B&B: Old/Classic Discussion & Articles

[Videnbas]

I also had a LOT of trouble registering.

I tried several years ago, then gave up when the confirmation email never came, tried to register again and it said I already had registered but I still couldn't log in, so I cancelled the account and tried again registering using a different email address, and then it finally worked and I got the confirmation mail.

[Videnbas]

Yes, that was when the show had started going seriously downhill.

I have this feeling that most characters who were introduced, recast or Sorased from about 2010 onward lack - for want of a better word - a soul. There is no "real" human being at the core of who they are. Nothing that makes you think "yes, I know this person, understand them and genuinely care about them".

That's what was so appealing about the early show. Each and every character felt like they were a real person that you knew and had feelings for. And the recast Logans kind of highlighted that. The subtlety was gone. 

Edited September 7, 2021 by Videnbas

[Finrod]

@Sasha66

• 1987-1991: 4/5

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   There was a pretty long and also good introduction, but there was not too much dynamic in this period. The storylines were much more magical and significant than ever, but also interesting and we wanted to see much more.
• 1992-1996: 5/5 The show became more dynamic and much more interesting - more storylines put together at the same time and those storylines were great with so many different directions and much more unanswered questions than ever - Sheila & Lauren, BeLieF battle, Taylor's death and comeback, so many new characters and also many catfights made it really enjoyable to watch.
• 1997-2002: 4.5/5 The show became dynamic as hell and still very interesting, also much more shocking but everything became less significant and we could start felling that everything goes a little too quickly without the full expend or develop, which could have been done there (children growth or mariages/relationships duration). But anyway there were still great characters and very good storylines. The only thing is that something more dark and scary was missing (better executed in the previous period) and also some of the characters were going through some changes (for example I believe they screwed-up Brooke's character then, but on the other hand she became even more fun to watch, so that's not bad I think), still we could see most of the original cast and that was great.
• 2003-2007: 4/5 This is not bad period at all but the show became too funny at some point in 2003. Most of the storylines were still good, but not that great executed. Even the fashion shows became very poor with less audience. There were some really great points and the whole story which kept us watching but also there were some questionable recasts, the storylines went a little flat and overally that was a little bit less interesting period of time compared to the previous two. And I have to admit that I didn't like the new opening, as I loved those old/new pictures from the original one.
• 2008-: 2/5 Personally I stopped watching in 2008/2009 - still checking from time to time what's going on, but I couldn't care less. After Hope/Liam/Steffy or Jackie/Owen/Bridget triangles I've said "Enough!". There was nothing interesting for me at all and everything was on one note, also became very flat. Even Stephanie's death, Quinn's introduction or Sheila's comeback couldn't help it. Almost everything what I loved in this show was gone and I stopped being curious, as there was no storyline which I liked and wanted to follow. Also we missed the original Ridge (the new one is a great actor, but he's not Ridge), also Thorne is missing (Winsor Harmon was ready to play and they just dumped him) and much more... I'm not really suprised why some actors left the show for good.

@BoldKara

Trying to sign in, cancelling registration, waiting for like few hours (till my username and email will become available again) and signing up again worked for me and I received the confirmation email in few minutes. But please note that it will probably be in spam folder.

Edited September 7, 2021 by Finrod

[Soapysoap]

Well, in my opinion it`s pretty hard to keep something long as soap opera interesting all the time, it`s just not humanly possible. It`s basically with everything that goes too long. 

[Videnbas]

I would rank them like this:

1987-1988: 4,5/5

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The first two years felt like a very long, but very good, introduction. The writing and characterization were excellent, but the storylines hadn't reached their dramatic climaxes yet (I like to compare this period to the first act in a play). In its own way, it couldn't have been better. It's just that a lot of the payoff was still to come. 

1989-1995: 5/5 This is when the show hit its peak IMO. All the seeds that were planted in the first seasons blossomed and then some. We had Brooke vs Stephanie, Spectra vs Forrester, Tridge/Bridge while it was still fresh, Thorne/Macy, Sheila causing trouble, and so on. To me, this is when the show had the best storylines and the best characters.

1996-2002/2003 4/5 The show was still very good on the whole, occasionally brilliant, but some characters started changing inexplicably, some pairings lost their freshness, and some ongoing storylines started becoming repetitive.

2003/2004-2006 3/5 This, to me, is when the show started running out of ideas and showing its age. New families entered the show and set a different mood (like the Marones) and it started becoming a different show to the one I grew up loving. But it still worked on the whole. Oh yeah, and Taylor's 2005 resurrection. That was a jump the shark moment if ever I saw one. 

2007-2012 2,5/5 Darlene Conley's death left a huge Spectra-shaped hole in the fabric of the show, and the new or recast characters (Spencers and Logans) were not as good as their 80s counterparts. But at least we still had the "core four". 

2012-2017 2/5 Stephanie died, original Ridge left the show, and the never ending saga of Liam's love life dominated the show. It's around this time that it's actually getting hard to watch. There were a few glimmers of hope (the unexpected complexity of Aly's character, the return of Spectra and Sheila for the show's 30th anniversary) but they were killed by bad writing. The dawning suspicion that the writers may be making it up as they go along. 

2018-present day 1/5 Yep, the writers are definitely making it up as they go along. No such thing as character development. No such thing as story arcs. Dialogue and direction hits reality show level. Sets are mostly gone. Costumes so bad they actually distract from the plot. Not even Sheila Carter can save this train wreck (unless she snaps and kills everyone, in which case she would have my full support). 

Edited September 7, 2021 by Videnbas

[yrfan1983]

agreed and I would add the entire late 2014 "Maya has a secret" arc through the summer 2015 Rick/Maya wedding was really well done, and felt like the writers did have a long-term story that they'd thought out ahead of time.  I also enjoyed TK's Ridge paired with Caroline during this time, and like you said, Aly's story (before she was abruptly killed!)  Once Rick and Maya were married and Aly dead, the wheels started coming off the car again...

Edited September 7, 2021 by yrfan1983

[BoldRestless]

Some of the newer posters here had mentioned they never get the registration email and then they had to find the email of this board's admins and send them an email. I just don't remember what that email address was. I found this post but it's from 2013, so I don't know if this info is still correct. Maybe one of our newer posters can chime in: 

 

[Errol]

Yes, new members had to verify their email address was valid by sending us (Toups or I) an email to confirm. Many did not do that.

One thing we noticed was that many people registered and then immediately changed their email address to a possible fake address after signing up which is a big no no and a red flag.

Only a few months ago did the settings get changed where sending us an email was not required, hence why memberships are going up.

[Soapfan8]

1. 1992-1993(sheilas intro changed the dynamic. great complex writing, fun rivalries. 

2. 2002- very soapy, drama after drama and high stakes.

3. 1990-1991- good pacing, interesting characters and stories with depth and when the show started to find its ground. 

4. 1999-2001- entertaining and a dynamic era, many blue prints, but the beginning of plot driven writing

5. 1994-1996- the show became more campier also more fast paced, which in some ways was good and bad for the show, well rounded, and Intro of younger characters, 

6. 1987-1989- slow paced light introduction and setup, relatable stories, the show started moving along more with Sally’s intro.

7. 1997-1998- a soapy drama filled era but some of the dynamics got tired.

8. 2015- I actually thought January to august this was a great year and the first time the show tried to be diverse, had potential, ruined it later the 2nd half.

9. 2003- good drama but ridget kinda brought it done.

10. 2005- it was meh till Taylor returned that’s when drama started kicking in

11. 2010- Campy but fun, vixen Steffy and Bill brought life to the show. 

12.2007- fun year but at times the writing was bad

13.2008-2009- it was a pretty rounded era but a lotta Hackery and at times writing was wonky. Bills intro helped the show revamp.

15. 2013- fun and soapy but the Liam Hope stuffy drama was tedious. Wyatt and Quinn’s intro helped revamp
15. 2016- the avants helped bring life into the show, there was some balance. But ridiculous plot, and some stories were a copy of 2013/2014

16.2004- it had potential but the pacing of the show was slow, and the stakes weren’t high. Kinda boring. 

17. 2006- there was some good drama but a lotta hackery, and beginning of destruction of multiple characters. Also too much Brooke ridge Nick focus.

18.2014- year of romance and location shoots, good attraction to younger demos. however too much focus on triangles that were focused on Brooke and Hope. 

19. 2011-could be fun and campy but it was very ridiculous and not much sensible writing 

20. 2012- Liam Hope Steffy was entertaining to some extent but tedious and took over the entire show which almost ruined it. Nostalgia saved and brought some heart to the show. 

21- 2017- had promise but a lotta missed opportunities, the phasing of the avants was disgusting, wasting of vets etc. had potential but flopped. 

21. Post 2018… not even gonna say much.

[BoldKara]

My friend finally got accepted. He thinks it was because he used a hotmail account. As soon as he changed the registration to gmail he received the email to validate.

thanks everyone for your responses and assistance.

[brynandmaddie1998]

I pretty much agree with your assessment, but do admit to liking 2009-2012 which is when Dollar Bill joined the cast. I love that he can make my blood boil one minute and have me in stitches laughing the next. He has some great one-liners and Don Diamont has great comedic timing. I liked him with Katie in the beginning and found his flirtation with Donna, pre-Katie, to be amusing, as well.

Can't wait! Thank you for doing this, btw!!!! Hope things are better for you, as well.

 

[Soapfan8]

Yeah I think Kim Matula, Don Diamont, and the avants cast helped the show a lot those years 

[ChantelOldYRFan]

Love Macy’s 2002 return! Bring her back and make her Sallys mom!

[Soapfan8]

Omg

Edited September 20, 2021 by Sasha66

[Maxim]

Most simple rank is like that.

1993 - the best!

2002 - the best in it's own very trashy way

1992 - amazing

1990 - amazing

1991 - amazing

1989 - great

1988 - great

1987 - great

1997 - very good

1995 - very good

1996 - good

1994 - good

2005 - good

1998 - good, sometimes amazing

1999 - good

2000 - getting old

2001 - getting old

2010 - a campy fun year, but... very badly written

2004 - problematic, but watchable

2003 - strange, but watchable

2006 - boring, but watchable

2007 - stupid and getting unwatchable

2008 - stupid

2012 - brooke and bill gave a little trashy heart rhythm to a dead show

2009 - who cares...

2011 - blah...

2013 - LIAM IS THE DEATH - unwatchable - max 20 good episodes in a yer

2014 - HOPE IS UNBEARABLE - unbearable - max 10 good episodes a year

2015 - BROOKE is so stupid - max 10 good episodes

2016 - cheap - max 5 episodes good a year

2017 - omg... why is this still on...

2018 - cancel it please

2019 - no saving it anymore

2020 - dead

2021 - buried.