David Tom was my favorite Billy

David Tom :wub:

David Tom had a lot more depth and emotional resonance in his performances. Billy Miller lacks both badly.

Not that these hack writers want that for Billy anyway. They're looking for an overexposed alphamale that's a sleazeball. Billy Miller is just their shiny little toy.

I think Billy Miller is an extremely limited actor. David Tom was my favorite Billy and I think he would've saved the character in his current incarnation. At this point in his life he can pull off the tortured playboy, but with a vulnerability that Miller doesn't have. All Miller can play is smarmy snake oil salesman and the playboy aspect of Billy. He's very dull.

I've seen shades of vulnerability. The scenes where Jack laid into him for sleeping with Sharon come to mind. I like to think he's capable of getting better at the emotional stuff with time, but Y&R doesn't seem to write a lot of that for him.

I've seen shades of vulnerability. The scenes where Jack laid into him for sleeping with Sharon come to mind. I like to think he's capable of getting better at the emotional stuff with time, but Y&R doesn't seem to write a lot of that for him.

They are trying to write a version of Terry Lester's Jack. Billy's doing okay IMO. DeeeDee is absolutely right about the need for better direction...for a lot of these actors.

Where TPTB made the mistake was having him cause Ashley's fall & the rushed mop up of her miscarriage.

That was unforgivable and could never be erased from my memory; they should have let the character leave with Engen.

I just hope that when Noah comes back with the perfect bottle of shampoo that he picked one up for Nick, too.

They are trying to write a version of Terry Lester's Jack.

The problem being TPTB have written Billy WAY OOC to achieve it & that type of misogyny won't fly in Daytime's current climate.

The main difference with Terry's Jack and this Billy is that even when Terry's Jack hurt his family I believed he loved them. I don't believe Billy cares about his family. We don't ever see it. I still can't get over the way he was with Traci when Colleen was dying.

I think they should have brought BM in as a new character.

That was unforgivable and could never be erased from my memory; they should have let the character leave with Engen.

What TPTB should have done is have Ashley really having delusions of Sabrina, fall down the steps, miscarry & let Adam handle the clean up.

He would've still been able to do most of the stuff he did after the fall & the character wouldn't have half as much baggage as he does now.

Edited October 20, 200916 yr by DeeeDee

I like Billy Miller, Honestly there are some moments I see where he can improve but as someone brought up the scenes he did i.e. the bar scenes, his chemistry with EH (which musta thrown the writers for a loop because they seem to be writing the characters as even bigger idiots now with even less substance), he has great scenes but they have or are washingg the character dry so to speak. They need a game plan for this character before he is too ruined they already have done for Adam. Many of these actors good and bad could use some better direction they are not at their best these days but for the most part still the better of the show which says a lot

They are trying to write a version of Terry Lester's Jack. Billy's doing okay IMO. DeeeDee is absolutely right about the need for better direction...for a lot of these actors.

I've noticed. It's working for me for the most part, but Jack was always tied to his family. He always loved John and wanted his approval. He even loved Ashley despite all the times he stabbed her in the back. I wish they would give Billy more family scenes. I think he and Jack work well together, but they need to show more bonding scenes (good luck, I know).

Edited October 20, 200916 yr by Juliajms

I don't believe Billy cares about his family. We don't ever see it. I still can't get over the way he was with Traci when Colleen was dying.

TPTB had Billy so hamstrung by his "Chancellor legacy" & being ruined to prop Cane's useless ass they threw The Abbotts under the bus. Again.

Well I just saw on the news that music with violent and suggestive lyrics is what is turning the kids of today into hooligans. Maybe that is what happened to Adam, he went to prison, stopped listening to gospel, picked up rap, and it has changed his character completely.

Warning to all the fans of the Scabies, Lily, and Restless Style, those are the featured stories of Tuesday's filler show!!

Just a prediction but I think Maria is going to undo that horrible Pheila storyline that Jackass Smith brought to the show. That probably was a Sheila and Lauren story obsessed nutjob who just wanted to see what it was like tormenting Lauren. Then real Sheila can be Ryders mommy dearest.

The Pheila story in early 2007 was an LML story not a Jack Smith story. It was a critical miss, but a ratings hit for LML. It was a very short 6 week story and ended in the mid 4's when Lauren shot Sheila. Jack Smith wrote the Sheila story that involved Scotty returning and Sheila partnering with Tom in 2005. I don't really think MAB is going to go back to Sheila. She loves mining the 80s so maybe she is going back to a Shawn Garrett connection, the fan obsessed with Lauren.

Now if it Hogan Sheffer writing this story, then Sheila probably will be Ryder's mother and he will have her kill Lauren because her character has "balls" and wouldn't it be just grand to off the victim at the hands of her decades long tormentor. But still I don't think it is Sheila.

Many of these actors good and bad could use some better direction they are not at their best these days but for the most part still the better of the show which says a lot

Exactly.

There's no thoroughline for most of the younger characters.

Some are talented enough to create one themselves but most of them are in need of strong mentors.

TPTB had Billy so hamstrung by his "Chancellor legacy" & being ruined to prop Cane's useless ass they threw The Abbotts under the bus. Again.

Yes, that was a mistake. I didn't buy the Billy/Cane rivalry, I didn't buy that he would hate Cane so much, this big rivalry over Jill when Jill herself had little role in the story. Having them fight over Chloe yet neither of them actually wanted Chloe very much. Billy's here today gone tomorrow love for Lily. It was a bad intro. And of course the pointless sex with Amber -- then again what else is she good for at this point.

Then when they had him reconnect with the Abbotts they made sure we knew it was only because he was angry at Victor, not because he actually cared about his family. The people at this show have such a low opinion of family they almost seemed ashamed of having him genuinely love the Abbotts.