Y&R: December 2023 Discussion Thread

[janea4old]

 

 

True what you said there about Nathan Sr.

Malcolm was the stepdad who raised Nate, but the show seems to forget that. They didn't even play that up during Malcolm's five-minute visit in May.

[DramatistDreamer]

Even something tangentially connected to medicine but more cutting edge. I don’t know, for someone who is said to not have been invested in the profession, he seemed to have spent an awful lot of time mourning the loss of his medical career. If he wasn’t truly passionate and about medicine, this is a drama, someone should have written a kick-ass monologue with him saying that it was his mother’s passion, not his and he wanted to maintain that connection to his mother but now his hand has freed him from his ties. Instead, we get this vague drift toward a vague corporate career, where he is willing to become a lackey at Newman, and for what? He knows Newman is a Newman first company, what exactly would he have gotten out of it? Nate, a man smart enough to be a well-regarded, skilled practitioner of medicine couldn’t figure that out? He’s being written as a moron. At least if he is involved in something cutting edge med-tech, it would make sense. Anachronistic podcasts and bland marketing ideas are really not any better, they’re worse. Sleeping with Victoria? He didn’t need to work at Newman to do that, lol. Nate’s career is shapeless, vague and boring. It;s colorless, kind of what he is these days.

[lucaslesann23]

He wasnt recast last minute?

It was actually Shemar Moore. Not a look like that was cast 5 minutes before they taped. The real actor posted he was returning for that episode. He was not recast 5 minutes before because they couldn't get him. Unless this is a really good look alike they got him back. Idk what that means they recast him 5 minutes?

 

The only time they recast him was from 2009-11. I don't think they can hire an actor five minutes. Unless that was a joke I'm not getting.

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Edited December 7, 2023 by lucaslesann23

[janea4old]

 

You misunderstood my post.
That entire "return" of Malcolm in May 2023 was indeed Shemar Moore and was publicized in tons of photos and several promo videos.  But he was in only one episode and was onscreen for maybe five or ten minutes.  

Malcolm arrived partway through the evening and said he snuck away from his job to fly in for the family party at the jazz lounge because they were honoring Neil, but then said he had to leave immediately to catch a flight back.

I could be exaggerating and maybe he was onscreen for 15 minutes but I think it was less.

Back to my original point, Shemar's Malcolm was in Genoa City in May 2023 for only a few minutes, so there was no time to talk to Nate in any meaningful way.

It would have been a good opportunity for the character of Nate, as Malcolm was the stepfather who raised Nate, but clearly the show could not get Shemar for enough time to do anything much.

Edited December 7, 2023 by janea4old

[janea4old]

Transcript from that episode May 8, 2023
https://tvmeg.com/index.php/2023/05/09/yr-transcript-monday-may-8-2023/

This was the only Malcolm/Nate interaction in the episode:

Harmony: Neil manages to inspire people, even after he’s gone.

Lily: So, I guess it means he’s never really gone, right?

Nate: He was so supportive of me being a doctor. I wonder what he’d think now?

Malcolm: Are you following your heart?

Nate: I am.

Malcolm: Well, there it is. Neil would be the last one to tear you down for that.

[janea4old]

Josh Griffith interview March 2022 on his vision for the 50th anniv of Y&R:
https://www.soapoperadigest.com/content/icymi-josh-griffith-interview-1723920/

Digest: How did you track all of this? Do you have a storyboard?

Griffith: I just keep it all in my head [laughs]. I actually have a white board in my office where I’ve got it down. We’ve created three arenas of storytelling on the show, the Newman arena, the Abbott arena and the Chancellor-Winters arena. Everything falls within those three and there’s some crossover, but it falls within those three. So it was pretty easy to have three columns of story and then time it out so that this would happen and that would happen.

- - -
JG is still writing the show the way he described in March.  It's ridiculous.  But but we can see that everyone is being written as he described.

Edited December 7, 2023 by janea4old

[DramatistDreamer]

Have these characters ever truly been written for in a complete way, the way a Jack Abbott or a Victor Newman has been written for at their age? The writing for Chance and Nate has always been weak. Ronan was a stronger written character than Chance, which is weird since Chance was literally born onscreen and so is Nate but they are two of the weakest written characters on the canvas right now. I have many bones to pick with the writing but it’s no wonder, JG finds it so easy to move these two characters around like chess pieces, they have been weakly written for many years. The way this show seems to place no amount of importance on the role of work, I am really starting to think that it matters little anyway. JG is going to slot them in to suit other characters that he cares more about at this point.

[janea4old]

For me, Bryant Jones was the only compelling version of Nate.  (I don't know whether to blame acting or writing for those who followed.)
I loved this guy:

 

Edited December 7, 2023 by janea4old

[DramatistDreamer]

Considering the fact that someone like an Audra falls outside the domain of these three families, it’s a miracle that she gets any shine at all. Ordinarily when a character stands out the way that she has, I would give credit to the writing as much as the actor because usually everything is provided on the page but since JG is clearly not intentionally writing for Audra, I give all credit to Zuleyka for making this character stand out, the way that I gave Mishael the credit for making Hilary a standout character. The writing is more an obstacle to their success than an aid.

I am definitely referring to the adult versions of these characters when referring to Nate and Chance. The writing hasn’t done a thing with the adult version of a legacy character on Y&R since Colleen Carlton imo. 

[Paul Raven]

As Tonya won't return, should Y&R cast a new 50 something actress to come on for a few days to play Olivia? With Mamie back it would be the right time, and her presence would help with Nate's characterization.

Olivia was always a pretty serious character, dedicated to medicine and I could see Nate under pressure to be a doctor. They could explore that and have Olivia realize that unintentionally she had put expectations on her son.

 

[Beachstorm]

I honestly wonder if they are going to end up making Jordan actually be Eve Howard instead of just a sister? I didn't watch back then, but it seems it was Eve Howard who had this enormous problem with Nikki. If the sister was estranged, how WOULD she know all of this stuff, like you said?

 

I also thought the piano guy said "Titty Roll". LOL

I told myself that the bedroom Nikki was trying to take a nap in HAD to be a guest bedroom. That bed was so small, there is no way she would fit in it with Victor. It wasn't even a queen size bed; a double at most.

Victor and Nikki's bedroom would no doubt be a huge suite with sitting area and a four-post, king-sized bed, not a small room with only a double-bed and two nightstands. LOL

[DramatistDreamer]

Are we supposed to pretend that Jill and Tucker were never married? Watching Jill interact with this Tucker, it’s really hard seeing them as ever being married. It makes no sense.

It’s odd.

Edited December 8, 2023 by DramatistDreamer

[janea4old]

We're supposed to pretend (or supposed to forget?)
that Jill and Tucker are the same age, as Jill was believed to be Katherine's child, and then they discovered it was Tucker and not Jill.  LOL.

Edited December 8, 2023 by janea4old

[Paul Raven]

Jill and Tucker were never married.

[DramatistDreamer]

Did they never date? They seem like strangers wrangling over property. There’s nothing personal between them. 

I could’ve sworn that when William Russ was in the role, there was some sort of intimate relationship between Jill and Tucker. There is a frosty hostility between them but it seems more like a woman trying to defend her company from a hostile takeover. There is no indication that they really ever knew each other beyond the level of an acquaintance. Again, odd.