Y&R: Old Articles

[yrfan1983]

Great question... I've tried to figure that out from reading the SOD '85 synopses but it's really hard to tell. Definitely Victor had an emotional affair with Ashley first - after he rescued her in spring '85 from her amnesiac- waitress- about- to- get- raped situation. 

But in terms of who physically slept together first - Victor/Ashley or Jack/Nikki - not sure.

[will81]

I am almost certain nothing happened until Victor brought Ashley back to GC after her breakdown in early 85 and she was living at the ranch. At that point Nikki began feeling alienated and eventually assumed Victor and Ashley were having an affair and I think slept with Jack first. I think Bell might have done this to soften Ashley and Victor's affair, so Jack/Nikki may have happened first.

 

Ashley resisted sleeping with Victor, though the pair were definitely in love. Pretty sure they didn't jump into the sack until they got stranded in Corsica in September 1985. This was just as Terry Lester returned from filming his failed pilot for Hong Kong Knights. 

[yrfan1983]

I've struggled to understand how Victor comes off in this situation as anything other than a total selfish jerk with no moral compass. These events are only 1 year after his fairytale wedding to the love of his life, Nikki, the mother of his child. Nikki even reunited Victor with his mom.  I get that Victor and Ashley were thrown together in some unusual circumstances, but he should have remembered the vows he had just made to Nikki.

[will81]

Bell seemed to soften Victor but not change him. 80 - 81 he was a bit of a monster, abusive to Julia and holding Michael Scott prisoner in a dungeon he built. Victor was selfish. In 1980 Julia was pregnant and Victor is furious as he wanted nothing to intrude on his life with her. He wanted total control of her. He was that way with everyone but Ashley, because Ashley was the one person who would have walked away from him without hesitation if he had treated her the way he did Nikki.

 

He also cheated on Julia with Lorie, though Lorie halted any real affair at that point. So his behaviour in 85 was pretty standard. At one point in 86 he finally confesses his affair to Nikki, then asks her to stay by his side while he figures out whether he wants to stay with Nikki or divorce her for Ashley, lol. He was a piece of work

[BoldRestless]

 

I always thought Ashley broke down in 1987 after the abortion. Why did she break down in 1985? Because she found out Brett Davis was her father? I've seen some scenes from that storyline, and while she was upset, she didn't seem unstable. And why were they in Corsica, was that a location shoot?

[Fevuh]

Victor is nasty.  Always kind of was.  When I think about villains you kind of liked?  Roger on Guiding Light.  He had a nice friendship with Maureen.  Victor is terrible and always has been and his accent has gotten so much worse over the years.  It's like a cartoon.  I know people love Eric Braeden but he needed to stand up for himself and not be a cartoon and and he couldn't do it.  

[OzFrog]

 

Yeah from what I understand and have read in various Y&R histories, she flipped out after Brent Davis told her he was her father. I’m curious as to the exact timeline myself, as I had been keen to see if there had been any Ashley/Dina confrontation that resulted from the reveal.

 

But that initial breakdown certainly did establish frailties in Ashley’s mental health, and was thus used again when she aborted Victor’s baby and completely went off the deep end subsequently.

[Soaplovers]

Oddly, Ashley seems to go crazy and mental when Eileen plays her.  Brenda's Ashley never would have gone over the edge nor would Shari's Ashley either. 

 

Plus, Ashley wasn't so pathetic with Victor when Brenda played Ashley.  I wonder why the show only plays the Ashley is crazy game when Eileen plays the part. 

[Dion]

I think Brenda's Ashley was showing signs that she was about to break down again right at the very end, after Blade died and she found out Rick had posed as Blade and then realised Rick had basically raped her for several weeks/months. But that was Brenda's exit story in the role and Ashley fled Genoa City to Paris immediately afterwards. When Ashley returned played by Shari, the whole thing was glossed over and forgotten.

 

After that, I think the only mention of Ashley's time in Paris post Blade/Rick was when Eileen was back in the role and it was revealed that during that time in Paris, Ashley had apparently gotten herself involved in a caper with her never before or since - once the storyline had ended that is - mentioned step-brother Rafael Delgado (Brent Davis' step-son from one of his marriages).

[OzFrog]

This is epic. Why oh why did Y&R not hang onto Alex Donnelly longer??

 

Please register in order to view this content

 

[DramatistDreamer]

Y&R made its fair share of terribly stupid decisions over the decades. Letting talented people walk has to be at the top of that list.

[mikelyons]

Say it again!

They let Ashley Bashioum (sp?) go as the original Mac over contract negotiations. No other actress was able to capture to nuance or fire of Mac as Ashley. 

Y&R lost David Tom and Heather Tom in the same period. Heather Tom left because they thought they could low ball her and she'd never walk...until she did. Christian Le Blanc's contract was up after Heather's, so they gave him everything he wanted and now we're stuck with Michael!

 

[Khan]

What made TPTB think Heather Tom wouldn't leave?  I'm sure she loved working at Y&R.  However, she was (and is) a very skilled actress who could have been an asset for ANY series, daytime OR primetime.  Ergo, not doing everything in their power to hold onto her was just the height of hubris and stupidity.

Edited May 7, 2020 by Khan

[DRW50]

 

I wonder how much they cared by that point. Nick was the main draw of the Newman kids. Victoria had been steadily downgraded as a character. 

[mikelyons]

Hubris, indeed.