Unpopular Opinions

[LeftPhalange]

 

More unpopular opinions,  As much as I loved Michael Muhney's Adam Newman, he was not the show.  Same for Billy Miller.   Yes they were both great but there was a YR before them.  Contrary to popular belief among some, they didn't make YR #1.  That status was carried by those who came before them.

There are/were people saying the show would experience a massive drop in ratings and get cancelled within a year because MM left. Seriously. I'm pretty sure the decline in ratings is mostly due to the shitty writing and not MM getting fired. This is a soap not a prime time show like Friends, how could anyone seriously believe one or two actors leaving would have such a devastating effect? 

[canucktvwatcher]

More unpopular opinions,  As much as I loved Michael Muhney's Adam Newman, he was not the show.  Same for Billy Miller.   Yes they were both great but there was a YR before them.  Contrary to popular belief among some, they didn't make YR #1.  That status was carried by those who came before them.

Wordy McWord, Trips! Those two DID elevate the material, though, and it made a difference. I think people have not cut DT any slack because he followed BM, who did a great job as Billy, and he's not been very good. As well, he's played the character in a more whiny way, which hasn't helped. I've also noticed that they have not shown many full body shots of DT. BM had a few pounds on him, and DT looks like the "before" spokesperson for one of Charles Atlas' old ads where the bully was kicking sand in his face. The character of Billy now does not look like he would pose a physical threat to anyone except Kevin, and that's even debatable. Not having a replacement for MM's Adam has kept some of the mystique intact for the character.

Those things being said, you're right - none of those guys "made" the show, but their absence has been felt. IMO, they need to get BM back, stat. MM is of course a more complicated situation.

[Lamplighter]

I'm gonna reply in chunks because I have an unpopular contrary opinion on about every point on this page! LOL

But first I do agree that Muhney and Miller's strength was they elevated the material... when it had any capacity to be elevated.  After the exceptional intensity from virtually everyone - Moptoria comes to mind - in the immediate aftermath of Delia's death, even their abilities couldn't save it - for me.  The show bored me and I stopped watching and I don't miss it.  (Though I still talk about it because I resent, to be honest, that it got so bad I won't watch it.  I've been watching Y&R more rather than less since Kay Chancellor got put in the nuthouse after downing crazy inducing chocolates.)  

And I also agree it's the stupid writing that's killing the ratings.  Few people are so invested in one character that his or her departure could actually part them from a show.  I didn't know how (or why) we had to endure the demise of the Fosters and Brooks... but here we are.

Edited April 16, 2014 by Lamplighter

[Lamplighter]

I totally disagree Bill Bell was a particular genius.   I think he was a good daytime writer from a generation of good daytime writers.  I think Doug Marland was the genius.  Nobody's quoting Bell's Rules. 

Bell did a lot of good things.  He brought a rich visual style and glamour to the genre that was new and interesting (and sometimes too goddamn dim for my tastes!)  He knew how to draw out a story... sometimes beyond the point it ought to have been drawn out.  He knew how to cast.  He knew how to balance.  And sometimes he spectacularly forgot the things he knew.  The black guy in white face... that was not a good idea.  Allowing his daughter to eat the show, not such a good idea.  His capricious completely forgetting a character ever existed... not such a great idea.  The brother and sister nearly getting married - time and time again - just plain creepy in my books... once was enough for me, personally. 

What Bill Bell had going for him that nobody else had was this:  time slot.  12:30 locally... killer territory and while I know there were some markets where it aired at different times, for the most part I think that show has ruled the roost from 12:30 since dinosaurs roamed the earth.  It offers far more access to viewers than the middle of the afternoon.  I always thought time slot was the biggest part of Y&R's success because all the strengths of the show were so accessible. 

[LeftPhalange]

 

The black guy in white face... that was not a good idea.

Um...what? What is this and why did it happen?

 

Allowing his daughter to eat the show, not such a good idea.

Are any of the Bells still connected to the show? If not why hasn't Bug been killed off already.

[PsychedelicTrip]

Bill Bell had his weaknesses yes, but where he was smarter than most?  He knew when to drop something or branch off and abandon something that wasn't working.  Often times it was seamless and because the writing was so wonderful and had the ability to draw a community together, you almost didn't notice something hadn't worked or that he was dropping it. He would just arc off into something new.  Today, writers will push and push something to the point it breaks the show.  All writer's have agenda's and Bill Bell certainly had one in wanting to make his daughter a star.  I don't blame him too much, he wanted his show to be a family affair.  He caught plenty of backlash for pushing her and in fact Terry Lester was quite vocal about it.  Still Bell made damn sure the writing could support her weaknesses.  Cricket was never a riveting character but the storylines she was involved in were all wonderful.  

As for his sets and music, another genius.  That whole style is what set his shows apart from any others. Even the casting was always top notch.  Not just anyone got to be on his show.  They all had that Bell look to them,  glamourous and striking, worthy of that camera zoom in!   Now we get these subpar looking folks who can't even use that to distract from their piss poor acting.  I miss the day of  the glamour, top notch glittering sets, mood lighting that draws you in, glamourous hair and makeup! The show was always a visual feast.   Genoa City and the sets were as much a character as the character's themselves.  Bill Bell never let you forget that Jabot was a character, and one to be fought over by the Newmans and the Abbotts.   He did this by letting the camera set on a beautiful perfume bottle, maybe just a shot of the lab.  A beautiful display.  Bill Bell made those things real for us.  We became invested.  It is why his show's are the most famous not just here in the States but abroad as well.  What other soaps have that notoriety?  Even the theme to the show is the most haunting and recognizable in daytime.  

The time slot helps for sure, but I doubt even the other soaps would still be able to touch the golden standard set by The Young and the Restless. 

  I think Doug Marland was the genius.  Nobody's quoting Bell's Rules. 

 

DM was a fantastic writer as well and his work like Bell's stood the test of time.  His rules are golden and should be followed by any writer..still he didn't have the touch that Bill Bell did.  DM could craft story, but imo he didn't have an eye for the attention to detail that Bill Bell did.  Again, look at the sets, the glamour, the lighting and the music on YR during its hey day.  It is why so many sat up and took notice.  YR was a NEW way in daytime, a game changer. 

Edited April 17, 2014 by PsychedelicTrip

[canucktvwatcher]

I'm gonna reply in chunks because I have an unpopular contrary opinion on about every point on this page! LOL

But first I do agree that Muhney and Miller's strength was they elevated the material... when it had any capacity to be elevated.  After the exceptional intensity from virtually everyone - Moptoria comes to mind - in the immediate aftermath of Delia's death, even their abilities couldn't save it - for me.  The show bored me and I stopped watching and I don't miss it.  (Though I still talk about it because I resent, to be honest, that it got so bad I won't watch it.  I've been watching Y&R more rather than less since Kay Chancellor got put in the nuthouse after downing crazy inducing chocolates.)  

And I also agree it's the stupid writing that's killing the ratings.  Few people are so invested in one character that his or her departure could actually part them from a show.  I didn't know how (or why) we had to endure the demise of the Fosters and Brooks... but here we are.

I think the whole Delia sl was a gut-punch, and a tremendously BAD idea. Yes, they got short-term good performances out of the actors involved, but it was just such bad taste to write the sl, that it's had a ripple effect, and not a positive one, since it happened. Just my opinion.

I agree that few people are so invested in ONE character when they leave, but this show had THREE departures, not necessarily just of the characters, but the actors that portrayed them. They all happened within about a year's time. This tells me a couple of things: people saw the writing on the wall and abandoned ship (with the exception of MM if all the drama is to be believed....which we are not sure of at all), and also that the writers used the departures as a calculated risk in terms of making big storyline moves. The problem is, the writers are shitty, as are the amateur hour scripts they churn out. Also, they DON'T THINK AHEAD. If you ask me, these SL's unfold as if the writing team is flying by the seat of their pants, which they probably are. You're telling me with all the writing talent in the entertainment world, these guys are the best that they can dredge up? Bullshit.

And one last thing; as much as I think Michelle Stafford's acting stinks to high heaven (because it does, and I double dog dare anyone to find a good scene she's been in....but I digress), she took a gamble about leaving the show, and that they'd "need her back" (which they don't, clearly....nobody gives a rat's ass about her comatosed character) and that failed for her and they canned her, BUT she saw the writing on the wall before anyone else, it seems. So there's that. You won't see me give her many kudos, but she was smart enough to get out while she thought the getting was good. It was a failure, but at least she tried, I guess. It's too bad she picked a steaming pile of excrement as her next project with that web series.

[miamama]

I agree with Trip, Bill Bell's greatest gift was that he played to the strengths of the genre. Soaps are a slow burn world and he got that. It was very slow -- sometimes conversations would go on for weeks in real time -- but on a soap we want every emotional beat played in a story. When the shit hits the fan, I savour every single reaction in the actors' faces. Even the filming/blocking of soap opera scenes is unique. Have you noticed the positioning of actors in a scene, when you have two people having a conversation? It used to happen more with Bell, but both actors are facing the camera, so that you see both reactions (one usually in focus and one out of focus).

This not-missing-an-emotional-beat style has always been something a soap can do that prime time or film cannot (for sheer lack of time). Now, we have skipped scenes (off-screen marriages), non-reactions (Nikki did not get one scene to react to Nick's admission of lying about Summer's paternity). Entire off-screen angst, including affair, miscarriage, breakup (Dylan and Avery)

Bell also kept the show firmly on the ground. It was about relationships foremost. There was no freezing of the world or spies or demons. He made use of psychos and babynappers, but these are to me soap staples. It's an open-ended narrative and if you want to have really really bad guys, psychos are the way to go (because you can kill them off in horrible ways like David the psycho died -- by grinding I believe -- or that guy who raped Cricket and jumped out a window). Now we have people like MAB turning legacy characters into psychos and then tripping over themselves to sell them as heroes a few months later.

Bell wrote to the genre of the daily soap opera. He didn't pretend it could be prime time lite. It can't be. And believing a soap can be prime time lite, to my mind, is the fundamental mistake writers and show runners have been making since he left.

[Lamplighter]

I cannot agree with the notion that every storyline Cricket was in was wonderful or any other flattering adjective.  Seemingly endless I'd concede.  

Left, there was a character - I think called Tyrone - who married a mobster's daughter - I think called Alanna - who was the daughter of a mobster - Mr. Big, who looked funny and as I recall had a very big aquarium - who may, may have had some loose tie to Rose deVille.  It was back in the day when there was a Chief of Police who looked like ET who had a daughter named Amy Lewis who was connected to Tyrone.  Anyway, as I recall, Tyrone was black but he went white face to infiltrate the mob. Possibly as an accountant.  I think this was one of the stories you'd call one his branch offs that he eventually abandoned seamlessly (which was an improvement over the time Patty Williams went upstairs for twenty years, which was actually a happier fate than Suzanne Weston who just went in Douglas Austin's bedroom and was never heard from again.  Bill was fond of out of story, out of sight, out of mind.)  

[thewhiteowl]

And one last thing; as much as I think Michelle Stafford's acting stinks to high heaven (because it does, and I double dog dare anyone to find a good scene she's been in....but I digress), she took a gamble about leaving the show, and that they'd "need her back" (which they don't, clearly....nobody gives a rat's ass about her comatosed character) and that failed for her and they canned her, BUT she saw the writing on the wall before anyone else, it seems. So there's that. You won't see me give her many kudos, but she was smart enough to get out while she thought the getting was good. It was a failure, but at least she tried, I guess. It's too bad she picked a steaming pile of excrement as her next project with that web series.

 I don't know if I agree that MS was smart so much as self centered,  to get out first. I think it was contract time and she had gotten a good look at the back burner with Jack as her new and age appropriate beau and decided that if she could no longer eat the show and get the younger guys she was out. I think she was no longer being treated in the manner to which she was accustomed and jazz handed her way home. Because there are so many opportunities for 50-ish Norma Desmond style actresses out there,,,not. lol

[canucktvwatcher]

I don't know if I agree that MS was smart so much as self centered,  to get out first. I think it was contract time and she had gotten a good look at the back burner with Jack as her new and age appropriate beau and decided that if she could no longer eat the show and get the younger guys she was out. I think she was no longer being treated in the manner to which she was accustomed and jazz handed her way home. Because there are so many opportunities for 50-ish Norma Desmond style actresses out there,,,not. lol

Well, you do have valid points here! Don't mistake my comments as MS support, though - you say here what I was getting at very nicely. She certainly did what was best for her, but she was the first to pull the 'chute on the show. Maybe it was just timing, and recognizing that the future didn't look too rosy for her character. Like I said, I rarely find anything of merit with MS' career, so it would not surprise me if this was her motivation behind the failed power play.

"I'm ready for my close up, MR. DEMILLE!"

[PsychedelicTrip]

My UO is that I am kind of digging the show right now. Only thing that seriously gripes me is Chelsea/MCE. 

She's the next fucking Michelle Stafford, a piss poor actress and hammy.  All that damn screeching, whining, gasping and eyelash batting.  The bitch has the shoulders of a damn linebacker, stubby legs and no damn eyebrows.  I just can't with her.  She has great hair and that is about it.   She's just a fucking waste of good air time imo.  

 I don't know if I agree that MS was smart so much as self centered,  to get out first. I think it was contract time and she had gotten a good look at the back burner with Jack as her new and age appropriate beau and decided that if she could no longer eat the show and get the younger guys she was out. I think she was no longer being treated in the manner to which she was accustomed and jazz handed her way home. Because there are so many opportunities for 50-ish Norma Desmond style actresses out there,,,not. lol

WORD! Bitch wanted to be the next EB and her character to be the female Victor Newman and she was for a time.  She was shoved front and center into every storyline whether it warranted her or not.  Who can forget the stupid digging in the landfill for evidence with everyone there to support and cheer her on as the bestest mother ever!  Bitch please.  She can stay on her suck ass web show where her talents are so greatly needed.  I guarantee no one at YR is beating a path to her door or missing her or her damn bullying antics and hamfisted scene chewing.  She even said herself  "No one has asked me to stay"   Righty O...they held the door for her!  Girl bye!   

[LeftPhalange]

I like MS AND MCE. Do I win the award for most unpopular opinion?

[crosby777]

 

I'm pretty sure the decline in ratings is mostly due to the shitty writing and not MM getting fired.

 The shit writing is why the decline in numbers. I am sure the loss of MM BM and MS made some tune out. But the overall shit shape of the show is why the numbers are tanking.

[crosby777]

 

I agree that few people are so invested in ONE character when they leave, but this show had THREE departures, not necessarily just of the characters, but the actors that portrayed them. They all happened within about a year's time. This tells me a couple of things: people saw the writing on the wall and abandoned ship (with the exception of MM if all the drama is to be believed....which we are not sure of at all), and also that the writers used the departures as a calculated risk in terms of making big storyline moves. The problem is, the writers are shitty, as are the amateur hour scripts they churn out. Also, they DON'T THINK AHEAD. If you ask me, these SL's unfold as if the writing team is flying by the seat of their pants, which they probably are. You're telling me with all the writing talent in the entertainment world, these guys are the best that they can dredge up? Bullshit.

 I agree with this part of your post A lot. The writing is the shits and that is why people are tuning out. It is boring. Same old same old all of the time.

[peacheslatour]

 

but this show had THREE departures

I count four:  JC, MM, BM and MS.

[canucktvwatcher]

When I am talking about the shouting over others I'm not talking about how it can and does occur in normal conversations. I'm talking about certain actors repeatedly shouting their lines in some sort of attempt to give emphasis where none's really warranted or when they trample over their scene mate's lines deliberately. You can tell when this sort of thing happens because the one actor will look at the other with a major WTF look.

Agreed. What I also hate is Mumbles McGee EB droning his lines like he just downed a handful of Valiums and shat his Depends. Look, I love EB as Victor - the man is a legend - but they fucking near need subtitles when he's having a mumble day. Shit like that is just unacceptable. I've often wondered if other actors ever give him the stink eye, and are like, "what the fuck, dude?".

[canucktvwatcher]

I count four:  JC, MM, BM and MS.

I stand corrected! Thanks, peacheslatour! I had forgotten about the sad passing of JC. Even though they had dialled back her role substantially, she was a pillar of the show. Her loss was also a big one, and really, an unfillable void. Soaps and screen truly lost a legend when she passed away. :(

One of my pet peeves, though, is how they're invoking Catherine's name like she was some kind of wise and sagely saint on the show lately. Yeah, she had hard learned life experiences and wisdom, but longtime viewers will remember the character of Catherine was no saint, and pulled her fair share of shenanigans and bullshit on the folks of GC. I also hated how they tried to sell viewers the fact that a clearly sickly elderly woman was globe trotting and doing all these high energy activities. It was quite a stretch to buy that one, and I think most people didn't.

[canucktvwatcher]

I agree with this part of your post A lot. The writing is the shits and that is why people are tuning out. It is boring. Same old same old all of the time.

Thanks. It even seems like they're recycling parts of old story lines that they think that most viewers have not seen, which is not only insulting, but lazy as fuck. I realize it's a soap, but c'mon...a little creativity, PLEASE!

I truly think one of the problems is that current writers do not understand the format (and the genre) of the serial program, and it shows. They may THINK they do, but they don't. They would do well to go back and review older eps of YR, from the 80's backwards, as well as other successful soaps (DOOL, ATWT, AMC, SB, GH, etc.) and ask themselves, "What is the common thread? What works here?". Times have changed, but the idea that people want a compelling story has not. What is so bloody difficult to understand about that?

[canucktvwatcher]

She's the next fucking Michelle Stafford, a piss poor actress and hammy. All that damn screeching, whining, gasping and eyelash batting. The bitch has the shoulders of a damn linebacker, stubby legs and no damn eyebrows. I just can't with her. She has great hair and that is about it. She's just a fucking waste of good air time imo.

Don't forget she shills Proactiv like nobody's business! I'll be honest; when MCE arrived on the show, I had high hopes for her. But slowly, systematically, her portrayal of Griftea has made me dislike the character. I understand she's found her niche on the show, and she's workin' that shit harder than a stripper on cheap drink night at the peeler club, but they've made the character so vapid and annoying that literally, she could morph into Captain Fucking America right before my eyes onscreen, and I would not give one solitary fuck.

I think you all know how I feel about Operating Thetan Stafford and her limited bag of acting tricks.

Edited April 18, 2014 by canucktvwatcher

[pearlite]

For me, MCE was sort of all right--and that was about it--when she still had some elements of the con about her. I could even stomach Daisy Duke--and I always enjoy Knots Landing. But, MCE at the mo--canonization does not suit her. Time for her to get back into the paper bag she can't act her way out of.

Don't forget she shills Proactiv like nobody's business! I'll be honest; when MCE arrived on the show, I had high hopes for her. But slowly, systematically, her portrayal of Griftea has made me dislike the character. I understand she's found her niche on the show, and she's workin' that shit harder than a stripper on cheap drink night at the peeler club, but they've made the character so vapid and annoying that literally, she could morph into Captain Fucking America right before my eyes onscreen, and I would not give one solitary fuck.

I think you all know how I feel about Operating Thetan Stafford and her limited bag of acting tricks.

All right! You just brightened up a cloudy and cold Good Friday, when I'm stuck marking exams, with "Operating Thetan Stafford"!

And I do have a real stinkball of a UO, speaking of canonization: I loathed KidCassie. Loathed her, and far too often memorials that cropped up, too. I don't mind RevenantCassie, but I don't find there's much to her, beyond playing the back-from-the-dead alter soap trope.

[peach]

It's Jane Doe!  lol

[pearlite]

You twigged me to something I've been idly thinking about--the lack of tonal variation [euw, pretentious] in characters on the show at this point. When Ted Shackleford's sleaze is the high spot of an episode of unrelieved earnestness, c'mon. Y & R is not really noted for moments of hilarity; see Maximus and his chihuahua. Which reminds me, Gloria, where are you? And Ray Wise, do not go away.

As other posters have said, and Peach has so well captured, the show's running on one or two currents at the moment: regret and remorse [fill in the characters] and vapid interactions [pick any of the pairings or any scene with Steve Burton.] When even Robert Scorpio and Jill can't pick things up, you know things are getting a bit crusty. There are actually a good range of potentially interesting plot-threads and scenarios floating through right now, but they're floating in no particular direction.

pearlite, I agree about MCE. I guess that is what I don't like about her. I want her to be both bad and good. Her heroine schtick just doesn't work for me. If she would be the resident bad girl, I could see me liking her more.

[Snaporaz]

 

I had forgotten about the sad passing of JC. Even though they had dialled back her role substantially, she was a pillar of the show.

They only scaled back her role when she became very ill, and that was shortly before she died.  That woman worked a lot, practically to the end.  She even played two roles just a few years ago.  

[canucktvwatcher]

They only scaled back her role when she became very ill, and that was shortly before she died.  That woman worked a lot, practically to the end.  She even played two roles just a few years ago.

Agreed, but the writing seemed to relegate her "advice giver".

[LeftPhalange]

I don't understand the point of getting into fan wars. This applies to all soaps but I think Y&R might be the worse with the Sharon vs Phyllis wars. I've seen many message boards taken over by that pointless bullshit. At the end of the day these are fictional characters on a tv show and none of these characters are people you would want to hang out with in real life . Like who you like and accept that other people are allowed to have different opinions.

[radishcake]

 Like who you like and accept that other people are allowed to have different opinions.

I think you just negated the whole point of the internet LeftPhalange! ;)

[canucktvwatcher]

I don't understand the point of getting into fan wars. This applies to all soaps but I think Y&R might be the worse with the Sharon vs Phyllis wars. I've seen many message boards taken over by that pointless bullshit. At the end of the day these are fictional characters on a tv show and none of these characters are people you would want to hang out with in real life . Like who you like and accept that other people are allowed to have different opinions.

I'm laughing so hard right now I'm just about to spit out my soda!

[crosby777]

 

Like who you like and accept that other people are allowed to have different opinions.

The fan wars are a trip. I have been told I must be a homewrecker because I am a Phyllis fan. LOL

[canucktvwatcher]

What was the point of having Bug and Paul get married? I immediately have to FF all their scenes because she's so annoying.

Um, because Paul needs his GCAC Restaurant/Sammich fix when he works late. And Bug is like Pizza Hut - delivers to the door in 30 minutes or less!

Also, she needs to occasionally brag about her Super Important Job.

[canucktvwatcher]

For me, MCE was sort of all right--and that was about it--when she still had some elements of the con about her. I could even stomach Daisy Duke--and I always enjoy Knots Landing. But, MCE at the mo--canonization does not suit her. Time for her to get back into the paper bag she can't act her way out of.

All right! You just brightened up a cloudy and cold Good Friday, when I'm stuck marking exams, with "Operating Thetan Stafford"!

And I do have a real stinkball of a UO, speaking of canonization: I loathed KidCassie. Loathed her, and far too often memorials that cropped up, too. I don't mind RevenantCassie, but I don't find there's much to her, beyond playing the back-from-the-dead alter soap trope.

Bwahahaha! Daisy Duke sure doesn't look like Daisy Duke anymore. I realize we all get older, but DAMN Catherine Bach has not looked good in any recent appearances, and she needs to step the hell AWAY from the Botox. It looks like she's the Michelin Man's Surprised Wife. It's creepy.

DoppelCassie is also a one-note character as well, I agree. The actress that plays her (Camryn Grimes, I think, as it's the same actress.... "always been Cassie" ?) is just terrible. I realize that the character as it's written right now doesn't have tons of latitude, but Christ, she's as wooden as Steve Burton standing in a forest, FFS. BRUTAL.

Edited April 21, 2014 by canucktvwatcher

[LeftPhalange]

 

Also, she needs to occasionally brag about her Super Important Job.

Isn't she supposed to be a big time fed in DC? Why is she always in GC? GO AWAY.

 

DoppelCassie is also a one-note character as well, I agree.

It was bad enough her parents used Cassie's death to act like filthy trash. Then we get the Cassie Was The Best Daughter Ever Celebration every year. Now we have Fake Cassie. When the truth comes out is she going to stick around and replace the real Cassie? Enough already.

[buckmom]

On to something else.  It really really bugs me how the characters always call one another by their names--several times in one conversation.  If it's supposed to suck in new viewers by explaining who people are, I don't care.

"Sharon"... (pause)..."please pass me the salt".  Salt is passed, shaken, a forkful is consumed.

"Nick"...(pause)..."Aren't you going to say 'thank you'?"  She batts her eyes.

"Sharon"..."you give me so much, I should remember to say 'Thank you, Sharon' more often."

All this when they are alone in a room.  The only time I call my husband by his name is when I need to get his attention in a crowd. Otherwise he knows I'm talking to him.

[SweePea59]

I believe the show used to be broadcast over the radio and AFAIK it still is. That's why there is all the name usage and also so much, "Sis" and "Little Brother", etc. This way truckers, for example, can be mortified at how crappy the show has become too.

[canucktvwatcher]

Serious? I've never heard this before! I'm intrigued!

[photo fox]

Yep! I didn't know it was broadcast on actual radio stations, but I used to have a radio with a "TV band", and I listened to soaps quite often. That way I could follow along while I did other stuff. I'm not sure if that still works in the era of digital television channels, but I always liked keeping up that way.

Oops! Just realized what thread I posted in. Bad mod!

My UO is that I love Shick, and probably always will. No matter what horrors those two crazy kids perpetrate upon each other, I will always hope they get together in the end.

Edited April 21, 2014 by photo fox
I was off-topic. *blush*

[canucktvwatcher]

Ok, here's another unpopular opinion: I can't stand the character of Tracey Abbott. I hate that they trot her out every once in a while, and that she has two modes: judgy and saintly.

I also fucking hate that she can barely have a scene or appearance in which the Sacred and Holy Name of Saint Colleen is not invoked. My fiancée and I are always like, "....wait for it.....there it is!". I swear to God, you could make a drinking game out of Colleen References.

Also funny how Tracey managed to get a twofer by mentioning both Colleen and Brad at the shitty engagement party!

[Lamplighter]

UO:  I think the expressions of MM hate frequently exceed the bounds of what is known to be fact and so casting (and essentially publishing) unproven aspersions make me uncomfortable.  He's proven dick enough without asserting assumption as fact.

UO:  I never got the enduring outrage over Adam, in the purple gown, with the Easy Bake.  In the annals of soapdom, it didn't seem like such an enduring sin. 

[glowlights]

Ok, here's another unpopular opinion: I can't stand the character of Tracey Abbott. I hate that they trot her out every once in a while, and that she has two modes: judgy and saintly.

 

 

Also: Genoa City's self-appointed grief counselor. She knows all about grieving, folks. Let her remind you about her dead kid.

 

She serves no purpose even as an ancillary character. I was hoping she'd get eaten by those rats.

[Suby]

My unpopular opinion is that every mother and father on this show who lost a child gets a pass on crazy, bitchy, saintly, whatev's behavior and bringing up that deceased child. I am only talking about  children that have been born and been a presence on the show, not Blueberries.  It's just a soap but that is the most horrific thing that could ever happen to a parent, especially a mother.  I am getting verklempt just typing about it :(

Edited April 23, 2014 by Suby

[miamama]

My UO is I find Amelia Heinle dull. She's beautiful (when she's dressed up). And I like the "look" of her. But fuck if she doesn't suck the life out of every pairing she's in. Villy worked initially because of BM's energy, imo (he had enough for both of them). And they were funny. Then when it got angsty and Victor kept stepping in trying to destroy them and Vicki was whining or crying or bitching or forgiving, I loathed that pairing.

 

AH has acted well in the emotional stuff since Delia died but she's still blah.

 

I see zero chemistry with Vicki and Stitch. They are better than David Tom's Billy and Vicki only because DT is such a whiny child and Sean Carrigan is hot and a grown man. But they do not sizzle for me at all. AH made Brad boring, JT boring and BM's Billy pathetic. SC is a day player. He's very nice to look at and has some charm but he isn't much of an actor. I don't see Vitch or Sticky or whatever it's called having staying power, no matter how much the pairing is forced (and it has been forced for months now with their absurd "chance" encounters).

 

The show is in bad shape if AH is their lead actress. 

Edited April 23, 2014 by miamama

[SweePea59]

I think of them as Mop-Itch. And it's just as bad as it sounds.

[miamama]

The other thing about Mop-Itch (lol) that I find distasteful is that Vicki just ended a loving and long (by soap standards) marriage (that was dealt the death of a child). I don't find it cute that she is being courted by and being flirty with this new guy. I don't blame her for kicking Billy to the curb (and even if BM were in the role I think she should have kicked him to the curb), but can't they let her do something else for awhile? Like have a job? Or even have a fling but make it yuck and all about her pain. This cute shit is completely unbelievable to me. 

[LeftPhalange]

I'm over Stitch. Actually, I never really cared about him to begin with. He's not all that. And the fact that he can't even step back and wait until the divorce is final before he makes a move on Vikki just makes him seem desperate. Wasn't he trying to get his wife back a few months ago? Is he afraid to be without a bed partner for too long?

[miamama]

…and Stitch said he was jealous of Vicki and Billy???? Jesus. She has been separated for a few days and he's jealous of her husband. Yeah, that was cute. Bad enough the writers had to demean Ashley by having her prop mop and the day player but that was insane.

[canucktvwatcher]

The other thing about Mop-Itch (lol) that I find distasteful is that Vicki just ended a loving and long (by soap standards) marriage (that was dealt the death of a child). I don't find it cute that she is being courted by and being flirty with this new guy. I don't blame her for kicking Billy to the curb (and even if BM were in the role I think she should have kicked him to the curb), but can't they let her do something else for awhile? Like have a job? Or even have a fling but make it yuck and all about her pain. This cute shit is completely unbelievable to me.

Wait until tomorrow, when they have a Hot Dog Date at Red Claws Memorial Park. Ditch yanks a flower, roots and all, RIGHT FROM THE FUCKING GARDEN and gives it to her. He also looks at her with a grin that threatens to melt IQ points instantaneously as he does it. That being said, this pairing looks like it may go places.

…and Stitch said he was jealous of Vicki and Billy???? Jesus. She has been separated for a few days and he's jealous of her husband. Yeah, that was cute. Bad enough the writers had to demean Ashley by having her prop mop and the day player but that was insane.

Yeah, I sorta get the feeling The Big Reveal about Jock Itch is coming soon. As in, he's not squeaky clean, obviously. They've dropped a billion hints about it. And how they're going to have You Must Be This Tall To Ride The Rollercoaster Billy save Mop from Ditch, which is where I assume this might be going, is beyond me. Maybe if Stitch tied one hand behind his back, I'd buy this. But if this happens, I simply cannot pick up what they are throwin' down. DT's Billy looks like he couldn't fight his way out of a wet paper bag. Edited April 24, 2014 by canucktvwatcher

[crosby777]

 

My UO is I find Amelia Heinle dull. She's beautiful (when she's dressed up). And I like the "look" of her.

 I find her extremely dull and unlike you I do not find her attractive at all.  My hubby thinks she is downright ugly. LOL

[marshmallow]

Well, they have to throw her against Stitch to make them an insta-couple, so when his big, bad secret is discovered (presumably by Billy-Boy-Child), Vicki gets to have more angsty scenes.  Yawn, I'm sleepy with anticipation.

[pearlite]

Oh, yes, that was one [oh, who's counting?] badly written scene. Victoria noticing that plants have roots was fun, mind you. Sniffing marigolds, why? Unless you're a dog checking for prior visitors, who sniffs marigolds? And Y & R used to have great flowers...

 

A question, though: will outdoor puking become the new finding of prenatal vitamins? Seems a bit, ah, rough, maybe, as a trope/signal, but who knows?

Wait until tomorrow, when they have a Hot Dog Date at Red Claws Memorial Park. Ditch yanks a flower, roots and all, RIGHT FROM THE FUCKING GARDEN and gives it to her. He also looks at her with a grin that threatens to melt IQ points instantaneously as he does it. That being said, this pairing looks like it may go places.
DT's Billy looks like he couldn't fight his way out of a wet paper bag.

But Billy's Father of the Year, doncha know? Available for emergency hospital visits, hot, steamy shower visits, and presumably mall openings.

 

But lest we think that the show has lost the ability to keep it classy, check out the insta-flowering trees in Allpurpose Park, and the invisible orchestra playing Vivaldi.

 

For me, the best moment all week was Ian Ward observing Dylan cutting up lemons, opening with something to the effect of "Iced tea sounds just delicious." That man has a way with a line!

[glowlights]

For me, the best moment all week was Ian Ward observing Dylan cutting up lemons, opening with something to the effect of "Iced tea sounds just delicious." That man has a way with a line!

 

Loved that. Is it UO to like Ian? If it's wrong then I don't want to be right. I kept telling Dylan (via my tv because that's not crazy) to drop the knife and squirt Ian in the eye with lemon juice. I could tell that ex-soldier a thing or two about combat.

 

ITA that Y&R used to have great flowers. Every home and office had stunning floral arrangements. My mother used to say sometimes she tuned in just to see the flowers. :) Guess they cut that from the production budget, which is too bad because it was part of the sumptuous feel Y&R used to have.