Y&R May 2021 Discussion Thread

[Soap-princess]

MO is forgettable. The problem with this show is they don’t know when to move on when something isn’t working anymore. The Adam/Chelsea angle is an example of characters who don’t need to be on this show but are propped up because the HW is obsessed with them. 

[Vee]

I've been saying for years they need to fire Melissa Ordway but whenever I do people act like you shot the president. Her bloodline doesn't matter if the character is a worthless failure! Abby's been on for what, over a decade and there is nothing there. She needs to be gone for years.

Edited May 16, 2021 by Vee

[Antoyne]

I’m fine with MO, but this surrogacy story with an off screen Chance is AWFUL.

[Ponds]

The writers should have sent her off to be with Chance and returned ONLY when they recasted his part.  It was stupid to continue the storyline without him.

[Liberty City]

 

I don't understand the Melissa Ordway hate (and also don't need endless quotes explaining why you are hate her, either). But, not having the character of Chance there is a glaring oversight, especially when I am sure Justin Gaston would happily step back in.

 

 

More proof Anthony Morina and Josh Griffith are not the ones to be steering this ship, and never have.

[Soap-princess]

Yup. I could make a case for MCE before I can for MO when you consider pure acting talent. MO for me is the epitome of white mediocrity that has saturated daytime for a while. Someone with a pretty face for middle America but doesn’t really standout from a talent standpoint, yet she stays with a storyline while others, both black and white, are sidelined or given scraps. 
 

[FrenchBug82]

I don't think the writing for Abby has *ever* worked even with more charismatic actresses in the role so count me in the camp of those who are not bothered by MO herself: she is inoffensive enough and do not quite understand the fixation on HER.
 

Write Abby out to join Ashley wherever she is; that, I would get.
But recasting? Problem with Abby isn't MO. They need to retool the character first and then they can think over whether MO can pull off the new version.

[Faulkner]

I think all the Newman kids are a mess and need to be retooled, but at least Nick, Adam, and Victoria are just stale and coasting on past romantic “successes.”
 

Abby has never really clicked. And they’ve now isolated her from both sides of her family. The Abbotts and Newmans are both embroiled in story, and Abby’s involved in none of it.

[MichaelGL]

True Abby has never clicked which is a shame and embarrassment of riches considering her family ties.

 

SSM was the only writer I felt had a vision for Abby and made her interesting; by making her and Victoria rivals. That’s only time she clicked. 

Edited May 16, 2021 by MichaelGL

[Faulkner]

Yeah, their rivalry made a lot of sense, and it was probably the last time Victoria really worked too (aside from her too-brief rivalry with Ashley under Mal).

[Forever8]

Instead of being Lisa Grimaldi from ATWT owning every restaurant and hotel in town. Abby should be embroiled with all of the drama at Newman with Victoria, Adam, and Victor. Perhaps the latter installs Abby to take over Victoria's pride and Joy Brash and Sassy. At first, Victoria doesn't take her baby sister seriously when it comes to running her cosmetics division. However, it becomes more of a success than those last years Victoria was running it with Billy and The Walking Stick. It causes jealous and hostility from Victoria who tries sabotage her but Abby discovers what she is doing and their rivalry begins again. Have Adam get involved in the story too by helping out Abby to spite Victoria. And the two youngest Newman offspring form a unlikely bond. 

 

Instead we get Abby becoming a mother via Devon and Mariah without her husband.

Please register in order to view this content

[Chatty Cakes]

I can’t stand the pregnancy storyline with the absent Chance. What a waste for all involved. 
Jack needs to quit kissing Phyllis’s rear end. He should be dating the lovely Sally instead of cow towing to his old gross leftovers. If Nick is dumb enough to bow to her, so be it.  Jack owes her nothing. 
Plus Kyle being with Summer is disgusting. They used to be brother and sister for Pete’s sake. Neither parent should be encouraging their gross coupling. 

[BoldRestless]

 

I feel like I've been waiting for them to do this skit forever, hah.

 

As for Abby.... I don't think she is a good actress but what is the point in recasting? If they would hire an excellent actress, and give her excellent scripts, sure... but that is not going to happen, so whatever. For me the best actors on the show right now are Bryton James and Camryn Grimes, but they're caught in this awful baby storyline. I think they should make Mariah lose the baby, and have Abby blame her and lash out, which would cause some non-Adam drama for the Newmans and make Devon relive the Hillary stuff.

[Faulkner]

I’m probably alone, and JG is probably not the right writer for such a story, but I wanted Abby and Mariah to bond and slowly fall in love over the course of the surrogacy, with Nina and Tessa becoming aware of it over time. Then Chance returns to complicate matters. An old-fashioned juicy scandalous story with a modern twist.

Note: that proposed story would have worked better had Chance been the biological father instead of Devon.

[FrenchBug82]

I think it is pretty clear Devon being the biological father was a last-minute rewrite after they decided to write Chance out because it makes little sense on its own merits OR as storytelling.

But I  will say I do like the idea there will be a baby who will be a descendant of Victor Newman, John Abbott AND Katherine Chancellor. Talk about an heritage!

I would be OK with Abby working in a completely different field from both branches of her family if it was explicitly done as a rejection of her family and creating problems. Instead, it, like Abby herself, is just there. It is not like they couldnt do things even with the bland current version of her. But they don't.