Part of what I’ve been pondering is what happens to core families when the anchor is cut loose. I’ve concluded those families are usually set adrift. With no direction (rudderless) they get lost…and to really beat the metaphor to death, the family usually sinks or washes up on the shore of bad writing. (Poor little metaphor…never saw it coming.)

I know that isn’t the finest piece of writing on my part, but it certainly paints a descriptive picture of what we’ve seen in the last few years. Look what happened to the Winters family when Dru was tossed off a cliff never to be seen again. The family has both floundered and foundered. Neil was pushed to the backburner…Olivia was brought back on, but then she completely disappeared…Devon hasn’t done anything lately, except sleep with his Aunt Tyra…and Lily. Well, Lily has none of her mother’s fire, and is seemingly content to be a perpetual victim. The character has floated from student, to model, to cancer patient. And she’s married to a con-man. Can you imagine what Dru would say if she was around to witness what her baby girl has been through? Dru was the glue that made the family cohesive…gave them direction…made them interesting.  NuMalcolm should be arriving any day now…although why is anybody’s guess.                         

Then there is the Abbott family. John Abbott was the founder of the family business…and the voice of reason for his children. Sure, he also had his own life with his wife Gloria, but his children were central to him. Since his death, Gloria’s storyline has gotten more and more ridiculous, not to mention increasingly smaller. Jack and Billy have spent their time wishy-washying through women (sometimes the same woman.) Ashley has repeated the exact same mistakes she made more than a decade ago. And Traci has buried her only child. The family’s cohesiveness has disintegrated.  They no longer work as a team, with infighting being the order of the day.                                         

Why do I bring this up? Because the Newmans are on the verge of suffering the same fate.  TPTB have been working overtime to try to drive Melody Thomas Scott and Eric Braeden out. It was close, but Braeden at the last minute acquiesced to the demands of Sony (however unreasonable,) and will return. In the meantime, the characters of Nikki and Victor are off the canvas again…who knows for how long.  Without Nikki and Victor at the helm, the family is likely to suffer.

Meanwhile, Victoria and Nick have been made into two-dimensional spoiled brats. Any redeeming qualities which had been developed have been purged, and what’s left is a pair of nasty siblings who are convinced the world revolves around them. They think nothing of doing as they please, breaking promises and wedding vows at will. Judging others has become their favorite hobby. Yet woe be to anyone who dares call them out on their abhorrent behavior. Why the radical changes in their demeanor? Part of the change is to attempt (in vain) to try to make Adam look less awful. Apparently the writers fail to realize nothing they do will ever erase the memory of Adam’s actions in the last year.  But the strategy is also laying the groundwork so if Nictoria are written out, no one will care. In fact, Victoria and JT have just been sent off to New York…again, for an undetermined amount of time.                                       

Some folks have tried to argue that Adam isn’t as bad as his father, and his father is still walking around free…so they believe Adam can be redeemed I beg to differ.  Victor has locked people in basements…stolen companies…set people up…but he has never committed the intimate violations Adam has. And Victor has never sent two women into the clutches of a sexual predator. I harp on that, because it was one of the worst things I’ve seen on TV. Adam sent Sharon and Ashley to that doctor for obstetrical care. Dr. Taylor has violated women during those exams.  He is a pervert…and Adam delivered those two women into the most vulnerable position (figuratively and literally.) How are we supposed to ignore that?

So…Victor, Nikki, JT, and Victoria are all elsewhere. That means a total of four (very expensive) veteran players have been benched...for the all-important sweeps month.  Michael and Lauren are already glorified walk-ons. Katherine’s storyline has dried up.  Jill is rarely seen. Esther is talked about, but rarely on screen. We haven’t seen Neil for more than five minutes in months. What’s left?

The answer is not much. And that’s why I skipped three out of five episodes last week. The writers and producers obviously have no affection for long-time fans, and seem to have little or no respect for the history of the show. Why should I bother committing my time if I’m not seen as valuable? The faces on screen are increasingly unfamiliar...and they are attached to new characters I care nothing about.         

Of the episodes I sat through, however, here’s what I saw: the flashbacks of Victor through the years. And the clips served to illustrate beautifully what I’ve been saying for months. The current writers, especially in comparison to the writers of the past, are horrible. They simply don’t get it. There was so much excitement in some of those moments from the past…even the ones centered around business. There was also a camaraderie that was evident amongst the cast that doesn’t seem present now. I’m sure that is related to the precarious circumstances of everyone’s employment. It’s hard to build relationships with people who come and go with such rapidity.               

The flashbacks also highlighted the absence of quality exchanges between Victor and NuAdam, as well as between Victor and NuAbby. There has been no effort to create a true connection between Newman and his younger children. Apparently we are expected to care just because they answer to familiar names.                               

I would also note that seeing little Abby’s clips alongside current Abby’s clips was jarring. Little Abby (Darcy Rose Byrnes) was a vastly superior actress to her teen counterpart (Haley Erin.)

Quick Shots

Victor has a persecution complex. How else do you explain his viewpoint that Billy and Jack are “keeping up their relentless attacks,” when in reality Victor has been helping mightily to keep their feud going?

Wow. Sharon needs to just throw Nick out of her house. He could not have been more condescending or insulting when he said to her about Adam that, “This guy’s got you under some sort of spell.” The subtext was clearly “You’re too stupid to think for yourself, and you still need me to protect you…and to clean up the pieces when you inevitably fall apart again.”                               

Part of Nictoria’s big complaint against Adam has been the bad press generated by Adam’s misdeeds. It appears, however, that they are both too idiotic and self-absorbed to realize that their constant and unrelenting penchant for infidelity is just as damaging, especially when drawing media coverage. Neither Nick nor Victoria has ever been able to keep their wedding vows…a habit certainly learned from their parents. Granted, sleeping around isn’t criminal (like Adam’s behavior,) but it still makes stock prices fall.

Why did Mac simply turn off the lights and walk out of Jimmy’s? She never checked the bathrooms to make sure no one was lingering…and she didn’t bother emptying the register and counting the night’s receipts, either. Pretty lame set-up for Amber and Daniel to get locked in…and then play music on the juke-box (which was left plugged in, and for which no money was necessary.) I’m also confused by the choice of music.  Daniel and Amber have always been painted as daring and edgy…but Daniel selected a song from the 40s. And why was that song even in the juke box of that little dive bar?  Makes no sense.                                                 

I loved the new puppy Nikki got for Victor. (I searched for a photo, but was unable to find one.) It was very appropriate, and shouldn’t be viewed as a Zapato replacement so much as a good motivation to help Victor with his rehabilitation. I don’t usually appreciate it when the writers slip in a public service announcement, but I didn’t mind Nikki mentioning the puppy was rescued from going to a puppy mill. (More evidence of my weakness for cute and fuzzy.) The dialogue rang true, as my niece also recently rescued a puppy headed for a mill. It’s a good message for people in the market for a pet.

Last under Quick Shots this week, an e-mail I received:

A perfect description of the current approach to storytelling.  Shooting everywhere to see what they can hit….and in the process, doing damage.   Bulls-eye, Sue…nice job!