B&B to air classic episodes

[Faulkner]

Doing a trans story was such a cynical way for the show to get press. They really exploited a whole community for short-term gains.

Edited June 30, 2020 by Faulkner

[Sapounopera]

The Maya storyline was Ryan-Murphy-stupid. The world's most boring trans woman marries Prince Charming. The end.

[Faulkner]

Before she came out, Maya was a social-climbing bitch, but they defanged her to evoke audience sympathies once we learned she was trans. She couldn’t possibly still be a nuanced flawed trans woman, right? They preserved some of her strength, fine, but she had to be the most solemn, earnest woman ever. The point is moot: they never cared that much about her from the jump: they just wanted recognition from queer organizations and notices on Entertainment Tonight. And they thought Rick was disposable, too, which is why they paired him with her.

[GLATWT88]

Omg, this!!! I have always strongly believed that Maya was paired with Rick because he was seen as expendable on the show's canvas. They wouldn't have written the Maya story and paired the character with certain men on the show because of fear it would "tarnish" those characters. After Rick and Maya were married, I assumed they would have a difficult time writing for Maya, because that show loves to have everyone sleeping with everyone else's spouse and they just wouldn't go there with Maya and have other men on the canvas sexually involved with a person of trans experience. I also felt (and I may be remembering this wrong) that the Forrestors were way too nonchalant and sympathetic about the whole situation. I know LA is forward and the fashion and media industries are large employers of LGBTQ+ people, interestingly lacking on the soap, but I still believe it would have been a lot harder for the family (at least some) to wrap their head around. It's definitely something the show should have explored and developed in the characters, maybe an extremely reluctant parent who just found accepting their child with a trans person really challenging due to ignorance (which is still a major issue) and maybe going through an education or growth experience. Some of those things did happen, the show was used as a vehicle to educate (somewhat), but it should have explored the realities of people of trans experience more fully. Again, I may be remembering this wrong but to me the Forrestors' reactions were drama lite. They had to bring in new characters in Maya's parents to show that struggle of acceptance. 

 

I thought it would be interesting if Ridge or Eric had become involved with Maya as well. The show could have touched upon the fetishization of black and trans bodies. Certainly was not going to happen, but they could have really explored many facets of the trans experience, but as you said the storyline was used as a tool to pander and gain undue recognition. 

[pdm1974]

This! I know B&B is a half hour show with only so much room on the canvas, but to set a show in the fashion industry with no LGBT characters and in Los Angeles with no Latino cast members has never made sense. 

[Faulkner]

B&B feels like a conservative fantasy of what the fashion industry is. Completely white and heterosexual, aside from random models on the runway, who were always voiceless. They’d rather border on incest than branch out. But given what we know about the vast majority of the soap audience, that’s all understandable. Those of us on the margins have just had to suspend disbelief.

 

Edit: that’s not to dismiss some of the real issues with racism and exclusion in the fashion industry. But B&B certainly should have been gayer.

Edited July 1, 2020 by Faulkner

[DaytimeFan]

I've always thought the B&B view of the fashion industry is through the lens of Ralph Lauren and his empire, and nothing outside of it. 

 

I remember in the early 2000s when B&B started to be simulcast in Spanish and they brought in several Latino cast members into Spectra (and I thought they were great additions) and they only lasted a few years. 

 

Just a note that the house used in today's episode where Ridge marries Caroline is Bill Jr. and MAB's house in Malibu. 

[Faulkner]

Ralph Lauren was at least Jewish, even though he created such a WASP brand. It would have been interesting if Eric and team had a Calvin Klein-esque rival who was closeted and had a family.

Edited July 1, 2020 by Faulkner

[kalbir]

Any update on what next week's classics are?

[GLATWT88]

[Darn]

 

Remove Amber and Deacon, they got a lot of good story and left when they were running out of gas. The others I agree with. It's wild to me that the show's premier couple don't have their only child together on canvas. 

[DaytimeFan]

 

That's a great idea. And would have been terrific to see developed because it feels riskier and way more exciting than what the show produced. Especially as the Spectra clan started to fade away. I will always maintain that Jack Wagner was the worst thing to happen to B&B - he was an albatross and stopped the show from progressing at all.

[pdm1974]

I thought Reign Edwards was an especially good find for the show and a great actress. It's a shame they couldn't find a way...yet again...to fully integrate an AA character into the show.

[ranger1rg]

These classic episodes are awful choices, that’s all I can say. Unless I see Sally or Stephanie, I can last only 10 or 15 minutes before tuning out.

[Faulkner]

They could have even cast Darlene Conley as the rival’s wife who knows her husband’s gay but sticks around because she helped build their business and family. So we could have still gotten the great SF/DC battles. And later on, the Calvin Klein character could have come out and snagged Thomas Forrester as a boytoy/protégé.