The Young and The Restless - Explosive!

[cassadine1991]

Do you think we would've seen Lester's Jack have children? I do wonder how he would've played it

[Khan]

I think so. I don't think he would have had as many or had them as soon in life as Bergman's Jack. If anything, I saw Lester's Jack as being akin to Warren Beatty, someone who did not "settle down" and start a family until he was middle-aged. But it all would have depended upon who was writing the show, I guess.

[cassadine1991]

I kind of visioned a story where Jack's daughter (with Patty) and Victor's son were childhood friends and fell in love as teenagers in the late 80s/early 90s [they were aged in 1987], it's weird but I thought of that after binge watching The Wonder Years and though of McKellar and Savage's chem

[DeeeDee]

Lester's Jack would have plenty of children by this point (and he would be better suited in the role of Abbott patriarch).

The problem with Bergman's Jack is that ever since he failed to play the character as written previously (or make it his own) he simply has became (both in the writing & the acting) Cliff Warner 2.0.

Strong business stories have largely kept the character afloat for the majority of Bergman's tenure but he can't sell romance without it descending into sap.

He's luckily been paired with strong actresses (MTS, Alex Donnelly, Susan Walters) who have made up for his shortcomings but when Bergman has to be the heavy in a romantic pairing they become huge disasters.

The transition of Jill from Brenda to Jess on the other hand was highly successful largely because Jess made the character her own (without sacrificing the foundation Brenda built or having the character specifically tailored to her strengths as an actress).

There will always be viewers who prefer Dickson's Jill to Jess but it's to Jess credit that even now the character remains popular with little to no airtime whereas Jack is currently irrelevant.

[Khan]

Aside from the first point -- if I had my druthers, Lester's Jack might be becoming a father for the first time (only, God help us, not with Kelly Cooney) -- I agree 100 percent.

[YRfan23]

Do you think they would have still did the Jack/Nikki marriage with Lester? I know he and MTS had this fun chemistry from what I had seen so it would have probably been fun to see a Jack/Nikki marriage with Lester. Do you think they would have still did the alcohol/painkillers story and that Lester would have been able to do it?

I guess John Abbott III would have still been alive and grown by now with Lester as well.

I wonder if Bill or somebody ever tried to convince Lester to come back after it seemed like the writing for Jack had to be played down because of Bergman.....I guess it's a good thing that Bill wrote the stories well for the most part with Bergman though they had to be tailored to fit his acting.

[Khan]

I would like to think the Jack/Nikki marriage would have gone on unabated if only because that was a time when Bill Bell and his team still were in charge. As for the recent story with Jack's addictions to alcohol and to painkillers...you know, I think that would have gone on as well. But I also think Lester would have given a much better performance with that material than Bergman did.

[YRfan23]

I actually meant Nikki when she was addicted to pain pills and alcohol during her and Jack's first marriage in the early 90's.

I could never see Terry Lester getting addicted to drugs but i'm sure he would be able to sell it if he were playing Jack, but I think his Jack would be too smart to get mixed up with that.

[Khan]

Same!

[Aback]

Any time I hear the word "Explosive" attached to Y&R I immediately think of CLEAR SPRINGS. (it took me almost 1 week to remember exactly the name of that story... I think I got it right LOL)