Y&R: April 2014 Discussion

[DeeeDee]

If that's the case then Neil/Hilary/Devon, Nathan/Keesha/Malcolm & Neil/Tyra/Devon don't count.

[SOAPSFOREVER]

What would Leah Laiman possibly add to Y&R?? She has a very spotty track record (not unlike Jean), has no history with the show -- oh, wait! She's a "great friend" of Jean's. That definitely entitles her to a spot on the writing team? Are you really for real, Jonnysbro??

[ajsp35801]

Well, Neil and Devon are father and son so they do count. But Nathan/Keesha/Malcom don't count at all.

I think we were discussing the inbreeding and how the Winters/Barbers were so boxed in.

[Khan]

Give her a super-couple to write for, and she's magic. Y&R, though, should NOT be a "super-couples-based" soap. Ever.

[DeeeDee]

Nathan/Keesha/Malcolm counts.

Olivia was a Hastings long before she became a Winters & Malcolm was related to them (at that point) by marriage.

But what is the Barbers/Winters now were the Hastings/Barbers first.

[ajsp35801]

Yes, I know. But I guess I am not offended at all by Nathan and Malcolm who are not related by blood or adoption being with the same woman. That is akin to Billy and Chelsea being paired. I don't see that as keeping it in the family as much as I do with Sharon being with both Nick and Adam, who are blood related.

If that counts then every white pairing on the show also counts then we don't necessarily have a gripe.

[Cyberologist]

Well I can't really say what Cady McClain will bring to the role of Kelly since I'm a Watros/Kelly fan. I've never watched much of her on soaps in recent years, I didn't watch AMC so I have no comparison except very early Dixie;

I haven't seen enough to say much but first off I can't imagine her having had sex with Billy.

Yep I remember when Olivia first came on way before Druscilla her long lost sister, Neil, Malcom...etc

[allmc2008]

I havent' really watched since David Tom reclaimed the role. Since then i was side tracked. Anyway, I must say I do think he fits the role much better.

[slick jones]

Eileen Davidson is stunning. She brings such light and class to the show. I was very impressed with her scenes today.

Beth Maitland truly adds a touch of softness and soul to the show. Her visits are seamless and I wish she were on the show more often. She truly is the heart of the Abbott family.

Please no more Villy!

[DeeeDee]

The difference is that those characters weren't paired because they were white.

The Barbers/Hastings/Winters were all of the same family because they were Black & paired with each other because they were Black.

[ajsp35801]

I see this "just cause they are black" comment all the time. And I don't buy that for all. Sometimes they were brought on to be specifically paired or for story and yes, they cast them as black. All those women that Neil has been paired with in over the years were mostly brought on and given a contract because of him (except for Dru cause he was brought on for her). I just don't get the complaint of "just cause". It makes no sense. Of course they are going to cast those women as a POC/black. Why open themselves up to complaints about IR and lack of diversity by casting white women to be put with Neil. Granted, they could cast Asian or some other POC for Neil. Would that make people happy? Having CK playing the lone black woman on canvas? Is that really what people want? Or do they just want to see black women only paired with white guys on the show or something?

Right now we see the makings of Chelsea and Billy because it will cause the most drama on canvas for Adam's return. Pairing Hilary with Neil will cause the most drama on canvas as well. I don't see the difference in these choices. But yet I see people trotting out the "just cause they are black" complaint. Now if Hilary had come on canvas doing something else to a different family and never interacted with the Winters before then they did this crap with Neil then I could see the "just cause" complaint. For example, Mason being Hilary's partner in crime was just cause he was black. Now I understood they wanted to give Mason something to do. But that could have been anything. Why put him in the Winters orbit when he had never been?

I get the feeling that if the Newmans were black, people would say that the choices made for them would be just cause they are black also. I see no creative differences in the choices made for them than the Winters. Sharon and Victoria have shared men. Victoria and Nikki have shared men. Soon as nick got adult brothers, they started sharing women. Tracy and Ashley shared a man. Jack and Billy shared a woman. Ronan and Chance. Billy and Chance.

The only person on this show who gets "special treatment" is Devon. He was lusting after a sister then slept with an aunt. That is singular to Y&R yet no problem if he was on the sister soap. To top it off, he has yet to have an onscreen romance in over 10 years. That's crazy!

Do I think that the Winters men have shared more than most? Yes. Do I think that it's just cause they are black? No. I think it's cause they were two brothers on the show with no more family to cause drama but each other. If nick had a brother as a teen then you bet they would have fought over Sharon.

As for these characters being paired because they are white. I see it the same was as the black characters. If one is true then the other is true. By your definition all the actresses who wanted to be paired with KSJ but were denied Was Because They Were white. Ashley was broken up with neil and put with Tucker because they were both white. Tucker was not allowed a love story with Harmony and started a pairing with Genevieve because they were both white. It works both ways if it works at all.

[sivad40]

Another difference between the Barber/Hastings/Winter clans and all of those white characters that had been involved in triangles with their family members also had long, successful pairings outside of those triangles. Neil and Malcolm (Shemar Moore) had chemistry with established, invested, white characters that never led to anything lasting. Lily is different because she doesn't have a female relative (except for Olivia) to play a triangle off of.

[koos]

I didn't watch CM as Dixie, but emotionless is the perfect way of describing her Rosanna Cabot. She was icy, to my recollection.

[DeeeDee]

It would be one thing if minority characters were brought on & had options in pairings like a Chelsea or a Kelly. But literally every Black character that has been introduced on the show since Vicki's exit has become or been involved with a Barbers/Winters.

The closest Y&R has gotten to having more than one Black unrelated family on the canvas was with the introduction of Sarge & Mason but even Sarge was implied to have a past with Debbi's Harmony before he disappeared.

It would be fine for Neil to be paired with an African American actress & character in a relationship that made sense but since Vicki's exit he's been stuck with every African American actress hired along with Nia's Karen. That's current Y&R's pathetic appeal to lapsed Black viewers without doing any of the work that Bill Bell did in establishing his African American characters.

Was Bill Bell's treatment of African American characters perfect? No. However his Black characters had plausible reasons to be together unlike today where as soon as minority characters get involved with the Winters they became isolated. What happened to Karen's relationship with Nikki or Neil's friendship with Victor?

Those relationships were dumped because they didn't serve the plot. So Neil suddenly becomes BFF's with Jack even though he's NEVER been close to (let alone friends with) Jack & Karen becomes a conveniently disposable plot point once her relationship with Neil inevitably runs it's course.

Ideally minority characters would have the run of the canvas like their white counterparts but Daytime is content (even in this day & age) just to provide surface diversity as a shield against criticism, thus actors like Redaric & Lamon get a big initial media push only to sit on the backburner (or afterthought pairings) after six months (if that) of their debut.

Where is Mason now?

There are a ton of different things he could be doing (he did work for Victor) but he's MIA & the last story he had was interacting with The Winters (specifically Devon). Once he served his purpose of causing temporary drama for Devon Y&R had no use for him hence his current disappearance.

Yet Y&R is NEVER at a loss for story for Kevin (a serial pedophile) or Chelsea (an opportunistic rapist) or Cane (a career criminal). Dylan has been on less than 5 years yet he has more story than most Y&R vets.

The Newmans are constantly frontburner, have plenty of airtime, tons of relationship options & sets made for them if necessary. Kristoff is STILL living in the same condo he's been in since his debut. CK only got a house set because she was paired with a white actor. If she was paired with a Black actor Y&R would find some reason for her to live at home or (at best) a GCAC hotel room.

Why then (after almost 25 years) is Neil still in a condo when Avery & Chelsea & Cane rate being given other sets? Why aren't they living out of the GCAC?

That's the point. Nathan/Neil/Malcolm HAD to share pairings because that was the only way they were going to get story. Nick didn't have that problem so he didn't need a brother to fight over women with & while Nick didn't have male siblings to fight with women over while growing up he certainly had romantic rivals (Matt, Tony, Diego, Cameron) during that same time.

So it's not the least bit strange that as soon as Kristoff mildly criticizes Y&R his relationship with Ashley ends, he hits the backburner & tweets cryptic messages about his status on the show? It's not the least bit strange that Y&R goes through the trouble of dumping daytime legend Debbi Morgan's growing relationship with SN's Tucker when Genie Francis was in need of a pairing? What about Hilary kissing a single Jack while supposedly being intended for Devon?

Or are those just coincidences?

[KMan101]

Isn't the reason for the "AMC Invasion" because Judy Blye is the casting director? I know she wants her friends to have jobs, and I'm overall fine with who they cast, but she does realize there's more dead soaps out there she can pull people from? I'd love to see some GL people get some work that's not a websoap run by Crystal Chappell.