Y&R Brad & what you think of it
Jennifer
show. Or probably most people here have read spoilers. But i think
everyone can get the gist after seeing the preview at the end of US
thursday.
I never read any of the spoiler discussions so i'm not sure what
people here are thinking.
But how do you like the way brad was handled? I'll be even more
curious after people see exactly what was shown and what was not.
Tony Cianfaglione
It looks like my speculation might be smack on.
Ryka
"Jennifer" <jlka...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:963a31d8-26ca-4db6...@w24g2000prd.googlegroups.com...
I like that they're leaving it open for a possible return in the future. His
AWOL resolves several stories too (Newman board seat, who will be the best
daddy, etc.). And....now Nick will run to Sharon - Yuck!
Jude
I think Sharon will blame herself in a way. She should have been home
instead of in the woods writing letters to some other woman's husband.
Then she ran Brad away. But he saved Noah.
luisavt
> "Jennifer" <jlkal...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
But the light was extinguished. So there can be no possible return in
the future ; )
What was Brad doing near the spot where Noah was? And where was his
car? (I missed some parts.)
Cheri
I think Sharon will blame herself in a way. She should have been home
instead of in the woods writing letters to some other woman's husband.
Then she ran Brad away. But he saved Noah.
==========
And...of course, she will come to the conclusion that Brad was the love of
her life after all now that he's gone, so we'll see lots of tears. I
remember that she told him once, that when she thought she was dying, he was
the last thing on her mind, that's how much she loved him, too bad he won't
be able to tell her the same thing. :-)
Cheri
Cheri
news:046e5a65-8bd0-4e9e-9b4b-
What was Brad doing near the spot where Noah was? And where was his
car? (I missed some parts.)
============
He had gone to the cabin to see Sharon, when leaving his SUV broke down, and
then he heard Noah calling for help, not knowing it was Noah.
queenie
I think Brad was given one of the nicer send-offs. The light fading
to black was a gentle way of showing his death.
Cheri
news:9u97o45iri57visar...@4ax.com...
> I think Brad was given one of the nicer send-offs. The light fading
> to black was a gentle way of showing his death.
Damnit, I wanted to see him screaming in pain, oh sorry...that's Kevin. ;-)
queenie
Jennifer
if they wanted brad to disappear, i was positive we were going to see
it.
It was sort of different to find out that we didn't get see anything
that happened!'
I'm anxious to see today's canadian show. Maybe noah will remember
something about brad. Maybe JT will find brad's car.
MarkH
Here's what I wrote in my blog:
http://markhsoap.blogspot.com/2009/01/veterans-away-what-not-to-do.html
I'm 99% sure there aren't any spoilers in this:
Today, by all accounts, was the final appearance of Don Diamont on the
Young and the Restless. The story was told cryptically. By a series of
coincidences, Brad was in the Wisconsin woods at the same time as Noah
Newman had fallen through ice and was dying. The hero came out in
Brad, and he tried to rescue Noah.
Then, in an interesting storytelling device, next we saw Noah, he was
in hospital and apparently on the road to recovery. No sign of Brad,
but the final shot of the episode was on an emergency lantern at
water's edge...flickering, and about to be extinguished.
Only the most spoilerphobic do not know what will happen next.
My point, though, is to address how fundamentally respectfully Y&R
dealt with this transition. In the days before this event, they
actually ramped up Brad's story. He was in conflict with his ex-wife,
his (adopted) daughter was starting to drift away to her biological
father, he was at a crossroads in business. He confessed his true love
to Sharon Newman, and was rebuffed. He even had a sweet reunion with
his first (Genoa City) wife, Traci Abbott.
Now, this is an intriguing writing choice. It makes any subsequent
loss of Brad even more poignant. He doesn't just fade away. He is,
instead, snatched away with a plethora of unfinished business and a
whole new bevy of storylines (fighting Victor, reclaiming his
daughter's love, finding new romance and new occupation). In the last
days, Brad had been more active than he'd been since Lynn Latham left
the show.
Then, on top of it, he is apparently given a hero's farewell. He died
(did he?) saving the son of the woman who had just rejected him!
If previews for the next episode are to be believed, this will also
spin out in months of new stories...all premised around Brad's death.
Nick and Sharon reunited, after a fashion. The increasingly psycho
Phyllis will discover Nick's betrayal. Colleen will be bereft...and
apparently turn to the (hitherto happily married) first love JT. Abby
will surely be rocked by guilt...probably Ashley and Victoria too.
Good, juicy, soapy stuff.
Killing a character off like that -- with long term repercussions --
is an act of love. It says, palpably, "you will be missed; your
absence will be felt".
========
Now, I contrast this with the 1/23/2009 farewell of John and Marlena
on Days of our Lives. Pillars of the show, they'd languished under
years of uneven writing, sudden story switches, and -- most criminally
-- long phases of backburner neglect.
Their story was tied up -- literally -- within the span of a single
episode. Then...off they were...to Switzerland (presumably never to be
seen again). Since leaving, their departures have scarcely been
mentioned.
No opportunity for farewells...even with daughters Sami or Belle. No
dramatic or heroic departure. No repercussions. By my previous
criteria, that equals disrespect...for John and Marlena, and for the
fans who loved them for so long.
========
Time and again, Y&R shows how it should be done...and Days...doesn't.
Could this, possibly, be part of the reason for the huge ratings
difference between them?
And yet, I scratch my head. By all accounts, DOOL is the only show
that is consistently GAINING viewers these days. That makes me think I
do not understand what soap fans even want. I do know what I
want....respect for fans.
Oh yeah. And that they never find Brad's body.
Cory
says...
<snip...>
> I like that they're leaving it open for a possible return in the future.
(I'm being deliberately vague for any day-behinders or otherwise late
viewers of today's eppy)
Ordinarily, I like that they leave death open-ended on soaps, but with
the open-ended "death" on Y&R today... well... I'm having a MAJOR
problem with it.
From everything I've read and heard about the actor's departure, it
sounds permanent. I don't see him ever coming back to the show. Having
said that, I absolutely believe that this is one of those times when the
show should just "shut the door", so to speak, and not dick around with
the fans' minds.
Is there going to be a funeral for this person, or is this going to be
one of those perpetual "missing person" cases?? In this particular
case, I find myself rooting for the former, rather than the latter,
simply because we, as fans, should be able to "mourn" the seemingly
permanent loss of this character along with his castmates.
I understand Susan Hufford's feelings and motives, but I truly wish that
David Renaldi had died of his ALS instead of just writing Michael Zaslow
off the OLTL canvas and into the sunset. GL did, IMNSHO, such a crap-
ass job with Roger's death that fans never got to mourn the loss of this
terrific actor.
I mean, yes, we mourned his loss when Zas passed away, but I wouldn't be
surprised at all if someone said that there was unresolved grief because
David Renaldi never actually died, and don't look at me like I'm psycho,
either. We all get invested in these characters and these actors to a
certain degree, and if you say that you've never formed an attachment to
an actor or a character, or that you've never invested your
emotions/feelings in an actor/character, then I'll call you a liar
straight to your face (either that or a person who is truly devoid of
feelings at all).
JM2CW...
--- Cory
--
"As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our
safety and our ideals... Those ideals still light the world, and we will
not give them up for expedience's sake."
- President Barack Obama
queenie
<jlka...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>I'm sort of surprised that they didn't show us Brad saving Noah. Even
>if they wanted brad to disappear, i was positive we were going to see
>it.
They'll probably show it in flashbacks when Noah gets his memory. It
would be sublime if we only got to see it through Noah's
description--Noah describing the rescue through his tears.
>
>It was sort of different to find out that we didn't get see anything
>that happened!'
It's still early.
queenie
See, this is how a writer sums up, "They gave Brad a nice send-off".
Very nice, Mark.
MarkH
>
> It's still early.
I am biting my nails, because I am very afraid they will find the
body.
I DO NOT want that finality.
Cheri
news:7c31d07d-2ca9-4fe7...@e6g2000vbe.googlegroups.com...
>
> It's still early.
======
Why not? He can always come back as a ghost. :-)
Cheri
MarkH
>
> Why not? He can always come back as a ghost. :-)
>
> Cheri
Or a lookalike.
My wish is this.
Brad was at the lowest ebb in his life. In his mind, he was estranged
from Ashley and Abby, had said "farewells" to Traci and Colleen, and
had basically been ground to cinder in the business world. Genoa City
held nothing for him. Moreover, he has some big blackmail targets on
his back: the killing of the Kommandant's son and henchman and Jana's
father in Kutna Hora, and the illegal hacking of Newman computers. He
also has to be *mindful* of his backstory getting out at all times
(which is why he squashed Korbel's book), lest his mother come to
harm.
I can see Brad coming to the conclusion...just as George Kaplan did
nearly thirty years ago...to PRETEND to be dead...and use it to start
over. Let's face it...he needed to start over.
This is an ideal setup. His body would be trapped beneath the ice.
With a blizzard (and cold snap) they could drain the lake. If there
is any kind of undercurrent, it could push Brad's "body" far from the
crack in the ice.
So, then, authorities would probably need to wait for the Spring
thaw...and by then, realistically, what might be left of the corpse.
The freeze-thaw-bloat would like skeletonize the body quickly. So, if
the body were never found, that would not be unexpected.
Previews for next week (not a spoiler!) use the term "Memorial
Service". On soaps, they almost always only do that when there is no
body.
Meanwhile I could see George Kaplan assuming identity #3, maybe with
the help of his mother and his long skills of remaining hidden.
Oh, I'll get knocked that (a) this is ridiculously far fetched, (b)
killing characters is often wrong,but if you're going to kill
characters LET THEM BE DEAD, and so forth. But I stand by this...
I feel Brad's exit story was written in such an interesting way --
high drama with so many on the canvas -- that this is an IDEAL way to
"rest" a character that Maria Arena Bell clearly didn't want on the
front burner...and whose exit was probably financially encouraged by
the economic downturn. I have no doubt that ... if Abbotts and
Newmans and Carltons remain on the canvas in the future ... that some
day Georgie might turn up again.
Given a press interview (where Bold and Beautiful was mentioned, and
Diamont said he'd "love to stay in the Bell family" but also that the
audience needed some time to "forget" Brad) I totally would not be
surprised if a physically altered Brad (beard? dye job?) showed up in
LA a year or two from now...playing a different character...but we'd
all wonder if this wasn't the third incarnation of Georgie.
That's my hope.
But my hopes will be dashed if they find a body. And I'm very, very
worried that they WILL find a body.
Cheri
Meanwhile I could see George Kaplan assuming identity #3, maybe with
the help of his mother and his long skills of remaining hidden.
=========
I hear there's going to be a job opening soon at the diner, maybe Pearl will
turn out to be a Nazi war criminal and he will only discover this after
waiting tables for a month or so, maybe while serving coffee to Sheila who
has returned as Lowell Baldwin. ;-)
Tony Cianfaglione
On Fri, 30 Jan 2009, queenie wrote:
> I think Brad was given one of the nicer send-offs. The light fading
> to black was a gentle way of showing his death.
This may be a knitpick but I don't have my tape handy to check. I
thought Brad was carrying a flashlight and not a lantern. Where did the
lantern come from?
Denise in NH
_______________________________
I said the same thing. Brad was carrying a long black flashlight, not a
lantern.
Denise
Ryka
"Denise in NH" <Deni...@webtv.net> wrote in message
news:10943-498...@storefull-3132.bay.webtv.net...
And I thought maybe I was the crazy one - I would have sworn that Brad was
carrying a flashlight! I thought the lantern must be the one the kids had
with them. Guess a lantern made a better "he's dead" symbol?!
Tony Cianfaglione
On Fri, 30 Jan 2009, Cory wrote:
> From everything I've read and heard about the actor's departure, it
> sounds permanent. I don't see him ever coming back to the show. Having
> said that, I absolutely believe that this is one of those times when the
> show should just "shut the door", so to speak, and not dick around with
> the fans' minds.
However, down the road, they could bring in another actor to be a
returning Brad, someone who will work for a lot less money.
record hunter
Noah had it.
record hunter
They'd better not.
shin...@gmail.com
[snip]
> I totally would not be
> surprised if a physically altered Brad (beard? dye job?) showed up in
> LA a year or two from now...playing a different character...but we'd
> all wonder if this wasn't the third incarnation of Georgie.
>
> That's my hope.
>
> But my hopes will be dashed if they find a body. And I'm very, very
> worried that they WILL find a body.
I hope they find a body and that he is dead-dead. They need to stop
the repetitive practice of bringing back "dead" characters, IMO. If
characters need to be "rested," there are other ways to do that than
to kill them off and then have them show up again later.
Furthermore, I find it incomprehensible that Brad could pull Noah out
of the water if he were passed out while he is in the water himself.
If Noah were awake and able to help, maybe ... but how can you lift
175-or-so pounds of dead-weight out of the freezing water FROM the
water? or are we to believe he pulled him out and then fell in
himself? Doesn't make sense.
But ultimately, dead or alive ... they need to make up their mind and
stick with it. All this flipflopping and reversing decisions has so
cheapened the show...IMO.
Shirl
Niki
> However, down the road, they could bring in another actor to be a
> returning Brad, someone who will work for a lot less money.
I have to disagree with a recast. Some work, most don't. At this
stage in the game, continuity is crucial. A different face of an
old friend just doesn't work for me.
--
Niki
record hunter
On ATWT now, you can watch scenes featuring five recasts together. If
I were really interested, the only way I could follow it would be to
paste pictures of the original cast members on my TV. (I wonder if
such a computer program exists.)
Niki
> On Feb 1, 10:34 am, Niki <nikib...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>>Tony Cianfaglione wrote:
>>
>>> However, down the road, they could bring in another actor to be a
>>>returning Brad, someone who will work for a lot less money.
>>
>>I have to disagree with a recast. Some work, most don't. At this
>>stage in the game, continuity is crucial. A different face of an
>>old friend just doesn't work for me.
> On ATWT now, you can watch scenes featuring five recasts together. If
> I were really interested, the only way I could follow it would be to
> paste pictures of the original cast members on my TV. (I wonder if
> such a computer program exists.)
I don't watch ATWT. It sucks.
--
Niki
Cheri
But ultimately, dead or alive ... they need to make up their mind and
stick with it. All this flipflopping and reversing decisions has so
cheapened the show...IMO.
Shirl
============
Total agreement.
Cheri
news:Yglhl.4365$io5....@newsfe09.iad...
It used to be a great soap IMO, but James Stenbeck did me in. :-)
Nicola
REmember... Brad is accustomed to being in hiding and having people
think he is dead. They might find a body, but who says it will be
him? It wasn't the last time.
Cheri
news:82289d53-b499-4ef5-b373-
REmember... Brad is accustomed to being in hiding and having people
think he is dead. They might find a body, but who says it will be
him? It wasn't the last time.
===========
Well, if it's not him, at least let it be Sheila.
Cheri
Ryka
"record hunter" <record...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:9310e1f1-fe1e-4ecd...@s36g2000vbp.googlegroups.com...
And Brad's red scarf was next to it? What happened to the flashlight? Why
aren't the lights on Brad's car still on? Hmmmmm - guess the writers didn't
think we would notice these things?
Cheri
news:6uma3qF...@mid.individual.net...
I didn't, so they were right with me. LOL
Cheri
queenie
record hunter
> "record hunter" <record.hun...@gmail.com> wrote in message
It was a fairly close shot on the blue light. I imagine they'll pull
back and we'll get to see more.
MarkH
>
> But ultimately, dead or alive ... they need to make up their mind and
> stick with it. All this flipflopping and reversing decisions has so
> cheapened the show...IMO.
>
> Shirl
This is a SOAP OPERA. And a darned good one. This is how you rest a
long-running character and bring 'em back. Sure, it could have been
done in a far more pedestrian, realistic way. (Indeed, that is how
Diamont's LAST exit was done...he just went to Italy after breaking up
with Nikki). But I feel this is actually more interesting...let the
exit have high drama and repercussions.
It is OPERA. It is DRAMA. Y&R is still the most grounded of 'em, but
I am puzzled by this constant insistence (not just by you) that it all
be so realistic.
Don't get me wrong. I love my realistic dramas too. I wrote about
Hill Street Blues recently, and I loved Six Feet Under and all that.
But these are SOAPS. These are Irna Phillips' agony plays. They
ALWAYS had heighted drama and unrealistic twists. So, if Brad
disappears and no body is found (hope, hope, hope) it would be
consistent with the character of George Kaplan we have gotten to know
these last few years....
...except....
Brad would never do that to his girls. But maybe, just maybe, Brad's
final appearance this week will be a quick whisper to Colleen, behind
some bushes, saying "for reasons I cannot explain, I have to go back
on the run. You and your sister will be safe, but tell NO one." But
I am afraid there will be a body...
But back onto the theme of "this is SOAP OPERA"....
Look, here's a blog from a former soap fan who gave them all up.
And, nine weeks ago, he decided he'd watch each soap for a week and
give it a chance -- "tabula rasa".
Here is what he had to say:
http://daytimedirect.wordpress.com/2009/01/30/as-i-saw-it-the-young-and-the-restless/
===Begin quoted text===
I’ve watched eight soaps in the last eight weeks. Some were good (All
My Children), some were great (One Life to Live), and some made my
week with them feel like an eternity. Then along came The Young and
the Restless. I admit I was never a huge Y&R fan. I watched it
occasionally over the years but I was never a hard core fan. After
last week, I’m a convert. I could write about all the happenings in
Genoa City last week and how I enjoyed them, but instead lets focus on
what Y&R does right. Afterall, these are the things that won me over.
1. It’s The Veterans, Stupid! Most shows push their veteran actors to
the back burner after they stop looking hot in a bedroom scene. Y&R
not only relishes the fact that almost half of their cast has clocked
in at least one full decade on the show, but the show’s producers are
smart enough to know that those are the people we want to see. If you
go to a party who are most likely to want to spend time with? Is it
the person you don’t know or someone you’ve known for years? Of
course, everyone wants to be around familiar faces. It makes sense
that we want to watch the characters we’ve grown to know and love. Y&R
has it’s share of newbies, but the vets are kept front and center.
Name one other show that has an eighty year old actress in a front
burner storyline that involves half the cast?
2. Talent On Screen/Talent Off Screen. When Y&R first premiered it
was known for being the “beautiful people soap” because it employed
unknown actors who were, for the most, beautiful. Not all were great
actors, but they looked great. Y&R is still glamorous, but the acting
is superb. It’s not fair to list them all because it would take up
the entire page, but I have to mention that Melody Thomas Scott is the
most underrated actress in daytime. She brings Niki to life in a way
that is so natural that you feel like you are watching a friend or a
relative, not an actress playing a role. All the great actors and
actresses in the world can’t do justice to a show that’s not well
written, produced, and directed. Fortunately, Y&R has a talented
production team that knows how to make a good soap opera. The writing
is brilliant. The storylines are great and the day to day writing is
wonderful. The sets, the lighting, even the background music is all a
notch above the other soaps.
It’s a Soap Opera! At the end of the day, The Young and the Restless
succeeds because it knows what it is. Y&R doesn’t try to be Sex and
the City or 24 or The Sopranos. Y&R doesn’t try to reinvent the
wheel. The show’s producers know that soap fans want to see a good
soap opera and that’s what they do: they make a good soap opera.
And now my experiment is over. I watched eight soaps, and I liked
half of them. Of the four I kept on my TiVo list (AMC, B&B, OLTL, and
now Y&R), I will keep two for daily viewing: One Life to Live and The
Young and the Restless have brought this former fan back to daytime.
If you haven’t watched soaps in a while, please check out your former
favorites because daytime television needs every viewer it can get.
If I wrote something about a show you like (or don’t like) that you
don’t agree with, please don’t take offense. I love soaps and I
genuinely hope the industry will bounce back. Thank you for reading
my blog. I appreciate the feedback I’ve received and I’m humbled by
the fact that people actually read what I wrote and bothered to
comment.
Special thanks to Snark from Snark Weights In, Nelson Branco from TV
Guide Canada, and Mark from MarkH’s Soap Musings for their kind
words. And check out The Chronicles of Von Klapp entertainment news
blog next week for an article about soaps in which I was asked to
participate.
===End quoted text===
Niki
> "Niki" <niki...@gmail.com> wrote in message
>> I don't watch ATWT. It sucks.
> It used to be a great soap IMO, but James Stenbeck did me in. :-)
There was a time it was must see. It got to a point about 10-11
years ago I just couldn't watch it anymore at all.
Are Vic and Asshley at the Super Bowl?
--
Niki
Cheri
It is OPERA. It is DRAMA. Y&R is still the most grounded of 'em, but
I am puzzled by this constant insistence (not just by you) that it all
be so realistic.
==========
Nobody is insisting that it be realistic or a person wouldn't even turn it
on, but...there is such a thing as a *little* bit of believability to make
it watchable 5 days a week, otherwise you could just turn on The Roadrunner
Cartoon, and say...gee this long time character makes it all so brilliant.
;-)
Cheri
Cheri
I think I saw them at half-time, talking about the weather in Wisconsin...or
were those two California Cows? ;-)
Cheri
record hunter
Can't argue with that logic. I'm actually relieved when Luke and Noah
aren't on, so I don't have to feel as if I *ought to* watch it, even
though their storyline sucks just as much as everyone else's.
record hunter
> http://daytimedirect.wordpress.com/2009/01/30/as-i-saw-it-the-young-a...
> 2. Talent On Screen/Talent Off Screen. When Y&R first premiered it
> was known for being the “beautiful people soap” because it employed
> unknown actors who were, for the most, beautiful. Not all were great
> actors, but they looked great. Y&R is still glamorous, but the acting
> is superb. It’s not fair to list them all because it would take up
> the entire page, but I have to mention that Melody Thomas Scott is the
> most underrated actress in daytime. She brings Niki to life in a way
> that is so natural that you feel like you are watching a friend or a
> relative, not an actress playing a role. All the great actors and
> actresses in the world can’t do justice to a show that’s not well
> written, produced, and directed. Fortunately, Y&R has a talented
> production team that knows how to make a good soap opera. The writing
> is brilliant.
What, is this your *other* blog? (What gave it away? "The writing is
*brilliant*.")
I kid.
record hunter
> Cheri wrote:
> > "Niki" <nikib...@gmail.com> wrote in message
> >> I don't watch ATWT. It sucks.
> > It used to be a great soap IMO, but James Stenbeck did me in. :-)
>
> There was a time it was must see. It got to a point about 10-11
> years ago I just couldn't watch it anymore at all.
1993, Douglas Marland died.
Later in 1993, ATWT made a conscious choice to suck forevermore
(except for the storyline in which Lisa sued John for malpractice in
the death of Eduardo Grimaldi, and Andy had to testify against his
father--I dare you to write something that good, Jean Passanante).
record hunter
> "Niki" <nikib...@gmail.com> wrote in message
>
> news:M_rhl.3450$Lr5....@newsfe03.iad...
>
> > Cheri wrote:
>
> >> "Niki" <nikib...@gmail.com> wrote in message
>
> >>> I don't watch ATWT. It sucks.
>
> >> It used to be a great soap IMO, but James Stenbeck did me in. :-)
>
> > There was a time it was must see. It got to a point about 10-11 years ago
> > I just couldn't watch it anymore at all.
>
> > Are Vic and Asshley at the Super Bowl?
> > --
> > Niki
>
> I think I saw them at half-time, talking about the weather in Wisconsin...or
> were those two California Cows? ;-)
>
> Cheri
LOL
Grace Noble
I'm looking forward to their big storyline playing detectives. As long as it
isn't Casey who gets killed off (I'm betting Elwood as I hear he's showing
up again briefly), I can't wait to see "The Hardly Boys" in an Agatha Fist
Me Mystery.
Grace Noble
Are you DARING to infer that TGVN is less than the Prize Breeding Bull that
he is? How very dare you?!!!
shin...@gmail.com
> But ultimately, dead or alive ... they need to make up their mind and
> stick with it. All this flipflopping and reversing decisions has so
> cheapened the show...IMO.
MarkH:
> This is a SOAP OPERA. And a darned good one. This is how you rest a
> long-running character and bring 'em back.
In YOUR opinion! There are several ways to rest a long-running
character and bring 'em back. In my opinion, given the methodology
that has been in play these past few years, "resting" Brad by letting
everyone think he's dead and then bringing him back would be just
another repetitive-repetitive-repetitive, over-used dead/not-dead
flipflop.
[snip]
> It is OPERA. It is DRAMA. Y&R is still the most grounded of 'em, but
> I am puzzled by this constant insistence (not just by you) that it all
> be so realistic.
Speaking only for myself, I don't insist that it "all" be realistic.
But IMO, when ANY soap is at its best, the *majority* of the stories
are exaggerated realistic with an over-the-top or suspension-of-
disbelief story thrown in every ONCE IN A WHILE. That works because
the majority of the show is believable, and people can easily invest
in the stories and will more willingly accept something far-fetched.
Now, however, it is the other way around -- the majority of the
stories require gobs of suspension of disbelief. When the majority of
the show is that far-fetched, viewers tend to feel more disconnected
and less invested because they don't relate to most of what's going
on. Of course, that doesn't apply to everyone, but it is true for many
of us.
IMO, when the far-fetched, over-the-top stories make up the bulk of
the show, they lose their impact because they become the "norm".
Having more realistic stories make up the majority of the show gives
them the opportunity to impact the show with something more
sensational, even if it requires some suspension of disbelief, and we
are more willing to "buy it" if it's the exception to the rule...IMO.
I couldn't disagree more that the way this show is being written now
is a "damn good one". The way I see it, they are making one bad
storyline decision after another. The only thing that's holding it
together is superb acting, crisp dialogue and show loyalty. If I
hadn't always watched this show and if I wasn't attached to many of
the characters and had just tuned in to see if I could get hooked, I
would have written it off after a few episodes. Far too unrealistic
and far-fetched...I don't need to be able to relate to ALL of it, but
in order to invest, I need to be able to buy into SOME.
Shirl
queenie
> The only thing that's holding it
>together is superb acting, crisp dialogue and show loyalty.
Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a winner.
record hunter
> "record hunter" <record.hun...@gmail.com> wrote in message
"Agatha Fist Me." That is hysfuckingsterical.
MarkH
> On Sun, 1 Feb 2009 19:48:25 -0800 (PST), shinn...@gmail.com wrote:
> > The only thing that's holding it
> >together is superb acting, crisp dialogue and show loyalty.
>
> Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a winner.
LOL. Was there a contest?
Cory
@r29g2000vbp.googlegroups.com>, record...@gmail.com says...
> On Jan 31, 8:33 pm, Tony Cianfaglione <ab...@chebucto.ns.ca> wrote:
> > On Fri, 30 Jan 2009, Cory wrote:
> > > From everything I've read and heard about the actor's departure, it
> > > sounds permanent. I don't see him ever coming back to the show. Having
> > > said that, I absolutely believe that this is one of those times when the
> > > show should just "shut the door", so to speak, and not dick around with
> > > the fans' minds.
> >
> > However, down the road, they could bring in another actor to be a
> > returning Brad, someone who will work for a lot less money.
>
I completely agree with you, RH. If CBS/Bell Serial Co. (that is the
name of Bill/Bradley Bell's company, yes?) ever want to recast Brad
Carlton, no matter who with, they are going to get SO MUCH hate mail
that they'll need a building the size of the Sears Tower in Chicago to
store it all in.
--- Cory
Diva
No, but Jennifer Hudson was and belted out the anthem with gusto. Her
life is certainly a soap!
Diva
Jennifer
> I am puzzled by this constant insistence (not just by you) that it all
> be so realistic.
I don't necessarily have a preference for whether they find brad's
body or not.
BUT, i am not opposed to them not finding the body. It is a classic
and fun soap twist. And you can bring back some great characters this
way. I think if they are at all wondering if they want to bring back
the character then they can just not find the body. I am totally okay
with this.
> So, if Brad
> disappears and no body is found (hope, hope, hope) it would be
> consistent with the character of George Kaplan we have gotten to know
> these last few years....
> ...except....
> Brad would never do that to his girls. But maybe, just maybe, Brad's
> final appearance this week will be a quick whisper to Colleen, behind
> some bushes, saying "for reasons I cannot explain, I have to go back
> on the run. You and your sister will be safe, but tell NO one." But
> I am afraid there will be a body...
I also do not think brad would just disappear on purpose.
But they can always say he stumbled into the woods and lost his
memory!
I actually don't think there will be a body. Because the way it is set
up: a) noah doesn't remember. b) colleen will look for him. c) they
will probably find his car. They can get away with not finding
anything.
I
shin...@gmail.com
> I don't necessarily have a preference for whether they find brad's
> body or not.
>
> BUT, i am not opposed to them not finding the body. It is a classic
> and fun soap twist. And you can bring back some great characters this
> way. I think if they are at all wondering if they want to bring back
> the character then they can just not find the body. I am totally okay
> with this.
I would be too, if it hadn't been used SO frequently in the last few
years.
> I also do not think brad would just disappear on purpose.
>
> But they can always say he stumbled into the woods and lost his
> memory!
Another used-too-frequently plot device. All these things are "soap
staples" that work and can be very effective, but not when they're
used in every other story.
Shirl