Episode 108 Morals

In plain English, these are the morals from Episode 108:

Can Neil finally get through to Victoria?

I just can't believe how out of synch these two are. And yet I keep hearing talk like someone back at Y&R central thinks there's chemistry between them. I just don't see how you can both have people who are not clicking and who are having chemistry. And while I recognize the possibility of raw sizzle where people just can't keep their hands off of each other even though their minds are not clicking, I don't see that here. These guys are not racing to the bedroom, it's very hands off. And what's going on in between is just misunderstanding after misunderstanding. Neil's busy planning a life and Victoria's worried about whether her next meeting with Cole will go ok. It's almost painful to watch.

The scenario I sketched here merely illustrates how far I think Neil has gotten ahead of Vikki. It seems outlandish when I write it down, but it's really the image that I get directly from watching the show.

Has Alec been thrown out like yesterday's news?

As is surely obvious, this sequence was my chance to play games with the code phrase ``to the next level.'' Why on earth do we have phrases like that obscuring our understanding of what's going on. It's not like they don't use the term ``marriage''. It's not like they don't use the term ``sex''. And yet, this term just makes me wonder what's being talked about. It doesn't advance my understanding of the characters--it just makes me feel like someone is hiding something from me or trying to confuse me.

Should Miguel try to work through his grief over Veronica?

There was a bunch of chatter on the newsgroup about whether Miguel was the one who had to clean up the mess. I got to thinking about that and figured it was a worthwhile enough image to play with a little. I also like the idea of Veronica not dying. She was a great character. This may not be the last you see of her in AWO. Would that the same were true on the show.

Will Ryan be thrown that a letter from Phillip comes through?

Has this little kid no hormones? I think there are various reasons why he could bring himself to like Trisha, and this is one of them.

Can anyone cut through Nikki and Victor's doublespeak about Neil?

While I like the idea of a racially blind world, I still read every ambiguous remark that Nikki, Victor, Olivia, and others say as if they're really using code phrases to disapprove of a mixed relationship. That's just the way the world is. So until someone comes out and says they either like or don't like or accept or don't accept the racial component, I'm going to assume they are trying to telegraph that info secretly. And it drives me crazy. So in this story, Nick is right when he guesses that Neil has quit so we could see people stripped of their ability to be ambiguous about his relationship with Vikki. Too bad for Neil that I also chose this episode to have his relationship with Vikki fail. I didn't do that because I disapprove of the racial thing, though. I did it because it worked out better for this story to go that way--and, ok, also because I just think Neil and Vikki have no chemistry together. Sadly, I think I'll have a hard time seeing Neil with anyone until he confronts what a pig he's been to Dru. When he's doffed that baggage, maybe I can see him as a sexy guy again. But right now I just see him as an abuser in waiting and I can't get into watching him date any character I care about.

That's all for Episode 108's morals. Don't miss Episode 109 and its morals!
If you missed any older episodes, see the index.