Y&R: May 2017 Discussion Thread

[DramatistDreamer]

 

I don't think the storyline does anyone any favors, including Mariah.

 

When I say that Hillary and Mariah are not equal rivals, it has nothing to do with looks but background. Although both were in some senses forced to 'live by their wits' at some time in their backstory, they took very different paths.

 

Early on we saw that Hillary loved to think strategically to manipulate situations, not to mention people, to create space for herself.

She put herself through college somehow, we know she is a first rate mind. Sometimes she was too smart for her own good and has outsmarted herself, at times.

 

Mariah, is no less intelligent but she used guile and guts to manuveur.  For example, that situation when she got Tyler in trouble while they were hustling, then promptly got him off the hook. She leads with her heart and it has been known to get her into trouble.

 

Both are survivors of their childhoods/adolescence.

 

I could see how these two might be good friends if they started out in the same place in life but Hillary went from being the protege of the head of an industry to doing this show?

 

For Mariah, this was only her second job after tending bar but even here, I feel that like Sharon, Mariah would benefit from being in college and finding out where her talents lie.

 

What I cannot figure out is what do any of these women see in Restless Style, er GC Buzz??

Please register in order to view this content

 Leanna Love is the only character that makes sense to host such a show and make it work.

[DeeeDee]

 

+1.

[ajsp35801]

 

Pairing Devon and Mariah was supposed to give it weight and relevance. Fail. Its even worse cause Devon and Mariah doesn't work. @Juliajms is right.  Mariah just looks and feels out of place in their story. 

 

If the story was that both had hard upbringings and were alike in how they deal with the world, this rivalry might work...if we disregarded CG seemingly uncomfortableness in the scenes. But that's not what they are telling us. Hilary is all things bad and evil. Mariah all things good and salt if the earth. They also never mention Hilary's upbringing. She's played as a spoiled rich man's wife who can't deal with poor people cause it makes her uncomfortable with them having so little while she has so much. 

[DramatistDreamer]

 

Because the characters are in totally different places in their lives. In order to 'force' a rivalry, they had to put a thumb on the scales for one character.

My point is still that this so called rivalry is unbalanced, it's an illusion.

 

Anyone who has paid attention to Mariah's backstory knows where she came from- I think it's too much subtext to be reading anything about whether Hillary is a spoiled rich man's wife (which honestly, I didn't think until you just mentioned it) since the writers pay so little attention to genuine character development.

Everything character-related to Hillary (e.g. like that speech she gave about her divorce on air) has been for GC Buzz's sake. It's now gotten to the point that the Hillary character doesn't exist with out GC Buzz.

They're trying to sell GC Buzz as Hillary's life work and I'm not buying it.

 

Her heartfelt speech, although clunky had some feeling to it but in her doing it so publicly (on camera) you're never sure whether it is genuine introspection or for ratings. This would be a tangible example of Hillary's character being lowered to fit the rivalry.

Yes, they're trying to shoehorn a romance with Jordan, in the way they're trying to shoehorn Devon and Mariah- supposedly to add another layer but it's cosmetic and very superficial.

 

[MoTheGreat]

The only person Hilary going to go up against is CKLily. People like her acting opposite of Jill but that would be getting her out of that black story.

[ajsp35801]

 

I get what you're saying. I don't think TPTB think they are in different places in their lives.  I think they figured since its an online TV show, Mariah didn't require much experience or education. Hilary didn't have any either. So in that, they are very much equal. However, I do think they are aware that Mariah needed help with the rivalry for different reasons, whatever those reasons are is anyone's guess, so they tipped the scale her way. 

 

Disagree here. MiM has chemistry with everyone in the cast imo. She lights up that stage no matter what. 

[DramatistDreamer]

 

Wait, I thought Hillary was college educated. Are you saying she doesn't have television experience? Hillary has a degree though, I could've sworn that she even went over her resume in a conversation with Mason in one episode and mentioned her education. I think her education was a consideration for Neil being able to convince Jack to give her a chance in a postion at Jabot.

[edgeofnik]

 

I'm pretty certain Hillary was established as someone who was educated. I really wasn't watching much when she was introduced, but I recall it was a bit of a train wreck. Anyway, I'll watch anything with MM and CG - I just think they both deserve better than this. MM is a star in every sense and I wish they take 30% of Victoria bleh scenes and give them to her.

 

I remember people being not-so-hot on Hack, but is Hordan and Jorm really better? I think not. I still think MM/ED a good professional sparring team. And, yeah, all the catty stuff should be CK/MM, who I guess are friends since CK put together MM's baby shower. 

 

I did see the scenes with MM/CG from Thursday (US) and while both actors did their job - you could tell they do not like this storyline at all. 

[MoTheGreat]

I didn't want to waste my time writing the two characters name who make up that boring ass Lame. Even though Cane is much better when he isn't around boring CKLily.

[edgeofnik]

Oh and who was the writer who completely short-changed the Abby/Ashley scenes with basically no information given to Abby? That's was strange and made Ashley seem as cold as Dina. Those scenes could've been great with Ashley opening up to her daughter more. It was only made worse by cutting off those scenes with the cringe-worthy/Lightning FF of RAsh massage, which was the only reason Ashley would be a home during business day. 

[ajsp35801]

Hilary has several degrees. But I meant TV experience. Her growing pains in that business were shown onscreen. 

[DramatistDreamer]

 

Well, I worked in TV once, fresh out of school. I didn't have much experience either. Come to think of it, neither did a good portion of the workforce who worked for that particular TV show. 

[ajsp35801]

 

Not surprising. Lol. But my point was that I don't think the writers see Hilary and Mariah as unequal with hosting the TV show. 

[DramatistDreamer]

 

I see what your saying but the vision of GC Buzz as this great career option makes no sense. It's a cheesy tabloid show that only a dyed in the wool provocateur like Leanna Love could make work.

I will never see GC Buzz as being viable for either character. So far, what I'm seeing only makes me feel more of the same. It still looks as silly an idea as ever, and unsustainable on top of it. 

[Paul Raven]

GC Buzz needs to be ditched pronto. Whatever happened to the equally idiotic Restless Style?

 

What kind of a viable workplace could be created for those characters?