Episode 60 Morals

In plain English, these are the morals from Episode 60:

Living Color

Really, the big thing about this episode was an attempt to get some racial stuff going: Victoria with Malcolm, for example. And Keith's failure to hire Neil for mysterious reasons, for another. On one hand, there is never any racial strife in Y&R. That's a goal to be shot for in real life, but on the show it robs the audience of a chance to see racial issues in play and to learn to come to grips with the very real problems that people of various ethnicities routinely suffer.

I've always felt Keith is the one we know least about and the one for whom it would be kind of interesting if he were set up to be both a `savior' from Victor's tyranny and a `new problem'. By giving him an aversion (even a mild one) to other races, we could set up some very interesting situations and show the audience a lot of different sides. A well-meaning guy who just wants to control his surroundings meets the many well-meaning workers who just want to have a job without fussing over their race. Trish and Megan, being of a different generation, could work with him to try to change this, and it could help to make a generational barrier if they had some interracial interests.

Y&R has come close to the interracial thing before. My understanding is that it's been beaten up over it. I think it should keep trying. The opportunity for interesting plots and for bringing social enlightenment through honest empathy with these characters is too good not to keep trying. Not to mention that the blacks are presently stuck in a tiny little incestuous prison because there are too few of them and if they can't interact romantically with the whites, there's nothing for them to do. Next up? Dru and Little Nate. What else is left? Yawn.

By the way, it was really pathetic that we were told Victor's honeymoon with Diane was in Greece and then we got no actual scenes of Greece. We're intended to believe he stayed in with her--an architect? Sigh.

Oh, and writers, you are hereby `put on notice': the phrase `put on notice' has been overused of late. Really.

That's all for Episode 60's morals. Don't miss Episode 61 and its morals!
If you missed any older episodes, see the index.