Y&R: Episodes discussion., Week of July 6

[DRW50]

Different writing/producing teams redeemed Kevin and Jana. This team doesn't seem to redeem, aside from Chloe.

Money issues may also be a factor. The cast is so stuffed.

[lovely_m]

I think MJ has a better shot of being redeemed. It seems that if an actor is popular enough or "OMG they're so good you can't get rid of them" writing regimes will jump through hoops to reedeem the character.

I used to think money was a factor, but this show contradicts itself when they say "we can't afford to keep MTS on full salary, but we're bringing SK."

[Y&RWorldTurner]

I don't even think Kevin and Jana were properly redeemed, neither of them ever payed for anything they did. It's still hurting both characters to this day, IMO.

Someone needs to come in and redeem this show overall!

Didn't MAB say she was going to try to rid of show of the huge criminal aspect of the Latham years? It seems like she's continuing on with it as much as Latham ever did. Once again, empty promises.

[DRW50]

I think Jana was redeemed, in that she has not done anything near that level since her brain tumor, but they don't do anything with her. Emily O'Brien is a fantastic actress and I hate to see her leave, but if something doesn't happen soon then why would they keep her around?

I think money is still a factor, they aren't bringing back anyone who probably commands a big salary, and the female vets have been pushed into pay cuts. I think there's a way to free up more money, get rid of the right characters (I don't say "nonessential" because I think some characters they view as essential, like Nick, could be phased out and replaced by better models), and then work from there.

I hope they can keep MJ around, not only for her, but for Paul, who was a very important part of Y&R for years and who still has an actor who gives 110% every time.

[Cashton]

I think MJ will be around for a long, long time. Adam too. Characters I think on their way out are Heather, Victoria, JT, Gloria, Jeffrey, and (hides) Lauren.

[Soapsuds]

Is there a point to Gloria and Jeffery anymore? I am glad we are seeing less of them. I would write them off like yesterday.

[lmfan]

And why can't we see other characters like Lauren along with Victoria and JT in some of these smaller scenes? Why can't the writers show Michael with his son and wife to contrast his observing what Nick and Phyllis are going through? And that's all Michael is used for in his scenes nowadays, a passive observer who runs around getting court dates or contacting judges. What was his purpose in those scenes with Heather, Phyllis and Nick yesterday? Oh that's right, Michael will take care of everything because he has no other life other than to serve his clients from morning to late at night, and even on national holidays.

The Sharon/Phyllis scene may have been nice but it was contrived. Sharon is not the only one who would understand what Phyllis is going through. They could have shown Victoria, Nikki or god forbid her close friend, Lauren talking to her as all three women have lost children and watched them die. And if MJ can be at the hospital every other day, then we should have seen Victoria and Lauren visiting Summer at least once. They can use Murphy to be support for Kay on a regular basis, then use Lauren like that also instead of having her off the show another ridiculous two months.

[Cashton]

The days of Gloria being on our screen every day are long gone. Personally, I think there ain't any impetus to create a new tale for Gloria to lead or support. It seemed as if they were ready to set-up a Gloria is Kay's mom tale, but i don't think we need to go there. But i think they might go there at some point in the future - even if it's just a tease.

oh - and I so wish they'd get rid of Devon and Tyra....

[Cashton]

TB's recurring! It was her choice. I think the Baldwin's are getting a much needed breather.

Also, i don't think MJ has gone too far. She's clearly disturbed but deep down she's good. Killing a bird and a cat while insane isn't unforgiveable to me. And Summer's poisoning while intentional, wasn't meant to kill her, and it wasn't pre-meditated. I don't want her magically re-habbed like Jana, but i think she's got lots of story left to tell, unlike say Gloria or (hate to say it) Sheila. We still don't know what happened to her either in the days since she left GC, and I think it's a doozy.

I really see something fun and cool happening with Adam and MJ and (hopefully) Cane. Long-term wise, i think EB said it best that his character was detestable when he first started playing Victor (feeding rats to his prosoner and such), but look at him now! He's the star of the show!

[lmfan]

I am not saying Lauren is being pushed aside for MJ. I think MJ serves a real purpose right now. I just think it would be foolish to keep a character like MJ while simultaneously dumping a vet like Tracey Bregman. And it angers me that I can see MAB doing this as she has been working real hard to minimize Lauren's presence since February.

I don't get MAB, unless she is blinded by her Chancellor love. She can have her favorites but she needs to write for her whole canvas. She writes this whole story centering around a character that was killed off 20 years ago and an actor who hasn't acted in a very long time and yet she has talented actors who could play anything she writes for them tomorrow, but she refuses to even write them a B story. Some like Tracey Bregman she just refuses to have on screen for months at a time.

Sure many older fans were regretful that Philip III was killed at 19 just as I was sad to see Cassie and John die, but nobody was clamoring or expecting him to be brought back to life and yet even with the risk of centering this story around someone who had rusty acting skills at best, requiring retcon of history after everyone had been giving her kudos for cleaning up LML's retcon mess, relying on not one but two characters from two decades ago, and supposedly dealing with financial issues she just had to write this story because Thom Bierdz said he would be interested in coming back? Come on, I am sure Tracey Bregman has told her she would like to work more. CLB, KSJ, TL and others would love to have some story, any story but MAB does all this for an actor she liked who starred on this show two decades ago.

I admit I didn't watch back them, but I was familiar with the show and watched on and off in the mid 80s where I first met Lauren, Nikki and Victor and have been a loyal viewer since 1996 and I had little interest in seeing Philip return. I like that Tricia Cast is back but that could have been done with the return on Philip IV and I like that Cane is no longer a Chancellor but that also could have been easily fixed. I enjoy good acting but I simply don't get why she went through all this.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

But what doesn't on this show these days?

[DRW50]

MAB loves Katherine (I don't know if she cares about any of the other Chancellors), but I think the real reason she brought Phillip back was the Cane controversy. The loudest voices said they did not believe Cane was the true heir and that Cane's true story was dropped, just as the loudest voices said they would never accept Katherine and Jill as mother and daughter. So MAB decided to "fix" these stories. It's a very easy way to give the impression she is "saving" the show.

So far I am enjoying the Phillip fallout more than unrelating Katherine and Jill, but I hope they are going to keep a strong focus on Nina and Jill, as well as Katherine, for this storyline to work.

[rhythmchyc]

I haven't seen today's episode yet but I don't remember CE being vulnerable. He was the wooden one to me, his performances were always one-note. He did the poor little boy thing well, I suppose, but I never felt he deserved my pity. There was only so much he could do considering the script never allowed inner dialogue or turmoil. He went from one scheme to another without emotion. I've seen a variety of emotions from MM so far, in contrast.

[lmfan]

I don't think we should have pitied Adam, but he played that way to others like Ashley, Heather, Estella and Rafe. The poor little boy worked well in contrast to his psychotic plotting. What emotions have MM displayed so far? I think the guy was thrown into a thankless job and might be a decent actor, but I don't get what has been impressive with his acting. He touched Rafe's lip, but that was nothing without any chemisty. I amd biased because I just don't the Adam character at all and saw him as a manipulative whiner from the get go, so would not miss him.

[Cashton]

i think he's great - but he's not heart-throbby. Engen was cute for sure, and had a Tom Cruise charm that you could easily blindly love. MM is more methodical, and has a comedic charm that's deeper with pathos.

ETA: Muhney is to Peter Bergman-lite as Engen is to Shemar Moore-white