Granted, I didn't see the Hope overhear the scandalous details of her conception/birth/parentage....but am I really supposed to believe that in this day in age (with Hope growing up in LA) that Hope had no idea about any of it? Stephanie exposed Brooke's pregnancy, and it was a scandal back in the day. Unless Brooke sent that kid to a convent, I really can't believe Hope never googled her mother and got any juicy old gossip.

I get really tired of the "scandalous" re-revelations that never quite make sense on this show. They always end up seeming like cheap stunts.

thats another thing that confused. They are making a big deal about this scandal and how the press would have a field day if they foubnd out Deacon was her father. Who do they think is Hope's father? Do they still think its Whip?

Sylph speaks so much truth here...

I really don't know what's worse: this stories told in superfast manner or slow-as-a-snail rinse-then-repeat. I think I tend to favour the faster pace because Bradley looses intrest in stories sooo quickly it all becomes one big mess and if he were to drag them over to years, it would be too much.

When Brad tries to tell slow-building stories, it usually borders on repetition of the same scenes and dialogue.

Brad can tell good, contemporary stories without dragging things on forever and hitting the appropriate story beats. He just gets lazy and bored.

Brad has talent, people may laugh as much as they want at me for writing that. But laziness made him stale, boring, idea-less writer who chooses "safe" over inovation and contemporarisation. Had he had a vision several years ago, he would have given B&B a few more years of life. But hey...

We see these flashes of brilliance in Brad(Storm's death, Ashley/Ridge, the Erica Lovejoy Story), but I agree that he is lazy. I think he opts for safe because he doesn't want to sit down and think, "Longterm story projection." I think he's okay with making it up as he goes along because he thinks people won't know the difference. It's painfully obvious which stories he devotes attention to over the ones he just makes up out of thin air with no clear plan.

And Brad has also made a mistake in making Tracey Ann Kelly, Patrick Mulcahey and certain other his, well, slaves basically. He, again, chose safety over trying to bring some new people and train them and teach them what Bell universe means. This how he just makes their fear of and contempt for Bell soaps even bigger (Oh, that sh!tty B&B, I'd never write for that one or something like that...). He made B&B a claustrophobic dungeon filled with mildew, moss, bats and rotten cadavers.

Exactly.

What was so interesting about people like Bill Bell and Agnes and the like were that they plucked people who had never worked in television before, but wanted to write for soaps. And if thought to have talent, they trained them, told them what they liked/didn't like, and worked with them. People think that's such a dangerous concept, but it's really not.

But in this day and age, it's simply not enough to want to write because you believe in the art of it. It's all about cheap work for a hefty check and residuals so you can retire early. That depresses the hell out of me, because daytime used to be such an intimate genre.

And you think Mulcahey was a safe choice. I think he was the right choice and still believe he is. He's their strongest scriptwriter and he has great instincts. Anyone can read his interviews and see that. I don't see Patrick as being "safe" simply because he has experience. I don't think Patrick is afraid to push boundaries or buttons or is afraid the audience will take his brilliance for granted. The problem is Brad and almost everyone else surrounded by him on his writing team. People like Jack Smith and Kay Alden, with all due respect, may have experience but they are played out. If Kay is good at editing dialogue, the show shouldn't SOUND this generic and bad. Tracey can write a good show every now and again(amid the four shows she writes every week), but she is basically the filler girl, not the "money shot" writer. That's simply unacceptable and it's no wonder why her work(along with almost everyone else's) is so...to be polite...consistent. EVERY scriptwriter on a writing staff should be the "money shot" writer. It shouldn't be "Patrick writes the Emmy show." Everyone should work towards writing Emmy material every day. And if you're burned out, then go into early retirement or over to Y&R where lazy, unimaginative dialogue writers are appreciated.

I really wish they had had Hope and Bridget interact first. Establish a relationship with them as sisters. I also wish they were more concrete about what Hope knows and doesnt before this reveal. Brooke mentioend that she knew where she came from but as Hope was listening to her and Ridge talk, I couldnt make out if she really did know or didnt bc the writing seemed to be off and Hope's comments werent consistent.

I absolutely agree. This moment should have been built up for months before this moment. It comes off as incredibly false and unearned. We don't know anything about adult Hope, so why should we care?

Brad misses these important beats when he is developing the story. He thinks that if viewers are presented a situation, that they will laugh, cry, and wait at anything he throws their way. They teach you in any basic writing class that you have to earn it. And not just the payoff and conclusion, but why characters feel the way they do, think the way they do, right down to the job titles they hold.

That is the biggest problem with B&B. Brad writes moments and events, but none of them have weight because he didn't do the work to earn them.

And we're back to Taylor/Ridge/Brooke! Poor Whip. And I hate how they're wasting Rick Hearst.

I just adore this actress playing Hope. She's a little green, but I think she can improve.

Agreed. For a newbie, I think she's decent. I think she'll be really good in a year. I like her so far.

I liked the way Kim played out the reveal of her conception. She's a fine actress with the potential to grow and completely get the hang of acting in soaps. I saw her on a web series, Pink, and she was just grand. So I know she can bring it.