Y&R September Discussion

[full hearts]

If it means no more Avery...then I'd love to see her on The Food Network.

[full hearts]

From Steve Kent's twitter. On location.

[ranger1rg]

Some of the criticism here of the memorial shows is so over-the-top it's ridiculous. It's a parody in itself.

The episodes weren't perfect, but they weren't so godawful, either. Painting EVERYTHING and EVERYONE with the same black brush is pathetic. When Jess Walton is criticized for her work on these shows, I don't know what to say. Why people would continue to watch a show they believe is so unbelievably bad is something I will never understand.

It's starting to read like the "Let's see who can trash Y&R the most and the hardest" thread.

[SOAPSFOREVER]

Opinions are just that. They vary from person to person. Judging an actor's performance is totally subjective. I happen to think Jess Walton wasn't at the top of her game during the memorial service. I wanted to feel something from her, but I didn't. Was it the script, was it the direction or was Walton not invested in her performance? I can't say. I just know this woman can act circles around most, but didn't during those two shows, for me anyway. I think longtime fans do compare what they see on the air now and think it's "godawful." The reasons why have been listed many times. Many on her and other soap boards were daily viewers, and are only infrequent viewers now. Maybe we just keep hoping when we do tune in to the show we'll see some semblance of the emotionally rich stories, direction, production and performances during Y&R's heyday under Bill Bell. Sadly, those days seem to be gone.

[DramatistDreamer]

How did they find my old H.S. cafeteria??

[Darlotto99]

well Steve Kent and Jill Farren Phelps can stay on location for all I care their a disaster and both should be fired

[QueenOfHearts]

There's alot of nitpicking lately about Y&R. And usually the same things that other soaps display that no one says anything about. Really it's a big deal they didn't turn on a fan to create the effect of wind for an outdoor set? The big complaint before this week was the vets need to be on. The vets are on and some have problem with that too.

[alphanguy74]

It's the change in the background music, and the camera shots. Not enough closeup shots so you can feel the actor's emotion. People don't realize how important score IS to a show, and Y&R's has always been totally perfect. People all over the place wanted Maria gone... now she's gone and you got a talentless bitch in her place that doens't care about anything other than her own ego. You all made your beds, now LIE IN IT.

[SOAPSFOREVER]

Is it a big deal they didn't create some visual movement in a set that was already so static and boring? For me, yes. Soap fans notice everything. Attention to even the smallest detail tells us TPTB actually care what they're putting on the screen. There's a "feel" to a soap that's generated not just from engaging characters and stories, but from the sets, music, lighting, etc. It's like they're another character in the show. JFP has stripped Y&R of all those elements that made it so unique, especially the music.

[DaytimeFan]

The Katherine's memorial episodes were a disaster. However, I don't blame the actors for the most part, they can only do so much with what was written...and for the scripts to have been penned by Janice Ferri Esser and still be that bad was a real surprise. But then, Ferri Esser can only work with the breakdown she's been given and the breakdown writer can only work with what Griffith gives them.

I lay the blame for the performances squarely with Griffith as the writing was just flat, boring and not in keeping with what Y&R's history is. And the execution, poor direction with many wide shots devoid of Y&R music cues that would have added so much to the episodes, lays at JFP's feet. Using the right music costs nothing, yet JFP clearly went with a 'modern' approach and it failed miserably.

The actors clearly didn't know what choices to make, and most of them went with 'happy' or 'nostalgic'...when they should have gone with angry and devastated (Jill), crushed and thirsty (Nikki), more hurt than expected (Victor), quiet (Cane, he really is getting on my nerves in a fast forward this crap kind of way), sad (Devon)...I could go on. The random calling out during the eulogies was just plain stupid.

And then we have Christine and Paul remarry? Ludicrous.

I'm glad Jeanne Cooper didn't live to see those episodes, they were terrible.

[alphanguy74]

That pretty much sums it up. I did watch that episode, but now I'm tuning back out until something changes. Actually, I'm FINISHED with the show until something changes. And for ME to do that, you know it's really in the crapper. So Maria lost her sh!t after the first year. What should have happened was to get someone else to headwrite the show and leave Maria as Executive Producer. Steve Kent is determined to shove the "New Coke" down our throats whether we like it or not. Well, it will just have to sit on the shelf.

[SOAPSFOREVER]

According to Brent Boyd's Twitter feed, the two special memorial shows weren't assigned to a breakdown writer as is the usual custom. Josh, Janice (script writer) and Brent (script editor) worked on them. Maybe that was the problem. Who knows?

[frequentsoapfan]

Why should MAB have been left as EP? She sucked at being EP and cared more about her quest to be a known socialite than her position at Y&R.

[dm.]

It will be a damn shame if Mishael Morgan is written out in the coming month or two because they've already put her character into a corner. The actress has a lot of promise, but the entire storyline with Rose Turner has been a huge miss.

[Mr. Vixen]

With the exception of the glaring omissions of people such as Chance, Phillip, and Mac, I thought the episodes were beautiful. I cried throughout.