We'll always have Paris! The Bold and the Beautiful

B&B is on a creative high these days, in part by fully embracing its identity. It plays adults (and senior adults) more than kids. It does bit of socially relevant stuff. It centers on the never ending drama of Brooke Logan and her Ridge. It knows that camp, vague incestuousness, vague perversity, and constant partner switching is its RECIPE...and it's doing it just fine. This week, the luminous Heather Tom's Katie is in the midst of (I think) a re-awakening triangle with ex-lover Nick (who is also the ex-husband of her sister and her niece) and Bill Spencer Jr. (my fave, Don Diamont). Ridge and Brooke--a "destiny/westiny" couple according to her son Rick--had an ultimate over-the-top moment in Paris (see image at top)...and then seconds later Brooke undermined her reunion with husband Ridge by having a flirtatious Skype session with his drop-dead-gorgeous son Thomas. We won't even mention the fact that my favorite, Amber, is in a three-way-who's-the-daddy tale (and I don't think she realizes her baby is going to be African American!). The show is firing on all cylinders.

the bold and the beautiful brooke and ridge by forrestersabrina

Why are its ratings not good? Why are its demos so awful? Oh well...even if B&B is not long for the world, we'll always have Paris!

Soapy's Tribute to Don Diamont

I don't usually just link to other posts here, but Soaphunks.net has assembled a really nice tribute to Don Diamont. If you visit, you'll see that the site's owner talks about the ways in which Diamont actually played a formative role in his life. More importantly, there is lots of classic Don to appreciate. Please visit!

Wrong! But I still love you....

Well, my heart and my brain are telling me different things.

Maria, I think by now you know I love you. I've suggested that you are saving daytime, merely by following Marland's rules. Heck, I have always loved your show...even when it went through a shaky period. I still love your show, and I'll be tuned in every blessed day.

But why oh why did they have to find Brad's body?

Of all the characters on daytime, Brad's situation was perfectly set up to be the body that was never found. He slipped under the ice. It could have taken till Spring to be able to drag the lake...and by then what might have remained of the corpse? And Brad, nee George Kaplan, knows a thing or two about "dying" and coming back in a new persona.

See, I understand why you might have killed off Brad, even if I'm not totally happy about the decision.

1. He was on the backburner all of last year, so it is clear you didn't really have any story in mind for him
2. By some accounts, the character was destroyed by the -- ahem -- previous administration, when he was given a ridiculous on-the-run-from Nazis storyline
3. Moreover, the character compromised the integrity of much of the Y&R characters, because they were all accessories to crimes he committeed: Brad killed two men (one with his thighs), but nobody brought him to justice (even to report it as self-defense). Thus, the whole canvas was tainted.
4. Daytime is in a financial rut, so even your show probably has to lose some expensive veterans. Arguably, on Y&R, Don Diamont and Doug Davidson (sob) are currently the two most expendable veterans.
5. Killing Brad spins off a bunch of wonderful story. Sharon's guilt. Noah's Saving Private Ryan-style "Earn This" maturation. Deepening of Phyllis' guilt (she sent him to his death, in some ways). Colleen's turn to the dark side (will she disrupt Victoria and JT's marriage in the process?). Abby's resentment toward her bio-dad (Victor was awful to Brad) and of Eden...the bad girl who set some of this in motion by planning an illicit skating trip. Ashley's guilt for being unkind to Brad in his final days. So, lots of stories can (and, knowing you, WILL) spin off from this.
6. I'll bet you get sick of people asking when Victoria Rowell is coming back. After all, they never found the body. So, I'll bet that you decided to show the body, so that everyone knew Brad was really, truly dead.

Even as I understand all this, and even as I put handsome Diamont out of my mind for a moment, you so diabolically made Brad more interesting than ever these last few weeks. Fearing the loss of his daughter Abby to Victor. Thwarted desire for Sharon. Hot hate-chemistry with Phyllis. At loose ends in business. So much to develop here. The character of Brad was ripe for remaking under your pen, Maria.

So, I am sad that you decided to make this so final. Unlike your brother-in-law's soap, I can't even count on the possibility of a device like "That wasn't Brad...that was a wax doll substituted by an Arabian prince".

I shall miss Brad and Diamont. I hope that he will show up soon in a new venue. I congratulate you in spinning another fine tale. But I'm really sorry that you chose to make it final. But I'll keep watching every riveting chapter of your story. Because you and your team are that good. I have put my trust in your storytelling abilities. There is no denying, if you're gonna kill off a veteran, this is the way to do it!

Giving this finality to Brad was wrong. At least, that's what my heart says. But I still love you, Y&R. See you tomorrow!

Veterans away: What (not) to do

Today, by all accounts, was the final appearance of Don Diamont on the Young and the Restless. The story was told cryptically. By a series of coincidences, Brad was in the Wisconsin woods at the same time as Noah Newman had fallen through ice and was dying. The hero came out in Brad, and he tried to rescue Noah.

Then, in an interesting storytelling device, next we saw Noah, he was in hospital and apparently on the road to recovery. No sign of Brad, but the final shot of the episode was on an emergency lantern at water's edge...flickering, and about to be extinguished.

Only the most spoilerphobic do not know what will happen next.

My point, though, is to address how fundamentally respectfully Y&R dealt with this transition. In the days before this event, they actually ramped up Brad's story. He was in conflict with his ex-wife, his (adopted) daughter was starting to drift away to her biological father, he was at a crossroads in business. He confessed his true love to Sharon Newman, and was rebuffed. He even had a sweet reunion with his first (Genoa City) wife, Traci Abbott.

Now, this is an intriguing writing choice. It makes any subsequent loss of Brad even more poignant. He doesn't just fade away. He is, instead, snatched away with a plethora of unfinished business and a whole new bevy of storylines (fighting Victor, reclaiming his daughter's love, finding new romance and new occupation). In the last days, Brad had been more active than he'd been since Lynn Latham left the show.

Then, on top of it, he is apparently given a hero's farewell. He died (did he?) saving the son of the woman who had just rejected him!

If previews for the next episode are to be believed, this will also spin out in months of new stories...all premised around Brad's death. Nick and Sharon reunited, after a fashion. The increasingly psycho Phyllis will discover Nick's betrayal. Colleen will be bereft...and apparently turn to the (hitherto happily married) first love JT. Abby will surely be rocked by guilt...probably Ashley and Victoria too. Good, juicy, soapy stuff.

Killing a character off like that -- with long term repercussions -- is an act of love. It says, palpably, "you will be missed; your absence will be felt".

========

Now, I contrast this with the 1/23/2009 farewell of John and Marlena on Days of our Lives. Pillars of the show, they'd languished under years of uneven writing, sudden story switches, and -- most criminally -- long phases of backburner neglect.

Their story was tied up -- literally -- within the span of a single episode. Then...off they were...to Switzerland (presumably never to be seen again). Since leaving, their departures have scarcely been mentioned.

No opportunity for farewells...even with daughters Sami or Belle. No dramatic or heroic departure. No repercussions. By my previous criteria, that equals disrespect...for John and Marlena, and for the fans who loved them for so long.

========

Time and again, Y&R shows how it should be done...and Days...doesn't. Could this, possibly, be part of the reason for the huge ratings difference between them?

And yet, I scratch my head. By all accounts, DOOL is the only show that is consistently GAINING viewers these days. That makes me think I do not understand what soap fans even want. I do know what I want....respect for fans.

Oh yeah. And that they never find Brad's body.

Y&R When Brad Carlton had a lightness...

A usenet poster, Travlr, sent me this, and at long last it is online.

In it, Brad Carlton (Don Diamont) proposes to Ashley Abbott (Brenda Epperson) in 1990, on the Young and the Restless. He uses an innovative "rap" song ("When Will You Say Yes"). This was a fun, goofy departure from the then-usually-serious Y&R.

It also shows a time when Brad still had an appealing lightness, rather than the darkness that will soon cause us to lose him. But I have lamented his departure elsewhere....

Don Diamont. An Appreciation.

Okay, so I suspect few will join me in my regret that Don Diamont is leaving Y&R. Especially after Lynn Latham made him a closet-Jew with a Nazi-hiding past...and he killed men with his thighs...well, the character has been at loose ends ever since.

There will be much wailing and gnashing of teeth that Deidre Hall and Drake Hogestyn are leaving Days...but honestly, it its' own way, the dismissal of Diamont is almost a serious a bellweather of how deep the daytime funding cuts are going.

This appreciation is in several parts.

1. The prurient part

Soapy, at http://www.soaphunks.net, has delivered the ultimate tribute to Diamont in this dimension. So I'll let his pictures tell 1000 words.

His video repository is here.

His photo repository is here. That's got everything from Playgirl and Speedo shots to the more recent stuff.

Soapy has archived the classic Brad In A Cage tale, which I am embedding here.



Soapy has said that Diamont was a very important part of his coming-of-age. In general, it is always sad when someone we have shared the last 2+ decades with leaves.

2. The beginning of the end

I suspect Diamont was undone by a story written for him by Lynn Latham. A precis of this story can be found at soapcentral.com and is appended to the end of this post. It is a horribly convoluted tale that played havoc with Diamont's character, and is considered the worst example of Latham's Y&R. Because it called into question Brad's character, he was never really a viable lead again.

3. Why Diamont will be missed (by me):

This raises many questions:

1. With Abby getting mentions (and Ashley in Europe to get her now), one would think her daddy would stay in town. I wonder if Abby will stay in Europe, and whether Brad will go be with her? It seems totally odd if Abby returns and Brad leaves at the same time.

2. With Brad in a hot front burner story right now (Phyllis' scheme) it seems like his story should be building (not declining). So, this is odd.

3. Colleen is titularly an Abbott...but with her daddy leaving too, Colleen has nary a genuine tie in Genoa City. Her relationship with her best friend Lily was harmed when she went after Daniel. She has never had meaningful interaction with the other Abbotts...not in ages. She is in no relationship, and has no meaningful job. I feel the writing is on the wall for this character.

4. It suggests, contrary to my hopes, that Sharon-Nick-Phyllis is moving to the front burner. I want Sharon and Nick to be kept apart for many years yet...but it seems like that won't happen.

5. It raises the question of whether the Brad character was soooooooo ruined by what Latham did to him (i.e., the initially intriguing backstory that degenerated into Nazi silliness), that MAB could not find a way to rescue him at this time.

6. Diamont was one of the most publically supportive of Lynn Latham. For example, in an interview with the 7/16/2006 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, this report featured a glowing interview with Diamont:

Latham, who took over at "Y&R" in the past six months, said she didn't do a full-scale housecleaning as some new daytime executive producers do.

"I have leaned very heavily on the actors, too, to help me fill in on the story," she said.

Actor Don Diamont, who plays Brad Carlton, said that's rare.

"To Lynn's credit, by the way, that's not something you'll come across? with every head writer," Diamont said. "Lynn said, 'Can we have lunch? I want to meet each and every one of you and hear what you have to say about the character you've been playing for 20 years. Who is he?'And that's a rarity."

I wonder if he is being punished at some level for disloyalty?

7. I hope this is a "temporary" exit (as in jail time, or going to see his ailing mother, or returning to Italy because he can't get over losing Sharon...something like that). I am fine if he is gone for years...but I don't want this legacy character totally gone.

8. Most importantly: This is a sign that cost-cutting has returned to Genoa City! Back in the day, Brad would have been kept around...even without strong story potential (see Doug Davidson). Now, apparently, that won't happen.

Why do I call him a legacy character? Why do I think his absence will leave a void in the canvas?

Twenty years makes you a legacy character. (23, if you don't count his time off).

His deep ties to just about all of the core families on canvas (fiance of Nikki, husband of Victoria, potentially the father of Reed...if Victor tampered with the results, legal father of two of the scions of the Abbotts--Colleen and Abby, lover of Sharon, rival of Victor, rival of Nick, rival of Phyllis, rival/ally of Jack, ex-husband (maybe some embers still glowing?) of Ashley, ex-lover of Olivia).

I'm not totally lamenting the absence...it is okay to rest the character. But it is a sign that even Y&R needs to trim costs. And is a sign that a once-important character was seriously damaged by the past regime.

--The Grugeon Reliquary story from soapcentral.com:

I end this post with a brief quotation from that soapcentral.com character summary. It summarizes the Grugeon Reliquary tale that did Brad in.

Victor hired Paul Williams Investigations to check on new son-in-law Brad's past...They discovered in Cleveland, from a high school annual photo, that this person was not the real Brad Carlton

Clues uncovered showed that the Kaplan family, including their 15 year old daughter Stephanie had been murdered in Parma Ohio, and 18 year old son George was sought for questioning. Three months later George's body was found presumed the victim of a hit and run, the police thought they had the murderer, and at the same time Brad Carlton joined the Navy Seals.

Brad later revealed his side of the story: His mother Rebecca Montalcini was born in Rome to a wealthy Jewish family. Rebecca was a child when Mussolini invaded Italy, her family lost everything and was sent to a concentration camp, where Rebecca survived because she spoke German and had the knowledge to catalog the fine art which was confiscated from all Jews. Once they were free, Rebecca testified at war crimes trials against the commandant who was put to death. She made it her mission to remember where the millions of dollars worth of art ended up and get it returned to its rightful owners.

Avoiding death threats, Rebecca and her sister Isabel immigrated to the US where Rebecca met Arturo (who had Americanized his name to Arthur) Kaplan. They were married, lived in Parma, Ohio, and had children George and then Stephanie. Somehow the Nazis tracked them down and Isabel was mistaken as Rebecca and murdered along with Arthur and Stephanie. George and Rebecca hid out from the Nazis and police in George's friend Brad Carlton's basement until his father threw them all out.

They were living in an abandoned farmhouse when George and Brad were out hunting food, and Brad was hit by a car and killed. George then switched ID's with Brad and Rebecca took the last name of Carlton too. Once Brad's decomposed body was found, the police ID'd him as George and stopped the investigation, thinking they had the killer.

George got his mother connected with the underground and joined the Navy as Brad.

Eventually he ended up in Genoa City with Rebecca still in hiding....Later, Brad's daughter Colleen confronted him with what she knew about his mysterious past, and accused him of kidnapping JT.

Brad explained his past to Colleen, then hustled her and Abby off to the private jet where they met his mother Rebecca, and were jetted to safety in Hawaii. Meanwhile Sharon arrived at Brad's to find the door ajar, and being mistaken for Brad's wife, was kidnapped and held captive with JT in Cleveland. Brad received a call from the kidnapper telling him they had Sharon.

Victoria and Brad went back to Newman, and brought Nick and Paul in on the case. Nikki volunteered to take Noah away on a mini-vacation to see her sister Casey to keep him safe and oblivious to the fact that his mother was missing. Brad had to explain to all his past as George Kaplan and that the kidnappers wanted an artifact called the Grudgeon Reliquary. Then JT was dumped on Brad's doorstep as a warning.

After they wasted days trying to track down the Reliquary on the Internet and through art dealers, Victoria decided to create a fake using two other similar Grudgeon pieces. They took the fake to Cleveland and Nick met the kidnapper and his henchman for the exchange at a church.

Meanwhile, misled by the kidnappers, Brad, Paul and JT were converging on the shipping crate where Sharon had been held which was booby-trapped with explosives. They disarmed it in time, then arrived just in time to rescue Nick & Sharon as explosives attached to Sharon were about to detonate.

Brad ended up fighting with the bad guys, and killed them both (with his thighs, in a headlock) after the head guy admitted he was Oscar Volkmann, son of the Commandant who was executed after Brad's mother Rebecca's testimony. All arrived safely back in GC and vowed to never tell what went on for everyone's safety. Then Brad and Victoria told Victor and Nikki, and Nick told Phyllis.

Victor became determined to find the Grudgeon Reliquary. He and Brad posed as art connoisseurs searching for the reliquary. After some tense moments they managed to fool some art thieves and purchased it.

They brought it home to Rebecca who found an inscription which was in code. Thanks to Colleen confiding in her art history professor and lover, Adrian Korbel, he solved the puzzle which revealed a treasure worth billions that was concealed in the catacombs in the Czech Republic.