Y&R is a Trainwreck article

[Cheap21]

I just found this and it pretty much sums up the show perfectly. Id have to agree with pretty much all of it : http://soaptownusa.com/kittyscolonnade.html

Everyone has heard the saying, “It’s like a train wreck,” meaning something has become a disastrous, mangled mess…and it’s ghastly, but also weirdly mesmerizing because you can’t believe something is really that horrible. But there is also a meal called Train Wreck. My sister used to make it for us when our family was low on food (which happened pretty often during the year my dad’s company was on strike.) She would take noodles, tomato sauce, and whatever else she could find…throw it in a pan…and…Train Wreck. Sometimes it would turn out okay, but more often than not all we got was something that didn’t taste very good, but it would serve to fill the empty space. And that’s what came to mind when I was watching last week’s episodes of Y&R. This show may be occupying the airwaves and taking up my time, but it is distinctly unsatisfying and often quite distasteful. Yet my loyalty to the show keeps me from looking away.

Before I forget, thank you for all the lovely notes about my husband’s and my anniversary. We had a wonderful time on our brief cruise. If you’ve never been on a cruise, I highly recommend it. It’s a great way to try out foods, activities, and vacation locales without having to fully commit. For example, we stopped in the Grand Caymans, and during our few hours there we decided we might like to visit for a longer period at a later date. On the other hand, we spent a few hours in Cozumel, Mexico…and although we had a fine time, I don’t think I would choose to go back, as I found the very aggressive vendors unnerving. All in all, it was just really nice to be away from any kind of disruption…no cell phones, no computers, no fax machines. So. Relaxed.

We came back late Saturday, and we watched the Tuesday through Thursday shows in rapid succession. All I can say is…Train Wreck. It’s like the writers are becoming increasingly frantic, and the show is progressively more frenetic as TPTB feel the desperation to rescue the plummeting ratings. The stories are moving with breakneck speed with little or no regard for the characters’ histories, any kind of character development, or any logic.

A prime example of this is Victor Newman’s willingness to turn his daughter in for a bribe which he himself set in motion. Somehow we’re supposed to accept that Victor…who has always espoused a deep and abiding love for his children (especially Victoria)…somehow thinks that sending his pregnant daughter to prison is a better choice than having her married to Billy Abbott. Victoria has miscarried before and had a troubled pregnancy with Reed. Victor has recently lost a baby with former wife Ashley (who is also an Abbott.) He shares a daughter with Ashley…Abby is half Newman and half Abbott. Why then would Victor put another child at risk, regardless of that child’s parentage? And why would he put his own child in that kind of precarious position? Not to mention, by revealing the bribe, he will do damage to Newman Enterprises. It would have been far more believable for him to set Billy up to be carted off for something real or imagined than for him to have placed his precious flesh and blood in hot water. On the other hand, having his daughter arrested in the middle of her wedding makes Victor a shoe-in for 2010’s Worst Parent Of The Year award.

Take a look at Victoria. She now bears little or no resemblance to the driven, career woman we’ve watched since she was a teen. Suddenly the same person who spent years trying to get Daddy’s approval and to gain a foothold to control Newman Enterprises is more interested in playing Happy Homemaker with a playboy from her family’s nemesis, the Abbott Family. She’s acting like a little girl and running around getting tattoos, and she’s prattling like an air-headed teenager with “I totally will” and “I totally do” being among her favorite current responses. It’s totally annoying.

As for Billy…well, he’s no longer recognizable either since he’s started acting like something out of Leave It To Beaver. And good old Uncle Billy has completely forgotten how abhorrently Vicki treated his beloved niece Colleen less than a year ago. The saddest part is neither actor can hide how contrived and awkward their characters’ whole relationship is, and they’ve been wearing forced, phony, wide smiles that have done nothing to mask how awful this strained romance is for them and for us. Billy Miller shows us all of his teeth, but the smile never reaches his eyes…and Amelia Heinle rolls her head and looks away from the camera as she pushes out another childish giggle.

I’ve already mentioned the tremendous speed at which this tale has unfolded, but I’ll say it again. The whole show is hurtling along like a speeding train. The stories are rolled out quickly over a matter of weeks, then dropped. A prime example is Lauren and her latest storylines. She was terrorized and held captive by Sarah Smythe. She was rescued, suffered one day of residual angst…then moved on to discovering Jill was her sister. They squabbled, went to court, and in a one week’s time a decision was rendered, giving Jill half of Lauren’s company. All this has occurred since the beginning of the year. And then? TPTB benched Tracey Bregman for eight weeks during which time her on-screen husband Christian LeBlanc will only be seen occasionally performing lawyerly duties…for the Newmans, of course. The Emmy winners are side-lined while we’re introduced to MORE NEWBIES (who I will discuss shortly.

It pains me to be spending yet another column compiling Y&R’s ever-growing list of shortcomings…but, really…what choice do I have? There is so little about which to be positive…so little to praise. Even actors who usually can overcome the weak scripts they’ve had thrust upon them in the last few years seem to have given up. If the goal is to kill another CBS soap, Maria Arena Bell, Hogan Sheffer, and Paul Rauch are doing a bang up job. Heck…they might as well hire Chris Goutman so they can get the job done faster. (For a more in-depth perspective on Goutman’s “abilities,” please see this week Oakdale After Dark column.)

Aside from Billy and Victoria’s insta-wedding, the other big story is the demise of Phillip Chancellor IV a.k.a. Chance. The ending to his abbreviated stay has been rapidly building over the past few weeks, and it came as absolutely no surprise when Chance appeared to be gunned down by his new-found brother, Ronan. The dialogue, the set-up, and the acting all left me frustrated.

An example of the lousy dialogue is the conversation between Chance and Chloe during which Chance told Chloe his “one regret” was that his actions hurt her. That’s a lot different than saying he’s sorry for the actual actions…in this case sleeping with Heather. Then again, his continued drooling on Heather had already given away the fact that he’s not in the least bit sorry that he slept with her.

The writers completely ruined a rare, moral character. The worst part is there was no point to Chance’s betrayal of his commitment to Chloe. Imagine how much more meaningful and poignant his death would have been had he not been marred by the dalliance with Heather…if Chloe had to grieve what had been a pure love between the two of them. Instead he played Mary MacGregor’s Torn Between Two Lovers, and destroyed the impact of his exit.

I am, however, completely convinced Chance is NOT DEAD. We never witnessed what exactly Ronan revealed to Chance. He had a goodbye moment with each of his loved ones and seemed to know he was leaving. Additionally, instead of leaving the body on the street to investigate the crime of murder, Chance was carted off almost immediately. No photos…no chalk outline. I would bet money he’s in witness protection until it’s convenient to bring him back. The only question is will John Driscoll be in the role or will it be another recast.

There has been one bright spot in all of this…Tricia Cast as a grief-stricken Nina has reminded viewers why she was a fan favorite for so many years. There is so much her character could do over the next few years with her new-found son…when her other son returns from the “dead”…when the movie about Katherine is finally completed…in a romance with the sadly neglected Paul Williams. Will TPTB recognize what an asset she is? Well…she’s over forty, not a size two, and not a character created by the current team of scribes, so don’t hold your breath for her to be kept around in any meaningful manner.

Stray Thoughts

I could have sworn Phyllis and Nick had to wait six months after his divorce from Sharon before they could get married…but apparently that doesn’t apply to Victoria, who very recently parted company with JT.

Where are Lily and Cane and the kids? By the time we see ‘em again, Charlie and Matilda are likely to be SORASed to pre-schoolers.

I do not miss Adam at all. It’s been a great relief to not have him glowering on my TV every day.

Note to Nick…wash your hair.

Victoria made a comment about inviting her “friends” to the wedding…but last time I checked, she has no friends. Too bad the writers never let her forge a friendship with Jana. They both could use some outside support, and with their common interest in art, they might make good friends.

Why did Billy have Gloria, who he hates, cater his wedding instead of Gina over at the GCAC?

I love Stephen Nichols, but what was the point of bringing on Tucker? He’s barely had any scenes with Katherine since they found out they were mother and son…and as a businessman, he’s already been neutered because no one can be more successful than the increasingly cartoonish Victor Newman.

I’m hoping TPTB don’t try to pair Phil3 and Rafe just because they’re the only gays on screen. For starters, Phil3 has a proven history of lying…and he’s old enough to be Rafe’s dad.

Parade of Newbies

In the last year, not only has there been enough newbies added in regular or recurring roles to populate a small town, there has also been a whole list of baffling stunt casts. Stephen Nichols as Tucker, Marcy Rylan as Abby, Eden Reigel as Heather, Jeff Branson as Ronan, Paul Leyden as (soon-to-be-introduced) Blake, and Maura West as NuDiane are among the notable daytime actors who have been added to the roster. (The photo is of Leyden and West together on ATWT.) Darius McCrary is the miscast recast of NuMalcolm, Julia Pace Mitchell is his fiancée Sofia. Laura Stone returned as Skye.

Then there’s Eric Roberts as Vance Abrams, Sean Young as Meggie McClaine, Don Swayze as Charlie Shaw, Luke Kleintank as NuNoah, and now comes the news that Michael Badalucco, best known for his role on the Practice, is being added as someone named Hogan. Those are enough actors to create an entirely new soap.

That doesn’t even count the short appearances by people like former Cindy Brady, Susan Olsen, James Clement from Survivor, Elinor Donahue who played Princess Anderson on Father Knows Best, the columnist from Entertainment Weekly, and the bizarre fashion designer whose name I’m too lazy to look up.

Add to that the new characters who waltzed in the year prior, and the number of newbies nearly doubles. Of course, many leave as quickly as they came…but that only adds to the aggravation. With ever-changing faces in Genoa City, it’s like tuning in to a different soap every few months…and that is not what I want after investing several decades in a show. I want to see the lives of the characters I have known for years play out, and I want to see them interact with their appropriately aged progeny. Why is this so much to ask?

I know I’m not alone when I emphatically state I’m sick of newbies and useless, unrelated characters. We have plenty of core characters and veteran actors who are in need of a story. Screen time should not be being used up by Sofia, NuMalcolm, Meggie, and Shaw while Neil is rarely shown, and Lauren and Michael are once again back-burnered.

If TPTB insist on expanding the number of GC residents, don’t create useless, extraneous characters like Meggie and Sofia. Bring back members of core families. Try recasting Kyle (with Drew Garrett,) Keemo, and Scotty…raise from the dead Brad Carlton and even Colleen. The writers have asked us to accept the idiocy of full-body plastic surgery and flawless doppelgangers in Sarah and Patty, Blind Adam being a perfectly-sighted Wyle E. Coyote, and old man heart transplant recipient Victor Newman being Superman. Surely, bringing back Colleen after she was supposedly a heart donor would be a piece of cake…and I would be far more willing to accept her return than some of the other absurdities or repugnant situations that have been foisted on the viewers.

[DeeeDee]

The saddest thing is that is just THIS year.

[dm.]

The reporter didn't say anything that we didn't already know. Still, is this published in some place that gets a lot of readers/visitors?

This will have absolutely no effect on anything at Y&R.

[JimTolkien]

I think she gets quite a bit of readers/visitors and I agree it won't have any effect on MAB & her Motley Crew because they are just arrogant like that. But I imagine those who really need to read it have already seen it. Talks of "divorce" have been planted,it shall take "root" but first need to get some other new "plants" to support it.

I LOVE this part of her post because it is so true. But I would have added "and DESPERATE" after the increasingly frantic comment.

It’s like the writers are becoming increasingly frantic, and the show is progressively more frenetic as TPTB feel the desperation to rescue the plummeting ratings. The stories are moving with breakneck speed with little or no regard for the characters’ histories, any kind of character development, or any logic.

P.S. Forgot to add how accurate her assessment of the show was.

[Michael]

Great write-up. I've followed Y&R since about '97, though I'm not much of a viewer -- but I turned it on the other day and was totally confused. It looked and felt nothing like The Young & the Restless. This Billy/Victoria thing... I can't even.

[Vee]

I know I was on the edge of my seat reading about their trip to Mexico.

I think Y&R is a trainwreck too but SoaptownUSA has been a joke since day one.

[Soapsuds]

I thought we couldnt post anything from SoaptownUSA here??

[quartermainefan]

Oh wow, Elinor Donahue was on Y&R? How does she look?

[DRW50]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kv1mrXUCz20&feature=related

[MontyB]

Meh! Interesting article. I think a lot of what she said is true, especially about the building up and dropping stories and the lightning fast speed stories are being told, but where has she been? People on here and other sites have been saying this stuff all along. What else is new?

[quartermainefan]

she looks great. The bride and groom make a very handsome couple. It's too bad society became so shlocky when it comes to how we dress.