Y&R Episodes Discussion, Week of November 2, 2009

[DRW50]

I'm guessing this child will be

I still say Lily is...

[MarkH]

Ugh. In our household, it has gotten so bad that we FF her scenes...which is unusual for us. But we find that romantic tripe unwatchable.

In the very beginning of the cancer story, I felt a little bit. Rather than showing this as the evolution of a new and darker Lily (no pun intended), shaped by her cancer...we have been stuck with this beaming cretin who looks in mirrors after losing all her hair and saying "I did it! I did it on my own terms!". The story left the world of reality at that point, and it has been "an inspiring story of love and hope" ever since.

I'd rather watch Adam kill five babies, and Patty go nutso in all of GC, and the return of Sheila, and Ryder turn out to be Katherine's daughter...seriously...than more of this Cane-Lily stuff.

ETA: I'd rather watch Devon shag Tyra nightly, which Anna serenades them, than more Cane-Lily! I'd rather watch Mackenzie dourly fret over things, never smiling, than more Cane-Lily.

Heck, I'd rather watch Eden and Abby go out for a girl's night out at a boyband concert than more Cane-Lily!

Nah--not the last one. I'd rather watch Cane-Lily than the last one.

[Cat]

:lol: :lol:

See, in Tuesday's episode, I actually thought that the way Cane and Lily were looking at each other, obviously horny, was somewhat hot! And you know how much I hate Lane.

What surprised me was the way Lily is, as you say, beaming in her bald wig. I just saw my mother through lymphoma and chemo earlier this year and got to meet others who were going through similar cancer treatments. Once they lost their hair, my mother (for example) could not even look at herself in the mirror. She outright avoided it. It was only when her hair started growing back that she allowed herself a little lipstick and blush one day, some earrings another. She was rejuvenated afterwards but during? She and the others I met changed physically. They were exhausted and aged overnight and no wonder. Their insides were being systematically nuked.

This whole experience made me grow closer with my mom. There is no denying that love and support go a LONG way and can sometimes be miraculous. But this "love cures everything" ish on Y&R? It hits me in the face how unreal it all looks and sounds. There is escapism... and then there is saturated logic!

[Juliajms]

I think what it comes down to is that most people who have had experience with cancer are going to find Lily/Cane unwatchable. I think that's very understandable because it's being treated so lightly. This isn't the first time soaps have done a really, really bad job with it, so I wish they would just stop doing these stories unless they are planning to really invest the time to tell it right. Ironically, Brad did a much better job with Felicia's story on B&B.

[Cat]

Yes! I thought so, too. And it wasn't just the fact that Lesli Kay shaved all her hair off. Both Kay and Flannery really sold the illness to me.

I would also like to submit Monica's breast cancer on GH as another example of a finely-told serious-illness storyline. Charleson and Damon did not put a foot wrong and the writing felt authentic -- even though at the time I had no immediate experience of that kind of scary malady.

Look, I'm not expecting BJ's Heart from Y&R. I don't need to see Lily barfing up a river or moaning in pain for episodes on end. I get that this is a soap and it is about love and business. I'm just looking for them to invest a bit more in it. And include Lily's family! And maybe even Jill who by all accounts is invested in Cane's life. Perhaps it could have triggered associated SLs featuring their friends. Or enemies. Something. I mean, we have had, what, 9 episodes since Lily went to hospital spread out over four months. It all feels dispirate and other-worldly.

[JimTolkien]

I see you can't stand them either!

[brimike]

The main problem for me is that there's really no story here. We all enjoyed the first few weeks of it because there was a story driving it - Cane wanting to leave town. Lily wanting her husband to be there for her, but not being able to trust him. Mac stopping Cane at the train station. Neil coming to terms with Cane not leaving town. Lily's choice whether to stay at Neil's or at Cane's. There was a sense of beats being hit in the storyline. Whether or not a viewer liked the story is another topic altogether. But there were definitely touchstones along the path the show was hitting. Within a couple weeks, however, it devolved into scenes of just Cane and Lily sitting in their living room, random people visiting, no real storyline. Now she's just randomly in and out of the hospital with no real drive or purpose. The story became non-existent, and now it just feels like they throw some Cane and Lily scenes at us whenever they realize they haven't been featured in awhile.

[DeeeDee]

:lol:

[DeeeDee]

Doing a cancer story without THE AUNT & THE BEST FRIEND OF THE AUNT?

Gotta love Maria.

[brimike]

I guarantee the lack of Olivia is about money. Everything seems to be about that on Y&R these days. But Ashley could easily have been used, I agree. Not to mention Sharon, being Dru's best friend.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

Ashley was too busy being victimized and suppressing her insanity to be of any help.

And I agree with brimike, there really is no cancer story here. I feel like they just used cancer as a plot device to reunite Cane and Lily (GAG) and have been making everything up as they went along ever since. It's like they tried to be brave by giving this twit cancer, and now, they don't know how to fully execute a proper cancer storyline that involves a wide array of characters connected to the cancer victim.

It could all be about money, but Lily very RARELY, if ever, interacts with anyone else besides Cane. Kristoff is being paid to sit on his ass most of the time, since they have no idea what to do with this character, Bryton too.

And they had to kill Lily's best friend, Colleen (whose death has been totally useless and with very little real aftermath, other than for Billy ) off just as she was battling cancer. So, really, the only person Lily has to confide in is Cane.

Cane, Cane, it's all about Cane.

This show and the writing behind it lacks cohesiveness to the point where it's not even funny anymore.

[brimike]

Favorite line of the day:

Chloe: I just want to say I'm really glad that happened between Chance and Phillip.

Nina: Do I look like I want to talk to you about it?

LMAO!!!!!! Tricia, don't ever leave us. If they make you take a pay cut, just do it. You're too awesome for words.

[Sylph]

Very convenient for you to say.

[brimike]

Hell, they're making every body else take pay cuts. I wouldn't be surprised.

[Sylph]

But if "everyone" (everyone else actually) is doing something, she should too?

I don't think so.