I find it lovely how connected Jess Walton feels to Y&R—making video cameos possible, or even (was it last year?) returning to the set in person. However, I can also understand why she no longer drops everything to appear on the show. It was already tiresome that every one of Jill's appearances over the last few years revolved solely around Billy—though, at least he is her son. Since last summer, things have shifted; now, every appearance centers entirely on Cane—whom she views as a sweet, dear man, despite everyone else misunderstanding him. I can certainly sympathize with Jess Walton having no desire to deal with that, as Jill's next stint on the show will, in all likelihood, revolve around Cane once again.
Lauren Koslow will surely do a fine job in the role. I feel that Kate Roberts and Jill aren't all that dissimilar as characters, though Lauren Koslow isn't quite able to convey the same range of facial expressions as Jess Walton anymore.
Lauren Koslow is now the fifth actor in the span of a single year to join Y&R after previously working on Days of Our Lives. Josh Griffith—who has a Days past himself—truly seems to get whatever he wants. He keeps bringing Days actors over to Y&R, yet not a single one of them has really clicked with the audience. Even Stacy Haiduk—who actually has a history with Y&R—feels completely superfluous right now. Which begs the question: why does Josh Griffith still have his job as head writer? It’s yet another week where B&B has outperformed Y&R in two key demographics, and yet, nothing happens. CBS just lets Josh Griffith do whatever he pleases.
It strikes me that daytime television is perhaps the most conservative spot of the entire entertainment industry. This isn't just true behind the camera—where one person seems to dictate everything—but also within the storylines themselves; take, for instance, Jack's rape storyline, in which he was portrayed as being partly to blame because—as a recovering addict—he supposedly should have been thinking clearly when he got drugged by Patty. What kind of message is that supposed to send?
Generally speaking, I actually enjoy it when writers play with the audience's expectations—B&B has been doing a pretty good job of that lately (or at least doing it better than in previous years)—but Y&R gets absolutely everything wrong. I can imagine Josh Griffith assuming that the audience will be furious if Sharon gets kidnapped for the fourth time in two years—only to feel incredibly relieved when the latest abduction is over after just two episodes. But Josh Griffith is wrong: fabs aren't relieved, they're just annoyed that Sharon is being kidnapped yet again—regardless of how brief or prolonged the ordeal turns out to be.
One thing I generally no longer enjoy about daytime soaps is when new characters eventually turn out to be relatives of legacy characters. It happens so often these days that it loses its magic—and now it’s happened to Holden, too. I miss the days when characters won us over simply by being themselves—characters like Sharon or Phyllis. Perhaps that’s one reason I find myself liking Audra more and more: she isn't related to anyone—what a rarity in the world of soaps! So, Holden is Malcolm’s son. I didn't feel it was necessary, but at least it means Malcolm and Stephanie are back on the show. However, something happened next that I didn't see coming—and it turned out to be an unpleasant surprise: Malcolm’s return stint seems to exist solely to redeem Cane—Josh Griffith’s apparent favorite character on the show. It makes absolutely no sense for Cane to be the donor when neither of the twins—who, after all, carry both Malcolm’s genes and Cane’s—is a match.
In a way, we’ve been waiting for this moment—and yet, in another way, we haven't, or at least I haven't —for Michelle Stafford and Roger Howarth to cross paths; and now, it has actually happened. Part of me hopes it will be just like Sharon’s fourth kidnapping—nothing more than a brief teaser. But with Josh Griffith, you never know; he might just pair Phyllis and amnesic Matt up and force us to endure them as a couple for weeks on end.
I appreciate that the show is exploring the possibility of Adam reverting to his darker side. The future of the show lies with the next generation of Newmans. Nick is the ideal hero, while Adam really ought to be the villain—much like EJ DiMera on Days. Victoria has faded somewhat into the background. While she has found another daughter—who, admittedly, has become rather boring by now—to worry about, she hasn't shown any real spark since the conclusion of the Ashland storyline. Consequently, she could easily end up completely sidelined—just like Abby.
One character I’ve found surprisingly enjoyable since her return is Riza, whom I didn't really notice much during her original run. Now, she is exactly what Sienna ought to be: simply interesting. I’d love to see her stick around on the show for a while longer—though, please, without any familial ties to anyone else.
