BTG: April 2025 Discussion Thread

[Chris B]

I feel like the show is all in on her (and probably Derek too). The actress who plays Ashley did post sadness over some of the things she's read about herself online but she's still filming as recent as this week. I feel like the show is going to stick with both characters until it works.

I do enjoy Ashley but I feel like the writing and her main scene partner let her down.

[MontyB]

People have been ultra brutal and I hope Jen Jacob learns to not let it get to her. 

 

Edited April 26 by MontyB

[Paul Raven]

Jen, don't read the comments !

But if you do, be prepared and don a rhino hide.

I think that she's a good enough actress but the consensus seems to be that the character and story are lacking. She's probably disappointed herself by the scripts.

Oh goody this week I'm going to do a magazine quiz!

Meanwhile cast members are dressed to the nines,singing karaoke, donning wigs, interacting with a bunch of other characters, getting drunk etc

Edited April 26 by Paul Raven

[MontyB]

All of the above

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[janea4old]

 

Vanessa doesn't have anything to be triumphant about *now*.  What I meant was, in my wishful thinking, I'd like to see her come out of this *down the road* -- after (hopefully) realizing that Joey is scum and deciding to do something to get him exposed for his crimes.  Maybe go undercover for the police? (not literally, but maybe assist with a sting operation.)

And/or, if Vanessa's marriage falls apart further, perhaps she either finds a way to reconnect with Doug in a more real way, or ... of she loses Doug, then she becomes a woman who is secure within herself.  

I think right now they're writing Vanessa to be using sex for fun, as sex-positive, but also as a a drug to forget her sadness.  (Just as some people use alcohol in a normal way for light fun but sometimes also use alcohol to mask a deeper sadness-- it can be either/both).

So I'd like her to find herself underneath all of that and reclaim herself.

Edited April 26 by janea4old

[Paul Raven]

Thanks for the response and explanation. I was thinking you might be excusing Vanessa's actions/decisions and blaming da menz.

[Toups]

Oh man what a bad ending to Friday's episode - a closeup of Bill's shaky hands.  Wow.   The show needs to fix their problem of having these mundane endings whenever there's not a lot going on. 

The show went to the opening credits after 1 minute and 22 seconds - that's when I knew it was a Gregori Martin episode because there's always something weird in his breakdowns.  LOL  And it was quick fade to the credits after Doug's dialogue which makes it obvious there were issues with the writing of this breakdown, that going to the credits wasn't organic. 

I agree that the slang was overdone today with Tyrell and Samantha. 

 

Looks like the show will finally be interesting again next week. 

[1974mdp]

Here's the thing about Ashely...I can tell the actress is actually quite good, but it's the material that's letting her down. As others mentioned, we still know next to nothing about her. She has a mom that she barely interacts with. She has a best friend, Naomi, whom she barely interacts with. She's in this relationship with Derek, who is still basically a blank slate besides being a firefighter and saving kittens. Who was she before she became a nurse? Why did she get with Derek, and how long have they been dating? How long has she known Naomi? As viewers, we know NOTHING. This is what makes her boring to watch. We can't get invested in the character this way. I don't know what makes this person tick or who she even is after two months of viewing.

If I were writing, she would turn out to be Joey's daughter and her mom his ex-wife. That would immediately add dimension and conflict to her story.

I'd also have Derek be revealed to be crazy.

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 That's the only way to make him interesting at this point.

 

For me, this has been a big problem. The shows tend to end on a random, quick "So what?" conclusion. No real cliffhanger endings or OMG moments. The ending with Bill's shaky hand could have been amped up a lot. Maybe Bill, alone, terror in his eyes as he begins to realize something is VERY wrong and calls his doctor, and Naomi getting a clue that there really is something BIG going on with his health. Something to max the drama of the situation. Instead, we get a shrug your shoulders ending as we do on most episodes which is extra bad on a Friday.

At least, it finally looks like things will be HAPPENING next week after what feels like a very long time.

[Gatecrashers]

Yessss. And, the reason that Ashley chose a heroic profession, and who she thinks is a heroic man, circles back to her not wanting to be like/or marry someone like her dad. Easy peasy. Now she has dimensions and purpose. Of course, when Ashley finds out Derek is a serial killer, who recently killed the missing Tomas (for looking at him the wrong way), she feels as though she can't escape her family legacy.

[ranger1rg]

I agree with all of this. Eva, Leslie, Kat...they're all breakout characters not only because of their actors but because they were given something great to play. Jen Jacobs has been given nothing, and neither has Ben Gavins as Derek.

I've been critical, calling her Basic Ashley, but I'll say it again: I blame the show. Her intro (delivering the baby in the elevator) was eye-rolling. She was portrayed as Florence Nightingale and it got worse from there. The writing for her has been terrible, and we know nothing about her. Having Andre gaze at her like she's some Madonna hasn't helped.

So what do they do? They have her read a magazine relationship quiz to Derek. Are you kidding me with this? That's right -- no phone involved, no iPad -- a magazine. Right out of the 1970s. It wasn't fun. It was cringe. As I've said before, no one could make this work.

Even their conversations about moving in together are weird, having no semblance of a real-life discussion. Their scenes seem to be lifted out of a different soap.

Because we love/like the show, we go after the actors when something isn't working, and I think that's what's happened with Ashley and Derek.  Neither actor is any worse than the guy playing Tomas, yet the show has protected Tomas more by better integrating him into story and with other characters.

Did any of this work better on paper? I don't see how. If the writers are aware of the problem, they haven't yet figured out a way to solve it.

[Soaplovers]

I wonder if anyone is tweeting MVJ, or the other powers that be, regarding their odd choice of keeping Ashley/Derek in a separate universe.. and when that issue will be fixed.  If they were forced to create and write for them due to network mandate.. they need to do a better job at covering up their resentment of being forced to write for them.

Also, I also echo sentiments on the overuse of slang terms for Tyrell and Samantha.  Sometimes I've sat at a local coffee house to do work and there are a bunch of teens that come in during their lunch.. and all of them hardly use slang words when speaking to one another.

[Paul Raven]

This is the issue, them not using music,closeups etc to foreshadow the importance of the moment.

[ranger1rg]

Yeah, and the transitions to commercials are still off, too. Many of them look like mistakes.

I have to believe all of this is intentional. They want to set BTG apart from the other soaps, but this is not the way to do it. I'm not getting "used to" any of these things they're doing or not doing. Instead of giving us something that looks well-thought out and amazing, instead it looks like a crew who's learning on the job.

[te.]

I genuinely wonder if the actor must've bombed during the reveal scenes or something that seems to be coming up with Ted & Nicole's anniversary party. It seems a bit odd to replace him right in the thick of it. 

I'm also confused by both Ashley and Derek's ages - both feel like they're in the 35-40 bracket, but at the same time she's meant to be contemporary with Naomi, who is in her late 20s (??) and has just graduated from nursing school... which would put her in her mid-20s maybe? 

I feel like her having issues in the past and turning her life around in her 30s would be an interesting angle to explore. It would also explain the hyperbole surrounding her becoming a nurse.

The thing is that it feels like a lot could be done to integrate them - as others has said, have Silkpress's interference with Laura come and bite Ashley in the ass. I still feel like Hayley / Derek forging a friendship would be an interesting angle. And of course, Ashley and Naomi are supposed to be best friends - have them talk more. And of course, her mother is connected to Silkpress. 

[Taoboi]

Now tbf, it's been established on-screen that Ashley and Derek have been together at least two years. 

Edited April 27 by Taoboi