Y&R: March 2017 Discussion Thread

[ajsp35801]

Re: Fenmore's

 

I still don't know why Jack bought it and what's changed between now and then where he'd sell it to Jill. 

[DramatistDreamer]

 

Good question!

 

The story should've been about Lauren trying to find ways to reinvent the store, move inventory, possibly wrestle with layoffs and boutique closing, not just some magical app and Jabot acquisition.

 

To this day, we still haven't seen what Fenmore's looks like!!  

What if it has poor lighting, messy racks and poorly maintained floors and dressing rooms? What if it just looks like a more upscale version of Sears?

 

I would have like to see Lauren talk to store managers who would sheepishly describe the outmoded look of the store (similar to Lauren's outmoded personal look) and decide to bring in a management consultant to discuss steps on how to update the boutique's image.

 

The development of the app should've been in addition to all this.

As another side story, Lauren is getting pressure from Jabot (possibly others) to give into acquisition bids. Scott and Fen have both offered to come home and help, she urges them to stay where they are and focus on their work/school.

 

Lauren should've used her business acumen to find a way to maintain primary ownership of her boutiques, update her boutiques while deciding to update her own look with a personal makeover and see the development of the app.

 

GC Buzz extends an invitation to promote the new look Fenmore's, which Lauren accepts. 

 

Then just as she is finally allowed to breathe and bask in her coming success of steering Fenmore's back from the brink, BOOM she gets hit with this call from the journalist's organization informing her as his next of kin that they've lost contact with him.

 

Fen calls to congratulate his mother. Lauren, a wreck takes Fen up on his previous offer to help and asks him to do promo for Fenmore's on GC Buzz without telling him why, only that she has conflict that came up that she needs to address. 

 

When Michael asks Lauren, why Fen called to say that he found a red-eye flight to GC, Lauren is forced to confide in Michael all about the kidnapping, mentions how Scott offered to come home and write copy for ads for the boutiques and why didn't she take him up on his offer? Michael, in an effort to console Lauren, reminds her that she couldn't have known Scott was in danger, since he never told her what his assignment was or where.

 

Lauren, agonizing, calls Christine (they don't even need to show LLB). Lauren tells Michael that Christine is gathering information on what's happening and has offered to fly out to Washington to personally meet with State Department staff. 

Then you can have a desperate Lauren trying to make calls to secure ransom money, etc.

 

The official launch of the app, which Fenmore, Phyllis and Ravi all discuss while they prep Fen for his TV appearance. Phyllis is confused as to why Fen is appearing on GC Buzz but thinks it's brilliant since he bears the same name as the store and can be in a position attract millenials.

 

As Fenmore meets with Mariah and Hillary to tape the episode of GC Buzz, Phyllis decides to visit Lauren to congratulate her on the idea of getting Fen to promote Fenmore's but sees a wrecked Lauren who confides what she's going through. Consoling Lauren, Phyllis wishes she could do more to help but offers to manage the launch of the app and check in with boutique managers to make sure Fenmore's is running.

 

Victor's role should've been minimized or Lauren could've been caught between Victor and Christine's advice and has to make the ultimate decision as to how to proceed.

 

All the agency, the decisions, the pressures and the glory should've been in Lauren's hands.  Nobody else.

 

 

 

 

[ajsp35801]

 

Brilliant. 

 

After reading this, I'm struck with just how underdeveloped this story is. 

[DramatistDreamer]

 

A few weeks ago, I posted something like "Sally call me, gurl, I have lots of ideas". 

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But really, this storyline could've been something more than what it turned out to be.

 

and just to give him something to do, I would had a few brief scenes with Neil acting as the management consultant, going through the store, clipboard in hand with a design team, telling Lauren about the poor light, disorganized clothes racks and display, chipped flooring and dressing rooms in disarray that need to be fixed, while Lauren, practically in a cold sweat, wonders how she will afford to pay for it all in each boutique. 

That would've been pressure!

Then Jack's acquisition offer might have had more weight to it.

 

Sally had a very good initial idea but the execution has been poor and incomplete. This was a chance to do a good signature business story and overlap it with a (somewhat) timely personal story (journalists in peril) but the lack of detail and skipping things consigned this story to mediocre instead of great, you know?

[Roman]

IA 1,000%.

[Ponds]

I enjoyed every bit of yesterday's show.  I guess I don't expect so much from daytime drama.  If all of you really want to see a horrible soap, watch GH and you'll start loving Y&R.

[ajsp35801]

I don't think Y&R is bad. I enjoy it actually. But I do think it could be more. 

[DramatistDreamer]

 

If you have any critique, there are some who seem to want to interpret it as revulsion.

 

I get scripts to critique and suggest fixes all the time so I guess, for me, it's an occupational hazard. I see something that could be sharper and I want to fix it.

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With Sally's writing,it seems like one is suggesting a lot of fixes because when you can see the germ of a very good idea being impeded by clumsy execution in the exposition, you (well I) can't help but comment, sometimes at length and in detail. She does the small/micro very well-- I've said this numerous times but I feel like it still gets interpreted as hate. *shrugs*

 

It's almost more frustrating than with Pratt, whose writing baffled me because it was so clueless and sloppy all around. The plane crash was intriguing (and what disaster isn't, right?) but beyond that everything else was terrible.

 

I'm not one of those amnesiacs who believe that Pratt should return (that's crazy talk, IMO) but I do believe in calling it how I see it.

 

And yes, I write scripts, I critique and edit scripts (I've had my scripts critiqued too, by the way, that's what's supposed to happen when you write), so I can't stop it and I won't stop.

 

 

[ajsp35801]

 

+1

 

Honestly, that's why I come to this board. It's more discussion about the art of story telling over here...rather than just numb sheeple  (sheep people) behavior and stanning. 

[Juliajms]

Your Y&R memory always amazes me. Was this Diego and his brother?

[DramatistDreamer]

 

Raúl??! Gurl, nah!

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[edgeofnik]

What's amazing about the Fenmore's story is that it was so darned topical and even more so during January and February as multiple department store/mall chains announced major store closing. So after failing during the by-far biggest quarter for retailing, we're to believe Fenmore's was saved by the app during the dead January/February retail season? And now Fenmore's is suddenly thriving under Jack. I guess it was true: the Fenmore's story was just the excuse to create JORM. That's it. 

[ChitHappens]

 

Don't you mean Rowel?  

[DramatistDreamer]

 

Me too!  If I wanted to stay stanning, I would never have left the SOC board.

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I love dissecting and deconstructing story lines and characterizations. I've loved finding a group of people, to debate, match wits and analyze the stories and even tie it into the show's history. 

I've learned so much about the history that occurred before I began to watch as a little girl in the 80s and I'm reminded of things I've forgotten since I started to watch at such a young age. 

 

I'm sorry if people are misinterpreting this. 

 

LOL!  

I still miss the character though.  I miss that group, it was the last time there were actual thoughtfully written stories for the young people set.

[Juliajms]

I guess I thought Diego had another brother. I've watched Y&R since original Jill was on, but I missed some years when I was in college and didn't have access to a VCR/DVR, also some years early in my working life.  Then I remembered that Sharon had sex with Billy, so it was Jack and Billy. Can you blame me for wanting to forget that?