July 2009 Archives
The Young and the Restless has wavered in quality as of late and much of this is due to the return of Phillip Chancellor III. To be sure, as a longtime viewer, there is a certain pleasure in watching Nina return to the cast of characters, even if the role is only a supporting role. I also admit that I believed the initial developments concerning Cane and the presumed-dead Phillip would bring promising stories to follow. In time, this may prove to be the case, but currently, the stretches of credibility needed to sustain this plot have broken it beyond my level of enjoyment. The problem here is that this reveal reverses an act that has been one of the strengths of The Young and the Restless -- the death of a character.
To be fair, soap opera deaths usually come in three flavors. First, there are the deaths of temporary, minor characters whose sole purpose is to be killed to advance the plot. These deaths often have little long-term impact on the story, and are often forgotten within a few episodes. Next, there are the apparent deaths of individuals who are integral to the cast, but these demises are almost always ambiguous at best, providing an opportunity for the character to return. Finally, there are the actual deaths of central characters. When handled horribly, they can be as meaningless as the first type. When handled well, they unless potential for both plot and character development for years to come.
It is in the latter area in which The Young and the Restless had shined until now.
Most of the deaths in the past few years have had a lasting impact. The twin impacts of Cassie Newman's demise and John Abbott's death affect the entire canvas, even though many viewers remain upset at the loss of these beloved characters. More recently, the deaths of Sabrina Newman and Brad Carlton have thrown the characters connected to them most closely into a cycle of destructive behavior. Phillip's death was one of these deaths, one that impacted those around him for years to come.
To be fair, of course, Phillip's re-emergence has not undone the 20 years of story that has played out in his absence. However, while it is wonderful for there to be a link between the characters of years past with those of the present, the sudden nature of the revelations creates very serious problems for the more recent history. The explanation that Cane was aware that he was not baby Cordelia's father only heightens the inconsistency between his current demeanor and the previous scenes where he believed Cordelia was his biological child.
Most importantly, the reason given for Phillip's absence is underwhelming and pitiful, in my opinion. He faked his death because he realized he was gay.
I can put aside the onscreen history in which the character of Phillip Chancellor III seemed to be heterosexual. I cannot put aside that he would actually fake his death over this. Typically in soaps, people fake their deaths for the purpose protecting their loved ones or for furthering a scheme. Instead, Phillip seems to have faked his death for the sole purpose of whining about how hard it was for him to live up to the expectations of being a Chancellor. His attitude annoys me given that in real life, people have been killed for being outside of the "normal" realms of sexually acceptable behavior. For him to be able to come back from the dead and then immediately complain about his anguish is disrespectful to the real victims of persecution.
I am also further angered by the reaction of his loved ones. Nina went from angry at his sudden reappearance to completely supportive upon learning the reason behind his departure. While Katherine and Jill are furious at him for the various lies and schemes he perpetrated, they seem a little too ready to forgive him. The problem is that Phillip deserves more anger from these people and others regarding his actions, and the mitigating factor does not seem to be that he is a prodigal son, but that he is gay. When another character pretends to be gay and gets a similar treatment from his victims, this sends the undeniable impression that claiming to be gay is a get out of jail free card (literally, in the case of Adam). Their coddling trivializes the more central issue -- not that he's gay but that he faked his death. It brings the focus away from what he did to who he is, and as a result, the consequences of his return diminish with each passing day.
Phillip's death did not just shock the residents of Genoa City, but the ripples of his passing never completely faded. Sadly, I cannot say the same for his return. Despite the nostalgia I feel for the character, I start to wonder if Phillip Chancellor III should have stayed dead.
When a soap opera is written well, acted well, directed well, and has enough production values to effectively convey the story it tries to tell, it becomes a pleasure to watch. The Young and the Restless may have its flaws at times, but despite my misgivings about particular plots, I will still attempt to find myself in a position to watch the program at 12:30 p.m. every weekday. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same for The Bold and the Beautiful when it airs an hour later.
To be fair, The Bold and the Beautiful (B&B, for short) has been compared unfavorably with The Young and the Restless (Y&R, for short) for a good portion of its existence. While the overall look of B&B is not that different from Y&R, B&B also has a style that is decidedly outlandish and over-the-top. Also, in spite of the soap opera receiving the lowest ratings as it has in its existence, it is still the second most watched soap opera in the United States, which is to say nothing of its popularity overseas. I can forgive the show for some of its more outrageous moments, such as when The Bikini (a bar, not an article of clothing) exploded or more recently, Pam pouring honey on Donna and setting a bear on her. I can also tolerate the discrete nature of the story arcs and character motivations -- i.e. for X period of time, Thorne is genuinely in love with Donna, then one day after the interrupted wedding he suddenly hates her for going after his father and wants nothing to do with her.
These traits, though, still do not excuse the show as it is today. This program is simply broken.
B&B is broken in the sense that the show was once an entertaining and cohesive experience that used elements of humor, drama, and sparingly, tragedy to tell stories. Along the way, the pieces that made up this whole separated were never restored or mended. This is particularly heartbreaking as there are many competent pieces to this puzzle that merely need a little pressure to stick together. The cast is as good as any you will find on daytime.
It is also broken in the sense used more informally among some of my peers -- the story structure and characters are poorly designed, leading unbalanced storytelling which pushes viewers away instead of keeping their minds focused. The Bold and the Beautiful only airs for thirty minutes, and as a consequence it must focus on a more limited cast of characters than that of all other soaps. Over the years, though, the cast has practically whittled down to the lineal descendants of Stephen Logan, Eric Forrester, and Massimo Marone.
This was not always the case. While at times the love triangles between family members abounded, it was balanced by the new blood that counterbalanced the near incestuous relationships among the Forresters and Logans. For every escapade involving Brooke Logan, there was a Keith, a Dylan, a Deacon, an Amber -- characters who were part of the main cast without being a part of the high-society life. Now, though, the show has become so insular with regard to its characters is that the only regular characters who are biologically unconnected with any other on-screen character by blood are Owen Knight and Bill Spencer, Jr. -- and the former has been sabotaged.
For instance, although Owen was immediately the third party who threatened the Donna/Eric marriage, after this situation was resolved he was relatively unattached. He could have, for instance, fallen for Bridget, a woman who has been heartbroken time and time again. This could have been an interesting story where Bridget falls in love with someone who is neither using her for status or as a surrogate for her mother. This would not necessarily have to be drama free, as Nick could still become jealous of Owen for going after Bridget. However, Owen has instead been paired with Jackie, and Bridget reunited with Nick. While this does bolster Jackie's presence (which is a plus, since the character has been problematic), it does so at the expense of Bridget who is in Nick's arms once more. It also makes Nick a bit possessively jealous over his mother.
None of the other stories have any appeal. Rick and Steffy are a completely unbelievable couple given the circumstances under which they fell in love, and that's discounting the fact that not only do both of them share the same last name, but they are named after their progenitors (Eric and Stephanie). While the triangle of Brooke/Ridge/Taylor does at least make better use of Phoebe's death, it can't be denied that this is a mere repeat of the same plot that has been recycled for a little less than 20 years. I still don't understand the appeal of Donna and Eric, while Thorne and Felicia have been underused for years, although I can understand why, given that most potential love interests are related to them. (My suggestion would be to put Felicia with Bill to see if any sparks happen; if not, at least there was an attempt.)
To the producers: The Bold and the Beautiful is broken. Fix it.
