Losing Tristan Rogers is a lose lose situation

Having just read a twit about the validity of Tristan Rogers leaving Y&R, I must first say that the opiner recognizes Tristan's great talent.  I'll nod and agree with that.  But to say that Tristan's character Colin had no real reason to be on Y&R is quite short sighted.  If memory serves, it seems like Robert Scorpio was simply to show up and make Luke's life a little harder on General Hospital, and then leave.  Just a bit part.  Nothing more.  No real reason for Robert Scorpio to be in Port Charles.

However, Glory Monty was a visionary who could take a single moment or a peek at a character, and turn it into something that exploded onto our screens.  She took a dying soap and created a cultural change.  She took a bit part and created a timeless character and authorized Tristan to bring Robert to life.  Tristan's talent was what marveled the fans, but he had to have producers and writers who prepared the canvas for his performance.

That was then.  This is now.  No we can't live in the past, and entertainment must change with the times. However, the basics of the art of telling a captivating story do not really change.  Soap fans demand good storytelling, then and now.  That means we need soap producers and writers that have a vision and a love of the genre.  We demand great acting.  Bill Bell created something marvelous, enough so that it has had top ratings throughout its tenure.  But along comes Maria Arena Bell, who seems to have no love for soaps, no vision, and no discernment between character and plot driven writing.  The episodic evidence shows a lack of understanding of good storytelling that begins, stretches, builds and ends a story, only pausing to connect it to the next story.

When fans are bombarded with the hype for the next big thing on a soap, we'll test the waters and if it's good, we'll jump in with both feet.  That is what happened on GH with Robert Scorpio, and that is also what happened on Y&R with Colin.  Actually, Colin had more reason to be in GC: family.  There were all the questions about Cane when he was in Australia.  There was already a mystery, and what it seemed like at the beginning, was that we were going to get more of the story.  It was interesting, mysterious, intriguing.  Fans became hooked on Colin and Jill.  You can't give fans a reason to watch faithfully and then back peddle, saying that we must lose the stuff we're tuning in to see and replace it with a slew of others that have nothing to do with any current story or family.

What had so much promise was purposefully turned into a train wreck by Bell.  Colin and Jill became a huge draw, a diversion from the mundane rewrites of rewritten rewrites as well as the multitude of dropped storylines.  Colin and Jill made us laugh and cry amid stories that left us apathetic and questioning why we even watch Y&R anymore.

Y&R used to have core families, but now we are left with a handful of Bell's favorites who get screen time.  Those who displease the Queen of Mean get nice long vacations.  She has run over core relationships one too many times and now there is no trust in what she writes.  IF she were to tell great stories and execute it well... IF that were the case, then fans wouldn't be bitching.  Actors and pundits are bitching.  Y&R is unfortunately on its way out, left to the devises of the current leadership.  Ratings are down and just because we say the Emperor has beautiful clothes on, doesn't make him any less naked.

Sony can pull a Frons, or they can fix this.  Our loss in turn will be their loss.