Y&R: Episode Discussion for the week December 28

[Soapsuds]

And I thought Jean Pissanante at aTWT rushed things. I was like huh when Jack said they were engaged...LOL.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

God, how many props have LAME had this year? Mac, Katherine, Colleen, Olivia, Jill, and now Malcolm? It's f.ucking pathetic how they try to sell this couple as the only romantic aspect on this show.

I seriously don't get their intent with the pacing and execution on this show. This sh!t is just lame.

[DeeeDee]

Phillip, Billy, Chloe, Traci, Tyra & Murphy.

Sweeps Pacing at its best.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

Y&R = The Best of the WORST of ABC Daytime.

[Soapsuds]

I still dont really know who she is....Patty's look alike....so why would I be invested in her or Jack as a couple. Talk about rushing things.

[DRW50]

I might care more if they hadn't already had these pointless insta-conflicts with other brothers and men in town. It's just tired writing. We're supposed to swoon over the men immediately pulling them out as soon as they see each other. They did this with Billy/Cane, Adam/Nick, Billy/Phillip, Billy/Chance. I don't care about snorting and foot stamping.

[DeeeDee]

All over ANOTHER helpless woman.

[Ann_SS]

Mac and JT have a nice vibe. CF is not sexual, but Thad has enough sex appeal for them both.

[DeeeDee]

TPTB keep ignoring her commercial miscarriage.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

She's carrying LAME's miracle child now, so that's all that matters.

[DeeeDee]

The star in the East is shining!

[alphanguy74]

It looked good, finally! AS long as they dispense with the axle grease, he looks lovely.

[alphanguy74]

I usually don't like them, either... except the one where Marge talked to us from her casket. That was delightful. I don't have much sympathy for Billy, either... but be honest, Alvin... I've never heard you express sympathy for any character, ever... so that statement, somehow doesn't carry much impact. But I agree wholeheartedly with your outrage at Jack and Emily's engagement. I wanted to run a sledgehammer through my TV today. They act like this show is cancelled, and they need wrap things up in a BIG FAT HURRY.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

I think Y&R is filled with unsympathetic characters that are very poorly developed these days.

There was a time I was very sympathetic towards Sharon, for example, but the way she's been written this year, I want this fool to burn in a vat of acid.

I think Sharon Case does her best often, but the writing for this character is really sh!tty, and more than normal.

It's really pathetically crap storytelling. Don't they realize they have 5 days a week to tell these stories? Y&R is not a primetime show.

[Scryber96]

This is the way I see Adam--he's a creature of impulse, not long term planning. He sees an issue and thinks of what he can do right that second that's best for him without worrying about any complications that may develop from that action.

Adam came to town looking to be part of a family and as soon as he gets there, Victor leaves town and the Newman brats start treating him like dirt. Remember, the first thing Victoria does is kick him out of his home for no reason. Victor comes back, takes the brats' side, and Adam ends up in prison.

When he gets out, Victor has built himself another perfect family with Ashley and baby and, once again, no place for Adam. So Adam decides he's going to break that family up. He's not after Ashley; he never was. He's driving her crazy to destroy Victor's family.

He never intended for her to have the miscarriage. For those on the board that say things like "what else did he expect would happen?" well, again, all he's thinking is that there's no one else on the ranch, it's a dark and stormy night, Ashley's already on the edge, so this might be the perfect time to push her over it. He just didn't expect it to be so literal. And it's not like every pregnant woman that gets scared, or even falls down stairs, has a miscarriage.

Again, he's not out to hurt Ashley. He just thinks it's a way to get back at Victor. He certainly doesn't know that Ashley will be right at the top of the stairs just as 'Sabrina' is making her appearance in the hallway. And he obviously didn't want her to fall or he wouldn't have tried to grab and stop her.

Now, at that point, his motivations change. He's no longer just getting back at Victor. Now he's covering his tracks. So if Ashley needs a doctor, he's blackmailing one into helping. If Rafe is going to search his room, he'll seduce him. Split second decisions. No thinking "and the doctor can eventually find me another baby" or "if I sleep with Rafe, my girlfriend could find out or people might think I'm gay", no it's "just here's what needs to be done to cover my butt right now and that's what I'm going to do".

The next motivational shift comes between his monologue with Hope's picture and his breakdown on the stairs when he's hearing her speak to him. That's pretty much when he realizes "Oh, $#!%, I just really hurt Ashley" and then he starts trying to make it up to her. And most of the actions from that point on reflect that, while still not trying to get himself caught. He pins everything on Patty and Ashley feels safe. He gets her a baby, so Ashley doesn't know what she lost.

Of course, acting on impulse again, he doesn't stop to think that in helping Ashley, he's also hurting Sharon. Because whats in front of him is that Ashley needs a baby and he's giving her one.

Eventually the consequences of what he's done sinks in and Adam realizes he know has to make it up to Sharon the way he felt he needed to make it up to Ashley. Maybe even really does fall for her. In the split second when he thinks he might die, he confesses. Impulse.

Impaired eyesight aside, that's his real tunnel vision--Adam only sees the goal that's directly in front of him right at the moment and does what he needs to get closer to that goal. And he keeps doing it over and over again, never learning that the actions will have consequences that will have him jumping through the next set of hoops he's erected for himself.

I think it's actually a very interesting character type and a pretty well developed story arc. However it's all been hampered by shoddy pacing, lackluster daily scripts (say what you will about LML but her script team knew how to make dialogue interesting), and probably the Engen backstage drama.