So, no! I won’t be tuning in. I watched since Mal’s writing started and it gets worse by the day. Sad!

I look forward to the episode, all except one stinky snag, ‘Philly,’ yuck. Does anyone get a complete wave of nausea like I do the way they try to sell this couple as legitimate and likable considering the origins of their union? So many people had to be hurt deeply to get this couple together, and it did the characters themselves no favors. As much as I adore Jason Thompson, this current Billy has gone from reckless self sabotaging person who has a heart to a heartless, selfish bastard who would sell out his own mother (or even his sibling’s mama) to make a buck! Somehow this piece of trash is considered a ladies man when he has the sensuality of a drunk frat football player. Nobody is hot enough to put up with that much eventual babysitting, enabling and heartache that follows trying to be in a relationship with him. On the other hand we have Phyllis, who I was almost ok with until again, this unholy union, which seemed soapy on paper but cringey as all hell to watch. Not to mention Phyllis’ growth has all been shot so she can regress back to her lowest self, a desperate woman who will do anything to keep a man that can’t seem to put her first, and is visibly jealous of the mother of his children and gets mad every time they are near each other, which was daily because they worked together and co-parented very closely and had residual attraction that never fully seems to go away. So she leaves Jack to be with his brother and somehow now Jack is ok with this yet they are still so disrespectful they give full displays of PDA on his desk? There are a few fans that even love this union, but only think it’s justified because it’s apparently more visually appealing due to her being closer in age to Billy than Jack? They never would have dared done this with the original Phyllis, or the previous Billy, but now with different actors I’m supposed to stomach this junk. On top of that Hillary looks to be veering toward Cane and he’s all forgiving of the many, many ways she has continuously hurt Lily and his family directly and indirectly? To add more insult to injury, they shove tacky Abby with Scott, who is acting like she deserves Scott when all she did was insult him, but a cheap roll in the storage closet is somehow supposed to be this amazing ‘opposites attract’ story? They made it mind numbinly obvious these two would have some kind of love/hate from the beginning, but why use Sharon as a vehicle for their ‘love?’ If this couple has to get their street cred by throwing Sharon under the bus after she opened her heart to this indecisive weird loser, then what kind of weight does that really hold, because this is now Abby’s second affair. Combined with the acting choices of Ms. Ordway… Read more »

What I was attempting to say but digressed away is that I have no problem with a regime change, especially when that change was someone who already has experience writing and usually does it well and supports character driven stories. History is key though, and a few characters deserve the rich writing from their full history, and not cheap sensational changes in their personality for no apparent reason immediately after a writer change and musical chairs with couples who have no business being together. Why not finally scratch that itch and put Hillary and Jack together? This immediately puts Hillary and Phyllis at odds again, which is sad because neither one has even a handful worth of friends, for obvious reasons. Lily and Nick is another possibility toyed with that would be fun to watch, instead of being with his apparently dead brother’s wife less than a month after said character’s death. That is too much even if Adam requested it, and they don’t have that chemistry that a couple needs in my opinion. This was made to keep Chelsea on the canvas and relevant when she could’ve left until they found a new Adam or gave her another guy that wasn’t her brother in law. Do musical chairs, but show us the play by play, don’t force it because it will show, and make sure the couples make sense and most of all CHEMISTRY! Sharon needs to cut off all these men with problems trying to get with her at the coffeeshop. She met Scott there, and she met Dylan there, and both are very f–ed up characters with weird relationship killing ‘quirks.’ Everything doesn’t need to be a triangle and there needs to be more couples I can root for who are equally good and healthy for each other, maybe a step down from a supercouple because I accept it ain’t the 70’s-90’s strongest period of power soap couples. If you wonder if the coupling you just made will end up in Soap opera digest’s ‘worst relationship’ section for the year than you are already off on the wrong foot and need to start from scratch. Let’s make some new viable couples like, say, Traci/J.T, which makes TOTAL sense to me or is at least worth a try and could help cement legacy characters permanently back on the screen if they would stay. I love Mariah and Tessa’s story but why does Noah have hurt to get there, unless you wanted not only Sharon to suffer but her kids as well? What next, Faith in a triangle? I like Reed and Mattie together and they can grow on me since they are young, half dumb (Reed is dumb enough for the both of them with his antics lol), but they need to move on from Vicki and Cane fighting. Oh…Victoria and Cane. I feel like that would be hot or worth a try and it would weird everybody out. In a year Mal says the soap will fully… Read more »

Looking forward to the episode. I am not a Scrooge; however, last Friday’s original Christmas episode was the worst ever in the history of Y and R Christmas shows. Aside from Charlie giving his dad that first place cross country medal, the show truly lacked warmth and heart– the staples of Bill Bell’s annual gifts to us. I hope the writers start thinking next September or earlier about redeeming themselves from what we experienced. To all the post’ers for Y and R: Merry Christmas!

I recorded it on my DVR early Christmas Morning…and I watched it late last night. Pretty powerful episode. I especially liked the scenes featuring Sharon and Mariah…and Sharon and Mariah talking about Cassie.

Later.

Well, I enjoyed the attempt to humanize Hilary (again) but I have to say that a lot of it felt like filler to me. Billy and Phyllis don’t represent any warm, fuzzy holiday feelings I recognize. It made me appreciate some of the older specials when one character gets a showcase for a chance to turn their lives around. I still remember the 2009 episode when Billy got a chance to start redeeming his life. In the hands of wonderful Billy Miller it was very memorable for me. Others were strong also, like Michael’s and Victor’s. To each his own. Just glad we had a Christmas Day show at all!

Y&R is about to do a PSA on underage drinking involving Reed and sadly im not looming forward to it. Reed is the whiniest WEAKEST and DULLEST “cool kid” ever to comenonto the scbe in GC… that is even with comparing him with teenBILLY who was sooo nice it was sore to watch.

If Y&R wanted to do a good PSA Then have Christine throw the book at him due to backlash from the public thst shes doing the rich a favor while other young poorer kids get worse. Have it matter. Also, involve his former aunt Sharon and uncle Nick. Have them come down hard on the foolish teen over Cassie dying do to underage drinking. AND nikki confessing to Reed how her alcoholism cost a baby’s life and her family. Have Victoria finally treat the idiot like most parents would by yelling at him, telling others to mind their busoness when they call her out on it that hes a kid… have her say HE CAN DRIVE A CAR HE IS NOT A KID!! Have Victoria scream that hes a fool who thinks he can do whatever he wants. This is twice he risked lives – first breaking into the underground and then deiving under the influence.

Have Victor console the kid but tell him about all Nikki and Katherine lost and how much a hole is still left from Cassie’s death.

And then finally have JT stand up to the punk son for being spoiled and entitled!!! Have him tell Reed being a baby isnt flying thos time and he has to grow up.

Y&R and B&B have done PSA’s in the last that fall flat. There isnt follow up or the solution is simple and easy. jill had acid reflux and then a true heart attack and gave everything up and left the show. Why not show life can change but not be different?! B&B had Brooke make ip a story of a friend who died when she was a teen when her son n his gf were texting and driving and crashing a car instead of reminding him of how a character JUST the year before ran ocer a homeless person cause he was texting n driving. (Granted that PSA WAS ABT how to get awAy with murder if rich, instead of writing the character off to prison n showing there are real consequences to stupidity.

Plus, the teens on Y&R are from 1970s after school specials and sooo lame in actions, dress, speech etc. tome to recast Reed or cut his mess on his head, add a couple pf more teens and make their dtories real like when JT n Billy n Mac were on the show- well real in that the way rhey were written seemed real.