Well, hello again, Two Scoopers! After taking the past month off to tend to some family matters in Utah and to spend some quality time with my best friends as we celebrated our 40th birthdays in the lovely towns of Santa Cruz and Sonoma (in California), I am excited to return to my post here at Soap Central just in time for my annual half-year review. It's been a very interesting 2024 so far in Genoa City, and there's plenty to review, so let's not waste any time! The following is my Midterm Report Card for Y&R, in which I grade everything (and everyone) from this past January through May:
Before I start handing out grades in this year's midterm by first naming all of 2024's Flunk-Outs, let's start on a more positive note to kick things off. Like last year, I am handing out some honorable mentions to characters and/or actors that haven't been around quite long enough to earn a grade just yet but still managed to make a lasting impression. I hope we see more of them in the second half of 2024!
Jill Abbott (and her portrayer, the incomparable Jess Walton)
It's always great to see Jess Walton back as Jill for regular guest appearances (even if they are via video calls with various family members and Chancellor-Winters staff). Her last appearance was a little concerning, though, and I hope that news of her health crisis does not lead to an off-screen death of her character this year. I doubt the writers would handle the death of a legacy character that way, so I am trying not to entertain that thought too much. Instead, this just feels like a plot device that is being used to explain why she would transfer her power at Chancellor-Winters to Billy (which I am fine with). While I would much prefer that she return to duke it out with Mamie herself, I am still liking the dynamic Jill's decision is creating between the rest of the CW executives now that Billy has more power within the company. Jill always knows just how to stir the pot!
Dr. Alan Laurent (and his brother?!)
Christopher Cousins has been doing a great job as Ashley's psychiatrist friend in the short time he has been on-screen, so I had to give him a shout-out, even if I am not ready to grade his character just yet. He's one of those transfer students that comes in right around the time grades are being issued so he sort of just gets a pass for now. As I'm writing this, though, I am fresh off of watching the Friday, May 31, episode, which ends with the "Next Week on Y&R..." preview revealing that the good doctor's (twin?) brother may have something to do with the traumatic event Ashley experienced in Paris that caused her mind to dissociate and create alternate identities. What?! It seems that we'll be seeing Mr. Cousins take on another role as we learn what Dr. Laurent's brother may have done to Ashley. I'm suddenly much more intrigued by his character(s), and I have a feeling he'll be off the "Honorable Mentions" list and awarded a spot on the "A List" before the year is over!
Seth (RIP)
Brian Gaskill did a great job in the short-term role of Seth earlier this year, and, although I knew his character wasn't likely to be one that would stick around for a lengthy stay in Genoa City, Seth's sudden death was still shocking and also a bit sad. I was rooting for him! I remember Gaskill from his role on The Bold and the Beautiful years ago, and it was fun to see him pop up on Y&R. Gaskill really had a way of making you feel for Seth and making you want the best for his character, which made his death at the hands of Jordan all the more tragic. It was a great moment when she pushed him in front of that car, though! My jaw dropped!
These characters and storylines haven't earned a passing grade so far this year. No shade to the actors involved, but the writers just haven't done them justice thus far.
Phyllis/Danny/Christine: The Tumultuous Triangle (F-)
This was, hands-down, my least favorite storyline of the year (so far). I thought the Danny and Christine reunion was going to be cute, but it just ended up being awkward as the writers shoehorned Phyllis into the story and wrote her as if she were a scheming teenager trying to split them up so she could have Danny for herself. I get that the characters have history and that their love triangle was once a major storyline on the show, but it felt so forced this time around. For me, the most tragic part of this attempt at revisiting this trio's history was that it painted Danny in a terrible light. He absolutely led Phyllis on and then acted like a victim when Christine confronted him about it. Not cool! Hopefully now that Christine and Danny have resolved their issues and she went on tour with him, this will be the end of the triangle, and they won't bother with this foolishness any further.
Mariah and Tessa (F)
It saddens me to give the only same-sex couple on the show a failing grade (especially during Pride month, of all times), but what else can I do? The writers haven't done anything noteworthy with them at all and only tote them out on-screen occasionally to remind viewers that they are there. It's like they are trying to be progressive and inclusive by having two bisexual women on the show that are married and just adopted a child, but... they don't want to write any worthwhile stories for them. These are dynamic characters that a lot of viewers care about, and I hope we see them get a juicy storyline soon.
Chloe (F+)
I hope we haven't seen the last of Elizabeth Hendrickson for a while now that her friendship (and business partnership) with Sally is seemingly over for good. The character of Chloe has always brought good drama to the show, and I liked her friendships with both Chelsea and Sally. Who knows? Maybe we'll still see her if she pops in to talk with Chelsea every now and again, but it seems like the writers have been propping up Summer and Chelsea as besties more lately. And now that Sally has Audra to lean on as a friend, I guess the writers just couldn't contemplate writing women as having more than one good female friend [insert eye roll here]. I always enjoy Chloe's scenes with her mother, Esther, too, but we don't see her much anymore, either. It would have been fun to see Summer, Sally, and Chloe trying to work together now that Sally is likely to replace Chelsea as senior designer at Marchetti, but that doesn't seem to be in the cards for now.
These characters and storylines have spent 2024 on the "D List" (so far)! They narrowly avoided flunking out, though, so kudos to them for that (and fingers crossed for a better second half of 2024)!
OCD-ilemma (a.k.a. "The Connor Chronicles") (D-)
Sometimes I have to remind myself "this is just a soap opera" when it comes to making certain allowances and suspending disbelief for the sake of a good storyline. And other times, like in the case of Connor's OCD storyline, I feel like I need to remind the writers: "This. Is. A. Soap. Opera! Where is the drama?!" This storyline is verging on being nothing more than an informational after-school special, which is a shame because there is so much potential for so much more here. Sadly, this storyline could not be more boring (but hopefully the writers don't take that as a challenge to try to make it more boring)!
I'm all for soaps trying to educate their viewers about social issues, and mental health issues are especially near and dear to my heart. But for the love of God, try to throw some "soapy" elements into the story to make it more interesting! Sally and Adam scenes have been pretty much MIA since they finally reunited, which is a huge letdown to their fans. We've seen a little bit more of them in the last couple of weeks, but overall, it's been a bit of dry spell -- and that is a disservice to all their fans, whom the writers tortured for over a year when they split them up to put her with Adam's brother, Nick. They couldn't stop showing us Sally and Nick last year when no one wanted to see it, so where is that same screen time for Sally and Adam now?!
And don't get me started on Billy and Chelsea. When they first started being flirtatious and considered dating, I was all for it and thought it would be a fun change of pace for both characters. Unfortunately, the writers have only managed to make the two of them more boring. She's a former grifter, and he's a "bad boy" with a gambling habit, yet they are some of the least interesting characters (and definitely one of the least interesting couples) on the show right now.
This Connor storyline is consuming these four characters way too much. Just like the writers can't seem to write women as having more than one friend, they also seem to shy away from characters that have more than one thing going on in their lives. Billy is the only one out of the four of them that currently has something interesting coming up (more on that later, since I grade him individually later in this column). Sally potentially has some interesting stuff coming up with her new job and her new living situation with Adam, but who knows if we'll even see Sally at work or if that leads to an actual storyline for her (more on them in their joint grade later on in the column).
Heather/Daniel/Lily and "Princess Louisa" (D-)
This storyline very nearly earned a failing grade from me because I was so livid about how quickly Daniel and Lily broke up after their short-lived reunion. I always hoped that these two, who were each other's first loves, would find their way back to one another. And maybe they still will one day (it is a soap opera, after all), but it seems more and more unlikely all the time. Daniel betrayed Lily by getting back together with Heather while Lily was out of town. Sure, he tried to be a nice guy by not acting on his feelings until he could break up with Lily officially, but it all just left a sour taste in my mouth. And for what? Heather and Daniel are barely seen now (thankfully).
The only thing that made this story somewhat salvageable was seeing Lily go into "revenge mode" and channel her mother, Dru, by firing both Heather and Daniel from CW. Daniel's lawsuit to get the rights back to the video game character "Princess Louisa" that he created for CW was an interesting plot twist -- too bad the writers have been pretty much avoiding that storyline since Daniel threatened legal action. And I can't believe that Heather still hasn't had a single scene with Adam since being back in town -- That. Is. Crazy! She's been back for, like, over a year now (on and off). Sometimes I really feel like these writers are actively avoiding potential "gold mines" of drama that they could tap into (and instead they bore us with stuff like "The Connor Chronicles").
Sharon (and Other Rarely Seen Characters) (D)
Poor Sharon. She got her own "very special New Year's episode" at the start of the year, which seemed to indicate that she would have a big storyline coming up, but instead, she has just been the resident "shrink" that everyone keeps going to for advice. Why isn't she more involved in the business world after inheriting Cameron's company? Both her ex-boyfriend and her ex-husband, Chance and Nick, are lacking in the storyline department, too, so why are they all just sitting around twiddling their thumbs for most of the year? Give these folks a storyline, stat!
I seriously don't know what the point of breaking up Sharon and Chance was. Instead of writing them to be an interesting couple (or giving them any sort of storyline at all), they just broke them up, and now he's part of a new boring couple with Summer instead. The writers seriously don't know what to do with him. He's had a few interesting moments since leaving the police force behind and starting a career in the business world, but those moments have been too scarce for me to care.
Nick desperately needs something to do, too. I don't even really know what else there is to say about him because there's literally nothing to say. We all know that he and Sharon are going to get back together eventually, so I don't know why they don't just kill two birds with one stone and give them both a storyline by starting to write them toward a reunion. But give us a reason to care, too. Don't just put them back together suddenly and say, "Here you go!" like it's something we should be grateful for. Genuinely give them a heartfelt story that makes us want them to get back together. Let us fall in love with them all over again as they fall back in love with each other. The current writing team has been more story-driven than character-driven, though, so that may be too much to ask of them, unfortunately.
Michael and Lauren could use a lot more screen time, too! It's criminal how little we see of them around Genoa City! Lauren is one of my favorite characters, and I was so excited that she was actually going to be on-screen a few times over on The Bold annd the Beautiful this year that I tuned in to that show for her episodes. If she gets more involved in the Sheila storyline over there now that they've learned Sheila is alive, I will continue to tune in, too. I'm still holding out hope for a more significant storyline crossover between the sister soaps that revolves around Sheila in the near future (fingers crossed)! And it will be interesting to see what is next for Michael now that Victor has fired him (again). Most of the time we have seen him lately, it's been in scenes with Victor, so I hope this doesn't mean that we will start to see Michael less and less.
And why aren't we seeing more of Mamie?! She stirs up just the right amount of trouble to keep things interesting at Chancellor-Winters when she pops in there, but then she disappears from our screens for weeks on end. Let's get this story moving! Standing around bickering only remains entertaining for so long, after all, so I hope this story blows up in a big way before the end of 2024.
Jordan's Never-ending "Endings" (D+)
I just can't with Jordan anymore. The writers have done WAY too much with her in too short of a time. How many times has she been presumed dead and tried to kill Nikki (or any other Newman) since she debuted less than a year ago?! Five times, maybe more? I mean, come on, that's a lot even by soap opera standards! A soap villain usually has to exit the show and come back multiple times over a period of years to rack up those kinds of numbers. But Jordan earned a spot at the top of my "D List" (rather than flunking out) because Colleen Zenk continues to make the character entertaining enough that the pure ridiculousness of her storyline is at least tolerable to watch. It was certainly satisfying seeing her psyche slowly start to break when Victor was holding her captive, and I'm glad that she's finally back in prison -- this time in maximum security -- because I can't take much more of her character's antics. It's the same old back-and-forth over and over again, with varying deadly results. But I have yet to hear any official casting news about her leaving the show or what her final airdate is/was supposed to be, so who knows if the writers have finished with her or not. Have mercy on us (and the Newman family) if her reign of terror is set to continue!
These characters and storylines deserved more thought and effort by the writers. There was a lot of potential here (and some great performances by the actors), but everything just felt very "mid" overall and left a lot to be desired.
Adam Newman and Sally Spectra (C-)
Earlier in this midterm, these two got a group grade of "D-" for a number of reasons related to Connor's OCD storyline (which you can read above, if you haven't already). But they are still one of my favorite couples, and I'm thrilled that they are moving in together! So, they were bumped up to this "C-" because of that recent storyline development that indicates a promising future in 2024.
Diane Jenkins and Kyle Abbott (C)
What in the hell is going on with Diane? She just recently fought so hard to get back into the good graces of her son, Kyle, after faking her death and abandoning him for years. And now she is having petty squabbles with him over business decisions, and she acts like she doesn't even want to be in the same room with him? Sure, I get how it would be frustrating to have your son constantly overstepping you at work and potentially making you look bad. But I still think that her relationship with her son would be her number one priority and that she would be looking for ways to problem solve (even if that involved some light scheming, which I'd be okay with). This is just another example of how the writers favor story over character, putting one above the other.
Kyle's behavior hasn't been great, either, of course. Why does he keep undermining his mother after she has repeatedly asked him not to? If he wants her job so badly, then he should just stop trying to "help" her and let her sink or swim on her own merit. He must be worried that she would be successful on her own, and he wouldn't end up with her job, after all. But all of this seems so out of character for both of them. They were so excited to have another chance at being mother and son after all the years they missed, and now, it's like they don't even care. But maybe Kyle does care a little too much, and that is the problem? Perhaps he still resents her for abandoning him as a child to fake her death, and that is where all this animosity is stemming from? If the writers take that route with this storyline, then these two could certainly earn a higher grade in the future.
In fact, Kyle almost earned a higher grade on his own for this midterm because I've been liking him otherwise on the show; in particular, in his storyline with Claire. I really appreciated how he championed for her when Summer wanted to think the worst of her. I think he and Claire could be a good couple, and I have a suspicion that they may be headed that way before the year is out.
Abby Newman (C)
Abby nearly earned herself a lower grade than a "C" this year, but some recent developments in the last few weeks have definitely improved her overall grade average. After barely being seen on-screen for much of the year (and not at all involved in her mother's DID storyline, which is truly a crime), Abby finally stepped out and stepped up in her new role as a board member on the Chancellor-Winters board. I was thrilled to see her call out Devon for assuming she would vote the way he does every time -- I think I might have even clapped when it happened. Go, Abby!
We need to see more scenes of Abby like that -- and we've also really got to see her getting clued in as to what is going on with her mother!! She and Ashley are practically best friends, and I don't know why these writers don't seem to want to honor that connection. Soaps are all about those types of family connections, and it's what keeps viewers tuning in. It gives us that same sense of family, like we are a part of it, when we feel that connection along with the characters. And we certainly notice the lack of attention, or care, in this regard. It's definitely a disappointment, especially since Abby hasn't been involved in any other storylines that should distract her from what is going on with her mother.
Tucker McCall (C)
I'm still loving Trevor St. John in the role of Tucker, and I hope he sticks around for a long time to come! Having said that, his storylines have been a little lacking this year. The highlights have been regarding him desperately trying to get Ashley some help for her apparent mental health issues over the last few months. For that, and for his continued presence in Ashley's storyline, he deserves an A+. Unfortunately, the rest of his storyline so far this year has dragged his character down to a much-deserved C. I have never once believed that Tucker is truly in love with Audra. I believe he loves her, but it is clear that Ashley is the only one he is truly in love with.
Audra Charles and Nate Hastings (C+)
What a missed opportunity that the writers haven't made these two Genoa City's next power couple yet. Sadly, I can't give either of them more than a "C+" for this midterm, even though they are two of my favorite characters (and actors) on the show. They never fail to give us some sort of drama when they are on the screen, and their chemistry together is (and always has been) off the charts! These two should be getting much more screen time together; instead, we've barely seen Nate at all this year, and Audra has been sidelined to being Tucker's girlfriend (or at least she was until she finally broke up with him recently).
I loved Audra and Tucker as friends with benefits, but it all fell apart for me when Tucker started proclaiming his love for her and asking her to marry him out of the blue. It just felt so forced and not at all genuine. I'm very thankful that she has moved on from him romantically (and hopefully she'll move right on over to Nate next). But I do worry how this will impact her professionally. Will Nate be able to get her hired back at Chancellor-Winters? That would be a wild full-circle moment -- I'm here for it and hoping these two characters can climb up to the "A List" before the end of 2024!
These characters and storylines nearly made it onto the "A list" this year, but they lacked just that little bit of extra magic (and could have used a smidge more effort by the writers). I wish them all better luck earning that "A" in the second half of 2024!
Summer Newman (B-)
No one is more surprised than I am that Summer ended up with such a high grade for this midterm. I moved her up to the "B list" because of the character development and growth that she has demonstrated in the past few weeks. Summer flat-out annoyed me through most of the first half of 2024, particularly in regard to the way she immediately hated Claire. But I at least understood why she felt the way she did, and honestly, it was probably the most realistic reaction that someone would have toward Claire, all things considered. I hope we continue to see Summer be open-minded like this, or, at the very least, I'm hoping that she doesn't backslide right back into old habits when making quick judgments about people.
Billy Abbott vs Devon Winters (B)
I'm very intrigued by this latest story brewing between Billy and Devon (and Lily). Lily is more of a neutral party in this equation because she supports Billy's role in the company and, of course, wants to keep the peace with her brother, Devon. But Billy and Devon are headed into a battle that will certainly culminate in all-out war at Chancellor-Winters! I'm betting that Devon will ultimately come out on top, but I also wonder if Billy will also get what he wants, and the two companies will be dismantled into separate entities again. Now that Billy has been given Jill's power at the company, I'm looking forward to seeing how this changes the dynamic at their office, and I can't wait to see how it all plays out.
Victoria Newman and Cole Howard (B+)
I am appreciating the "slow burn" approach that the writers are taking with these two. Considering how fast-paced and full of twists the rest of the Jordan and Claire storyline has been over the past six months, it is nice that the writers aren't just flinging these two right into a relationship. It's clear that is where their relationship is headed, though, and I think it will be a nice change of pace for Victoria. As much as I love seeing her take charge at Newman, it's been nice to see this softer side of her again as she focuses on family (and on mending her broken heart). Let's hope these two can make it work this time around!
These characters and storylines have been some of my favorites so far this year. Kudos to the writers for giving us some must-see-TV in 2024!!
Claire (Newman? Howard?) (A-)
Despite being unsure of what last name she is using these days, I am really enjoying the character of Claire so far. It was a very smart move to bring the talented Haley Erin back to the show (she briefly portrayed Abby years ago before moving on to portray Kiki on General Hospital). Claire's story has been a bit of a roller coaster since she showed up in Genoa City last year, and I think the writers have done a great job of handling her so far. I like when there is a character and you never quite know what is really going on with them -- and that is certainly Claire! Is she as sweet as she seems to be? Has she really overcome Jordan's conditioning all those years in such a short amount of time just by learning the truth about her aunt's lies?
When both Claire and Harrison were kidnapped by Jordan earlier this year, I was loving that there was a small chance Claire might have still been working with Jordan and had helped to mastermind the whole thing. As brilliant of a twist as it would have been to see Claire revealed to be just as evil and twisted as her aunt underneath all her sweetness, I was a bit relieved that she wasn't in on it and was just another victim of her aunt's (again). I'm excited to see what's next for her now that she is working as Harrison's nanny and getting to know the family she was kept away from all her life. Perhaps a romance with Kyle? I'm here for it (especially since it will likely drive Summer crazy)!
Traci Abbott (A)
I know I gush about Beth Maitland a lot in my columns whenever I get the chance, but she is just such a great presence on the show whenever we are lucky enough to get to spend time with her character, Traci. As much as I wish Abby were involved with her mother's DID storyline, I'm relieved that Ashley has at least had her sister to lean on throughout. Traci has gone out of her way to protect Ashley on more than one occasion, and the concern for her sister feels very genuine and real. I wish Traci had been my own sister or mother! She has always been a favorite of mine when she would pop into town for little cameos here and there over the years at various Abbott family events, but it's been great having her so heavily involved in storyline again this year (finally).
These characters and storylines have made the Honor Roll in the first half of 2024 and deserve to be honored as the best of the best on Y&R so far this year! Drumroll, please...
Ashley Abbott (and her alternate identities)
How great is Eileen Davidson?! The storyline surrounding her dissociative identity disorder (DID) has been excellent -- and much of that is due to her great acting talent! We've essentially seen her juggling four different characters because of the alternate identities that Ashley's psyche created to shield her from some unknown trauma. I'm so excited that we are finally getting closer to learning about what might have happened to her in Paris that caused her to dissociate from herself in the extreme way that she has. As I write this, we have yet to learn what exactly Dr. Laurent's twin brother might have done to her, but by the time this column is published on the site, we may have some more details (if not the whole story) -- how exciting!
Victor Newman
Well, Victor has certainly out-Victor-ed himself this year already, hasn't he?! As a soap fan whose interest in the genre began by getting hooked on the evildoing of Days of our Lives' Stefano DiMera, I'd be lying if I said that I didn't love seeing Victor resort to locking Jordan in a cage that was hidden in his wine cellar! It was a crazy twist that reminded us just how relentless Victor can be, and it was also a great callback to one of his first storylines when he held someone else prisoner in that same cage decades ago. Bravo to the writers for going there -- even if they didn't quite stick the landing when Victor finally got caught by Cole and Michael. I was sad that this was just another quick wrap-up to a story that could have gotten way crazier and been a lot more "soapy."
Jack Abbott and Nikki Newman
Give Peter Bergman (Jack) and Melody Thomas Scott (Nikki) ALL the awards next year at the Daytime Emmys!! It honestly doesn't even matter what they had going on for most of the year so far because their scenes together when Jack sacrificed his own sobriety to save Nikki from her latest "bender" with alcohol has certainly earned them the highest honors on this midterm. I was floored by how raw and honest those scenes were. I couldn't look away and was just hoping that they would both survive by the time their night drinking together (and taking pills, in Jack's case) was over. I don't know if they'll be able to top themselves and earn another "A+" like that in the second half of 2024, but only time will tell now.
Well, that's nearly the end of my Midterm Report Card. I hope you have enjoyed this break from our regular column as much as I did. It's always fun to check in with the state of the show for this half-year review. There's just one thing left to do now, which is to give the show an overall grade for 2024 (so far). In reviewing all the grades given in this midterm, it looks like the majority were either "C" grades and "A" grades this year; so, since I gave an equal number of both, that gives Y&R an average overall grade of "B" for the 2024 Midterm!
To me, this grade feels like an accurate representation of the current state of the show. There are definitely some improvements needed, but overall, I have been happy with and entertained by our favorite soap. I'm sure many of you might disagree with some of the grades I handed out, though, so don't hesitate to share the grades you would have given. Hit those Comments (here on the site and on social media posts throughout the week), and let us know what you think! What overall grade do you give Y&R for the 2024 midterm? Can't wait to read your thoughts throughout the week, and then I'll see you right here again next week for my regular Two Scoops column!
Take care!
Vance
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