the-restless-heart

[the-restless-heart]

Will Adam get a win in the business world?

Can Adam be a winner? Can he be something other than the black sheep? That shit got old years ago. Victoria berates him, makes fun of him and never misses an opportunity to criticize him. Yet Adam restrains himself and seldom sinks as low as his sister. Why can’t he win in 2022? Let him finagle his way to success? Let him outmaneuver both Ashland and Victoria and even his father! Let him be victorious at Newman. It would be a breath of fresh air. He deserves it. Adam the Foil, Adam the Destroyer, Adam the 5th Wheel, Adam the Afterthough, Adam the Outcast, Adam the Pariah is not going to deliver.

[the-restless-heart]

Y&R’s production budget is a big yikes

Another american daytime drama, Days of our Lives, is reputed to have a very low production budget. This isn’t really surprising if you’ve ever tuned in to even a handful of episodes. What is really staggering is how the production value has dropped on The Young and the Restless. They recycle very few sets frequently. They don’t explore storylines fully because they’re not willing to use new sets or utilize sets they once did with regularity. It makes the storylines far less enjoyable and even silly. Recently, Dom became very ill. He was diagnosed, treated and recovered in a very short period of time but it was almost entirely out of a hospital setting despite having a grave illness that might have killed him. A baby in need of a bone marrow transplant due to a rare blood disorder requires special care since his immune system is compromised. Yet, the baby spent almost the entire storyline, when we actually saw him, at home or between homes since he stays part time with Devon. There wasn’t much of a payoff because the stakes didn’t feel high and the lack of a hospital set over several weeks made a huge difference. It just didn’t feel catastrophic. What baby in such a dire situation gets treated at home with specialists visiting. A real patient would need round-the-clock care at a hospital with specialized equipment being looked after by qualified staff. As a longtime viewer, I’d rather see every character wearing jeans in most of their scenes if it meant they could devote more of their budget to extra sets. How many one-arm dresses do Victoria and Phyllis need? Sharon serves coffee all the time. I’m starting to think she sleeps in the stockroom. When is she going to have a viable storyline. At fifty-one years old, she looks terrific and her portrayer still cares enough to deliver in every episode. It is a travesty that all she does is give advice while holding a coffee pot.

[the-restless-heart]

The unfortunate timing of the recast of Ashland Locke

Timing is everything. No truer statement can be made regarding the recast of Ashland Locke. Right as the storyline reached a critical juncture, with Ashland’s lies and deceit being exposed, the originating actor was fired for not following Covid-19 protocol upon returning to set after a vacation. So, viewers who had been looking forward to Ashland being exposed for the conman he is were forced to watch a different actor in the role. Robert Newman is a fine actor, he garnered a huge fanbase playing one half of a super couple on Guiding Light (Josh and Reva). But the scenes fell so short of what could have been. The timing could not have been worse. Robert portrays Ashland very differently than Richard. When watching Richard, it felt like Victoria was involved with an older man who was polished, intelligent and cunning. With Robert in the role, it feel like Victoria is paired with an old man who is small, peevish and gesticulates far too much. It makes Ashland appear less formidable and it makes this storyline far less enjoyable as the dynamics have changed so much between Ashland and various other character. I once looked forward to Ashland’s comeuppance. But I’d rather this entire storyline be wrapped up so we could move on. Can Ashland pay for just one of his crimes? Could he just disappear? I’m not picky on the how.

[the-restless-heart]

When will Victoria be taken down a notch?

I was a big fan of Amelia Heinle’s when she was on Loving. But, despite more than a decade playing Victoria Newman on The Young and the Restless, I still haven’t warmed up to her iteration of Victoria. She has never possessed the warmth or tenderness of her predecessor. The most glaring problem with Victoria is her hubris. She is very judgmental for a woman with such poor judgment. She has endangered the company her father founded decades earlier and put all of their employees at risk. As the adage goes, never mix business with pleasure. But that is precisely what Victoria did. I can’t fault for falling in love with Ashland. But she put a lot of faith in a man she barely knew. A few nightcaps does not a couple or even friend make. Ashland had a reputation as a shrewd businessman, even ruthless to an extent. But that didn’t stop Victoria from pursuing the relationship and blurring lines that any CEO should steer clear of. And when confronted with evidence and dire warnings from her family, what did she do? Well, she’s Victoria Newman so she double downed and further imperilled Newman Locke and its employees. Victoria’s flippant response to learning of Ashland’s machination decades earlier always rubbed me the wrong way. She didn’t think much of him betraying the woman who was his mentor and fleecing her estate when she died. It was a despicable act. But Victoria didn’t and still doesn’t care. It only mattered how he treated her and not anyone else. She has finally accepted that Ashland lied and betrayed her but she hasn’t actually accepted responsibility. She hasn’t apologized. She is just going about, being her usual arrogant self, looking down her nose at Adam and rebuffing attempts by her family to remedy the situation. She possesses the much-dreaded “I alone can do it” mentality and it is beyond irksome. It’s time for some lessons in humility because even one lesson just won’t do.

[the-restless-heart]

Will Jack ever be able to tie his shoelaces without Phyllis?

It got old weeks ago. Jack is practically never in any episode where he doesn’t speak to Phyllis or speak very fondly of Phyllis. Most episodes with Jack are replete with compliments. I don’t think it’s remarkable for an old, dear friend to be there for their best friend. That’s what friends do: they’re there for each other. However, Jack feels compelled, or rather the writers do, to have Jack bestow compliment after compliment on Phyllis. Hey, I get it. All Phyllis used to do is strut around The Grand Phoenix giving orders to staff. But this isn’t an improvement. While I’ve never been particularly fond of Red, as Jack sometimes calls her, I don’t mind their friendship and have sometimes enjoyed them as a couple. But not if Jack continues on this way. He’s a grown man, fully capable of living his life on his own terms. Everything that was accomplished regarding the mysterious texter and his granddaughter Allie could have been accomplished without Phyllis’ involvement. Jack is a man of many means. He needs only to pick up his cell phone and make a call for the wheels to be in motion. I wanted to enjoy Jack and Allie’s scenes. But, there was an interloper present. She kept interrupting what should have been a private conversation between Jack and his newly discovered granddaughter. A granddaughter he only discovered because his estranged son passed away. It ruined the moment, was unnecessary and was another example of Phyllis meddling in the business of others. Jack deserves better than to coddle a grown woman — a woman more akin to a pesky fly at a summer picnic that won’t go away no matter how much you flail your arms.

[the-restless-heart]

Susan Walters as Diane Jenkins: villain, vixen or foil

Diane has risen from the ashes but what’s in store for her?

When Jack’s mysterious texter was revealed, I was certainly surprised. While I hadn’t watched her death scene, I knew Diane had died so discovering she was the one pulling the strings was a shock.

I like Susan Walters in the role and I look forward to her future interactions in Genoa City.

But I do wonder if the writers are even capable of delivering a half interesting story for her.

She is going to have plenty of scenes with Jack, Phyllis and probably Kyle but will the writers deliver? Y&R is very boring these days. Boring business machinations, boring couples, boring recycled sets, not much on the horizon so will Diane be gone in a few months and what will her legacy be? Will she be rejected by everyone including her son? Will she bite off more than she can chew and be tossed out on her derrière?

Here’s hoping they write for veteran actors and characters in a way they deserve and more importantly in a way that intrigues viewers. Why else would you raise somebody from the dead? I hope it’s not for her to die again or worse: to be made irrelevant because everyone rejects her including her own son.

The one thing I really really don’t want is for her to be used a foil for Jack and/or Phyllis. They don’t need to vilify Diane to make Jack and Phyllis look better. I’d hazard a guess that most of the audience isn’t interested in seeing that either.

[the-restless-heart]

Susan Walters as Diane Jenkins: villain, vixen or foil

Diane has risen from the ashes but what’s in store for her?

When Jack’s mysterious texter was revealed, I was certainly surprised. While I hadn’t watched her death scene, I knew Diane had died so discovering she was the one pulling the strings was a shock.

I like Susan Walters in the role and I look forward to her future interactions in Genoa City.

But I do wonder if the writers are even capable of delivering a half interesting story for her.

She is going to have plenty of scenes with Jack, Phyllis and probably Kyle but will the writers deliver? Y&R is very boring these days. Boring business machinations, boring couples, boring recycled sets, not much on the horizon so will Diane be gone in a few months and what will her legacy be? Will she be rejected by everyone including her son? Will she bite off more than she can chew and be tossed out on her derrière?

Here’s hoping they write for veteran actors and characters in a way they deserve and more importantly in a way that intrigues viewers. Why else would you raise somebody from the dead? I hope it’s not for her to die again or worse: to be made irrelevant because everyone rejects her including her own son.

The one thing I really really don’t want is for her to be used a foil for Jack and/or Phyllis. They don’t need to vilify Diane to make Jack and Phyllis look better. I’d hazard a guess that most of the audience isn’t interested in seeing that either.