Young and the Restless Thoughts
Sep. 18th, 2012 11:34 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
iariaI've been meaning to make a Y&R post since the end of July but then I - didn't. Sigh. So some thoughts that I wanted to write down largely based on what was happening back in July (and a bit of August).
1) Phyllis Situation
The whole reveal that Phyllis ran down Christine and Paul was handled so badly. It's one of those loose ends I always kind of hoped would one day be dealt with so I was excited when the show seemed to be going there. What a disappointment. More than that it kind of pissed me off. Between the poor-Phyllis crap happening, Christine being made the bad guy (!) and the complete lack of Paul in the story I spent what time I did watch feeling aggravated.
+ The Ricky storyline has actually been a great one for Paul or rather Doug Davidson who has had some great material to work with, the first in awhile, and has been doing a amazing job with it. But why the hell did they have to time it with the car accident reveal? It made complete sense that Paul would have very little care about Phyllis considering that he just killed his son and was in jail for it. But damn it this is big! He should have been a part of that story! I am so annoyed he wasn't. He should have been given the chance to confront Phyllis as well.
+ Christine being the bad guy in this situation was mind boggling. And every added layer to the situation simply made it more bizarre. Christine Blair who was the "good girl" and main heroine of the show for decades was suddenly the one in the wrong? Against Phyllis? In regards to the little matter of Phyllis having tried to murder her and her fiance a decade (or two) ago? WTF?! What the hell kind of bizarro world has this show turned into?
To add even more insult to show pushing the idea that Christine was wrong to pursue a case against Phyllis, that she was being obsessive and vindictive, that Christine was being the unreasonable one was that she didn't even stay till the end! They had her leave before the case was even decided in any way. Aaaahh! Now granted I know she's back now but the fact that they had her leave right in the middle of everything for over a month is kind of ridiculous.
+ I really hate how supportive so many people were of Phyllis even when they thought she'd done it. Instead it was all "she's changed" and "poor Phyllis" - ugh.
2) Sharon
I... I have no idea where to even start with this.
I admit I'm unaccountably attached to the character - more than any other on the show. Perhaps because I really started paying attention to the show around the same time she came on? I don't know. For whatever reason I like her and I always have. Even when she tries my patience, does stupid stuff, and when the writers screw around with her, I like her. (For example, I can't blame the character for Sharon running off that first time during the whole Cassie falls into the pond/Cameron nonsense because of the off-screen shenanigans happening. And it feels like that was the start of a bunch of other things). Even when I don't like what she's doing/how she's been behaving I still feel for the character.
But she's been increasingly feeling like a character I don't recognize. The whole dating (and eventual second marriage to) Victor was so ridiculous and made no sense to me that I thought it was the pinnacle of her increasingly weird characterization. I was even going to make a post about it because I was certainly doing enough ranting about it in my head. And then came August. ...*hands* What the hell is the show doing? I've read that Maria Bell disliked Sharon Case and honestly this did not shock me.
Now don't get me wrong there are things I do like about the whole 'Sharon takes over Newman' storyline, or things about this change in Sharon that I could really like. Sharon being more aggressive is excellent. Sharon not backing down or taking crap from anyone, and fighting for what she wants (and it not being a guy) is excellent. Even Sharon hooking up with Tucker is great - even beyond my 'anyone is better than Victor' stance - I could get behind Sharon/Tucker. I like the idea of them being friends.
But so much about it all is so - wrong. Starting with: WTF? Why is Sharon doing any of this? From dating Victor and then marrying him again (so very wrong), to not being worried when he disappeared and immediately ripping up the pre-nup (...? So she's just being a gold digger, what?) to her taking over NE I am... perplexed.
+ Sharon's abrupt abandonment of Victor - not really caring about his disappearance, the whole NE situation, cheating with Tucker, and seriously the complete lack of worry for Victor or interest in him at all - makes no freaking sense whatsoever. Actually of everything happening with Sharon this is the point that bugs me the most and strikes me as the most unbelievable. I'm actually willing to go along with pretty much everything else but her attitude towards Victor and his disappearance? Not so much.
Even ignoring the whole dating/marriage nonsense Sharon and Victor have always been close. From the very beginning, the entire time they've known each other, they have been close. There have been bumps in the road (Adam) but that's all they were in the end. At the very base of their relationship they are two people who care very deeply about each other. In the last year this was highlighted more than ever with Sharon's determination to help Victor to the point that she married him (for... reasons). So I find her abrupt attitude change towards him confusing and possibly the most out-of-character thing she's done yet. It's inexplicable to me.
+ Back to Tucker... so I love their friendship. Sharon really needs a friend (what with the losses of Dru and Brad, Neil disappearing from her life and Avery not panning out). I really want Sharon to have a friend. A part of me was a little disappointed at the idea of it turning romantic but at the same time I actually like the idea of Tucker/Sharon. They intrigue me.
But then you have the fact that he is so clearly playing her. I suppose it should bother me but as my love for Adam/Sharon showed I don't mind things being a bit messed up and even if he is being her friend as part of a business scheme it's still not as screwed up as her relationship to Adam was. And really all that's important is that I'm still loving them despite knowing he's playing her. I find myself hoping that even after it's revealed the show doesn't drop Sharon/Tucker, or that they have him slowly actually growing to care for and believe in her, because I honestly like their interactions.
+ All the grumbling aside - of course I want her to succeed. I would love for her to unexpectedly lead NE well and make excellent business decisions and when Victor returns for him to make her an executive or something. I want her to win, to be vindicated.
I doubt that's going to happen but I really want it even if it isn't logical and I know everyone's not wrong in wanting her out. She doesn't have the experience or knowledge. But I still want it. I really like Sharon getting involved in business again and I hope that whatever else happens she continues with it. I mean look where other characters started (Katherine, Jill, Nikki, Brad before his death) and where they are now.
+ I'm kind of disappointed that Sharon has been so distracted with her own inexplicable storyline when Phyllis is going through the whole attempted murder charge situation. Sharon being bitchy to Chelsea is annoying, Sharon and Phyllis being bitchy with each other is fun. Especially if it's not over Nick.
3) Adam/Chelsea
So Chelsea is okay and in the beginning I even liked Adam/Chelsea. I thought they were pretty sweet and they were one of the few parts of the show I found at all interesting. But then the show really started pushing them as this amazing, deeply in-love, perfect couple who were an epic forever pairing... and I do not see it. I have never seen it because that really is not what they are and the show pushing them as that ended up making me dislike them.
They're - sweet and simple. Two broken and damaged people who have done bad things but want to be better who become friends. They find acceptance in each other, start caring and become lovers.
Now I am biased here since I do ship Adam/Sharon but I honestly don't think that's the basis of my issues with how Adam/Chelsea are being portrayed and what they've become. It's just - I can't believe that Adam's feelings for Chelsea are deeper or more true or longer lasting than his for Sharon. Which okay sounds like a ship issue. But! Adam/Sharon and their complicated and dark relationship has been playing out for years and there have been some really freaking low lows happening between them. And yet they've gone through them all and always found their way back to each other. There is some very serious history happening there.*
Meanwhile Chelsea and Adam have known each other for how long? Six months? What kind of challenges and issues have they faced as a couple? ... Sorry not buying it.
*And honestly it is a pretty messed up relationship and he has done some seriously heinous stuff to her, and she should leave him and not look back. But the messed up-ness is part of why I ship it. The fact that they Sharon does love him still and keeps going back, and that Adam is kind of obsessed with her, are reasons why I love them. Right now the show seems to be back-tracking on their relationship but you can't change what already happened.
1) Phyllis Situation
The whole reveal that Phyllis ran down Christine and Paul was handled so badly. It's one of those loose ends I always kind of hoped would one day be dealt with so I was excited when the show seemed to be going there. What a disappointment. More than that it kind of pissed me off. Between the poor-Phyllis crap happening, Christine being made the bad guy (!) and the complete lack of Paul in the story I spent what time I did watch feeling aggravated.
+ The Ricky storyline has actually been a great one for Paul or rather Doug Davidson who has had some great material to work with, the first in awhile, and has been doing a amazing job with it. But why the hell did they have to time it with the car accident reveal? It made complete sense that Paul would have very little care about Phyllis considering that he just killed his son and was in jail for it. But damn it this is big! He should have been a part of that story! I am so annoyed he wasn't. He should have been given the chance to confront Phyllis as well.
+ Christine being the bad guy in this situation was mind boggling. And every added layer to the situation simply made it more bizarre. Christine Blair who was the "good girl" and main heroine of the show for decades was suddenly the one in the wrong? Against Phyllis? In regards to the little matter of Phyllis having tried to murder her and her fiance a decade (or two) ago? WTF?! What the hell kind of bizarro world has this show turned into?
To add even more insult to show pushing the idea that Christine was wrong to pursue a case against Phyllis, that she was being obsessive and vindictive, that Christine was being the unreasonable one was that she didn't even stay till the end! They had her leave before the case was even decided in any way. Aaaahh! Now granted I know she's back now but the fact that they had her leave right in the middle of everything for over a month is kind of ridiculous.
+ I really hate how supportive so many people were of Phyllis even when they thought she'd done it. Instead it was all "she's changed" and "poor Phyllis" - ugh.
2) Sharon
I... I have no idea where to even start with this.
I admit I'm unaccountably attached to the character - more than any other on the show. Perhaps because I really started paying attention to the show around the same time she came on? I don't know. For whatever reason I like her and I always have. Even when she tries my patience, does stupid stuff, and when the writers screw around with her, I like her. (For example, I can't blame the character for Sharon running off that first time during the whole Cassie falls into the pond/Cameron nonsense because of the off-screen shenanigans happening. And it feels like that was the start of a bunch of other things). Even when I don't like what she's doing/how she's been behaving I still feel for the character.
But she's been increasingly feeling like a character I don't recognize. The whole dating (and eventual second marriage to) Victor was so ridiculous and made no sense to me that I thought it was the pinnacle of her increasingly weird characterization. I was even going to make a post about it because I was certainly doing enough ranting about it in my head. And then came August. ...*hands* What the hell is the show doing? I've read that Maria Bell disliked Sharon Case and honestly this did not shock me.
Now don't get me wrong there are things I do like about the whole 'Sharon takes over Newman' storyline, or things about this change in Sharon that I could really like. Sharon being more aggressive is excellent. Sharon not backing down or taking crap from anyone, and fighting for what she wants (and it not being a guy) is excellent. Even Sharon hooking up with Tucker is great - even beyond my 'anyone is better than Victor' stance - I could get behind Sharon/Tucker. I like the idea of them being friends.
But so much about it all is so - wrong. Starting with: WTF? Why is Sharon doing any of this? From dating Victor and then marrying him again (so very wrong), to not being worried when he disappeared and immediately ripping up the pre-nup (...? So she's just being a gold digger, what?) to her taking over NE I am... perplexed.
+ Sharon's abrupt abandonment of Victor - not really caring about his disappearance, the whole NE situation, cheating with Tucker, and seriously the complete lack of worry for Victor or interest in him at all - makes no freaking sense whatsoever. Actually of everything happening with Sharon this is the point that bugs me the most and strikes me as the most unbelievable. I'm actually willing to go along with pretty much everything else but her attitude towards Victor and his disappearance? Not so much.
Even ignoring the whole dating/marriage nonsense Sharon and Victor have always been close. From the very beginning, the entire time they've known each other, they have been close. There have been bumps in the road (Adam) but that's all they were in the end. At the very base of their relationship they are two people who care very deeply about each other. In the last year this was highlighted more than ever with Sharon's determination to help Victor to the point that she married him (for... reasons). So I find her abrupt attitude change towards him confusing and possibly the most out-of-character thing she's done yet. It's inexplicable to me.
+ Back to Tucker... so I love their friendship. Sharon really needs a friend (what with the losses of Dru and Brad, Neil disappearing from her life and Avery not panning out). I really want Sharon to have a friend. A part of me was a little disappointed at the idea of it turning romantic but at the same time I actually like the idea of Tucker/Sharon. They intrigue me.
But then you have the fact that he is so clearly playing her. I suppose it should bother me but as my love for Adam/Sharon showed I don't mind things being a bit messed up and even if he is being her friend as part of a business scheme it's still not as screwed up as her relationship to Adam was. And really all that's important is that I'm still loving them despite knowing he's playing her. I find myself hoping that even after it's revealed the show doesn't drop Sharon/Tucker, or that they have him slowly actually growing to care for and believe in her, because I honestly like their interactions.
+ All the grumbling aside - of course I want her to succeed. I would love for her to unexpectedly lead NE well and make excellent business decisions and when Victor returns for him to make her an executive or something. I want her to win, to be vindicated.
I doubt that's going to happen but I really want it even if it isn't logical and I know everyone's not wrong in wanting her out. She doesn't have the experience or knowledge. But I still want it. I really like Sharon getting involved in business again and I hope that whatever else happens she continues with it. I mean look where other characters started (Katherine, Jill, Nikki, Brad before his death) and where they are now.
+ I'm kind of disappointed that Sharon has been so distracted with her own inexplicable storyline when Phyllis is going through the whole attempted murder charge situation. Sharon being bitchy to Chelsea is annoying, Sharon and Phyllis being bitchy with each other is fun. Especially if it's not over Nick.
3) Adam/Chelsea
So Chelsea is okay and in the beginning I even liked Adam/Chelsea. I thought they were pretty sweet and they were one of the few parts of the show I found at all interesting. But then the show really started pushing them as this amazing, deeply in-love, perfect couple who were an epic forever pairing... and I do not see it. I have never seen it because that really is not what they are and the show pushing them as that ended up making me dislike them.
They're - sweet and simple. Two broken and damaged people who have done bad things but want to be better who become friends. They find acceptance in each other, start caring and become lovers.
Now I am biased here since I do ship Adam/Sharon but I honestly don't think that's the basis of my issues with how Adam/Chelsea are being portrayed and what they've become. It's just - I can't believe that Adam's feelings for Chelsea are deeper or more true or longer lasting than his for Sharon. Which okay sounds like a ship issue. But! Adam/Sharon and their complicated and dark relationship has been playing out for years and there have been some really freaking low lows happening between them. And yet they've gone through them all and always found their way back to each other. There is some very serious history happening there.*
Meanwhile Chelsea and Adam have known each other for how long? Six months? What kind of challenges and issues have they faced as a couple? ... Sorry not buying it.
*And honestly it is a pretty messed up relationship and he has done some seriously heinous stuff to her, and she should leave him and not look back. But the messed up-ness is part of why I ship it. The fact that they Sharon does love him still and keeps going back, and that Adam is kind of obsessed with her, are reasons why I love them. Right now the show seems to be back-tracking on their relationship but you can't change what already happened.
