Dramarama On and Offscreen

I have not written about The Young and the Restless in eons, despite the fact that I watch it, and look forward to watching it, every day. I think it is because I love it, plainly and truly. I think I'd actually put it in the esteemed category of my top five favorite current shows (alongside How I Met Your Mother, The Office, 30 Rock and Law & Order, the original; a completely lackluster season has bumped Gossip Girl from the upper echelons of my very exclusive list). I usually consider my soaps to be separate entities from the other shows I watch, but Y&R is so good that it totally crossed over.

Anyway, I am having a hard time describing my love for this show. Like, I take notes when I watch soaps because I want to remember what to mention here and also because I am a nerd, and by the end of an episode of, say, All My Children, my notes are completely illegible with anger, but my notes for Y&R yesterday consist of the following:

• YES!
• So pretty
• !!!
• Mac?
• Ha!
• !

For the past few weeks, my notes are all similar, with excitement and compliments that I did not put in any context, so I reread them all, "Who is pretty? What are the three exclamation points for?", and the occasional befuddlement, usually pertaining to Mackenzie or chipmunks.

My brief list of complaints I have about Y&R consist mostly of those two things and, of course, my all consuming hatred of Victor Newman, but I hardly need to remind you all of that. We're all intelligent, rational people, so of course we hate him...

For some reason, I cannot accept Clementine Ford as Mac. She reads too...not old, exactly, because she isn't old and she doesn't seem old, but there is something about her that doesn't work alongside the characters in her age range. And she just doesn't seem like Mac to me. I admit that I may not be the best judge of this, because I've only liked Ashley Bashioum as Mac and because I find Cybill Shepherd to be crazy, awful and crazy awful, so I may be transferring my feelings onto her daughter.

The entire Kevin Goes Nuts dragged on too long. It's like every so often the powers-that-be remember that Greg Rikaart is good at playing crazy and are like, "Let's do that again for a while!"

I pretty much love the rest of the show without reservation. Thom Bierdz returning? Yes! Kay and Murphy? Yes! Chloe being adorable? Yes! Sharon's Who's The Daddy story? Cliched as hell, but yes! I will be posting more in detail about these things, but my feelings can be summed up thusly:

The really interesting thing is how much drama is going on behind the scenes that, thankfully, never manages to impact what we see onscreen.

There was the contract negotiation drama with Jess Walton, who was nearly recast. I'm not going to lie, as disappointed as I'd be to have anybody but her playing Jill, I did wonder if I should take the opportunity to write the pilot episode of my Jess Walton vehicle, The Shouter and figure out how to pitch it to the networks. Luckily, it did not come to that. Nelson Branco has a great interview with Ms. Walton here. Love her!

Then my beloved Melody Thomas Scott (there is no way to write a sentence like that and not seem totally creepy, is there?) was asked by the powers-that-be at The Young and the Restless to go recurring,which is oh so very wrong.  I know that times are tough and that soaps are struggling, and I am sure that MTS makes a pretty penny, but it's freaking Nikki Newman! I can think of a dozen characters off of the top of my head who could be cut loose to save money. Although, granted, I'd be happy with five hours a week of MTS, Peter Bergman, Jess Walton and Jeanne Cooper just talking about their days, so maybe I am too biased to be reasonable about this...

And NOW comes Chris Engen suddenly walking out because of displeasure with Adam's character arc and possibly because of a kiss with Rafe; this even made it onto Perez Hilton (which I refuse to link to on principle because Perez Hilton is terrible), which is...weird. And then Adam was recast with Sheriff Don Mothereffing Lamb. As a Veronica Marsfangirl, this news makes me absolutely giddy, because I loved Michael Muhney on that show and can't wait to see what he does here, opposite Eileen Davidson and Eric Braeden. And he seems pretty giddy about it, too:

"My first day on the set was crazy and fun and quite a wild ride. I had to hit the ground running at full speed. I think I need a new pair of shoes, but in these economic times I'll just have my shoes resoled ;-)

I'm honored to be a part of such an iconic piece of work and I can't wait to sink my teeth into this thing."

Comments

[Heather]

Never cared for Chris Engen anyway. Meh.

[Carl]

I have a hard time getting past all the woman-hating and Victor-propping in most of the current stories. That and their inability to actually tell a story. I'm still bewildered as to how Sharon's mental problems became a vehicle for her bedding various men, having a "miracle" pregnancy, and weeping with Nick over Cassie for the 53250934 time.

[Nancy]

I haven't watched Y & R since I was a teenage but I am a huge Veronica fan girl and I keep hearing how great it is. I may have to tune in.

[Sina]

They really don't finish telling stories.

The whole Mary Jane working for Victor to take down Jack storyline seem to be gone now that Paul is trying to figure out who she is and Jack is all up in Sharon's drawers again.

Mac has got to be the worst character on that show. That whole storyline with Billy wanting her and crap doesn't seem right since she can't act, looks too old and has no chemistry with anyone.

Sharon being a ho and somehow her mental illness has something to do with that. Don't get that.

[Sarah]

I come and go w/ Y&R. Often with many years skipped. The chipmunk thing freaked me out and then bored me to silly tears. Few soaps have ever done any kind of mental illness well in any way.

But the botox injections in the eye, TOO MUCH GROSSNESS. I haven't been able to watch without my finger on the FF button since that scene. I hate needles, but in the eye and self injected on purpose for nefarious reasons, YOWZA! My knees are weak just writing about it.

However, if it ends up hurting Victor I say go for it you mean freak. But the problem is Victor won't be hurt, this whole thing will just make him more revered somehow. Like SOnny being a killer makes him a good father?!?!?! Which infuriates me. Plus, for this plan of driving Ash nuts to destroy Victor and kill his unborn Son is pointless. Victor is all talk w/ his women and his kids. He only loves himself. I'd prefer this revenge plan more if Victor got the in the eyeball injections :-) That I could seriously get behind. And while he is being tortured by his pissy abandoned Son he should also have his mustache removed one hair at a time by tweezer! I volunteer for that role. Adam could hire me to come in and torture the Mustache one plucked hair at at a time. I'd do it for free.

[Kels]

I've finally started watching Y&R because I had to see why people said it was the best soap left on air. Now I know why. It's still a soap & has some tremendous actors on it.

Fortunately, I am one of those people with logic who totally hates Victor. We can remain friends. :)

I cannot imagine Y&R without MST either. It may be close to 15 years since I used to watch it but still she is one of those faces I just expect to see when I watch the show.

You know that love you have for Peter Bergman? That's another thing we share. I could watch him just sit there & read the phone book. So much love.

[Dirk Mancuso]

Clementine Ford seems determined to give Cameron Matheson a run for his money in claiming the Frankenstare title. And you got it write when you wrote "She reads too" -- that's precisely what she does: read her lines.

As for Chris Engen -- you're an actor, not a writer. If the thought of kissing a hottie like Rafe was distasteful to you, ponder the alternative: having Charles Pratt or Bob Guza scribbling dreck for you. Now THAT'S worth walking out over.

[Carl]

"If the thought of kissing a hottie like Rafe was distasteful to you, ponder the alternative: having Charles Pratt or Bob Guza scribbling dreck for you. Now THAT'S worth walking out over."

The writing for Adam has been some of the worst I have seen on daytime in years, so I'm not sure if they are too far away from Pratt or Guza. I sense their low view of women isn't too far off, and sleazy, perma-smirk Billy is a wet dream for those writers.

[Carl]

I forgot about Mac. CF doesn't really bother me, this is the way Mac has always been. She seemed OK with Raul on Friday's episode. Just keep her away from Billy, she will be better off.

[Cece]

Again, I know I'm in the minority, but this storyline for Devon sounds promising. Just because those emeffers who write for Y&R are re-writing history and having Neil cheat on Dru (when are you coming back?). If it's done well, then it has LOADS of potential. Devon yelling at Tyra was pretty good today. Here's hoping.

P.S. Melody can't go to recurring. I won't allow it. :p

[Nik]

Michael Muhney?

Hurray!!!

[Spike]

I kinda like Clementine Ford in and of herself, but she's not clicking for me as Mac, either.

For one thing, her energy is a bit too much like Chloe. If they want Mac to be a foil for Chloe and Billy, they should have cast someone who isn't quirky like Chloe.

And I winced the other day when Mac/CF walked around in a dress - she lumbers around like a linebacker, with no grace!

[Spike]

I kinda like Clementine Ford in and of herself, but she's not clicking for me as Mac, either.

For one thing, her energy is a bit too much like Chloe. If they want Mac to be a foil for Chloe and Billy, they should have cast someone who isn't quirky like Chloe.

And I winced the other day when Mac/CF walked around in a dress - she lumbers around like a linebacker, with no grace!