Y&R July 2023 Discussion Thread

[DramatistDreamer]

To be honest, I haven’t been watching enough of JG’s recent writing tenure on Y&R to gauge whether he’s succeeded in correcting his problem with raising the stakes and drawing stories to a conclusion. You have probably seen more of his work than I have at this point. Do you believe he is more capable this time around of craft more complicated and complete storylines?

I have said this before and I will say it again. This storyline with Cameron bequeathing his company to Sharon is very reminiscent of a storyline that aired on As The World Turns with Frannie Hughes (Julianne Moore) and Douglas Cummings (John Wesley Shipp) where Douglass leaves Frannie his fortune and at first, a traumatized Frannie wants nothing to do with it before eventually deciding to use it to help children with mental health problems. I am not sure JG has that level of commitment to sustain a storyline and keep it consistent enough to make it a permanent part of the character’s trajectory and vocation. It would be nice to be proven wrong though.

[Taoboi]

Me, no. While I enjoyed Cameron's arc in the too-brief weeks we had him, the fact that was going on or climaxing as Sally was losing her baby was giving me STRONG shades of the end of his DAYS run...which I had been defending him somewhat from what I remember...up until the infamous rape on the famed Horton couch. And it had gotten too dark for me to watch before it got to that point.

 

Currently I am enjoying what I'm seeing for the most part, but side-eyeing waiting for the other shoe to drop. 

 

I meant though your thoughts...unless you might not be viewing day to day about how Chance came by Devon's and asked him, Abby, and Dominic to move into the mansion. It's been touched a few other times over the last...week and a half...with scenes of Devon debating moving since the penthouse has so many memories of Neil for him. I have wondered if they were going to have someone else more in. And it appears in one of the recent episodes I watched that Lily might be moving in to keep it in the family (as Devon phrased it when he asked her). All of it just made me think of how you been talking about your story about characters moving into the Chancellor mansion and the drama that would entail if the right people were there. Abby has already addressed how she was afraid to do so because you never know when Nina will show up and she was still recovering from Nina dragging her at the bicentennial. 

 

Mmmmm...are people on the show reading the boards again...? Personally, I think so given the untucked shirt strike but lol. 

[DramatistDreamer]

My first thought when I saw that episode was that they needed a reason to use the Chancellor mansion, especially being that it’s the 50th anniversary and people have probably been complaining that many iconic sets are missing from the show. They are not capable of bringing back the original Newman ranch set, or the Colonnade room set, so some form of the Chancellor Mansion will do, despite that there would no longer be any biological Chancellors living there once Chance moves out. Chance as a single character with no real storyline attached to him doesn’t drive enough story to make use of the mansion set. Abby, and to a certain extent, Devon have some semblance of story to justify using the set. Ijust get the sense that it’s the 50th year and someone wants to use the set but one line character living there wouldn’t provide the cover they need to convince tptb to resurrect the set. My issue is, unless there is conflict taking place under that roof, what’s the point?

 I mentioned Devon and wife Hilary moving in because there would be immediate and consistent conflict, mainly between Jill and Hilary who are two strong-willed women, Devon who loves his wife would defend her against Jill, while possibly in private, urge Hilary to rise above Jill’s provocations. Now, if Jill were to move back into the mansion, there might be conflict there as Abby broke her grandson’s heart. If the writing is realistic, it would be one-sided as Jill would be totally justified in holding a grudge and even if Abby had a leg to stand on, I don’t see her having the backbone to take on Jill the way Hilary would. It really wouldn’t be a realistic fight and the conflict would be over before we knew it. There’s no story there. Even Nina, there would be no reason for Nina to stay in the house. She was never invested in staying there the way Jill was and without Chance living there, what reason would Nina have to spend any time there at all? Realistically, I don’t see much storyline coming from this, at least none that emerges organically—something would have to be contrived imo.

Part of the reason why both Katherine and Jill were so insistent on being in that house was the connection it had to Phillip for them. Katherine wanted Phillip’s son to live there despite Jill being his mother, it was the one aspect both Kay and Jill agreed on, this was the Chancellor legacy.

Both Jill and Chancellor believed that that were also part of that legacy, which they vehemently disagreed on (the other’s legitimate claim to the house). If there’s no Chance, no Jill, no Kay…what do we have? Devon is acting as a kind of stand in for Katherine but he and Jill get along reasonably well, so there’s no conflict there either.

In my imagination, Hilary would have been key to a successful conflict. We already saw Jill and Hilary clash and it was great, I saw those scenes and immediately hoped for more but with an actual storyline or at least something grounded in an an organic situation that would give cause for genuine conflict and a domestic situation would have been an easy way to generate consistent conflict.

Edited July 9, 2023 by DramatistDreamer

[Taoboi]

Which is why your story idea with Hilary and Jill rocked.

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 And then you added more detail.

 

I don't know yet if JG is going to do the same. Yes, Devon is connected, but unless they not only bring back the set and we see people there AND Chance is still living them or making appearances there, yes, it will ring false.

Even with what we have...Jill can easily pop in for an extended visit. As could Nina. With what is going on with Summer/Kyle/Audra, I could see Chance letting her stay there, too so she don't have to see Audra and wanting to show she can stand on her own when the Phyllis stuff blows up. Add on Chance's lingering feelings for Abby...AND Summer/Abby's own history...and there could be some potential drama. And that's just off the top of my head.

[DramatistDreamer]

Good points, but if only get drop ins rather than people consistently living under the same, it’s more likely that we get contrived conflicts, rather than organically brewed conflicts, the kind that occur when people become so familiar with each other and the proverbial gloves eventually come off (to use a phrase from one the genre’s nemeses “…when people stop being polite and start getting real…”). And Chance is really too much of a reasonable guy to initiate or sustain conflict. There would have to be some major rewriting of his character to make it seem as though it wouldn’t be a massive retroactive retcon. Jill has always been petty enough to initiate and sustain conflict of any kind but she would have to live in the house full-time, not just a visit imo to make it realistic. If it’s just a visit, Jill’s so busy, she doesn’t even need to see them at all. The house is basically empty, maybe except for Esther and unseen servants? It would have been better if Jill were already living at Chancellor mansion when Devon and Abby move in. Even better if Chance didn’t know his grandmother moved back in and Jill didn’t know that Chance gave Devon and Abby permission to move in. Now that would be the basis for immediate and perhaps extended conflict.

[Taoboi]

Not the REAL WORLD!!!! I

 

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But seriously, hehe that what I was trying to think of off the top of my head as well because I would rather it be organically. I definitely don't want it to be contrived. That's why I liked that they have done scenes over the last week and a half where you got to see Devon's point of view on moving. You also got Abby's point of view on moving. Now Chance talking to Abby all of a sudden since he's been in Sharon and Summer's orbit felt contrived to me, but I still feel that JG missed such an opportunity to deal with the aftermath of the breakup of Chance/Abby's marriage after propping them forever and a day. Now that I'm thinking of it I might be getting JG mixed up with Brad Bell who took a YEAR to get back around to ideas/stories/plot threads he set up this past year that he started last year. lol. I was hoping JG might be doing that right now, but one never knows. 

 

With Chance, I could imagine once the move happened, that there would be hints that he is not as over Abby as he says. And it would be gradual now that they are under the same roof again. Like what if there was a breakfast scene and Devon notices how well Chance STILL knows Abby and Devon points it out. Chance, being a good guy, denies it of course. But when he is alone or working on a case, he starts to think about what Devon said objectively or talks with Sharon...and he gets a clue. And then he starts to get emotional about it or tries to avoid it. If Jill returns, say she picks up on that...and starts to do what Jill does best...pot stirs.

 

Great minds...that is HOW I am fully wanting this story to turn. Jill shows up not even knowing they are there because Chance has been too busy with Sharon and Summer to tell her. Or yes, she moves back BEFORE they make the move. Cuz yes, that just writes itself.

 

[Taoboi]

7-7

 

I hollered at Tucker's impression of Jack. TSJ was pretty dead on. That said...I can't believe they had Ashley start a new business AGAIN. That said, I enjoyed seeing the continuing drama between Ashley/Tucker vs Jack/Diane. It's been strangely background this week.

 

Not as much background? Kyle in his black boxer briefs. And he and Audra have sex (going on twice) again. Just...hmmm. I did holler when the Summer/Audra scene where Audra found out Summer was staying at the GCAC and Summer said 'temporarily...like your job.' Oh, yeah, they are going to have great rival energy, and I can't wait until Summer put the clues together that Audra is sleeping with Kyle.

 

I was worried that Daniel had left so it was nice to see him pop up this week though I could do without Billy/Chelesa. That said...I loved seeing Billy overreacting to all the Abbot mess that no one is telling him about until it hits. lol.

 

I guess it was an okay week...just Audra making moves. 

[Paul Raven]

There doesn't seem to be anywhere for Billy to go at this time. The podcast thing went nowhere,he and Chelsea are a snooze and another round of Billy/Phyllis or Billy/Victoria would be deadly.

Had Josh just focused on Jabot and family/business conflict, Billy would have that to fall back on and be able to be around in a strong supporting role for a while forming alliances/rivalries with Jack, Ashley, Kyle ,Allie and other cast members working there eg Mariah,maybe Audra.

A tight focus where characters can interact on a personal/business basis.

But instead we have Newman Media, Devon's company, Marchetti (why?) Tucker's company, Fenmore's,Jabot etc

None of it is dealt with properly but Josh keeps using takeovers and new ventures as the basis for stories when nobody has staff and most deals take place in restaurants.

[lucaslesann23]

they are trying to make Kyle be more like Terry Lester's Jack Abbott. And he's just not that.  

[Taoboi]

Well, I don't mind Billy being the straight man to the madness going on within the Abbott family. I've been finding it hilarious to watch...moreso because Jack has had to be the straight man to him for YEARS. It's a nice change of pace for Billy. Then again, so is seeing Billy in scenes with Ashley. I've been enjoying them as well. 

[Ponds]

I've already seen too much of Phyllis and she's barely been on.  MS just plays her too campy for my liking.

[DramatistDreamer]

Something that has been bothering me about how business stories are being written in recent years is that it seems all abstract, lacking in specific details and even visible representations of the actual products. I don’t care about Omega Sphere but it might actually seem like a real product had there been genuine product testing, focus groups and software people writing codes, dealing with bugs and fixes, maybe a malware crisis, here and there…all taking place onscreen. Instead, we hear babble about numbers down, numbers up and the games’ supposed popularity gain after sluggish downloads.  Just as dry as can be. Ironically, this would have been a good story to have a character like Ravi who specialized in software and technology.
Remember when businesses like Jabot spoke of actual products, showed someone (usually Ashley formulating products, meetings and discussions on specific products? They’d even discuss packaging and prototypes for how bottles would look? As much as viewers might have railed about Cricket’s onscreen time, at least  as a model, viewers could see her holding products in her hands (up to her face) in photo shoots. Dru went bald from the effects of a poorly formulated (or was it sabotaged?) under-tested hair product that she had been highly excited about. Jill’s men’s line set off years of power struggles between her and her former step kids over ownership and the direction of the line of products. We saw the actual products in action, onscreen- something we don’t get to see now. It gives the impression that these companies don’t actually create anything besides concepts and abstract ideas.

EDT: I wish the ability to edit were on a timer. Sometimes I catch something, (autocorrect gone awry) a second after I submit and have to wait until the error is published and then have to click the Edit option and get that “Edited just now by…” which annoys me. It just annoys me, lol.

Edited July 11, 2023 by DramatistDreamer

[Forever8]

This!

The TPTB (The Powers That Be) thinks if they say certain buzzwords such as podcasts, media, etc., it's going to be enough for the avid viewer. However, those viewers who have been watching for the most part have been watching for years and recall how Jabot and Newman would delve not only into the business machinations but the products as well, i.e., Tuvia, Safra, Brash and Sassy, etc. This week they even had Billy mention that Jabot should do a teen fragrant line, which I said to the screen, "You mean like Glo By Jabot?" imagining correlating that with the young adults on screen. Then you remember that this show doesn't value characters under 30.

 

 

[DramatistDreamer]

Lol, that sounds like collective amnesia on the part of the creative and production staff. Or total lack of research. They are just allergic to looking back in any meaningful way and taking stock.

Edited July 14, 2023 by DramatistDreamer

[Soaplovers]

The show could have done more follow up to Billy's statement about doing a teen fragrance line... by mentioning that the customer base for Glo By Jabot are now in their 30s/40s.. and they're not attracting a youth demo anymore.    So I could see Billy and marketing debating if they want to attract the youth demo for Glo By Jabot thus risking the loss of their loyal base that has grown up with the product.. or starting a new line to attract the high school/college crowd of 2023.