Episode 96 Morals

In plain English, these are the morals from Episode 96:

Will Phillip stop being a basket case about Trisha?

The background for this is that Phillip is the only one of the children who hasn't been subject to any kind of accelerated growth. That's bad enough. But to add insult to injury, his emotional state seems to me to be stunted as well. It seems like a normal kid would have at least a little bit of curiosity about the attractive young woman who is more his age (and certainly his intellectual equal) than Nina.

I'm not suggesting that Trisha and Phillip start some big affair, since it would probably be illegal to depict under present-day law anyway. But I am suggesting that it would be fun to mix it up his storyline a little since it's pretty straightline, predictable, and ultimately dull. He interacts with no one other than the same people--there are no surprises. It's up to the writers to work harder on making him bring in the surprises. Kids can do and say funny things because of their innocence, leaving parents in a really embarrassing situation. This one just seemed to ``fall out'' of circumstances.

Will a trip to the cooler improve Nick's view of his wife?

What on earth does Nick contribute to Newman Enterprises at all? I can't figure that out. He has to be heavily supervised by Jack to keep from submitting ``embarrassing'' reports. The idea that he can just be of use elsewhere on the drop of a hat is silly to me. So I tried to think up something that fit all the facts and this was all I could come up with. Of course, it only works because Jack can count on Nick to so confuse things that Barrington's attempts to follow his advice will be instantly fatal.

My sense from discussion groups is that people are sick of Nick being so mean. The overall title ``Pick Nick'' was because I decided to lighten Nick's image with a little much-needed humor by picking on him.

Can Michael convince Cricket her fears are far afield?

There's been a lot of speculation about how Michael will get his license back and who will donate a kidney. My money's on Michael. I thought it would be fun to play through how to do it. A lot of people think Michael will be cunning and mercenary about it, trying to buy some acceptance. But that's already been done and I think it diminishes the ``PSA'' (Public Service Ad) value of bringing this stuff up if every time someone donates an organ it's to impress someone. Indeed, I think if Michael did it for that reason, Cricket oughtn't buy it. But if he does it for some deeper conviction, and Cricket finds out by accident, that'd be best and hopefully more believable--as if Michael is still looking for a way to impress Cricket and meanwhile doesn't realize he's already done the thing that does and just hasn't thought to mention it. Well, we'll see how it plays out on Y&R and compare.

Will Mary's wishes for Danny be taken as pot luck?

What can I say--I'm a sucker for involving Mary's army of church friends in so noble a campaign as finding a kidney for Danny. I mean, gee, if this were real life and Danny (a world-famous rock star) needed a kidney, wouldn't fans be lining up for miles to be the one to donate theirs? But he seems to have no fans, and that made me immediately think of other ``forgotten heros'' of Y&R, which led me to Mary. In a way, both being forgotten by family and friends, Danny and Mary are kindred spirits.

Where are Joani & Little Danny, Katherine, and Gina in Danny's time of need, anyway? And what about ex-wife Traci Abbott? It's not like Danny has only Cricket. But it sure seems so if you watch who's hanging around the hospital room. Not even a tabloid reporter. Sad.

That's all for Episode 96's morals. Don't miss Episode 97 and its morals!
If you missed any older episodes, see the index.