Episode 140 Morals

In plain English, these are the morals from Episode 140:

Will ex-wife Olivia's exam with Ingersol result in an expose'?

The title of this episode ("Malcolm's Ex") was suggested by a reader. I thought it was cute and went with it... Thanks, Carrie!

I think the story was pretty clear on what I haven't liked about this plot, but I'll repeat them here because it bears repeating.

First, the whole business with Alex and the door: She kept making it wiggle as she leaned on it and I can't believe Ingersol didn't notice. Why didn't they use a tape recorder? Does Alex the so-called lawyer really think that "I heard it too" is the most airtight evidence she could present?

Second, I hate how the story sometimes moves ahead surprisingly and then drags painfully. I wish the things that could be dragged out better would be, because if the plot is going to be stretched I'd rather it be at natural points. It could have taken more work to set up Olivia's involvement. Everything happened in one episode. Why? Some plot opportunities were missed along the way, too, like the one I highlighted where the attempt to make Olivia look "vulnerable" to Ingersol might make her look vulnerable in the Nate business, too. Oh well.

The truly sad thing here is that this is the first time in years I've seen Olivia do anything that I didn't want to fast-forward through... yet they're rushing it. Play with it. Find some way to give Olivia something to do beyond whining over Nate. Please? Pretty please? With sugar on top?

Will ex-con Larry be expelled by Jabot?

I think the entire bit of "oops, I was bad" stuff they're making Larry say is against his character. The actor is playing it as well as he can, but the character Larry has really proved himself over the last few months to be much more level-headed than he initially seemed. Yes, Nick can bring out his fighting spirit, but he was mostly resisting urges and really working hard on being a good citizen before Nick came along. Seeing him almost pick fights at Jabot seemed very unnatural, and I fault the writers on that one. I hope they figure out a character for Larry to be and then carry it through consistently. This plot feels very awkward.

I also think his interaction with Victor felt forced, and Nikki's desire to make him feel bad about that felt forced. And, as I noted in the story here, surely he'd gain as many allies as enemies at Jabot for what he did...

Will expired Matt/Carter be exhumed for an extended run?

Welcome back, Rick Hearst. Too bad the writers had to resort to such a silly plot device to get you back, though... How in the world did they get to the point of letting him die in the first place? There were so many easy dodges to him actually dying... Sad, sad.

Part of the "future" stuff in this segment of my parody was also an opportunity to poke at the aspects of Y&R that never seem to change... like the duller than dishwater plot of Olivia's concern for Nate.

Also, kudos to the writers for letting Sabryn Genet continue her venture beyond the "blonde bombshell cutie" role into the utterly psychotic. She really is finally getting a chance to do some real acting in this new mode, and I'm quite pleased with the result. I think she'll make a good villain. Another Shiela? Too soon to tell. But the early results are good.

Will ex-girlfriend Britanny exasperate ex-waif Mackenzie?

I don't know why, but I'm really bored by this whole thing with Brittany. Maybe it's that this idea of Mac's mother has been drug out so long that it pains me. Maybe it's just that it's so predictable. In any case, I just wanted to twist it around here a little by having Mac beat Brit at her own game... or at least have a fighting chance.

That's all for Episode 140's morals. Don't miss Episode 141 and its morals!
If you missed any older episodes, see the index.