BTG: September 2025 Discussion Thread

[Vee]

It would be a smart idea to bring in the McBrides now and shore up Vanessa's sphere overall. And let's face it, Tyrell and Samantha need work lol.

[Soaplovers]

Doctors have a thing called 'God complex' where they think they're invincible and act in their day to day life with this mentality.   So Doug is acting just like any medical professional I've met and been around in my life.

People need to understand that people can be intelligent and skilled at being a doctor.. but it doesn't mean that they have common sense nor critical thinking skills.

[Maxim]

I agree. A do over will do her good. And it doesn't have to be anything too drastic.  

[Faulkner]

Lots of characters need do-overs. The men on BTG are flat-out pathetic and emasculated (or one-dimensional, dollar-store louts, criminals, and ne’er-do-wells). I hate to evoke the late Hogan Sheffer, but these dynamic women need strong men to match their freak, and these duds just don’t. I like JG, but Doug is a key example of this.

Edited September 20 by Faulkner

[Vee]

I think Bill is the strongest and most layered male on the canvas and we need a lot more of him. It's obvious too that the normie and social media audience respond to him when he's in his element - they're into it, for the same reason Victor Newman, Sonny or to a lesser extent Dollar Bill on B&B have an audience. Andre needs a lot of work because as we've all said he is too soft for being an alleged wild-ass playboy wearing these crazy fits. He needs a club and to be on some crazy shít.

Jacob is also a bore but has real heat with Kat. That can change. I think Martin and Smitty are also strong male characters in terms of having more depth and dimension, but we've never seen them in their element enough (though that's begun to change with Smitty). I want to see Martin act the Senator the same way Bill acts his professional role as the fixer.

Hopefully Izaiah will be a breath of fresh air too.

Edited September 20 by Vee

[Tisy-Lish]

They just need to give Ashley some back-story, so the audience understands her background and what makes her tick.  That will also give Jen Jacobs some subtext to play.  Currently she just recites her lines like a junior high drama student. She shows no subtext at all.  I can say the same for Derek.  

 

[Vee]

The longer Ashley talks and talks and talks about her motivations and feelings the less I care. She's talked about her background plenty. Something new needs to be done with her if they want to play out her contract, or she needs to do the classic soap save of Turn Psycho and Leave.

[dragonflies]

Yes they need to shorten the taping to airdate gap, do like BOLD or YR do and be no more than 6 weeks ahead. I enjoy the show overall but there's a lot of stuff they can't change cause they're far enough ahead that changing gears won't show onscreen for months 

[Soaplovers]

It reminded me of the story Kim Zimmer told of her audition as Reva where she was given a bible of the character where she got to read Reva's history, motivation, and personality.  It helped her get into character when she auditioned.

I wonder if Jen Jacobs had any sort of detail/back story provided to her when she went to audition as Ashley.  I'm going to guess no.   And I say this because when lauren B went in to audition as Vanessa, she had said she put her own spin on the character by presenting her as flirty and a man eater.

So I agree with you that if there isn't a detail summary/bible for the character you're auditioning to play, you have to put your own spin/provide subtext when playing a character.

[Faulkner]

I agree that a huge problem is that we don’t see these guys in their element as much (even the characters they’ve invested in, like Bill, Martin, and Smitty). But then you have Doug—a Black man whose white wife cucks him with the local white gangster and seems to be headed to a tragic end. And we’ve all speculated that Ted is equally expendable.

I’m trying to understand what they were thinking with all of this. This show can celebrate and elevate Black women without making the men ciphers with no real perspectives or agency of their own (especially the heterosexual men). 

[Vee]

I do wonder if what MVJ saw with the rampant misogyny and machismo with male characters at GH and B&B in recent years may have contributed to how they're downgraded here. I agree it's an issue but I don't think she's trying to take down Black men. It seems more like an overcorrection in another direction for fear of coming off like Dollar Bill's LA or Sonny's Hospital. Still, you can do much more.

I think Doug was always going to be expendable and pathetic no matter what. Ted, we'll see. Frankly based on his initial character sketch from audition sides (perfect husband with a dark secret) I thought we were in for the Carnation Killer lol. So this is an upgrade!

[Vee]

We know there was a bible MVJ worked on for years, IIRC. I just think she is too wedded to who she wanted Ashley to be vs. what is actually there.

[DeeVee]

Yes, this is definitely a big problem. I don't think they should try to appease the viewers all the time, because we don't know what's coming and it takes time for a new show to get its footing. But when you see in multiple places the same few actors/characters/stories being complained about, you need to course correct. If you're taping so far ahead, you can't really do that.

[detroitpiston]

I don’t think Jen Jacobs is a terrible actress but she has 0 charisma and a bland on screen presence. That’s not an actress you cast to be one of your main heroines and its been a severe detriment to the show tbh. She should be a one season wonder cast addition on a Dick Wolf procedural, not whatever the hell they’ve attempted to make Ashley.

Martin’s reveal week was so good because the men on the show finally got to be active, we’ve needed more of that on a consistent basis. I agree that Bill is the only one who’s always interesting to watch, the other men feel like wallpaper for the women. Vernon should be played with more edge, same with Martin. Jacob is decent as the good guy cop but he needs out of the boring marriage with Naomi. Tomas is a complete casting failure, and I don’t think Andre’s actor choice works with what they constantly tell us he is. If they are serious about Ted they need to push him to be darker as well IMO, the last few weeks have been the most interesting turn for him since the recast.

[Gatecrashers]

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Edited September 21 by Gatecrashers