Y&R March 2021 Discussion Thread

[Taoboi]

Well...discuss!!!

 

 

 

[Taoboi]

BUMP!!!

[Faulkner]

JG has so botched this Sally story. This could have really packed a punch.

[Chatty Cakes]

Good Lort with Phyllis’s antics in that ugly one shoulder dress in that ugly hotel lobby. Nick started to call her out on her insecurities but she fake cried her way out.  Why isn’t she in jail for theft by now? It makes me mad that Sally stayed at her stank hotel instead of going to the Athletic Club.
What’s Kyle going to do with a love child? 
I want to like this latest Adam but they aren’t doing him any favors with the current storyline. 
 

[Fevuh]

Attempted to watch today but every time The Pee is wearing a one shoulder dress: and THEN THE ADAM! ADAM!  When did Chealsea get catatonic?   God it was stupid 

Show gone downhill so bad it will never recover.  And they let this happen.  Sad. 

Thank God for The Real and Tamron Hall in my timeslot

 

[Cat]

From a momentum POV, I found Tuesday's episode better than Monday's (Abbybot/Devon politely discussing surrogacy was like watching oatmeal congeal in a bowl). At least people are moving around those 4 tiny sets (hotel/Jabot/Crimson Lights/'penthouse')!

 

This was probably JG's soapiest episode this week, even though the stories are pale imitations of what we would view as traditional soapiness. So we've got a vengeful Chelsea trapped in a wheelchair-bound body plotting revenge (reminds me of JFP era). We've got Sharon and Adam making heart eyes at each other at Crimson Lights. We've got Phyllis going through Sally's Google history. And we have the Kyle long-ago affair/illegitimate kid thing.

 

It's not great. I always hope Y&R will get better, but TBH, CBS and Sony have butchered the elements that made Y&R special for so long, turning it into a generic ABC-lite soap with generic ABC-lite music (and I'll repeat what I've said before: music on Y&R was a key element in underpinning the characters' psychological state/hidden motives. With that -- and the rehearsals -- gone, we just have one-dimensional characters cycling through plots).

 

So why was I lowkey entertained? The energy of some actors in their scenes, specifically Stafford and Mealor. Stafford is probably bored and sauced, but at least she's giving me something chaotic in this cockamamie rivalry story with Sally. She knows the story isn't strong but she's trying to make it happen. Mealor is doing a decent Peter Bregman vocal impression.

 

Not crazy about the actor playing Adam who has muted screen presence compared with some of his predecessors, and the Tara actress is basic thus far, even though she looks like a young Cynthia Watros. Perhaps the arrival of Ashland Locke will pick up that story. Maybe he will have a fling with Ashley lol.

Edited March 3, 2021 by Cat

[Money]

In order for Ashland Locke to be a formidable character he can't just be coming to town seeking revenge on Kyle. Sure, it starts off with Kyle but then he quickly sets his sights on the Newmans and Abbotts. This has the potential to be good and the actor is excellent but JG has the attention span of a gnat.  He makes his villains one note *see Simon Black* and then they peter out into the night.  So many of JG's storylines start off with promise and just as quickly dropped or rushed to a conclusion without having the necessary beats for full climax. 

 

On a side note: I guess Lauren forgot she was going to work with her cleavage on full display in the dead of winter and the one shoulder/off shoulder- dress/pantsuit is thoroughly over done. Wardrobe needs to bury it never to be resurrected.

 

Stafford always looks high in her scenes.

[Vizion]

I only watch this show sporadically cause it stinks but is Phyllis basically a bartender or waitress now? Every time I see the show she is behind the bar serving drinks. What an odd turn for that character. 

I guess JG likes her being comic relief and nothing more but really....

 

Also can anyone explain to me why this show LOOKS so bad? Like why are all the sets small? The only part of Jabot we see is that tiny boardroom, all we see at Newman is Victor's office, half the cast lives in a hotel room, and most of the other scenes either take place in the lobby of that hotel where Phyllis bartends, that other place where Lola works and the coffeehouse.

 

I get budgets are being cut but GH does not look nearly this bad. In fact GH looks downright plush compared to Y&R these days (even with GH's sets being way too dark)

[ranger1rg]

Way too much of the Faith bullying mess was wrapped up in one scene with Faith, Nick, and Sharon. Awful.

[Paul Raven]

All the storytelling is being affected by the budget- no room for extra sets and characters that would allow for stories to be told in greater depth

eg Abby visiting specialists, Faith encountering a mean girls clique, Groan Penis having staff/guests etc, more homes/offices.

GH does seem to have better sets.

[Cat]

 

 

Totally. GH sets now far outstrip Y&R's in terms of size, variety and (as you say, Vizion) plushness. There are tons of flower arrangements in almost every scene (a former Y&R staple!). I even prefer the moody lighting. I never thought I would see the day when GH had better sets and lighting, but FV really has maximised the design and what little set budget there is.

 

I also think the issue with Y&R is not just a low rotation of small pokey sets, but its particular method of socially-distanced filming. GH has a wedding going on and I was lowkey shocked at the number of actors milling around and talking to each other, and not at a distance either. GH obviously has its own health protocols at play, but Y&R seems stricter, with max 3 people per scene, sitting across from each other at big tables or standing with lots of furniture between them. The Jabot boardroom set currently only seems to allow two actors at a time. As the months pass, and the social distancing situation eases up, maybe Y&R's showrunners will be able to plan for more varied scenes with more people.

 

It's not just that the SD stuff is hindering the show -- it also exposes just how poor and dull the writing is TBH. In the 60s and 70s, some soaps had like 2 actors on one set for a whole episode, but they still managed to produce psychologically insightful, tense drama.

Edited March 4, 2021 by Cat

[soapfan770]

Whoever mentioned Phyllis is being used as comic relief is absolutely correct. Those Phyllis/Lauren scenes talking about Sally’s search results on the Abbotts felt like something off an old ABC TGIF

sitcom or a Nickelodeon show. 
 

The one shoulder dresses being used on Phyllis & Lauren are silly as well. 

[DramatistDreamer]

 

Wait a...what??? Is this the new nickname?

Please register in order to view this content

[Cat]

 

I read that as Grown Penis initially. 

 

 

Prepare to see those one-armed dresses all week!

 

Phyllis is like trapped in the lobby/bar of that 3-star hostel and can't get out.

[Forever8]

The Grand Phoenix should've been an apartment building instead of a hotel since half of the canvas reside there now. It reminds me so much of the latter years of Guiding Light where some of the canvas was living in those rooms at The Beacon.