Y&R: March 2017 Discussion Thread

[ajsp35801]

 

The same thing I said but was told everything doesn't have to be some great love and dating around is great for the show. After watching Neil and Jack for the past 10, I can't see how. 

 

[DramatistDreamer]

 

Dating does not always mean sleeping with.

These characters practically get engaged and down the aisle toward the altar, six, seven times, all the while the pairing is an actual flop!

[ajsp35801]

 

As I said back when, no one on this show dates without marriage in mind. There has been so many engagements and marriages that its all been cheapened. Marriage means nothing now. 

[edgeofnik]

 

Y&R may be bad on that front, but nothing compared to B&B. I really wish soaps tried to show more contemporary views of dating. Not every date, hook-up, etc. has to lead to something permanent or exclusive. I was laughing (and not in a good way) when they were talking about 'the 3rd date' for Nelsea. Ugh! You've got to be kidding me. Characters like Mariah, Abby and Summer should be dating various guys. Instead, we're to believe these vibrant, attractive and smart women just go without and then they meet a man and boom - they're on the road to marriage. For example, Mariah/Devon certainly could've had a hook-up or fling for numerous reasons. But if they decide to go down that path now, it has to MEAN SOMETHING. I wish the writers knew that it really doesn't. 

[rlj]

Oooooh I liked the Chick sex scene!

 

 

[Darn]

How? There was zero passion or heat. That sex scene could have easily been Nikki and Victor. It doesn't help that Chelsea's apartment looks like a set from 1985.

[ajsp35801]

 

Hope and Stephy weren't 25 and both had been married 10 times. It's just silly. 

 

 

[DramatistDreamer]

 

I've been saying for years that this is what happens when soaps rely too much on couples. 

When you look at the history of Y&R soaps (and many other soaps), some of their most enduring characters were written as fully conceived characters apart from their relationships. Apparently, over the last 12-15 years, it's become all but completely impossible to do.

 

I mean, why the hell can't they try building a god*amn character for once and then take it from there?

[DeeeDee]

The biggest problem is that for the past decade work stories have been ignored to focus on personal drama.

 

Y&R had it's share of romances over the years but it was never a soap where romance was its primary concern (unlike All My Children, Days or Santa Barbara).

 

Between that, the unnecessary destruction of so many legacy characters and the devolution of the majority of Y&R vets for storyline purposes explains Y&R's current situation.

 

Which is how you get an underwritten business story (Fenmore's collapse) driven by a character that's a shell of her former self (Lauren) who can't focus on her current situation because one of her sons (who has rarely been acknowledged by anyone over the past decade) has gone missing.

 

That doesn't mean Y&R is good currently, it's just better now, than what preceded it.

[ajsp35801]

 

I think that's inspired by viewers' interests. They don't care about anything but couples it seems. They have no use for characters unless they are in a pairing. They want romance in the afternoon. 

 

I remember when Y&R became a bunch of characters bumping into each other around town to argue or have sex. They had no reason to interact. It reminded me of OLTL circa 2005. It was this way so long that it seems odd to see characters actually working now. 

 

That's the one thing Sally understands. Characters need a reason to interact. 

 

 

[Paul Raven]

I like the idea of using one character eg Abby to explore dating different guys. We could see the dates, the disasters etc. she could be really into someone, only for him not to reciprocate and conversely have to deal with a guy that is coming on too strong.

She'd have to decide if she's ready to have sex with any of them and the implications. Maybe juggling a couple of guys while she tries to get a handle on who she likes best etc

Could be something a bit different and reset the character of Abby.

[ajsp35801]

 

Who is Abby going to date? It's not like the show has a plethora of single young men established and available 

[GMac]

I'm a little surprised that the new regime hasn't cleaned house yet...

[wingwalker]

 

Me too. People online are always quoting Doug Marland's rules, one of them was, don't fire anyone for six months. Maybe they are following that rule. 

[GMac]

 

 

True.  I guess time will tell, huh.

 

 

 

 

Would they bring on random day players to fill the "date" role for Abby?  The character hasn't been developed very well, so asking us to invest in a story that only has one familiar face (that isn't a fan fave) would be risky.  I would say, if it's done as a solid B story, it might be worth doing.  It couldn't follow this recent pacing model of going balls to the wall for a week or two and then off screen for the next two weeks.  

 

We would get to know Abby better and help flesh out the character.