Y&R: Episode Discussion for the week of August 10

[Y&RWorldTurner]

So very TRUE!

[DeeeDee]

Exactly!!

[lmfan]

I never claimed they were icons but Lily, Billy and Mac are also not the icons. And you say Michael and Lauren have their place, but currently and for the last 4 months they have had no place on Y&R. I am not asking them to be the stars or lead story. I am asking that they actually be used once in awhile, and I know that is not too much to ask from the writers. And I know if they were used more regularly this would be a better show. Just like using Paul and Nina make this a better show.

Do I want to see Lily, Billy and Mac written out? No, but Michael and Lauren, do not deserve to get less story and screentime than every other character on the canvas. As a fan should I just accept that Lauren and Michael no longer will receive any story because the future is the children Bill Bell created? Well, Bill Bell created both Michael and Lauren. He valued Lauren enough to use her on both of his shows and Michael enough to bring back the character after 4 years off screen. They deserve to have a place on this show and have some focus. You don't last 25 years as a character (Lauren)and earn 11 nominations and two lead actor emmys because you are worth less than a Colleen Carlton or a Lily Winters.

Christian Le Blanc and Tracey Bregman have paid their dues and deserve more respect than Maria Bell is giving them. And I am frankly getting sick of them being blamed for the Gloria dominance of the past few years and the Scoobie mess this year. How can they be blamed for the Scoobie mess when they are never in the damn stories. What are they supposed to be backburned for another 4 months because people are sick of the Scoobies?

I don't mean to be argumentative, but I am tired of being patient and waiting for a story for my favorites and waiting for the hammer to drop on Tracey or Christian as actors.

[lmfan]

Maybe because the point of the Philip story was not to bring back Philip after 20 years. It was not about how betrayed Jill and Katherine would feel knowing what Philip did. It wasn't even about Philip being homosexual (that was just lip service to get free publicity just like the Adam and Rafe pairing). It was to usher on Chance and make him a proper Chancellor while at the same time making sure Cane was not the bad guy in the story.

Philip returned July 4th and within a month everyone was forgiven and Cane was back in the family. All this manipulation of history for what? So Chance could be matched up with Chloe and eventually set up in a triangle with Billy or another Quad with Mac?

[Y&RWorldTurner]

They wasted weeks, if not months of story with the Phillip crap. It was a bad idea in the first place, but they told the story in a week, when it should have taken weeks to unfold. Now, all the depth and substance is gone, and they're inserting whatever they can to fill the gap left.

Who cares? Was there even a point to doing that story? They re-wrote history for what? So Phillip III could sit on the backburner after the reveal and everyone can move on two days after it happened? These are the same hack writers that people want to give more time to?

I can't wait until CBS or Sony stages a behind the scenes coup and fires these people. You know it's bound to happen. Yeah, there's the possibility of the show getting worse, but with the incompetence plaguing this show right now, I can't think of a better group of people for that to happen to.

[cara mia]

Alvin, why do you think this is a possbility? MAB is a Bell. I doubt they would get rid of her. The only hope is that one day she buys a clue and replaces Hogan and Scott with actual writers.

LMFAN, your passion is making you unable to read my arguments clearly! I am not saying that Billy & Lily should have Laurel's story. I am saying that Billy & Lily are much much more important that the Scoobs. As for Laurel, I would gladly keep them on the show and jettison Glo, Jeff, Eden and the Scoobs. Mikey, Lauren and their pairing is great and it's a shame they're not written for. That said, I don't ever see this regime writing for them because neither of them are cheaters or psychos or frauds. So that's outside of MAB & her henchmen's range. If MAB ever did deign to write for Mikey, she would turn him into a sociopath who rapes Eden. So maybe it's lucky they're on the backburner for now. I suspect it will be years -- the next time Hogan needs to take another one of his medical leaves -- before Laurel gets a story. It sucks but that's the way it is. MAB has made it clear that the show belongs to her, not to the fans.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

Sony owns the majority stake in Y&R, I believe, so if they force something on the show, it can happen.

Latham was a horrific choice for this show, but Barbara Bloom at CBS forced her on us, and it happened. If she forces someone with actual talent on us again, I'll be more open to it.

You know it's bad when you need two other Head Writers to come up with stories and plot them for you. Why the hell does this show need two recycled hacks (Sheffer and Hamner) and someone with no experience (Maria) running things? Who didn't see that this was a disaster waiting to happen?

At the very least, Maria should keep her Co-EP credit and hand this show over to an experienced single Head Writer that has a good reputation, if we can't get rid of her.

[JimTolkien]

**chuckles**

I think the double-whammy of the CBS licensing renewal and Steve Mosko paying a visit to the studios almost at the same time tells me all I need to know. Steve is apparently a nice guy but tough when it comes to results. I am just highly amused by all this. But you know MAB has her VISION and no one was going to stop her from fulfilling it. I don't know if firing writers in the midst of a recent license renewal is such a good idea anyway but it is clear the show is being run like a badly devised hedge fund. I will just take this as a "sign" that the show is on probation. I hope Fall season will be somewhat better than we have now but I doubt it since it seems like we all can predict what's going to happen anyway!!

[alphanguy74]

Damn... here I thought I was going to find some episode discussion today. But all I find is "Fire them, fire them, fire them." I wanted to come in here and GLOAT about how much more natual and relaxed Thom seemed today. It's too bad that a legacy character and actor couldn't be given enough DAMN SLACK to get his sea legs back again. He said in his interview that he felt he looked very stiff in his initial scenes, and NOW we are seeing him making the adjustments and getting more settled in. I'm stunned at how brutal some people can be. Tricia Cast glided right back in, but not everyone can do that, Tricia's an exception, and not the rule, and you all know this. Today wasn't particularly exciting, but that's a GOOD THING... we finally have some character development and a day to slow down the pace a bit. And thank GOD there is no Sharon Case on my screen today. I just want them to play out Glo and Jeffrey sticking it to Victor with that picture. I just SOMEONE to stick it to Victor.

[DRW50]

I don't think firing headwriters right now would be a bad move. They seem more concerned with their press image than with the quality of the show.

It's strange that instead of any real buildup to Devon and Tyra having sex, he just said horrible things about her and she got horny. Do they think this is what women need to hear to want to have sex? Did we even get any indication before now that Tyra wanted him?

I've never had a big problem with Thom's work. He's been awkward in speech, but he clicked with Tricia right away. My problem is the writing and pacing that made his return seem like an afterthought. I'm sorry that he gets caught up in that but I don't think he's been bad.

[Toups]

Man, so much for hoping you guys would know which thread to post in. It's tiring to always have to move posts. Okay from now on just think, "Am I talking about something that happened on screen?" If not, go directly to the Potpourri thread. Or if you see someone going off topic, but you want to discuss that topic, you can go, "Hey, I want to discuss this, but let's go take the discussion to the Potpourri thread." It's not that hard guys. Thanks!

[alphanguy74]

Yes, we should... for the time being. A badly produced show is far, far worse than a badly written show. And this show is still well produced, considering the budget constraints. And this show is far more badly PACED than badly written. What do you do? Suck it up, lobby for change in the writing, and even the co-head writers.. but getting rid of a Bell and changing her for someone whose likelihood of truly CARING about this show is slim or NONE? Most anyone else would consider it just a JOB.... and a labor of LOVE, even if it's misguided at times I'll take any day. You said time and time again that these writers are pandering to the fan bases with this quad being stretched out ad infinitum.... but earlier in this thread, you said the fans have had no hand in the changes in head writers. Which is it? Do the fans have power, or don't they? And if the writers and producers come to this board, why would they take your advice for anything? Your vision for this show is suppposed to be so much better than theirs when you haven't seen the entire run to know exactly what came before, and arne't creative enough to even find a phrase other than "Writing regime" which you seem to be typing at least 300 or 400 times a week? Please.

[alphanguy74]

Sorry, Toups... my last post WAS off topic, and I will make sure to keep things on track here... I jsut felt the need to vent, after coming in here and finding no episode discussion today. And in that spirit... Was Hendrickson not faulous today? This girl is impressing me more and more with each passing day. I hope she's aorund for YEARS.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

That is your opinion, not my opinion or necessarily the opinion of others. I do not watch anything on television simply because it's produced nicely, I need substance and intelligence in the writing. Y&R is failing massively right now at that, and it's annoying a lot of people in this thread, barring yourself, of course.

And please, even the production values on this show have fallen. Y&R looks bland as hell these days, the camera angles are getting bland, the music is all over the place, and the wardrobe is hideous, especially for the women.

We're not the ones hiring and firing these people? Are we?

And what I meant was they were pandering to rabid/vocal fanbases who campaign for their favoruite couples and characters, which is big amongst the Shick/Phick fans.

Are the fans the one getting together and hiring these people and telling them to write badly paced and inane storylines? No, I don't think so.

Are they supposed to take the advice of a pollyanna like you who excuses all the bad crap they write? Please.

And if these people were so good at their jobs, they wouldn't need to come to this or any board for information as to how they should do their jobs successfully, which they don't appear to know how to do regardless.

Sorry, Toups....

Back to topic...

[Y&RWorldTurner]

Nope, all we knew was Devon was pining for Tyra sexually the minute he found out she wasn't his aunt anymore.

Eva Marcille was hilariously bad in today's episode. I had to laugh when she was supposed to be upset and in tears during that confrontation and she kept covering her face with her big hands and her rainbow coloured nails because she can't cry for sh!t. Why is she still on this show?