The Bay: Episode 1

[quartermainefan]

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First thing, watching this in full screen mode does make it seem like you are watching a real program.

Now the downside:

Was anyone able to hear a thing they were saying? You could hear the air btw the actors and the mic, and when they clomp around on the floor, the sound of the shoes is louder than the people talking. This tends to be a deal killer for me because good sound quality trumps all. If the sound isn't there you are thrown out of the story, even more than choppy video.

The acting:

Tristan Rogers and MBE were their usual competent selves, same for the guy on the phone. The rest was sort of amateurish. The ending is especially strange, as if they didn't stop the camera in time and they were left standing there waiting for the freeze frame to finally kick in.

Overall, I am not impressed. Oh, and the theme music over the credits is horrendous.

[JackPeyton]

The vet actors (TR, MBE, Sandra, a few others) were really good. The younger actors were... not so much. However, this was also a pilot and the first thing they filmed, so thats not exactly unheard of.

The stories seem like they will be interesting. Lots of dynamics.

Also, i could hear everything fine but i have fantastic hearing. The audio wasnt all that good.

Sidenote, that bar they are at, the L Scorpion Lounge, is a lot of fun. Right on Hollywood Blvd. They did the kickoff party here.

[wingwalker]

Overall I enjoyed it and I rarely get hooked into Web Soaps. Some of the loud background noise was distracting and I still feel these need to be longer than 6 minutes if you want to hook people. They need to be at least 12-15 minutes IMO.

[Chris B]

I thought it was pretty bad considering the hype. It was well written, but the production values were terrible and it's too short, a complaint we constantly make that no one seems to acknowledge. Especially for a show with so many characters it needs to be longer. Just simplify things and shoot it like a soap with long, character driven scenes in as few takes as possible. No reason these have to be so short when California Heaven had full length episodes five years ago before anyone knew what a websoap was.

The casting was just dreadful. I feared they were just looking to cast any daytime name and that seems to be the case. Not much chemistry and Sandra Fergeson is painfully bad. The actor playing the youngest son of Sara is worse than anything I've seen on soaps. How did he slide through? Very odd.

I'm hoping it improves in coming weeks ala Gotham and lives up to the writing.

[Mr. Vixen]

I still haven't watched the show, but am planing on it tonight.

I am a huge Mary Beth Evans and Tristan Rogers fan. The storyline around it intrigued me, as well, so I am looking forward to watching.

Also, somehow I missed this news a couple weeks ago, I just found out that two of my favorite soap actresses are going to be appearing on the show.

Lesli Kay comes on in episode 7, and Jackie Zeman comes on in the season finale...Just another point of intrigue for me!

[Mr. Vixen]

Okay, so, ironically, I just realized I had the time to watch it.

So, I watched it, haha!

I really, really liked it. I also have very good hearing, so while I could hear that "airy" sound, I also could hear everything they were saying. Seems like the plot is going to play out very well. Seems like it could overarch with one main plot, and lots of sublots steming from it.

I didn't think all the actors were bad! Just a couple of them.

I do wish it was longer. I was really starting to connect and be interested in what was going on...Then it said to be continued. I agree that they should be more like 12-15 minutes.

Uhmmm...WHAT has Sandra Ferguson done to her chest?!

[skiman12082004]

I really had high hopes that The Bay would be some revolutionary new way to reinvent the soaps. I was VERY disappointed actually. The production values were horrid, especially the sound and like many have already said its way too short. With only 6 soaps remaining I am going to hope beyond hope that AMC, B&B, DAYS, GH, OLTL and Y&R will survive and bring the soaps back to their former glory and stop the cancellation trend. But sadly The Bay isn't the second coming I thought it would be.

[All My Shadows]

I don't think I'll take any of these things seriously until they get off it and produce at least 15-minute episodes. They're trying to tell these "real soap" stories using less time than was allotted for commercials on a primetime show from 50 years ago...which is not a lot of time at all.

[Vee]

After all that hype that was still pretty amateurish. The freeze-frame was painful, as was the obvious zero budget with the single setting and strange blocking, shots, etc. Most of the actors were fine, but the sound was terrible and I had absolutely no idea what was going on or who people were.

John Callahan looks rough as [!@#$%^&*].

[Soapsuds]

So Dylan Bruce is still doing soaps via web. Pisses me off that Goutman didnt bring him back to play Chris. Instead we got boring as hell Cosgrove.

[EricMontreal22]

haha why do they need so many makeup artists?

[Vee]

Dylan Bruce has always had the affect of a failed presidential assassin. He creeps me the [!@#$%^&*] out.

[quartermainefan]

I actually think he would take that as a compliment. You are seeing some sort of edge, or something under the surface that may not even be there. That's more of a response than soap operas usually get. Galen Gering is fine and likable, but I can't think of anything he reminds me of.