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

[Y&RWorldTurner]

Would it really kill Bierdz to step up (or he just doesn't have it in him)? I love Cast, but she shouldn't be doing all the heavy lifting in this storyline, especially when he's the center of it.

[Cat]

I must be the only one who is thinking Thom Bierdz's performance is really not that bad. Granted, I'm only on Monday's US episode and Bierdz is obviously no Peter Bergman. He is, however, recognizeably Philip Chancellor III, right down to his shy, stutter-prone voice and the body language of a guy who has never been comfortable in his own skin. I'm not digging the soul patch he keeps rubbing but, other than that (and the weird non-logic of this entire SL which is NOT his fault), his performance is not scaring me off. I liked Philip back in the day and even though his actions were cowardly and bogus, I can understand at the time why he felt an overwelming need to escape. These are the same reasons for him drinking. It's not about the gay-gay, it's about feeling trapped by these three different matriarchal women and the crippling shyness which left him unable to function without hitting the booze. At least on Monday's episode, that's what it seemed to be.

[Cat]

CBS Daytime send out a weekly newsletter via e-mail previewing the week's shows. Y&R's tagline said something about a "psychopath" in reference to Patty Jane. I think that may pretty much sum up where MJ is heading. Which is a shame as I've sort of fallen a little in love with the character.

[brimike]

That's exactly what I got out of the scenes today by the swimming pool with Phillip and Nina as well.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

I don't know, Bierdz looked drunk and out of his orbit in those scenes to me. Cast on the other hand, was exquisite as always. The look in her eyes, the projection of her voice, the woman rocks. She so doesn't deserve to be in scenes with him, but that's just me.

Oh, the only thing I found interesting about the previews for tomorrow is that Sharon Case finally changed her hair! LOL! Let's hope she keeps it this way for a while.

[brimike]

LMAO!!!!!!

:D

[Cat]

Oh, dear Lord, PLEASE may she have snipped off those shitastic extensions once and for all!

I am itching to give SC a bob, right around where her real hair ends.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

I think she needs to darken the colour of blond in her hair. Like the shade she had in the mid/late 90's. That and cut it shoulder length, but it was simply a different style in the previews, not a cut of change of shade.

[reallyhateskateonlost]

The Slap

[JSROCKS]

I found Phillip's "BIG" reveal rather insulting. To think that a person in their late teens/early twenty's would have the wherewithal to fake their own death, move to another country, stay there for years and them come up with a plot that involved having someone else assume their identity is not only ludicrous but UN-FREAKING BELIEVABLE.

If TIIC wanted to really push the envelope and make TV Daytime history---they would of had Phillip come back as a woman. That would explain his being away for 20 years, his change of heart and the whole Cane is Phillp debacle. The reveal would have been priceless and TB could have stayed home.

[brimike]

LOL! Can you imagine Alvin's response if they had gone in that direction? It boggles the mind.

[bellcurve]

Heather is waaaaaay out of her league.

And when Jess Walton resigned, did that deal include having Jill de-bitched?

From what I could see, Tuesday's show was less about Jill's shock and pain and more about Kay's reaction. Which I know Kay had a huge part in Phillip's life, but why isn't this story more about the woman who gave birth to him? They had her just standing there instead of reacting as classic Jill would...hurling insults, being mean, and nasty as only she would be.

And with all due respect to Janice Ferri Esser(who I think is a good writer) and other members of the writing team, you can put as many historical references in a script as you want. It still doesn't give additional clarity to a terrible story or to a character's motivations.

[alphanguy74]

You hit this right on the HEAD. Really, you only find vocal opposition to Bierdz' perromances on this board. Boards are like that. Over on the sony board, whenever Beth Maitland would come back, you had TONS of posters, saying "She's fat, she's boring, get rid of her!" while here and SOC LOVED her and almsot everyone was supportive. It's also a handful of poster repeating it over and over making it SEEM everyone doens't like Bierdz. It's like when I was in high school. I was being teased and pestered aLL THE TIME, but when I sat down an really ANALYZED it, it was only 5 or 6 people buggin he constantly, out of 350 in the school. So everyone DIDN'T hate me, those 5 or 6 just made it APPEAR that way. IT boils down to some viewers not being able to separate a bad acting performance from a character who is emotionally unavailable to the viewer, and always has been. They want ALL character to be expressive, and show great emtotion. The stoic and quiet type, or the uncomfotbale and introverted...has no place with some viewers.

[DRW50]

Jill is an afterthought. Of that group the one who is important is Katherine. I just dread to think what will happen to her when the story is over.

Right now I'm just hoping we won't have Jill become a headcase to "prove" why Phillip had to fake his death.

[Cat]

ITA. Philip has always been shy, introverted and a dreamer. He was a passive character overawed by the long shadow cast by his father (and namesake!). He knew that his mother and Kay used him in part to torture each other, though they undoubtedly loved him, too, and both fully expected him to fill the void left by P2. Almost everything he wanted (namely a normal childhood and Cricket) was denied to him.

The gay issue never came up back then because he really was in love with Cricket -- but it was a sweet, innocent, hand-holding love that I am sure some young men have experienced with a girl back in the days before they fully realized they were gay (in fact, this happened to a few gay friends of mine -- in love with the idea of love as a teenager, they went nuts over a sweet girl and thought "finally! This is it" until they realized it was just a very intense friendship).

The fact that Philip is now gay is a twist to the story and is used as a crutch to explain part of why he ran away... I'm not sure how it will pan out as I haven't seen Tuesday's episode yet. However, I don't think it is 100% outlandish, considering what a confused, tormented soul Philip was back in the day. Smothered by these strong women, never finding his place in life... at a time when, yes, even in the mid-80s, a young, wealthy man's feelings about sexuality could not always be verbalized out loud.

I may change my mind later, though, depending on how this plays out.