Y&R: Old Articles

[soapfan770]

Thanks for finding! I'm happy the full ep is online as I've seen those "JUST PITIFUL!" clips before on YT but sadly were taken down long ago. Dru was right, Nathan was truly pitiful indeed for endangering Olivia and Nate. I can't remember if Nathan actually contacted HIV from Keesha or not, I think it was just the fact he could have from his affair.

[DRW50]

He didn't have HIV, but, like you said, it was the risk he took which made Olivia refuse to forgive him. It's interesting because around this same time, ER had a story where an HIV-positive woman (Jeanne) reconciled with the man who had given her the disease. I just hate what they did to Nathan's character, but it seems like the show lost interest in him a long time before this.

This was probably Olivia's last good storyline. I much preferred it when Olivia and Dru were close to later on when there was so much tension about Neil and about the modeling.

I shudder to think of how this story would be told today.

Some of the stuff between, say, Malcolm and Neil, always seemed so cheesy to me, but I got the feeling that the actors were allowed some room to improvise or to give their own touches. On today's show, I don't get that feeling when Debbi Morgan has to play Beulah (although hopefully I'm wrong).

[DRW50]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESYwRcvS4a8&feature=channel

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[soapfan770]

Some people over the years have said the whole HIV part of the story was subtly racist but I don't know if I can fully agree with that as I saw it more of a cautionary tale, one rarely told on soaps. I don't know for sure. What I do know is that in my opinion it was one of the best stories Y&R did tell with its AA cast as the whole story was entirely front-burner with its high-stakes drama and edge of the seat twists. Stuff like Dina's WTF return, Nick&Sharon Paul/Christine/Danny were afterthoughts to myself at the time.

Both Rowell and Williams were nominated for Emmys for material stemming from this whole storyline and in retrospect either should have won instead of a certain other Y&R actress who won that year in the supporting actress category.

Even though Neil/Dru/Malcolm/Olivia was insultingly lazy, I wonder if it could have been made better if there was better chemistry, if Neil and Malcolm were more worthy of the Barber sisters and if the Winters Bros had a veiled-faced mother who didn't like Dru too much.

[Paul Raven]

One problem with the story is that it came out of nowhere.Suddenly,it was revealed that Nathan was involved with Keesha. It would have been so much stronger had we seen Nathan meet Keesha and begin the affair.

[soapfan770]

Fair point but I think I had figured something like that would be coming after all the material problems Olivia and Nathan were having beforehand ie Nathan moving out because of Lillie Belle living with them. I think the biggest mistake during this time period was Y&R doing absolutely nothing with Vivica Fox's character.

[DRW50]

Didn't it start when we saw Nathan getting phone calls?

I wonder if they changed the story partway through, perhaps due to them recently doing this story with Phyllis. Keesha suddenly became a tragic character, right around the time they changed her race.

I didn't remember Dina having such a dowdy hairstyle at this time. I also thought she was in Paris when all this happened and Katharine eagerly called her to tell her about Audrey North. I didn't know she'd come back.

Bringing Dina back for this always kind of felt like, "We don't have a storyline for the Abbotts." And they really didn't.

I thought Phyllis was so much fun at this time. It seems like a long time ago.

[soapfan770]

She was fun, especially with her fantasies of killing the Bug, attempts to make Danny jealous with Peter, her friendship with Dr. Tim and of course going on honeymoon to some extent with Paul and Christine. Somewhere, around 2005 they stopped writing for Phyllis correctly and Stafford got lazy. And arrogant.

Edited February 19, 2012 by soapfan770

[DeeeDee]

Bill made Keesha sympathetic to destroy Nathan & prop Malcolm.

[Cheap21]

I loved early Phyllis too. She was fun back when she was tormenting Christine and scheming to cling onto Danny. I dont know what happened but she's awful today and has been ever since she hooked up with Nick

[DeeeDee]

She was horrible WAY before that.

The destruction began when Diane (like many others) went under the bus for her.

[DRW50]

Do you think it was the right decision?

[DeeeDee]

No.

But the audience loved Shemar so Bill did everything he could to keep him even when it meant ruining other characters.

[yr9190]

Man it seems really scandalous for Bill to pump up Malcolm, but having to ruin Nathan in the process. I know people have said that Bill always listened to the fans, but in this case, he probably could have plotted this story better where Nathan wasn't going to seize to exist as a character, even though i agree that this storyline was one of the best they had for Y&R's AA cast. It's nice to see full episodes from 1996, since that whole year is plastered with Nick and Sharon clips online.

Even though Phyllis was bearable as a character around this time, I thought that scene with her and Dr.Tim was really bizarre (maybe it's suppose to be, LOL) It's bizarre because, even though MS is pretty, I wouldn't say she was "hot." These scenes seem to be putting her in that light, especially with those belly baring shirts she is wearing.

Why does Danny have a deeper voice here, than he did earlier? i know that's a dumb question but i was just curious if it was an acting choice of Michael Damian's or if his voice really sounded like that later.

I am really fed up with Phyllis. It's terrible but i wish they wrote her out for a while, or she started having contract problems or something. I hate seeing a show in such horrible state, being eaten alive by one of the most dispicable female characters the show has. I hate how Phyllis has become the female Victor, and every other character has to be constantly thrown under the bus to prop her and make her look like an angel. It makes me so angry that Phyllis has slapped other characters on the show the last few years, yet she has been long over do for one, and the one time they get a chance to do it with Heather, they have her stupidly push her. Ugh.... I'm sorry for this rant but i just can't stand seeing her anymore. Why does she have to be on the agendas to prop anyways, what is really so special about Michelle? and like soapfan said, Stafford is too arrogant to actually admit that Phyllis could tone it down, she has made it clear that she just enjoys the money.

[DRW50]

I think MS was very striking at the time (and still is), but the scenes seemed more comedic/desperate than sexy.

Nathan stopped being a character long before his death, so I guess Bell may have felt it wasn't much of a sacrifice. Still, it's glaring - I can't think of any other longtime characters Bell hurt that way.

In honor of alphanguy's birthday, and just for other fans who want to see old stuff, I'm going to post some older material on the show's first decade. I don't have a lot but will put some of what I have.

These are from some 1977 Afternoon TV Stars - April, August, December. After this I'm going to post some of the few Brenda Dickson things I have.