO, post-Sharon-divorce. He manned up, supported his dad through epilepsy. He was a loving, supportive husband and father. He hung out with his friends. He had a nice little chemistry with his sister (I loved the note read at his funeral, where he talked about all the tricks he had played on his sister). It was natural, likeable.

Now...I want him to fry in a vat of oil.

Jack does best when he is battling Victor. Bergman was stupendous during that "diary dictation" and his whole Adam-framing. THAT is the Jack that commands my interest.

I actually personally like it if Kay is having health problems. The woman was a chronic drinker, and she has a history of cerebrovascular incidents (including that paralyzing stroke after learning Jill was her daughter). I don't want that swept under the rug. Like with John Abbott...whenever there was stress, we worried that he'd have ANOTHER heart attack or stroke. John's method of death was completely plausible, given his medical history. And Kay would have been further weakened by that Lyme disease.

As an 80 year old woman with her history, this feels like "truth" to me.

[rhythmchyc]

With no build-up, it lacks any punch. It seemed like a scam to me.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

Oh please, Katherine can be sick, but after she just got diagnosed with Lyme disease and lost most of her memory for almost a half year, this wasn't the time to add more health problems into her mix. It's repetitive and kind of cruel. They gave her husband, yet we NEVER see the relationship on the screen anymore, and there's been NO fallout from the news that she and Jill aren't mother and daughter.

So, another illness is the best they could conjure up for her?

Exactly.

[BadZoe]

I don't like the idea of a Neil and Phyllis pairing. He's too judgemental for a spit fire like her. Look how he treated Dru like crap for being a "model".

Actually, when Victor hugged Phyllis at the hospital, I actually thought that might be an interesting pairing. Even if Phyllis just screws him for revenge.

What I'd like to see though is a new man in the late 40's to 60's range brought in. Perhaps a new corporate raider who could give the town a run for their money. A tough guy but not a total slime ball like Jeffrey.

[rhythmchyc]

This looks goooood.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

^^^^Oh,

finally makes his one day appearance for the month, I see.

[MarkH]

I agree with you on both of these scores. I also find Jill's unwillingness to accept Kay into her heart -- maybe with guardedness -- to be utterly unmotivated. I get that Jill is wounded...but honestly, after all those years as mom-and-daughter, and after continuing to live together, the relationship should be more complex...not just adversarial.

Absolutely. Neil has suppressed every woman in his life.

The only person who EVER gave him what he needed was Karen, and that was during her second-last appearance.

I'd like to see a strong FORCE of a woman BEAT HIM DOWN. Let him try his crap, and let her TOTALLY DOMINATE him and CALL HIM on his bullsh!t. Every time he gets out of line or sanctimonious, let her CORRECT HIM LIKE A CHILD.

While this would be initially emasculating, once Neil gets with the program and grows up a bit, he'd be improved, and the relationship would be more equal. But Neil has been so utterly destroyed, I really feel there needs to be an on-camera correction and repair. Only a woman who will NOT get steamrolled by Neil makes sense.

Let me join the chorus of voices saying "Neil at Chancellor" makes zero sense. I don't fully know why he did it. (Why was THIS return of Nicholas the straw that broke the camel's back?). And why is he not, then, being fully integrated into the Chancellor clan? He could become a friend and confidante of Kay and Murphy's, and being in that orbit, he could serve as the bridge between Jill and Kay (bringing Jill back into the company). Jill would chafe under his leadership, and that could be itneresting. Also, if Nina sticks around, they could pursue the very interesting potential of Nina and Neil.

Then, when Neil tries to steamroll Nina into some chauvinistic way of life, she can BEAT HIM DOWN.

[Greg's GL]

Both brilliant ideas and I would enjoy watching them. Phyllis getting revenge on Nick by boffing his father? Yes. Very soapy.

I seem to remember that there was fallout from the Katherine/Jill story. From the previews, there will be something along those lines tomorrow. And it comes across to me that in their scenes - particularly with Nina - that there is some underlying tension between these two because of it. It's not as verbose as it was right after the DNA test, but it's still there.

[rhythmchyc]

Neil would've worked before Dru returned the second time. But after Phyllis's toxic relationship with her, it would be a definitely slap in the face to those characters' histories. Neil should've had an on again off again relationship with smarty-pants version of Victoria. They should've had like 2 children by now embroiled in a hot triangle with Dru along the way. Victoria vs. Dru would've been FIYAHHHHH!

Too bad people were afraid of putting Neil and Victoria together for real. When Tom went brunette, she lost a lot of that spunk she usually has and she had little chemistry with St. John but on paper, it should work.

I don't want to ever see Victor with any of Nick's wives. This is not B&B. YUCK!

Again, if Neil was written correctly, he'd definitely fit in as the late 40's corporate dude to give everyone a run for their money. He's worked at Newman and now Chancellor. The man has so many secrets about people, he should use them to his benefit. And he could stay true to character and be smart about rising to the top. No one cares about Neil, though.

I still don't want to see a new character on Y&R. They need to use what they've got until they begin to expel them. I'm sick of seeing new people come in as plot-points and out in a couple months.

He was on today LOL.

[rhythmchyc]

Jeez Mark. You been watching a bit of WWF lately haven't you?

[DRW50]

I'm afraid Neil would break Nina apart, like Ryan did.

I was somewhat apprehensive about Jill and Kay being unrelated because I thought one of the reasons was just to help further isolate Jill as a character. It's easy for them to just have Jill and Katherine repeat the same scenes over and over, which is already what they did when they were mother and daughter, only at least there was more of a dimension to their relationship. Seeing a middle-aged woman and an old, frequently ill woman doing a watered-down retread of a feud which best worked 25 years ago is more depressing for me than a great nod to history. The best history is one that keeps changing, not regressing.

[DeeeDee]

Besides Gloria Giggly Heffa is the most judgemental hypocrite on God's Green Earth.

Exactly!

[MarkH]

Truth is that I have never liked Neil. I would have ranked Dru, Mamie, Olivia, Lily, Nate, Devon and Malcolm ahead of him. He is my LEAST favorite of this group, and always has been. Sanctimonious, stuff-shirt.

I liked the Neil that emerged during LML's era, because it was not-Neil. Suddenly he was relaxed (something that extended to his fashion), like music, was a good cook, never complained about Dru's job, and also cooked dinner one night a week--where he kept his family together. (I didn't like his Carmen dalliance, but I'm ignoring that).

So, the only time I liked Neil was when he was not-Neil. This is why I consider it a disaster that he has become the core of the Winters-Barber clan.

The only hope for that clan, IMO, is to re-establish Olivia as the emotional core of that clan (and that means Nate is required...even though I don't want to expand this canvas anymore). In my opinion, there is real potential in the slightly-regal Olivia finding herself attracted to the slightly-less-regal Detective Gil. I feel that this could be interesting, and could establish Gil's extended family as a future family for Y&R. Thus, in my world, Neil and Devon would leave (though I believe Bryton is highly skilled when written for). Devon is near ruination, now, will all of his incestuous leanings.

[JSROCKS]

ITA with all of you regarding Kay's health. That she is still sick is understandable because she was having mini- strokes before she "died" and before the Lyme Disease, so this time it is more than plausible. This doesn't rule out her being involved in the P3 switcheroo.

Cane switching the samples was right out of GloHo's playbook.