The Best & Worst of 2005 - Part 4

December 5, 2005
by Michael Kelly

Worst Attorney - Christine Blair

I might have been moved when Ms. Blair tearfully begged the judge presiding over Daniel Romalotti's vehicular homicide trial not to convict the boy if she weren't Daniel's defense attorney at the time. Talk about unprofessional! Talk about setting the credibility of working women everywhere back a hundred years.

But then, perhaps the Bug broke down sobbing because she knows she's incompetent. Perhaps she felt guilty about placing far greater importance on the personal feelings of Nick and Sharon than on Daniel's defense by wasting valuable time coddling the affluent Newmans when she knew damn well Nick was withholding evidence.

As an officer of the court, it was her duty to ask that the DA charge Nick with that crime. However, perhaps the worst crime of all was committed by Blair herself for taking the case of the boy she loved like a son in the first place. The blonde barrister has obviously never heard of a conflict of interest.

Breakthrough Performance - Michael Graziadei (Daniel)

Graziadei's first Emmy nomination for Outstanding Younger Actor in 2005 may have been as undeserved as it was a surprise given the fact he really hadn't been given much to do in 2004 (Emmy nominations always represent performances given during the previous calendar year).

Fortunately, should the actor be nominated next year he will be a leading contender for the prize. Sure, Daniel's romance with Lily made many viewers' skin crawl because she's such an obnoxious little ditz, but Graziadei really impressed this reporter in expressing Daniel's guilt and torment after Cassie died.

I particularly loved the scene in which Daniel lit a candle on her behalf while he was holed up in the Abbott playhouse and tearfully delivered a monologue in which he begged the girl's forgiveness. Whatever the writers have in store for Daniel, I'm confident Graziadei is up to the challenge.

Biggest Lose End - Nate Is Still Unaware Malcolm Is Alive

I couldn't have cared less when Malcolm was revealed as Lily's biological father. The scenes in which those two came on to each other always made me sick. It's laughable to think a national soap magazine named the Malcolm is Lily's father storyline as The Best Use of History on daytime television.

Malcolm may not be the long forgotten Nate Hastings' bio-Pop but he sure did act the part for years. It's beyond insulting, stupid and most of all a betrayal of Y&R's history for the writers to show such blatant disregard for Malcolm and Nate's relationship. It makes the character of Malcolm (as well as Nate's mother Olivia) look like a callous creep and only proves it was a profound waste viewers' time and the show's budget to lure back Shemar Moore.

Most Watered Down Character - Kevin Fisher

I liked Kevin a lot more when he was a firebug, statutory rapist and town pariah. You know Y&R's in sad shape when the once alienated and fascinating Fisher loses his edge completely and becomes just another one of Genoa City's solid citizens and businessmen. The guy used to have inner demons and complexity but no more.

While it was exciting to see a traumatized Kevin twitch the first time he and Terrible Tom came face to face in Genoa City, young Fisher rarely interacted with or seemed to care very much about being in the same town with the father who made his childhood a living hell. Apparently, the writers thought it would be more exciting for Kevin to run a coffehouse with the wholesome Mac on whom he had a schoolboy-like crush. If so, the scribes were mistaken.