Daytime dramas have hours to fill every week. Sometimes they have a great day and you can't wait 'til the next episode, and sometimes all you can think is "I wasted my time with this?" Each week, I will offer a great and not-so-great episode. Do you agree? Am I off the mark? Even better, tell me I am right and what made you wish an episode would go on and on and what had you tossing a hairbrush at your TV screen.
A Great Episode for The Young and the Restless. On October 12th, the first anniversary of Delia's death had an "out of the mouths of babes" feel and "a child shall lead them" sensibility. It is a year since Delia was struck and killed in a hit-and-run accident. Billy has visions of his daughter telling him to be happy. Delia's last school assignment on this was touching. With the purity of a child Delia preached of giving and getting love, simple pleasures, and how we have to make each other happy. If only adults could get the memo.
Y&R is at it best when the Abbotts family has a Three Musketeers 'one for all, all for one' moment. Traci recalled what it was like the first year after Colleen died. For once, Abby was not a spoiled brat. Jack put his own troubles aside (should I be with Kelly or Phyllis?) and said today was about Billy, The scene where Victoria told Billy he did not need to apologize for his past behavior showed restraint. No kiss between Billy or Victoria, just plain grief over the loss of a child they loved.
The scene between Esther and Jill was true to form. Jill belittled Esther. Out of Jill's mouth popped a cruel statement when Esther said she had put a toy pony beside Delia so Pinkerton would not be lonely. Jill blurted out, "It's been over a year, everything is disintegrated." Then the scene took an atypical turn. Jill realized this was over-the-top and reached out to Esther as they cried in each others arms.
Billy envisioned Delia, who told him not to be sad. He decided to move on with his life and wanted Chelsea in it. In soap foreshadowing, an unseen man, wearing black gloves, placed a calla lily at the site of Delia's memorial -- Adam, of course. They have been toying the audience with glimpses of Adam's hands for over a month. A great episode does not just need great acting and writing, which this had; it needs other great elements.
The weather looked somber. When things got too heavy, they offered scenes of Victoria forgiving Kelly for sleeping with Billy. Thankfully, Victoria assured Kelly they would never be friends, but she had to let go of the bitterness. If the duo decided to hoist a pint of beer, it would have been too much.
The best past was Chloe telling her late daughter she would always miss her, but she had managed to fill up the emptiness. She opened her coat, and we saw she was pregnant. As viewers know, Chloe plotted to become pregnant with Billy's child to duplicate their dead daughter Delia. Even on a sad day, the storyline was progressed. That is what a great soap episode does. It fills you with emotion, brings likely and unlikely characters together, and offers a cliffhanger wallop.
Not a good day for The Bold and Beautiful. Thursday Oct 16th, there was only one good element to the episode. Hope set boundaries for Quinn. Of course, viewers knew those boundaries were going to be as closed as the borders between the US and Mexico. It is never good when a fan goes, "Like that is going to last."
With Wyatt standing there like a mannequin in a Saks Fifth Avenue window, the guy looked like a weak-willed goof. He did gamely tell Quinn he was done with the Ridge/Liam "Let's take a dip in the Seine" saga. Then Quinn took a stab at Hope trying to protect her precious former lover Liam. Poor Wyatt looked on as dear old mom raked Hope over the coals about his rival/brother. When Quinn wailed she had done nothing to be treated this way, I thought, "Okay," and made a list of all her nutty deeds.
Even though Stephanie made me crazy with her rationalizations, I could always find some empathy for her. In this episode, all I could feel was "Why is anyone dealing with this mad woman?" It got even dopier when Wyatt thought Liam would be happy to become an uncle. Okay. Forget that the pregnancy caused him to lose the "love of his life." Maybe it was of his half-life.
Liam and Ivy were having a great time on their date. Liam did not mention how good he is in bed, his vast fortune, or his charm. He tried to win her with his great barbecue.
Then came the turn-in a half-second scene. Deacon told Quinn he would not be "the lynchpin" in her plan to get to be in her grandchild's life. Before I could yell, "Good for you," Deacon said, "I'll talk to Hope." That does explain Deacon's "I love you madly" flip-flopping from woman to woman -- he is spineless and brainless. For a con man, he is easily conned.
In the last scene, as Liam and Ivy were getting into the "let's make love on the floor" position, Hope was rubbing her baby bump and crying over Liam. I know this was to make me feel sorry for Hope.
Instead, her blubbering made me realize how I wish every man would dump "Hope-less." Never a good episode when you want the heroine to go away. I could have used the thirty minutes shooting bamboo sticks up my fingernails. Trust me, it would have been less painless and more enjoyable than watching this episode of B&B.
