Y&R: Potpourri Thread 2

[sheilaforever]

So this is totally Potpourri:

Why do some of you get so excited about the RAWLINS MANSION? Some even call it Y&R's best set!?

I find it just bland and corny. What do you like about it???

[Paul Raven]

I will jump to the defense of the Rawlins set.

Firstly,it makes a change from the brown/beige /orangey woody look that a lot of the other sets have.

Also,the floorplan actually looks like a real house with a proper staircase.

The Abbott house, for example makes no sense in terms of the floorplan,with the mysterious area to stage left,the door near the front door that leads to a wall and the tiny staircase.

[moila]

I think the writers can do anything to Y&R now since they killed of Johm, Brad and Dru it wouldnt be that much of a surpise if they killed of Colleen anf followed the trend, I think they may be doing this because Y&R might be axed in the future like GL did, I know they signed a 2yr contract but so many things can happen in 2 yrs time, and nothing is for definte.

[Cat]

I struggled with entering this particular thread. Have been on the MAB/Y&R bandwagon for ages and knew that some peeps would think I am selling out or changing my opinion just to follow the majority view. I would never want to become an echo of somebody else's opinions. But it has been obvious for the last few weeks that Y&R has desperately lost its way. It's not in LML/Out of Our Asses territory just yet (and I still say that MAB's first few months pre-Hogan were somewhat underappreciated). But it is teetering over the edge and staring into the void of Vamptoria's comatose eyes, post-Doughnut Attack.

You can go ahead and tell me you told me so.

[Stevie]

I'm wishing with all my heart Victoria is written for better and recasted with Gina Tognoni.

I can see her go toe-to-toe with Victor and somebody needs to cause Nick isn't, sorry to me he doesn't have it in him. He is too watered down and he has other interests and doesn't stay focused at all.

I was even having sort of a fan fic of my own, since I feel Victoria is somewhat unappreciated by her father and storyline with her teaming up with Jill could work.

I don't know, just throwing some ideas out there, that would sure get Victor in more ways than one.

Just dreaming, I guess.

[MarkH]

Make no mistake, I love my Fisher-Baldwins (even now, as Kevin makes wretched mistakes with this Ryder dude...admitting crimes and all). But if the show is serious about paring down and getting leaner, I would accept lobbing off the F-B branch (just like the Carlton branch). I would then also get rid of "Likey", because I seriously think there is more hope for Lauren over on B&B.

And because I'm intrigued about replacing the Jackie M clan with the Fisher-Baldwin clan on that show. (Yup, my agenda).

[lmfan]

How can you say you love characters and then want them writen off the show? It would be one thing if we knew Likey was leaving Y&R to actually go to B&B, but we have no guarantee that would happen. And I certainly don't want to see Gloria and Kevin folowing Likey over there where they likely would do nothing but prop them, but this time in LA instead of Genoa City.

I don't want to give MAB a pass to get rid of Tracey Bregman or Christian Le Blanc so she can continue to fill the show up with less talented twenty something year old actors and yet more members of the ever expanding Chancellor family.

There are places they can trim the cast, but before that why doesn't Maria first stop bringing on new characters. It seems a bit disingenuous to claim the show had to make cuts as we read how the show wants to bring yet more new characters on.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

They should stop creating new characters, but characters like Gloria, Jeffrey, Kevin, Amber, Jana, and Daniel have been fed one bad storyline after another with this writing regime. They obviously have no idea what to do with them. If they have to make cuts to the existing cast, these characters should easily be written out.

Then they would then have more room to focus on Michael and Lauren, who were there years before those useless and directionless characters.

This show doesn't need Gloria, Jeffrey, Kevin, Amber, Jana, and Daniel, and those characters seem to be brining it down if anything.

But of course, we'd need some competent writers and producers...

[lmfan]

That was a great promo, but was obviously from last winter before it was decided the only important members of the Baldwin-Fisher family were Kevin and Jana.

The sad thing is this family is filled with really talented actors that have terrific family chemistry, but the writing for them has been terrible.

LML went way too far with the cream scandal and allowing Gloria to eat the show and now Gloria and Jeffrey are just so dislikable that I don't even like seeing them anymore.

Kevin and Jana are good actors, but I just resent that they get all the story for this family and the never ending cycle of stupid capers they find themselves in and that they expect Michael to get them out of is about two years past the expiration date.

Michael and Lauren, at this point are the most neglected characters on this show (yep even JT, Victoria, Colleen and Devon get more screentime) and I am starting to wonder if that is a bad thing. On one hand, I hate that they get no story and on their rare appearances are only used to prop lesser characters, yet I can't imagine the horrendous story they would get if Hogan Sheffer actually wrote for them.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

I thought it was pretty sad how Lauren and Michael's only purpose on this show this week was to prop Amber and offering her a place to stay.

Lauren hasn't been seen in what seems like forever, and when she's back, she's nothing but a talk to for Amber? That's pathetic.

As long as Gloria and Kevin and by extension Amber and Daniel are on this show, Michael and Lauren will never be anything but props to them. Gloria and Kevin have been the at the center of Michael and Lauren's world, and it's always about their problems, nothing else.

Gloria, Jeffrey, Kevin, and Jana just need to go already.

[lmfan]

I hesitate only because all four (Gloria, Jeffrey, Kevin and Jana) are good actors and could fit on canvas if Gloria was redeemed a bit and not written as always so conniving. Kevin and Jana are going to stick around because they are young and are good actors. Anber appears to be a real favorite of not only the Bells but also Hogan Sheffer.

You can just as easily say that characters like Adam, MJ, Abby, Rafe, Heather, Chloe, Chance, Mac, JT, Devon, Philip and even Lily and Cane and Nina could be easily written out. There are very few characters that are truly not expendable. Even my beloved Likey could be written out but the focus should be keeping the talented actors from the various age groups and cutting out the characters that don't mean as much to the audience.

They key is in the writing. They can let go anyone they want, but until the writing improves nothing will change. I think there is a place for all five families: Chancellor, Newman, Abbotts, Winters and Baldwin-Fishers. The three core families would get the bulk of stories but the Winters and Baldwin-Fisher would get B stories and integrate with the three core families.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

At this point, I don't think there's anyway to redeem Gloria, she's done too much and keeps on doing too much. They seem to like her as a one-note cartoon villain that keeps on doing horrible things, which is very annoying to watch. Gloria and Jeffrey add absolutely nothing to the show.

As long as Gloria, Jeffrey, Kevin and Jana are here, Michael and Lauren will never be anything outside of them. To the writers, everyone in that family other than Michael and Lauren are interesting.

The key is the writing, but a character like Gloria wore out her welcome long ago. Now all she does is scheme, and it leads her to nowhere. They've run out of ideas for that character long ago, likewise with Kevin. Hence why both are fed such awful storylines repeatedly. They simply have no idea what to do with them, and figuring out what to do with them is costing Michael and Lauren story focus.

[lmfan]

It's pathetic, but I was just grateful to see them on my screen. They even address your point on the show tomorrow. The sad thing is though, if Likey is not used as props and involved in their family's stories, MAB has shown little interest in writing for them. She is more likely to write them off than Kevin, Jana, Amber or Daniel. They are not who she considers the important characters of the show.

Now I don't think that means you let these characters go because with different writers you would get different focus, but for me at least I am at the point of putting up with them being used as props just to see them. That is what happens when characters are left to linger in the backburner so long. Your expectations are lowered to the point you are just grateful they are on one show a week. That is how pathetic it is for fans of Michael and Lauren.

[lmfan]

I can't disagree with this, especially about Gloria, but MAB and Hogan Sheffer don't see it this way. To them Michael and Lauren are the characters they have little interest in which sure says something about them as writers.

They would rather bring a character over from B&B for Amber and dredge up Kevin's problems again and again than to deal with and explore the multi-layered characters that Michael and Lauren used to be, both of whom have such rich histories as characters.

[DeeeDee]

Michael/Lauren still have story.

Gloria, Kevin, Jana & Jeff are DONE.