Y&R March 2022 Discussion Thread

[DramatistDreamer]

You don't really need a set to have Nate in a semi-darkened room with a couple of scans and looking puzzled as he utters "this can't be right!" 

Even a later scene of Nate on the telephone, speaking to someone and then says "Mom, I really need your advice...as a physician... something that I've discovered about a patient that's highly disturbing to me.  It has to be confidential. I don't know how to begin..." Cut.

I mean seed the story over time. You actually don't have to reveal all, but drop some clues, so that viewers could actually go back and see the logic. Those scenes cut be shot with Nate alone, at any time, in a small space and placed in a relatively uncomplicated editing process. The post-production professionals at Y&R are more than capable.

The main idea is to show, not just tell. 

 

 

IMO, the budget cuts have really come to bear on the people who would normally look at these scripts and say "This needs something... it's missing something..." It feels like the budget has reduced the role of those folks. It seems like there is only a script coordinator who maybe makes sure the script pages are in numerical order and hands them out. Continuity went by the wayside over a decade ago, so we know nobody's checking for that anymore.

But yeah, seed some seeds to fill in these gaps.

[Faulkner]

I do wonder if Y&R’s budgetary woes are due to its veteran star-heavy cast. It’s actually embarrassing how claustrophobic, sterile, and static the show feels. It used to be the most open, free-flowing, lush, cinematic soap, and now it’s the most confined. Even crappy DAYS with its artificial-looking sets feels more dynamic.

I must say, even though I dogged Richard Burgi’s wooden performance, he looks menacing in a way Robert Newman does not. I don’t buy the physical intimidation factor with Ashland with RN in the role.

[Sapounopera]

How many times has Josh Griffith changed his mind about Ashland?

[Melroser]

If they don't have the money for extras, then cut back on the restaurant/hotel scenes. You can still create great drama with characters in their homes and offices where random people wouldn't be walking in/around. It would be less distracting. 

Yes, even Days has people walking around the town square. 

[Antoyne]

I would much rather the characters be at home or in offices than constantly at the deserted Crimson Lights, Society, and Grand Phoenix.

[BoldRestless]

I keep wondering why we don't see flashes of anger from Ashland. RN is more than capable. I thought he'd react more strongly to Nate. I'm wondering if RN has been given direction not to show his cards, because the writers haven't decided yet if Ashland is really faking or not. The other possibility is he's supposed to be an Ian Ward-style sociopath who believes what he's saying, but the writing isn't that sophisticated (and it was hardly sophisticated then!).

[Vee]

The uh, intense Y&R forum at PTV has absolutely roasted Newman mercilessly, lol. I don't think he's doing that bad, I think the show is just that bad. I know Newman can play the bad guy.

If people want to see the kind of driving drama and business intrigue Y&R should be doing with a minimum of budget overhead, look at The Dropout, the Amanda Seyfried-led adaptation of the Elizabeth Holmes/Theranos scandal on Hulu. It may have stars but you can tell that story without stars on a daytime soap easily - it is a con built around a wannabe mega-corporation and an ambitious tycoon with delusions of grandeur and one big lie. Everything is character, crippling flaws, ego, ambition and neuroses. I can think of half a dozen characters on Y&R who could be another Holmes.

Edited March 17, 2022 by Vee

[Paul Raven]

Big yes to all of this.

It seems odd to me that a set can go up for Keemo's LA house, Chance's therapist office, but not a simple set for the police station, Nate's apartment,Amanda's office etc

 

[Faulkner]

Shows who they care about.

[Faulkner]

Or they’re writing for “a surprise twist” they don’t want to telegraph so they’re making Ashland less overt. But JG’s twists always fall flat. I dunno. They’re sorta hanging RN out to dry. RN can absolutely play a baddie, but RB doesn’t even have to act it. He just looks like a thug. But of course RB struggled with the all-over-the-place writing for Ashland all the same. 

 

On the list.

[Vee]

Richard Burgi gave one of the great genre performances of all time in, of all things, Hostel II. Both hilarious and scary. He channeled white yuppie impotence and rage perfectly. Both GH and Y&R utterly wasted him because I don't think they knew how deep he can run. And poor Robert Newman clearly is only here to run out the clock.

Edited March 17, 2022 by Vee

[Khan]

Agree.

[Faulkner]

GH and DAYS are overrun with villains (unsurprisingly, given their histories) while B&B has Sheila (and possibly Grace). Y&R can’t even muster one decent one. I don’t get it. It’s Soaps 101.

[Forever8]

Any guesses on who is the mysterious woman might be? 

[Faulkner]

Mari Jo Mason? Lol.