B&B: Old/Classic Discussion & Articles

[Liberty City]

I hated the swap-over; Clayton Norcross, to me, was far superior in the role of Thorne than Jeff Trachta ever was. And the recast left me disliking Thorne when he was the superior son to me.

As for Teri Ann Linn, I feel like she got the raw deal. Kristen was very clear as a forefronting character, especially in her rivalry with Stephanie, and it feels like she was dropped off for Felicia, and they never returned it. Not to mention the subpar recast with Tracy Melchior in 2001. Someone like Brenda Epperson (ex-Ashley, Y&R) would've been more suited for that role.

[bongobong]

I haven't seen Melchior in the role, but it would be astounding if she's worse than Linn. Her rivalry with Stephanie was sidelined IMO because Linn was one of the few actors who didn't have chemistry with, nor raise her game, when paired with Susan Flannery. To be fair, she did show some signs of life in scenes opposite Darlene Connelly, but way too little too late.

It feels like Bell finally woke up after the Thorne switchover and sidelined the Kristin character with Mick to 1 or 2 appearances a week. As a result, the show improved by leaps and bounds after she was inexplicably at the center of the show for most of 1989. Margo is so much more enjoyable when not tied to that albatross. Even Clarke is watchable with less Kristin interaction. She can't exit stage left soon enough.

As for the new Thorne, I agree that Norcross feels like a Forrester a lot more than Thrachta, even if the latter is a better actor.