40 minutes ago, ranger1rg said:

"Urgency and stakes for stories" is a good way to put it. As I've said, I understand planting all these seeds and then leaving them....only to return later when those seeds seem to hae been forgotten. I can see this working -- occasionally.

Seems to me, BTG is using a pre-1980s (or pre-Luke and Laura) style of story-telling.  And I'm enjoying it, although it does require adjustment of expectations.  BTG is telling stories in a similar way to how they were told in the 1970s, when soap ratings were very high and soap operas were arguably at their creative zenith.  BTG has created its own unique identity, as every soap did pre-1980s. 

Note the believability of the plots -- yes there is some over-the-top behavior on the part of some of the characters, but the plots are very believable.  No moustache-twirling super villains, no multiple returns from the dead, no pseudo science-fiction, no comedy (although there is some believable humor), and no friggin' stand-alone episodes.  And I am here for all of that!  

BTG is not perfect.  But damn, it is good.   

Edited July 1Jul 1 by Tisy-Lish

21 minutes ago, Tisy-Lish said:

Seems to me, BTG is using a pre-1980s (or pre-Luke and Laura) style of story-telling.  And I'm enjoying it, although it does require adjustment of expectations.  BTG is telling stories in a similar way to how they were told in the 1970s, when soap ratings were very high and soap operas were arguably at their creative zenith.  BTG has created its own unique identity, as every soap did pre-1980s. 

Note the believability of the plots -- yes there is some over-the-top behavior on the part of some of the characters, but the plots are very believable.  No moustache-twirling super villains, no multiple returns from the dead, no pseudo science-fiction, no comedy (although there is some believable humor), and no friggin' stand-alone episodes.  And I am here for all of that!  

BTG is not perfect.  But damn, it is good.   

Preach!

35 minutes ago, Tisy-Lish said:

Seems to me, BTG is using a pre-1980s (or pre-Luke and Laura) style of story-telling.  And I'm enjoying it, although it does require adjustment of expectations.  BTG is telling stories in a similar way to how they were told in the 1970s, when soap ratings were very high and soap operas were arguably at their creative zenith.  BTG has created its own unique identity, as every soap did pre-1980s. 

Note the believability of the plots -- yes there is some over-the-top behavior on the part of some of the characters, but the plots are very believable.  No moustache-twirling super villains, no multiple returns from the dead, no pseudo science-fiction, no comedy (although there is some believable humor), and no friggin' stand-alone episodes.  And I am here for all of that!  

BTG is not perfect.  But damn, it is good.   

I don' think this is 100% true - For example, I can watch multiple GL episodes from the 70's (the stuff written by the Dobson's at least) and feel some sort of stakes at various degrees with multiple stories running together. I do not get a similar feeling with BTG. 

BTG, by contrast, feel very muted. You can argue its faster paced than other soaps, but the payoff for a lot of key scenes and storylines feels rather lackluster. It feels very aimless at times. There is no fire to most of these stories that makes me feel like I need to watch every episode. 

As I said before, I want this show to succeed, but almost 6 months in, I do need them to analyze some things and pivot in new directions. 

Edited July 1Jul 1 by BetterForgotten

I like the show, but it is missing something not sure what exactly maybe the follow through. There are moments but then it just stops. And it feels like feedback that isn’t positive is just ignored. The episodes airing now were after it premiered but instead of moving pieces we get the same as before.

Did they say how much time Bill was in the hospital? Was there a time jump? Why is Nicole finally being upset and overreacting and everyone is acting like she shouldn’t be reacting?

BTG to me feels very modern, at times even reality TV-like. That's my personal opinion. Some scenes are "Housewives Franchise" material. You almost expect Kenya Moore to walk in and reveal how someone got pregnant by someone else a decade ago and she has the receipts to prove it. I personally see no strong resemblance to the 1970s soaps I've watched on YouTube and other platforms. Maybe I'm just looking at different nuances. 

I also have a different take on the believability of things. A lot of stuff on this show is not realistic. And that's something I can live with. Soaps have seized to be realistic long time ago and some may argue that they never were. For example, we have a male gay couple acting like a basic straight couple. Both guys look to be in their early thirties... but have incredibly old children. How strange does this sound? Old children. But yeah, Samantha looks like she is the same age as Smitty. It doesn't help that they dress her and style her hair like she is this young infantile girl who asks her father "what's gay sex like?" More on the believability of the two hot guys in a relationship - me and my husband are also two married dudes and we don't act like this. We also know many, I mean maaaany other gay couples like us from all walks of life... and... none resemble the strange almost heteronormative relationship we see in this show. I don't mean this as a dig, I know and appreciate what the show is trying to do. It's giving us some kind of representation. I'm grateful for that. And the unnatural vibe is not on purpose, I don't think so. I don't know what the cure to it is... maybe they need to loosen up in the dialogue and evolve the physicality into something more believable in the future. Of course, I always leave the possibility that maybe I'm wrong. Maybe there are guys like this. 

There are a lot of things that I like about BTG, don't get me wrong. I like the cast, I like the atmosphere and the overall themes - love and betrayal, secrets and scandals, family and foes. I like the sensitive feminine style of storytelling, especially in the first couple of weeks... and I adore most of the ladies in the show - give me a scene with Anita or Nicole... And I'm a happy fella.

I have issues with the overall quality of dialogue and the lack of consistency episode to episode. Too much empty culminations and a lot of filler between them. I have issues with the editing, lack of coherent background music, especially when bad actors are on screen and lack of proper cliffhangers. I can stomach one or two character-caricatures... but I have an issue with one very empty character that sucks airtime, named Saint Ashley.

But, overall... when comparing it to the piece of sh-t that is Bold... for example... BTG is million times better. And I'll continue watching. In the end of the day... It's just entertainment. I can't expect it to save the world or fix global warming. I'm fine with it. I don't even feel like criticizing that much anymore because I'm starting to get the show will be more superficial than I expected and I'm okay with it. It's still very enjoyable and the potential to grow is as strong as ever. 

 

Edited July 1Jul 1 by Maxim

33 minutes ago, Maxim said:

BTG to me feels very modern, at times even reality TV-like. That's my personal opinion. Some scenes are "Housewives Franchise" material. You almost expect Kenya Moore to walk in and reveal how someone got pregnant by someone else a decade ago and she has the receipts to prove it. I personally see no strong resemblance to the 1970s soaps I've watched on YouTube and other platforms. Maybe I'm just looking at different nuances. 

I also have a different take on the believability of things. A lot of stuff on this show is not realistic. And that's something I can live with. Soaps have seized to be realistic long time ago and some may argue that they never were. For example, we have a male gay couple acting like a basic straight couple. Both guys look to be in their early thirties... but have incredibly old children. How strange does this sound? Old children. But yeah, Samantha looks like she is the same age as Smitty. It doesn't help that they dress her and style her hair like she is this young infantile girl who asks her father "what's gay sex like?" More on the believability of the two hot guys in a relationship - me and my husband are also two married dudes and we don't act like this. We also know many, I mean maaaany other gay couples like us from all walks of life... and... none resemble the strange almost heteronormative relationship we see in this show. I don't mean this as a dig, I know and appreciate what the show is trying to do. It's giving us some kind of representation. I'm grateful for that. And the unnatural vibe is not on purpose, I don't think so. I don't know what the cure to it is... maybe they need to loosen up in the dialogue and evolve the physicality into something more believable in the future. Of course, I always leave the possibility that maybe I'm wrong. Maybe there are guys like this. 

There are a lot of things that I like about BTG, don't get me wrong. I like the cast, I like the atmosphere and the overall themes - love and betrayal, secrets and scandals, family and foes. I like the sensitive feminine style of storytelling, especially in the first couple of weeks... and I adore most of the ladies in the show - give me a scene with Anita or Nicole... And I'm a happy fella.

I have issues with the overall quality of dialogue and the lack of consistency episode to episode. Too much empty culminations and a lot of filler between them. I have issues with the editing, lack of coherent background music, especially when bad actors are on screen and lack of proper cliffhangers. I can stomach one or two character-caricatures... but I have an issue with one very empty character that sucks airtime, named Saint Ashley.

But, overall... when comparing it to the piece of sh-t that is Bold... for example... BTG is million times better. And I'll continue watching. In the end of the day... It's just entertainment. I can't expect it to save the world or fix global warming. I'm fine with it. I don't even feel like criticizing that much anymore because I'm starting to get the show will be more superficial than I expected and I'm okay with it. It's still very enjoyable and the potential to grow is as strong as ever. 

 

I appreciate your point of view. You make several good points.  But as an older soap fan once clarified for me, "believable is not the same as realistic."  And I never used the word realistic.  I don't think any soap opera (or any TV show) has been realistic.  But many have been believable.  And I personally find BTG believable, while most soaps post-1980s, have not been. That's just my personal observation.  It's cool to disagree.   

42 minutes ago, ~bl~ said:

The episodes airing now were after it premiered but instead of moving pieces we get the same as before.

After it premiered...yes. But it has not been confirmed if it has reached the episodes that were filmed after they saw the feedback from the audience and started any form of course correcting. Kinda like DAYS and its filming and waiting for them to get to the part of episodes where you know they heard the issues with the stories and course corrected. 

 

Unless you are confirming with this statement that the show has confirmed. Then I can see why people having issues would have them now versus before now. 

5 hours ago, BetterForgotten said:

It's coming up on 6 months

Last week was the 4-month anniversary.

7 minutes ago, Tisy-Lish said:

I appreciate your point of view. You make several good points.  But as an older soap fan once clarified for me, "believable is not the same as realistic."  And I never used the word realistic.  I don't think any soap opera (or any TV show) has been realistic.  But many have been believable.  And I personally find BTG believable, while most soaps post-1980s, have not been. That's just my personal observation.  It's cool to disagree.   

Listen, your comment just inspired me to give my thoughts on these issues. That's why I specified that maybe... I'm looking at different nuances. I didn't say that believable equals realistic. I didn't claim you did either. But I did make a connection between the two. And I'll translate it like this - when I perceive something to be unrealistic, sometimes it becomes not-belieavable anymore. That's my perception and it's not gonna change. And I don't even think we disagree. I wouldn't use that word. I would say... I have a different take. I see different nuances than you. And that's the beauty of communication. 

Edited July 2Jul 2 by Maxim

2 hours ago, Tisy-Lish said:

Seems to me, BTG is using a pre-1980s (or pre-Luke and Laura) style of story-telling.  And I'm enjoying it, although it does require adjustment of expectations.  BTG is telling stories in a similar way to how they were told in the 1970s, when soap ratings were very high and soap operas were arguably at their creative zenith.  BTG has created its own unique identity, as every soap did pre-1980s. 

Note the believability of the plots -- yes there is some over-the-top behavior on the part of some of the characters, but the plots are very believable.  No moustache-twirling super villains, no multiple returns from the dead, no pseudo science-fiction, no comedy (although there is some believable humor), and no friggin' stand-alone episodes.  And I am here for all of that!  

BTG is not perfect.  But damn, it is good.   

I agree. It definitely is a different kind of soap. And I feel there are stakes slowly (emphasis on the word slow) being brought to it in the...hmmm FOUR months (and a week) it's been on the air. I would say it is giving old school Y&R with the pacing if anything. And as I've said before, they are still finding their rhythm on that. Among other things. That I do see they have gotten better (not perfect) then when they premiered. 

2 hours ago, GLATWT88 said:

The big one for me right now is does or doesn't Dani have a drinking problem? Has this been dropped or is it a case of a story that will come up again soon. 

My theory was...and that was because it just stood out as odd to me when I saw Dani with a glass when Andre came 'home' to her in the white pants...is that might have actually been dropped. I didn't think, for example, that the Crooked Cop storyline was dropped though it spent weeks on that backburner so seeing it loop back around to be a part of the Martin's Secret storyline was very well-played for me. On the backburner with very little mention but not dropped.

 

Back to Dani though...I felt like we at least saw her struggle with a need to drink for a few week and then it just abruptly stopped. And if anyone was going to mention her drinking, I would think it would be Andre when he saw her the episode I mentioned above. But he didn't. So I am figuring that was an actual dropped storyline.

 

Now...if Dani winds up spiraling badly after seeing Andre and Ashley together next week and it pops up again...I will gladly eat crow however. She is overdue another moment. 

6 hours ago, dragonflies said:

I wonder if they know the backlash they were getting over this decision of repeats? I know people were writing the comment line etc 

 

6 hours ago, MontyB said:

The backlash is through the roof. That's a good thing. 

That's what I said. People are LIVID. And it would be one thing if it was our fans who have always been soap fans but it's coming from a lot of new soap fans as much as old ones. 

20 minutes ago, Taoboi said:

 That's what I said. People are LIVID. And it would be one thing if it was our fans who have always been soap fans but it's coming from a lot of new soap fans as much as old ones. 

Did you just call me old? 

I'm old enough that I can play a teenager in this show! 

😋

 

2 minutes ago, Maxim said:

Did you just call me old? 

I'm old enough that I can play a teenager in this show! 

😋

 

Lol. I didn't mean it that way! 

Just now, Taoboi said:

Lol. I didn't mean it that way! 

I'm only the age Samantha the teenager is... I'm only 30. ❤️🤣

OMG!!! lol.

38 minutes ago, Maxim said:

Listen, your comment just inspired me to give my thoughts on these issues. That's why I specified that maybe... I'm looking at different nuances. I didn't say that believable equals realistic. I didn't claim you did either. But I did make a connection between the two. And I'll translate it like this - when I perceive something to be unrealistic, sometimes it becomes not-belieavable anymore. That's my perception and it's not gonna change. And I don't even think we disagree. I wouldn't use that word. I would say... I have a different take. I see different nuances than you. And that's the beauty of communication. 

Agreed. We both have different takes on BTG, and we notice or appreciate different nuances.  It does seem we both enjoy the show, despite its imperfections.