Y&R Episodes Discussion, Week of October 5, 2009

[MarkH]

What an excellent summary! And sudden motivation switches have been happening a lot. Yesterday, Amber was suddenly poor and greedy today. Adam keeps straddling this inconsistent fence of evil and remorseful. It is wearying, because we can't get a fix on these folks.

LOL at the bolded parts!

You make a point about Thorpe and Stenbeck...the characters were "rested". That may be an important missing aspect these days. Michael Baldwin was rested. Maybe Patty and Adam could be quite viable...if adequately rested. I think they think they're doing that now with Patty.

I have little further interest in Patty unless Mary Williams comes back (even as a recast). The only story for Patty I'm interested in is filling in her lost years, seeing her reconnect with her family, become healthy, and then working to make amends. And, much as I like Haiduk, I could happily wait a few years before that happens.

[lmfan]

Michael rested in jail for four years, underwent extensive therapy and counseling and still was the town pariah for years when he returned and slowly was redeemed. I don't think he was truly accepted until he married Lauren. She was his pass into society. Bill Bell loved CLB but he understood that it takes time to redeem a character when they do things as awful as what Adam has done.

Patty has been off screen a few weeks and needs to be rested much longer. Adam I just see as not redeemable. If he stays on the show, he should be an evil character and he needs to be written smarter not just some lucky psychopath whose victims just happen to develop a hysterical pregnancy and just happens to go into labor the same night Ashley finally goes to the pyschiatric ward so he can make his baby switch. Personally, I would prefer he be killed off after his misdeeds are discovered. Imagine all the characters with motive to kill Adam.

Patty is a bit different because she was not pure evil but obviously mentally ill, but that type of illness is not a quick fix. She could be redeemed if rested for a year, but these writers will probably have her out by Christmas. I wouldn't mind watching Paul be there for Patty and learn what caused her mental illness, but it should not be a quick fix.

[MarkH]

Okay, here's why I love baby switches:

On a day when, as several have noted, Morrow decided to act again, it is these delicious ironies that give me goosebumps. Every one of these moments causes the audience to squirm a little more, wishing for the reunion. It builds and builds...but each time the parents are denied their miracle. And then, finally, when it is most needed, it happens. Such beautiful catharsis!

I love baby switches. Love, love, love 'em. It's ridiculous how much I love 'em.

===

On another note, I like the repositioning of Adam. Unlike others, in real life and here, I seem to have little difficulty with forgiveness. I have every belief that Adam can be contrite, and that he will suffer mercilessly for his sins (if only the constant anxiety of his cover-ups). Watching him squirm is interesting to me. I believe he can offer sincere comfort to Ashley or Sharon...and that will deepen the ambivalent rooting value he has. Sure, I wish they'd kept him more decent...but I'm actually fine with where this is headed

===

We asked for emotionally meaningful scenes, and I felt like we got some.

- Nick and the sublime sublime sublime Kevin Schmidt

- Nick and his dad, and his parents

- Ashley and Nikki (albeit, that was more of a plot reveal)

- the Abbotts in the living room (and yes, a Billy-party for the funeral is kinda cool to me)

- Adam, alone, with the voice of his mother

I thought today was a good day of soap. Nicely written, good scenes with more depth than usual, some nice advance (Ashley removing her ring; Nick explaining why he needs his dad; Adam moving to the next phase; Billy moving to the next phase).

I feel like an apologist when I express positive feelings...but I really did like today. If every day were like this, I probably wouldn't complain.

And I didn't think Muhney was over the top. I feel Adam finally connected emotionally with the horror of what he has become. And that is a seminal moment...because it proves, at his core, his not a sociopath. The Hope-side remorse is in there....

ETA: Hallelujah the previews show Victor having a seizure. The epilepsy story was my favorite LML tale, and I like that the show has the integrity to remember that TGVN still has it.

[classicmoment]

Today wasn't bad, I liked JM , SC and KS today. Yeah KS stood out too, but it doesn't make up for the bad months and the still overall bad story. IMO The scenes were a lil bit better written overall than the last many months. Some people stepped their acting game up and others brought what was needed so it made it a tolerable day that even I ,after checking out a fewscenes on youtube, watched an extended version. But it still had it's stupid moments I.E. Adam in the mortician's office looking for ashes to send Sharon (GMAB very ridiculous scene imo). Sharon not yet realizing that everytime she explains to somebody what happened to her baby----well she can't really explained cause she doesn't really know what happened herself that's just silly nobody is that stupid. You can't tell me Sharon (who I know is not the brightest star) or someone (her mom) somebody, does not have more intelligence than that or have bells going off in their heads wanting more details (MAB and team needs to realize that mystery and suspense are two of their worse attributes in the application of writing).

[Y&RWorldTurner]

Exactly, especially the bold part.

[Soapsuds]

Y&R is getting just as unwatchable as AMC. What was the explanation for Nikki not being runned down by Ashley?? I was watching but then lost interest and didnt pay attention to absurd reasoning for Nikki being ok....like I care really...lol.....

And why was there another voice over for Hope?...LOL.....This show is the shits....lol

[MarkH]

Nikki jumped out of the way, and in the process lost her necklace and cell phone. That was it.

As for Hope...it was clearly to reconnect Adam with the decent part inside.

[MarkH]

Yup, the urn-theft was the eye-roll of the episode.

Six Feet Under did it better. One of the Fisher boys went to a crematorium that had a storage room of unclaimed urns (like Baby Doe). Mr. Fisher (who had reason to be in that crematorium because of his profession) was able to absond with ashes.

But oh well...I'm sure one set (mortician's office) was all that could be managed. And it was a necessary pot point to move this story to the next chapter.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

Too little, too late and too forced and too contrived...

[BadZoe]

He didn't steal ashes, just an urn that had an actual funeral home stamp and label on it. He probably filled it with the ashes from the Newman fireplace where he burned Ashley's fetus.

The writers won't rest Patty, they aren't smart.

[Soapsuds]

And it's stupid that it wasnt Sidney Coleman doing the voice over..thats what I meant with my post that Mark replied to.

[classicmoment]

This is exactly what I'm sure TPTB says in justification.The story is a generic soap story, the least they can do is assume viewers are intelligent and be a bit more thorough, careful and consistent in storytelling. The point is even if they needed to move the story along and they insisted on this plot they should have thought this plot point out enough to where it flowed better with the story. Needing to move it along or not it is still one of those big GMAB moments that the show is becoming much more consistent in delivering epi by epi

[MoTheGreat]

I remember Robin. Under a bewtter writing crew. they could hav e brought her back to cause problems for Bortoria & JT.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

It's not like the writers and producers at this show care bout consistency or the intelligence of their audience anymore anyway.

This show has become such a farce, and not the entertaining kind...

[Soapsuds]

I'm like..thats not Sidney's voice...LOL.....oh dear gawd...lol