BTG: August 2025 Discussion Thread 

I don't think it's propping when IMO the endgame from the beginning of the show was always going to lead back to Bill and Dani. There's a reason Hayley has barely been a cipher since Day 1. There could be a real character there but there just isn't and hasn't been outside of the show in people's heads, and KM and TD have real heat IMO. But they both have chemistry with so many people.

I've said more than once that they might want to recast Hayley if they want to make more of her, but I'm not sure it would make a difference in the current situation. They give Goings very little to work with, Hayley shows up to work dressed like Nomi Malone in Showgirls, and all of that is not her fault. I enjoy a lot of the show warts and all, but the lack of dimension to Hayley (among others) has always been a weak point for me. And I say that as someone who much prefers Dani.

Edited August 14Aug 14 by Vee

The show has prioritized giving all of the leading characters storyline, plus having recurring characters in very strong rotation. That isn't a bad thing because, but that does mean that pacing is going to be quicker in some places and slower in others.

3 hours ago, Paul Raven said:

Agree about burning through story.

They are not exploring the beats and building up interest. Jacob/Naomi find out about the kids and the next episode they've told Martin/Smitty, the kids find out and want to meet their mother.

They should have got much more out of that. Naomi and Jacob thinking about the repercussions of telling Martin/Smitty. Then lead to that. Martin/Smitty getting the news and dealing with that. Then the kids finding out and them digesting that reveal. Maybe Samantha wants to meet June but Tyrell is against it and they have to work through that.

A lot of beats to be played over several days/weeks. Now some might find that boring but if they are well written scenes, the audience invests in the characters and there is emotional impact.Otherwise it's just plot point to plot point.

 

I enjoyed the scenes, but I wondered why they burned through it so quickly.  Even the reconciliation between June & her sister moved at warp speed.  I fully expected June to say, "No thanks!  Where were you when I needed you?!" and storm out of the diner.  

Naomi's time could've been spent encouraging June to give Regina a chance, help her move her shopping cart of possessions to Regina's house, and facilitate a real reconciliation between the two.  THAT would've been the ideal time for Naomi & Jacob to discover the kids were Martin and Smitty's.  

 

18 hours ago, janea4old said:

an umbrella story tying Randy/Hayley/Bill, to  Randy/Doug/Joey/Vanessa, to Joey/Elon/Jacob, to Jacob/Naomi/June, to Elon/Bill/Joey, to Joey/Martin/June!

I speculate that the June storyline was sped up at lightning speed so as to have it time out with other the other tendrils of the interconnect storylines,  -- I'm guessing that Kenny's death will come out at some point soon?

21 hours ago, Faulkner said:

Naomi is almost as unlikable as Ashley for me at this point. Almost.

Agreed. BTW why is she doing everything she does? What makes her tick? She seems like Y&R's 90s Cricket - without an office though.

20 hours ago, Tisy-Lish said:

A bio-mother adoption controversy is not an interesting plot for older teenagers.  Because there can really be no believable threat or real controversy with kids of this age who would and will obviously choose to remain with their adoptive dads.  It would be a far more compelling storyline if the kids were 10 years younger, or even adults (maybe 10 years older).  Plus this plot for Smitty and Martin comes too close on the heals of Martin's "secret" reveal, which isn't really even over yet. 

I love BTG, but this show certainly has run through a lot of different storylines in just over 100 episodes.  

Big agree.
It's a nothing-burger of a story, much like Dani/Andre's reveal and most others.
They're burning through story too fast and skipping interesting beats.

16 hours ago, ranger1rg said:

-- So did Uptown close for the night so that ONE couple could meet with a salsa teacher? Did I miss something as to why no one else was there?

-- Are all salsa teachers rude when they see someone not dancing well? BTG usually does well in casting, but that guy wasn't hot enough.

-- Allison is so over-the-top as a stalker that it's cartoonish. I wish there was a little more subtlety in the writing for her.

Big agree on everything.
They should have had some extras at Uptown doing the class.
And Allison is the umpteenth external foil threatening the precious Dupree bunch. How many of those will we have during the show's run?
 

14 hours ago, wonderwoman1951 said:

these people need to pop an edible and relax. i get dizzy just thinking about how much plot they’ve burned through in six months.  

It's almost as if they're playing all their cards just in case the show gets canceled.
Reminds me of young filmmakers filling their debut film with all the ideas they've harbored in film school.

14 hours ago, All My Shadows said:

I wish the Duprees had a black sheep. Not necessarily an estranged relative but someone on the inside who can look at everything from an outside perspective and doesn't automatically share the loyalty to a fault mindset the rest of the family has. Someone who can say, "Honestly, the Articulettes' music has never done anything for me," but still have a seat at the country club table.

Love the idea.
And this black sheep should also be like 'I'd never wear those purses, thank you'.

1 hour ago, Vee said:

I don't think it's propping when IMO the endgame from the beginning of the show was always going to lead back to Bill and Dani. There's a reason Hayley has barely been a cipher since Day 1. There could be a real character there but there just isn't and hasn't been outside of the show in people's heads, and KM and TD have real heat IMO. But they both have chemistry with so many people.

Good writing would have made Hayley an interesting character, so to make the triangle rootable. Instead they have to bend over backwards to convey the message that Dani is the best Bill could ever have.

they can’t be serious! the kids are going to meet june TODAY!?

Writers:
Sara A. Bibel
Lynn Martin

Director:
Phideaux Xavier

21 minutes ago, wonderwoman1951 said:

they can’t be serious! the kids are going to meet june TODAY!?

There she is! June got her She's All That makeover and she's apparently drug free for a few months now. 

Dang Uptown's salsa night is over just like that. I guess when you only get two people to show 😬 Could have used some extras. 

date: Thursday, August 14, 2025 | Sara A. Bibel, Lynn Martin | Phideaux Xavier

• $10k? Dana. You are spending way more than you should have been. Stop being a leech and get a damn job.
• Uh-oh, Nicole filed for divorce from Ted? I guess she and Carlton are... moving on together?
• Bradley, I need you to stop trying to give Deadbeat the benefit right now; his ass should be sleeping in a motel where he belongs!
• I appreciate that there seems to be a breakthrough with June, as she is remembering her life with her children. I just hope this goes well.
• Momma Bear Anita has come out, and she is ready to serve some words to Ted. I love it.
• Sorry, June, but Ronald and Cecile do not look too excited to see you.
• Oh, Tyrell is pissed off. His face says it all, and June is trying to lay it on thick.
• A vertical expression of a horizontal delight? Okay, Katherine.
• Uh-oh, Dana's momma is in town, and it is not all peachy keen (IYKYK).
• Of course Deadbeat would use this as an excuse to weasel his way back into the house. Of course we would.
• Oh, an asexual mention! I called it. But, if it is not asexuality, my guess is that possibly she has some form of regret from sexual encounters. Like, "I should not have done that" or "I wish I had not!" I get it, and I understand it.
• Peaches is dying? Like, dying dying, or "better in four months" type of dying?
• Tyrell and Samantha are not taking enough time to think about things; they go up to Tyrell's bedroom (a.k.a., the dining room), and they have a decision within minutes. How about sleeping on it?
• So, Dana is adopted? If that is the case, then who is her "real mother"?

Notes:

• I appreciate what they are trying to go for in this 'makeover' for June... but it also feels... disingenuous.
• Why is Keith D. Robinson (Ted) in clothing that is still ill-fitting? Surely they should have had time to tailor clothing to him; plus, he would not be in pleated pants. They do nothing to compliment his body.
• We are talking positions? Oh, that is bold on American daytime.
• Okay, that four-way split to conclude the episode's storylines? That was cute. It was a cute touch. I see you, production!

35 minutes ago, GLATWT88 said:

There she is! June got her She's All That makeover and she's apparently drug free for a few months now. 

WHAT.  A.  JOKE.

I'm sorry, but this is awful writing.

Anything that gets June and her Popeye-style acting offscreen sooner works for me.

The four squares of families at the end was interesting. I wonder if it was to convey something very very specific?

11 minutes ago, ranger1rg said:

WHAT.  A.  JOKE.

I'm sorry, but this is awful writing.

Absolutely. From what June said, it seems her time in the hospital is what helped her get clean. I remember when Naomi got the hospital to extend her stay and mentioning why June isn't going through withdrawals if she really is an addict. 

The whole episode gave me whiplash at the speed things went. A woman appears at Leslie's door, refers to Leslie as her daughter and then boom she's dying, but wait that's not all. She also wants to tell her who her the identity of her actual mother. WHAT!!??

Anyone else feel like Vernon and Anita were doing too much? Like I totally get being angry at your son-in-law for the betrayal, but all the damn meddling was weird. Nicole can handle her own. Am I misremebering but didn't Anita or Vernon at one point tell Ted to fight for Nicole? Now they're acting like he was some worthless scum all along.