BTG: March 2025 Discussion Thread

[Liberty City]

Never been in a bar, but it doesn't look seedy to me at all, especially since it also is a restaurant. It looks classic-yet-modern to me, especially in comparison to other sets we see in American daytime at the present time.

I don't see it as a location I could see people like Anita, Nicole, Ted or Vernon in, but I see it was the "cool place" for other to hang out in.

[Maxim]

 

I wouldn't have  remembered the names if I was not reading and participating in this topic so much. Hahhahahaha. Reading other people's reactions and you guys writing he names... just made me remember them. That's how I remembered Shanice for example. LOL. That little diamond. 

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[Contessa Donatella]

I'm not concerned about Pamela/Cady. She wasn't in the first batch of introductions so we've only seen her twice, both times fairly brief. And, it's not as if anyone's trying to force her on us. She's been introduced like any other character as far as name & description, being in the wiki & then less attention than the extended family or the townies gabbing at the diner, when it comes to actual time onscreen. We'll see. But, I do think it would be premature to judge that she does not hold up as Dani's bestie. 

So I know many do not, but I have a bad guys list. Week 1 it only had Bill & Hayley on it but now of course, I've added Leslie/Dana & Eva. Leslie, well, I'm not sure how tightly her bow is strung. She really protested too much & with too much energy behind it when Eva asked her a simple, obvious question, especially since we know what she actually did & for what a lousy reason she did it. In thinking about the trope of the wronged twin who grew up under miserable circumstances who comes to town to get revenge and/or reclaim their birthright, I'm thinking of Anne Heche & so far anyway Eva does not live up to it, but it's perhaps too high a bar. I've seen as much condemnation of Dani as I have seen praise. But here lies my condemnation as of Week 2, these 4: Bill, Hayley, Leslie & Eva. Oh, and I am totally loving that Kat, for some unknown reason, has Eva's number. You go, girl! Stick to that intuition!

[UKBoi]

I still think Cady was added to the cast later and then they back shot some scenes to insert in and that’s why she’s suddenly Dani’s BFF when other scenes would have us believe Vanessa is Dani’s best friend and that’s why they seem to have more chemistry. I also think the scenes with Jon Lindstrom were added in later, as if they realised when reviewing the first few weeks of footage that they needed to add some other characters to beef up the cast.

[Paul Raven]

Yes, I wonder how they are going to keep Ashley in the story with only her and Shanice working on the floor.

How many times can she interact with Ted/Nicole  when they don't really work there? And for what purpose?

I'm over Kat's wardrobe choices. Hate that cutesy aesthetic. Not really a fan of the character either. 

[Chris B]

Yes, I agree. I'm sure it'll come together in the end. I do like that from what we've learned, they took the extra time they had to re-shoot and re-tool things to try and get it right. If these were part of those changes then more power to them for quickly working to improve the show. 

One of the biggest problems we face with the other soaps is that they aren't willing to make changes when things aren't working. They'll burn it to the ground before making even the slightest pivot. I feel like here the goal is really to make the best show possible so I feel comfortable knowing they'll make the changes necessary to get the show where it needs to be. 

I feel the same about some of the cast choices that I'm not 100% sold on. I know it's a new format for many of these actors and that they'll do what they need to do when the time comes. 

[ranger1rg]

That's why I think the show needs to move slowly on recasts and give these new actors time to improve. With a large cast on a new soap, it's hard enough to follow individual characters and stories without being hit with replacements. I think that would be a huge mistake.

 

I like the character and her wardrobe. She's different from the others in both personality and dress, and I appreciate that.

[Contessa Donatella]

Here we agree. Although if they had an Acting Coach on hand, then, ... go for it.

I have come to like Kat. And, I think she's right about Eva. Well, we know she is. LOL

[Paul Raven]

Y&R and B&B were widely criticized for their castings of newbies at the beginning.

Y&R actors all improved over time although B&B castings like Ethan Wayne,Clayton Northcross etc were eventually dropped.

SO BTG needs to stick with the cast  and hope the actors settle into the roles. Some of them look very stiff on camera, not sure of their body language.

One thing they've all been stuck with is some clunky dialogue that any actor would struggle with.

So if they tone down the expository stuff and the 'you are a wonderful person' thing and go for more natural dialogue that is going to help.

[Soaplovers]

I wonder if that was part of the original plan when the character of Vanessa was planned to be named Stacy and was meant to be older (late 40s).  From what the actress that plays Vanessa said in a podcast interview, she came in and provided a flirty and mischievous approach when auditioning for the part and the show liked her so such that they cast her. 

Part of me thinks maybe Cady should have been cast as Vanessa and Lauren Buglioli should have been cast as Pamela since I could see Cady vibing with Daphnee more then Karla.  But then I recall how Cady is more free spirited and likes to leave/come back to a soap at random while Lauren is Atlanta based.  So Cady could play a character that comes and goes like Pamela while Lauren is guaranteed to stay long term as the character.

[Contessa Donatella]

Do you keep the link to the wiki & its great info as to characters, close at hand? Just in case here it is: https://beyondthegates.fandom.com/wiki/Category:Characters

I'm personally still struggling & when people here use nicknames, uh-oh. Kinda like double trouble. Nosy Nurse to me means Ashley but the OG poster meant Shanice. If you see what I mean?

[janea4old]

Ashley isn't nosy.  She's the white nurse who delivered the baby.
Shanice is the Black nursing supervisor who eavesdrops,  gossips, and asks people about their dating lives.

Edited March 8 by janea4old

[ranger1rg]

Fully agree about the expository stuff. That's clunky no matter how it's written, even if it is necessary in the beginning. I hope we're through that for the most part.

Re: the "you are a wonderful person" thing....I can do without so many references to "The Duprees will always rise" and "No one does that to the Duprees" and "There's nothing like being a Dupree." I wish I knew we were supposed to side-eye those statements, but I wonder if we're just supposed to nod in agreement. Sorry, Duprees, beneath all your money and your history, you're as big a mess as any other dysfunctional family.

If I'm rolling my eyes at Y&R dialogue like this about the Newmans and the Abbotts, and about the Forresters on BOLD, I'm going to roll my eyes at the Duprees on BTG.

[Contessa Donatella]

Emphasis on NURSE.

[GLATWT88]

I just got an ad for BTG on CBS Daytime while watching The Traitors UK on Peacock.