Y&R June 2024 Discussion Thread

[janea4old]

 

 

You were saying?
 

 

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[SteelCity]

Like I said, I never want to see it on a soap again! In the last 14 years has been on 4 shows amongst  characters! 3 of those soaps written by one person! I'm sure there's some other stories in the soap world history, but that extreme!

[j swift]

It is unbelievable, but slightly amusing, that they're still using the old DID soap trope of having each personality dress differently, so the audience can tell who is who.  As if, a mentally ill Ashley's first impulse after a trauma was to go shopping online for a new wardrobe for each of her alters.

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  I guess it is progressive that there are no wigs involved.

Edited June 8, 2024 by j swift

[soapfan770]

Alan and Martin’s fall off that balcony makes Dex & Alexis 1989 fall on Dynasty look like a James Cameron movie.

What a stupid way to end this story. It would have made more sense if Tucker was as darker than we thought and gaslighted Ashley to the point she broke instead of this utter ludicrous last minute twin twist that makes zero sense and hadn’t been addressed until this past week. 

Also Michelle Stafford didn’t deserve that Emmy and should never have been nominated in the first place. But I know the Emmys are a joke and play favorites. 

[Vee]

It really does seem like Josh writes week to week just spitballing to keep the lights on. First Ashley then had DID, then it was her doctor, now it's his twin, now they're maybe dead. How long did this even take?

Edited June 8, 2024 by Vee

[soapfan770]

This story began back in December/January with Ashley & Tucker having alternating memories of what happened in Paris, so clearly it was planned without an ending from the get go. Ashley referenced childhood trauma (Dina leaving?) but we don’t even know what this trauma refers to as not even a hint was given. 

I didn’t watch OLTL at the time but for  years and years before JG even came to Y&R I’d always see almost universal praise by online soap fans for his early 90s soap work with Michael Malone but obviously in retrospect that was just a one trick pony. 

All that needed to be said, Amen.

[janea4old]

 

Oh I hadn't put that together.

When Christopher Cousins was originally announced in April to debut as Alan Laurent, I looked up his prior roles on other shows.  So that detail about what he did as Cain Rogan and aliases on OLTL made me think "oh this actor has done subterfuge roles in the past, I wonder if he's doing a subterfuge role this time, too?" and then in fact, he did.

But I didn't realize that Josh Griffith had been part of the writing team that had written the Cain Rogan storyline on OLTL.  So thanks for pointing that out.

[janea4old]

Seems like Josh Griffith got into this mode for the 50th anniversary of Y&R (from March 2023 - March 2024) that he'd bring back old storylines, but didn't know exactly what to do.  So he got some suggestions ...

Bryton James suggested that Michael Graziadei come back.  Bryton also suggested that Devon's biological mother Yolanda/Harmony do a return visit. 

I forget the details but I remember reading an article about JG literally wondering what else he could do and someone mentioned to him the original Eve Howard, which JG didn't know about... so he wrote Colleen Zenk as Eve's sister.  I think that must have come about around the time of the Y&R fan club weekend in August 2023 when J.Eddie Peck showed up at the "past cast" day.  I think Zenk said she got the call in early August.    It seems like the entire Aunt Jordan thing was thrown together (in my opinion).

Presumbably JG learned hat Susan Walters' husband Linden Ashby had played Cameron Kirsten...  so he said Let's revisit Sharon&Nick with Cameron Kirsten!   Let's do that, oh but wait, Linden's available for only a few days/weeks between his other projects, well then we'll just do a fast scary arc.  (thrown together).

And also rehashing old stuff.  When JG was at DAYS, he wrote the Bicentennial Gala for Salem for the 50th anniversary of Days of our Lives in November 2015 ... (despite there having already been a bicentennial on DAYS quite a few years before LOL.)
So of course in March 2023 JG wrote a Bicentennial Gala for Genoa City for the 50th anniv of Y&R.

So I'll just speculate/wonder if the current Alan/Martin storyline came about if somebody/anyone (? ? ?) told JG about Ashley's old storyline with Rick/Blade?  
Let's revisit another old Y&R storyline!  And with the orginal Rick/Blade actor Michael Tylo having died a few years ago,  then JG looked for another actor.
(And now that I know that JG was at OLTL when Cousins was there, yeah that must be it).  Or JG just thought about old storylines in various places he'd written and tried to find something that connected to a Y&R character, such as Ashley?

Edited June 9, 2024 by janea4old

[BoldRestless]

 

You are on track. Eileen mentioned Ashley's mental health problems to Josh, because of course, he knows nothing about the history of the show (and I believe it was you who guessed that the October 2003 Gina's fire episode replays were really aired to remind the audience of Ashley's mental issues!). From there, I assume he decided to do the alters because it's like the multiple characters on Days, and probably saw something about Blade and Rick while doing his "research" (browsing his phone on the toilet, presumably), and voila, a story is born!

 

I just hope the "childhood trauma" doesn't end up being John molesting her, but I wouldn't put it past JG.

 

 https://www.tvinsider.com/1128792/young-and-the-restless-ashley-abbott-dissociative-identity-disorder-alters/

 The story began to take shape last year after Ashley and Tucker’s (Trevor St. John) marriage imploded in Paris. “Josh (Griffith, executive producer and head writer) and I had been talking, and I happened to mention Ashley’s mental health issues [from the ’80s],” Davidson recalls. “He remembered and got really inspired by that. So, it was an offhand conversation about the character that tied in beautifully with what he’d already been writing.”

 

 

 

[janea4old]

Ah so that explains why the story randomly changed from Tucker to someone else, LOL.

 

I've seen multiple speculations all over the internet -- 

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behind spoiler tag until everyone is caught up watching

Edited June 10, 2024 by janea4old

[Khan]

Except there are writers who also do/did that and did a better job of it!

Even if JG were working from a meticulously written two-year bible, I guarantee the stories on this show still would suck, because the s.o.b. just can't write.

[SheenaSoaper]

Y&R should have had Shari Shattuck and Bernda Eperson come on as the Ashley personalities

[BoldRestless]

I like it. 

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[Taoboi]

 

Well...I do like them big

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 Silly dumb jocks with a dream.   Though I do agree with Khan that at his age, his family should call him out more.

Now don't hate on me cuz JM looks good for his age. Or it is probably my thing for Aquarius...not helped by their freak number.  

 

Not to much on the frat boy, Lover of frat boys.  

 

 

 

[Taoboi]

6-3

 

Can I take a moment to say how much I am loving the Paris 'remote?' It's been a minute since several characters organically winded up in the same place out of town so it was cute.

 

I have loved the various re-dressed sets. I've loved the different sets. Ashley's hotel room with all that space and the French doors. The elevator that Tucker and Audra were sparring in. Tucker's balcony. Now this little lounge...and the awesome overhead camera angle as Ashley, Traci, and Alan entered the lounge. I've liked it so much that every time the episode went back to Genoa City, I went le sigh. It's good to see that someone in design was clearly having some fun on this show.

 

Now that story...I gasped last week when Alan told Ashley he never talked to her that night. So either he's shady or there's another twist coming. Like I said to @Antoyne...I liked that there had to be something else to make Ashley split other than that Tucker/Ashley fight. And now this week looks like they are diving into what that is. Granted I have an idea now with the next week promo (ugh), but the foreshadowing is already there with Tucker and his weird encounter with Alan on the street. Eileen Davidson continues to give a masterclass and probably the only reason this story has been holding my interest over all the other stories.

 

Sally back in fashion design? YES, PLEASE.

 

Since I know I get picked on for it, yes, I enjoy Nick running around with his himbo self. But can we get him out of that jacket? js. lol. Speaking of fine, TSJ's muscles suuure have been looking good in that buttoned down of his.

 

Speaking of TSJ, I seem Tucker has been hit or miss as it's been Tucker vs Audra. And honestly, can you blame Audra now? It is seeming like breaking up to just get Tucker and Ashley back together at this point.

 

Last week I was loving all the drama with Diane. And we even got a Diane/Victor scene. They haven't really had any since she came back from the dead. And it seems like they are on the same page when it comes to Jack and Nikki. I do wonder where that could go...especially with Victor back in Kyle's ear again.

 

Jill and heart problems...say it ain't so? Though it's nice to know Snapper is there with her.