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Week of March 9 - 13:
Is it just me, or has Genoa City, Wisconsin become a slightly darker place recently? Darker, and maybe a little bit crazy?! It seemed as though all was right with the Y&R world when Maria Arena Bell took over as Head Writer and refocused on the core families. Even better, the stories, for the most part, became character-driven and were written to let the talents of the actors shine! So what's changed?! The actors are certainly getting some very meaty material, and doing a fabulous job with it, and some of the storylines have featured spectacular twists and turns, but conversely, there have been writing choices that are leaving long time viewers feeling unsettled. A handful of characters are behaving strangely unlike themselves - some even appear to have swapped personalities - and the show's overall feel has shifted - becoming centered around conflict - rather than the great mix of comedy, romance, and drama that most Y&R watchers seem to prefer. Notably, there are also a couple of plots that have been 'dumbed down', in order to get more mileage out of them - such as Katherine's tale - which is leaving some viewers feeling a little fatigued. Let's break it down:
Katherine's Story: While we are getting some great scenes out of this, such as Katherine's one-on-one sessions with Billy, Jill, Murphy, and Nikki, many feel it is increasingly difficult to invest in this story for the simple reason that the longer it goes on, the more utterly ridiculous it becomes! Katherine's recalled memories, and memory lapses, come and go far too conveniently to be believable. No one communicates to anyone else what Katherine has remembered either! If they pooled their information, even Jill might see by now that she has remembered a great deal of things about people, and the past, that Marge could not possibly have known! And then there's the issue of fingerprints and lost dental records - I'm not even going to go there! Heartbreaker moment of the week - when Murphy was so happy to see Katherine again in the hospital, and then he realized that she had no memory of knowing him - awwwwww! Best scene of the week for this storyline was probably the moment of realization for Nikki that Katherine was really alive and standing in front of her. Melody Thomas Scott did a really good job - I was moved!
Kevin's Story: Is this Y&R or Dumb and Dumber?! First, Kevin never would have stepped into that motel room with Clint in the first place - Kevin is too shrewd for that. Second, why doesn't Detective Gil look hard at the photo and see that Kevin is barely conscious, or better yet, ask himself why Kevin would want to photograph himself with the bomb, and then leave the photo behind as evidence! For that matter, who snapped the picture, Detective?! Third, why hasn't Esther come forward and told the police that Clint was the person who made the bomb, showed them the bomb, and told them he was setting the bomb and leaving them to die! She can confirm that Kevin was never a part of it! Fourth, Kevin committing a robbery in a chipmunk suit? I understand that he's regressed, but I still find it hard to believe that Kevin wouldn't have used the gun Clint gave him to escape the situation. The abuse side of this story I've found difficult to handle - with Kevin in the closet and Clint pretending to be his father, and the things he's saying to him - it's just gone a hair too far. Greg Rikaart's acting has been nothing short of phenomenal, and I love good drama and realism, but it crossed the line to upsetting for me. I think they could have alluded to what was happening and it would have been sufficient. On a good note, I've enjoyed watching the scenes of Kevin's loved ones brainstorming and fearing for his safety. More good news - there will be a lot of great emotional fallout to play when Kevin finally comes home.
Gina/Colleen/Jana/Daniel: Fabulous acting during this confrontation at the Club! Jana came so unglued when attacking Gina that I thought she was going to morph into 'Tumorgirl' again right before our eyes! Emily O'Brien (Jana) rocked that scene! I'm so glad to see Gina getting something to do on the show too! Interesting how they have Jana and Daniel getting closer through all of this, I wonder if the writers have a partner swap in mind for this foursome somewhere down the line?
Hospital Scenes: Kate Linder, as Esther, rocked her hospital scenes - how funny was it when Esther freaked out at Jill and Chloe called for a sedative?! There was an interesting scene between Billy and Chloe where he notices her concern for her mother and calls her 'honey' - I guess this was to string along hope that he might fall in love with her. Cane and Lily showing up at the hospital on the pretense of checking on Esther was weird - but we all know he was there to check out Katherine, which led to another confrontation with Billy. I could see both characters' point of view in this one - I could understand why Billy believed her to be his grandmother, and I could understand why Cane believed her not to be his grandmother, however, it was Billy that delivered the worst blow in this match by reminding Cane that he had only known Katherine for two years. The writing continues to be good for this pair. The snipefest between Chloe and Lily was mildly entertaining, although, I still wish the writers would give Lily more 'fire' - she finds it at times, but all too often she gives the impression of a schoolgirl who is going to stick her tongue out at you and then stomp away. Katherine's scenes of frustration in the hospital room were amazing work on Jeanne Cooper's part. Oh, and did Katherine land the world's worst psychologist as a doctor, or what?!
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Sharon/Phyllis: The phone call between Phyllis and Sharon at the beginning of the week was strange, but it was encouraging to see Phyllis's newly calm exterior crack a little, and see her acting a little less zombie-like, and a little bit more Phyllis-like. As for the somewhat bizarre development of Sharon getting on the phone and making booty-calls to Billy and Jack - for me this is really off-base for Sharon. I can't wait to see how the writers are going to explain her behavior, and that's all I'm going to say about that!
Adam/Victor: Well, I can't figure out if Adam's faking the vision problem or not, or if he is, how he could fool the doctor, but it's an admittedly interesting twist in his relationships with both Heather and Victor. It's interesting how the writers portray Victor as this utterly ruthless human being, and then have him do an about face at the last second, so that you can never quite reconcile your feelings about him - good stuff! This storyline has also made me feel like I always wanted Victor and Adam to find their way back to one another - even though I didn't realize it.
Ashley/Nikki/Victoria: Hmm…so after sitting in the tack house reminiscing about sharing the birth of Nicholas with Victor, Nikki then puts on her Prozac smile and faces the world; congratulating Victor on the baby news, urging Victoria to accept it, even embracing Ashley! I loved Victoria's snide remark about how, next, Nikki will be throwing Ashley a baby shower! Also, did you catch the look on Ashley's face when Nikki was hugging her - priceless! I'm not sure I know what to make of Nikki's behavior - I'd say that she's trying to convince herself that she's fine with it, and will have her usual meltdown at some point! As for Victoria, she has no such issues with faking it - she's sour and she doesn't care who knows it! She may actually have reason to be concerned this time around, but still, I get tired of that mad, pouty look on her puss all the time!
Jack/Jill: Just a little mention of their scenes in the coffee house - these two actors share such a great dynamic and chemistry. It doesn't even matter what they're saying - the rhythm of their scenes is awesome. I love the way they chip at each other, and tension and familiarity fill the air - so good!
Neil/Karen/Tyra: The Winters family finally has a big story that everyone is talking about, and the acting has been great! When Karen and Neil argued, I felt like I was trapped in the room with an actual couple having it out! After the exchange between Tyra and Karen, all I can say is that anyone who feels that Karen isn't fiesty had better do a rewind - that girl's got spunk that Dru would admire! The supposedly 'fiery' Tyra was the one slinking off! As for the storyline, I still maintain that it is out of character for Karen to have pushed for this adoption of Ana, and I think it's right off-the-wall having newlywed Neil committing adultery! A poster on the Y&R message board pointed out that Neil has always been wishy-washy - this is true - but for me, Neil has always been defined by his upstanding morality. Look at his utter disdain for Dru's indiscretion, his disgust over Cane's alleged one-night stand with Chloe, and how about the values and moral high ground he holds Lily and Devon to in their lives? So this impulsive decision to throw everything to the wind and have sex with Tyra in a public place has me wondering what is going on - it's so out of character! How about poor ol' Devon getting a load of that! Devon is a little paragon of virtue himself - so I'm amazed he didn't pipe up, but I suppose shock got the best of him! So, again, although I'm thrilled for them to have this hot storyline, and the acting has been great - it's another situation where a character I've always known (Neil) has become somewhat unrecognizable.
In a nutshell (nod to Kevin the Chipmunk Bandit), I feel like the whole Y&R world has gone a little off its axis lately. I actually ended the week wondering if the writers are going to pull a "Dallas" and have someone wake up and realize the past month or so has all been a dream! Don't get me wrong - there are aspects of the writing that I just love - the focus on core characters, the great material for the actors, and the twists and turns - but I need to see more of a balance of elements. There are other Daytime soaps that have a majority of dark storylines, and/or go too far to the darker side of the characters' psyches, and that probably isn't a good fit for Y&R. That, and the dragged out, unbelievable stuff isn't working. To end on a good note - I think our show features some of the best actors in Hollywood!
- Candace Young
