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

[BadZoe]

How hard would it have been for Sharon to say, "Nick, you are the father. But right now Summer and Phyllis need you and you should be there for them". It would have made her look dignified instead of like a manipulative turd. I feel sorry for Jack, always being jerked around by this woman.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

It's not hard, but of course, since Maria is so afraid to make a choice and to piss off one of the rabid fanbases, so Nick must continue to flip-flop between these women, regardless of any integrity and self-worth of any of these people invovled.

This is sh!tty writing. So Sharon goes on and on about how Cassie left her and Nick this last big gift, and then she goes and LIES to everyone about it? Yeah, some gift and shows how special it really is, Sharon.

And I was starting to like Phyllis again, she finally became her own woman again. I also think neither Nick nor Phyllis would mind Sharon's spawn being Nick's, even in this time of contrived crisis. Nick can still be there for Summer and Phyllis and continue preparing for the birth of his new child with Sharon. This is something right out of James E. Reilly's playbook.

But I'm going on and on, and pretty soon, I'll be accused of hurting everyone's liking for this show and plaguing this thread with my negativity.

[Toups]

Yup. That's what I was complaining about on Friday. It made no sense for Sharon to lie to Nick and Jack....just because she saw Nick hugging Phyllis after their daughter got hurt? I don't like twist at all.

Oh no, not a pity party, Alvin! We were going so well without any pity parties for a while.

[MarkH]

R. Sinclair has told us at length that Amanda Beall is guilty of "hipster" dialog (my word), but it really works when she writes for Chloe! I think Beall and EH is an unbeatable combination.

I realized that the emotional impact of Summer's coma was greatly blunted by the scripted line from Phyllis telling everyone to stay away. While I appreciate that they tried to justify the lack of "company" in the script, this is CLEARLY a "money move". Think how much more impact this would have had if all the Newmans gathered, and Daniel too, and there were lots of Cassie flashbacks and...

I get that Summer's coma is meant as a short-term plot point...but even as that, it would have a lot more emotional resonance if they'd devote several days to it, and use it as an opportunity to have half the cast together.

A couple of responses to other posts:

In the moment, I bought Sharon's choice. She thought she was doing what was best, because Nick was "broken" again (as he had been with Cassie).

Her is what WON'T make sense. Nick and Sharon were building a future together--buying houses. Jack knew. Thus, it makes no sense that when Sharon announces the paternity and her plans to stay with Jack that EITHER Nick or Jack will buy it. It is not Sharon's choice, but the implied stupidity of the men in her life that will ruin this story.

If Nick said "Nah...you're just saying that...I'm not buying this," and Jack said it too...THAT would give this story some truth value.

I actually ended up seeing that scene twice (once on my own, and once to show someone else) and your description is perfect! I can accept what they did today to keep things vague, to blunt the shock on old Aunt Agnes' heart (you know--Aunt Agnes has been watching the show since 1973 and she can't BELIEVE they've gone homosexual on her!!). This was done so vaguely, I think Aunt Agnes might not even realize that a sexual encounter between two men occurred!

But if they don't build some emotional resonance into this, it is going to fail.

I'm starting to realize something about MAB (this is episode specific, but it sort of relates to potpourri). Her soap experience was B&B. B&B never never develops emotional moments...at least, they haven't for a long time. Stories shift on a dime. I think a lot of what she is bringing to the show may be "B&B style" rather than Y&R style. This sudden sex plot with Rafe and Adam is typical B&B.

LOL. Sorry to keep quoting it, but I want to remind us of Yani's potential in this regard...

Bisexual is great. Gay is great. Muhney is great. But Adam-as-bi doesn't work for me at all. Muhney played SUCH subtle revulsion today...I can't buy it. I suppose it could be self-loathing, but I'd rather they didn't "go there" with Adam. Poor Heather, though. She's used as such a blow-up doll with Adam.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

At least this type of thing was funny as hell on Passions, on Y&R? Eh, no. Especially given how little sense it makes.

I don't feel like my "negative" view of the episodes and storylines are welcomed in this episode discussion thread, and I've been accused more than once of ruining the episode watching experience of some people.

[cara mia]

I agree. Yet in trying to please both groups, she pleases no one. As a Shick fan, I would much rather the couple be apart than for Sharon to be written as a floozy and Nick as a douchebag.

Personally, I was not feeling the Rafe/Adam/Heather today. I think I'm still getting used to the recast and that's on ME -- not the actors who are doing a good job. I just happen to be the kind of viewer who takes a while to adjust. Also, I do see a bit of chemistry between Rafe & Adam but not much. That might develop with time though.

The real problem though is the writing. I have no idea what's Rafe's real motivation. Lust? Trying to play Adam? Curiosity? Boredom? I believe there is a HUGE difference between showing no motivation and then "surprising" us with the truth versus showing us several possible motivations and then revealing which one it really is. I believe that we should have been presented with three possible motives for Rafe's decision to sleep with Adam. #1 He's mad about him. #2 He's playing him to get at the truth. #3 A combination of the first two. Obviously, door #3 is the most interesting. MAB could have & should have just spent a little bit of time setting up Rafe's feelings for Adam. It would have been easy enough. A one-minute scene with Billy in Crimson Lights where Rafe keeps talking about Adam's case and Billy's picks up on Rafe's interest. A couple of tiny two-second glances from Ashley whenever Rafe visited and she noticed Rafe's crush. A one-minute scene at Adam's birthday where Rafe tells Adam & Colleen & Heather about his horrible ex-boyfriend, with Rafe ending the story by noting how he always falls for the wrong guy with a quick cut to Adam. All of these moments combined would clock less than three minutes total! Yet, they would have made all the difference in this story. It's so frustrating that MAB doesn't even under the basics of storytelling.

As for pitching vs. catching, hee! After watching the scenes, I could not help but consider what they would have been like if CE had played them and then it became to clear to me that the writers definitely intended for Rafe to be on top. The writers had CE and his restrained style in mind when they wrote these scenes, which would have highlighted Rafe being the dominant one. MM, who has been doing a good job, accidentally (IMO) played the scenes on Friday a bit too aggressively and I think that unintentionally confused the issue. The director should have had him be more teasing and less forward. It's tough though with the noticeable size difference between MM & YG cause you can see why one would expect Rafe to be the bottom.

[rhythmchyc]

This is your brain:

This is Sharon's brain:

Any questions?

[Cashton]

You're a female so I'll give you a pass on this one. But suffice it to say, this is not a romance. It's a seduction. Rafe would never make a pass on his client. Gay men are attracted to str8 men everyday and most of us never act on it cause we think it would be unwelcome. Rafe, as far as we know, is unattached and has no relationships to speak of. Men are more ruled by sex than women. You don't need a backstory to show Rafe' attraction to Adam.

Rafe's motivation was quite clear - when he was going to ransack Adam's room, Adam came on to him. Rafe was shocked, flattered, and turned on. They had sex. Adam, like most str8 men who have sex with other men, got incredibly cold and despondant afterwards, Rafe on the other hand got hopeful and gained feelings for Adam.

Oh, and Adam is most DEFINITELY a top.

Still think you're the bees-knees cara mia! I'm sure a lot of str8 women were also confused too. i can only imagine what my grandma thought about today's show.

[baller]

I think that sums it all up for me. Vague or not, it's not working for me so far-I don't know if it's the switch in Adam or what, but I'm just not buying it at all.

I was ok with the whole Sharon lie thing till the last scene with Jack--I hate that Sharon's lieing to Jack over all of this, who has been nothing but supportive.

Can Noah move in with Jack, who pretty much is a better father right now--and really, Sharon's lie pretty much will make Noah's case.

I flove Cloe. Seriously just fun. And I'm glad someone finally said the whole thing about how Mac sees Billy-cause it's so true.

[cara mia]

Fair enough but most of the audience is female. The show's got to give us girls a little bit of romance just for it to make sense for us I am not suggesting Nuke skipping in the fields and saving themselves for a year! Just a few tiny hints here and there to illustrate Rafe's attraction to Adam, especially because Rafe is a hot lawyer who presumably has his pick of men and Adam is a blind criminal who lives with his father!

[Soapsuds]

Great post Cashton. I totally agree with you.

[Cashton]

Now THAT ican agree with you on. Surely Rafe would be able to find some other dudes in GC to date or at least hook up with. I do wish they would show Rafe's lonliness more too, cause i imagine it is hard living in Wisconsin being gay and not having anyone around to converse with or places to go. I suspect this s/l will end with Rafe heartbroken and then find Phillip 3rd to pick up the pieces. That's my theory.

[BadZoe]

That's exactly what my mom said, he hugged her, he wasn't kissing her, or anything that would suggest to Sharon that Nick was one step away from going back to Phyllis.

It just dawned on me that maybe they are setting Sharin-it up like this so that when the baby switch is exposed, Assley and Prictor have really good grounds for keeping custody of the baby away from the train wrecks known as Shick.

[cara mia]

Remember I called the baby switch first!

[Cashton]

I have to agree with all the nega-tons of the board though - Sharon's decision made zero, ZERO sense. They so could have saved it though if Sharon was having a nervous breakdown, was still klepto, having flashbacks about Brad's death, Dorris telling her not to be Nick or Jack till she gets herself some help. Any of the above to show Sharon's not mentally OK, would have excused this crazy, outrageous decision. Poor SC, she's a good actress, but she's not that good to sell this. I mean she has to think about her son, Noah too right? She's coming off as so selfish, childish and STUPID.

She's a human ping-pong ball at the moment, Jack to Nick....Nick to Jack. Shower, rinse, repeat.