Y&R: Old Articles

[DRW50]

Thanks for the episodes. 

 

I think 1998 was the last good year for the show. I really enjoyed a lot of it, and that was unusual for me with Y&R, as even in better years overall there was something going on I would be put off by. 

 

(I started watching around 1990 or so)

[DeeeDee]

Y&R's last good year was 2003.

 

Unfortunately the second half of that year ominously foreshadowed much of what the show has become.

[Faulkner]

For me, 1991, 1992, and 1993 were so brilliant with the end of the David Kimble story, the climax of Sheila vs Lauren, the Michael Baldwin sexual harassment story,  and Victor being presumed dead leading to his romance with Hope. Those stories were so expertly done. It was riveting television every single day. In ‘94, those days were becoming fewer, and my viewing was becoming slightly more inconsistent.

 

I quit watching for a couple months in 98-99 because I was upset about Michelle Thomas’s death IRL. I took it pretty hard.

[Taoboi]

OMG!!! Thank you!!! Nikki v Diane stays a winning rivalry.

[DeeeDee]

It's funny how Nikki & Ashley are considered Victor's "Great" loves when he arguably loved Hope & Diane just as much as them.

[YRfan23]

I just finished 10/7/99

First of all, the production was gorgeous! I always feel like it was better early on, but it still incorporated a lot of the older camera angles and elements.....They still had strong directors back then too.

I honestly could care less about Victor and Nikki, but I always like to see the better times with them.....Victor was still....Victor with his lack of ethnics...(Him saying he regrets giving Jabot back to the Abbotts) but he definitely wasn't a cartoon by any means....
I thought some of the dialogue was awkward though......particularly Nikki talking about Katherine trying to find Brock......did she need to refer to Paul by his last name?? also Victor saying Katherine is a "nice lady"..like she's more of an acquaintance, then a close friend....I know he still refers to her as friend, but still....

I don't think I've ever seen Brad and Grace interact.....I never liked Brad, but again at least he was never the clown that Bill Spencer Jr is.....Jennifer Garies looked so much better back then too.

Always great to see these later Nina appearances and Tricia Cast looked amazing!! she really also had nice chemistry with Doug Davidson......(MAB really tanked that didn't she??) I'm sorry the Tomas fling was a bust though....or from what I heard about it....

Cole and Victoria lost the spark they use to have.....J.Eddie Peck still looks good though, but it kind of all seems like an odd throwback......
It's always interesting to see more of when ED came back....I guess because the writing was better, they did a decent job of still sticking true to the character Eileen was introduced as, but I notice a bit of Brenda Epperson's sweetness still in her.....Jack huffing over Victoria and Cole seemed odd though....

Great Performance by Jeanne, and Jess looked amazing as well! I didn't realize how tough AB as Mac came off towards Jill...I can see why she didn't like her.....
DT as Billy was also very good, and he had great chemistry with Jerry Douglas......it's sad how much they ruined Billy though....I hate him badmouthing Jill, but he was a lot more well-rounded then the tragedy that came of Billy later....


 

[YRBB]

 

It most certainly was not! Who's been lying??

 

It was a lovely, small, character-driven story: Tomas becoming a mentor, helping Nina become a better writer, encouraging her to deal with her baby's kidnapping, while having his own issues/drinking. They also had some lovely chemistry. 

 

The really sad part of the story is that it got cut short by Cast's exit. 

[YRfan23]

My bad.....I thought the story wasn't well-received and SOD 2000 Best and Worst named them Most Boring Couple...

I would definitely need to see the whole story to form a full opinion.

[YRBB]

 

That saddens me but doesn't surprise me. After all, it was character driven. No explosions, no evil that tears them apart, no one was cheating or killed anybody. Therefore, it must be boring!

 

In reality, it was a sweet and often sad story about two people with their own issues holding each other up and trying to better their lives, played by two wonderful actors. As a Y&R watcher, I appreciated it for that but I'm sure it couldn't compare to Leo and Greenlee!

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If you ever get the chance, do watch the whole thing. It was intimate, smart, character soap opera.

Edited February 24, 2018 by YRBB

[YRfan23]

Haha Yes to all of that! even back then, they viewed character based writing "boring".... well I'm ignoring those comments....I'm watching 10/8/99 and I liked their little exchange....

I just kind of feel sad knowing it never worked out for Nina in the romance department....but the fact that she left town, as a fully fledged mature woman then the girl she use to be, really stood out, looking back...

[DeeeDee]

 

+1.

 

Brad & Grace had lots of chemistry as did Jack & Grace. It's ironic Gareis had so much chemistry with everyone on Y&R yet so little on B&B.

 

Cole & Victoria still had serious chemistry but by that point Y&R was propping Ashley/Cole so most of Cole & Victoria's scenes were treated as an afterthought. This was also during the period when Victoria's collection of ex's followed after her like sad puppies.

 

I LOVED AshBash & Jess together. The best thing about Mackenzie & Jill was that the writing never propped either character. They were just two wildly different characters with extremely different value systems living in extremely close quarters who just happened to rub each other the wrong way. The irony is they slowly grew to tolerate (if not like) each other even before AshBash initially left.

 

I also LOVED Billy griping about Jill. Because once again the show never propped either character at the expense of the other. Yes Y&R retconned Jill as a absentee parent when they SORAS'ed Billy which led to a lot of well written angst but the majority of the reason they didn't get along was because they were so much alike.

[YRfan23]

I actually enjoyed JG's returns as Grace the last couple years.....it really showed a waste of her talents on B&B....

That's interesting that they "retconned" Jill being an absentee mom, because while she fought so hard for custody when she divorced John....I feel like it kind of makes sense she became less involved with Billy because she got wrapped up in her own life.....as she did with Phillip before.....Jill's always struck me as someone who never keeps her word, even when she had good intentions.....(Like not making the same mistakes with Phillip she did with Billy) 

Edited February 24, 2018 by YRfan23

[DeeeDee]

Y&R later did the same thing with Danny & Daniel.

 

Jill being an absentee parent isn't necessarily a retcon as you said (given the distance, her past with Phillip & her tendency towards self involvement) & the fantastic scenes we got from JW/DT/JD from of it was definitely worth it.

 

 

[YRfan23]

I know Danny and Daniel was wayyy OCC because it propped Phyllis...so I wouldn't even compared that with Jill/Billy.

[DaytimeFan]

 

Such a treat to see Katherine and Jill in the Kay Alden era. Kay was still pathetic and Jill was still fierce. Jess whipping her mane around like a lioness and prancing about the Chancellor mansion in those peplum suits. 

 

The show really messed up with the poor recasts for Mackenzie that followed Ashley Bashioum - Mackenzie was the key to keeping the Katherine/Jill feud going via Billy. Once they turned the corner in 2003 there was no real chance of recovery. Such a shame.