1 hour ago, P.J. said:

I admit, I didn't appreciate Dylan Bruce as much as I should have. I can't recall anything his Chris did. The recast that sunk Chris was Bailey Chase. He looked forty and was dating a teenage Alison. 

Didn't they try to pair Bruce back with Abigail? I think I also remember him being shirtless and passing out as part of some coma story that Kim was also in...

On 4/18/2023 at 8:33 PM, DRW50 said:

Didn't they try to pair Bruce back with Abigail? I think I also remember him being shirtless and passing out as part of some coma story that Kim was also in...

He came in as a pairing with Emily. And then flirting back with Alison. I don't think Abigail was around at that point.

@DRW50 @Liberty City   ah...Chris and pornstar/cokehead Alison...that explains why I don't remember him.

1 hour ago, Liberty City said:

He came in as a pairing with Emily. And then flirting back with Alison. I don't think Abigail was around at that point.

Oh. Thanks. For some reason I thought Abigail came back briefly then left again (not counting her brief return in 2009). 

10 hours ago, DRW50 said:

Oh. Thanks. For some reason I thought Abigail came back briefly then left again (not counting her brief return in 2009). 

I think it's because Marnie Schulenburg dyed her hair brunette around this time. But she had good chemistry with Dylan Bruce's Chris. I'm still shocked Chris ended up with Katie in the end.

On 3/30/2023 at 6:50 AM, DRW50 said:

I think once outside of the bubble that Bill Bell and Kay Alden had Eileen in, it was more difficult to hide what a harsh presence she is (this was also an issue when she returned to Y&R, I think). She was all wrong as a Capwell kid, who, aside from Terry Lester's Mason I suppose, were generally smoother on the surface and cracked underneath.

After re-watching the pre-possession Reilly run on DAYS, her Kristen was pretty soft and emotive until she starts to go into scheming mode, and then outright villainy.  She doesn’t come across as harsh or as blunt as she did later on DAYS or after her return to Y&R.  And to me it was more like haughty than truly harsh.

21 hours ago, titan1978 said:

After re-watching the pre-possession Reilly run on DAYS, her Kristen was pretty soft and emotive until she starts to go into scheming mode, and then outright villainy.  She doesn’t come across as harsh or as blunt as she did later on DAYS or after her return to Y&R.  And to me it was more like haughty than truly harsh.

I think YR was more the issue then Eileen..imho.

She had great chemistry on Days with Drake/Eric, friend chemistry with Melissa R/Rinna, and adversary chemistry with Diedre.

She had great chemistry on Bold with Ronn Moss, decent friend chemistry with Felicia, and potential adversary chemistry with KKL.

So I think it's the environment of Y & R and Eileen not mixing well.

23 hours ago, Soaplovers said:

I think YR was more the issue then Eileen..imho.

23 hours ago, Soaplovers said:

So I think it's the environment of Y & R and Eileen not mixing well.

The issue is Y&R post-Bill Bell.

ED's 1999 return saw a coldness and hardness added to Ashley that wasn't really there before. That might have been due to Bill Bell no longer writing or a change in ED's acting style from her time on Days.

Bill Bell recognized that ED's acting style didn't lend itself to allow him to write original recipe Ashley as a heroine in the vein of Chris Brooks and Leslie before her and Caroline and Christine after her, so original recipe Ashley was written as the confident goal-oriented Abbott daughter on track to a successful business career. ED's acting style also made it difficult for Bill Bell to write a viable love interest for Ashley, that's why the pairings with Brian, Eric, Marc tanked. 1984-1988 Ashley/Victor storylines worked because Bill Bell saw that EB was a match for ED's acting style.

On 4/22/2023 at 12:47 PM, kalbir said:

ED's 1999 return saw a coldness and hardness added to Ashley that wasn't really there before.

I remember this was such a contrast from Shari’s Valley Girl Ashley, and Eileen’s heightened run as Kristen. 
 

Ashley came back an Ice Queen. A Caroline Bissette type. She was not longer a Betty, she was Veronica. I loved the evolution. She and Brad, it was like could two people be more attractive? If you went to central casting and asked for a “soap couple” you would have gotten Diamont and Davidson. 
 

I think this coldness and edge is what made Ashley a more well rounded character again. She was not everyone’s friend and talk to character ala Epperson. She was no longer the ditzy victim ala Shattuck. She was a debutante, a woman who could get whatever she wanted without saying a word. 
 

and Ashley under Davidson does. I remember years later at Katherine’s fake funeral, when she and Victor arrive late and sit in the front row together. She did not have any lines. She just looked forward with an icy glare. She was Ashley Abbott, and ever had to say a single word to claim her space.