Are Soaps too good?

A few months ago, someone wrote a blog where it was surmissed that the decline of the serial drama was perhaps due to not changing with the times and reflecting the 'wishes' of the younger generation. I disagree, wholeheartedly. I strongly believe that we need the kind of storytelling that is in the family generational storytelling. Morality, issues, social perspectives and information are expertly portrayed in scripted drama. Reality television will never be able to convey fantasy and reality in one neat, compassionate, exciting package.

I watched As The World Turns for 50 years. It was my only 'soap' until I started watching OLTL two weeks before it was canceled. When I started watching ATWT, I was seven years old. Now, I am a grandmother who still loves reading a great book or watching a good 'story'. When I was a child, I would watch on sick days from school, vacations and March break. My mother would tell me what happened in the story, on a daily basis. She was fascinated by the first 'bad girl' of the soaps, Lisa Miller (the wonderful Eileen Fulton). In the early 1960's, even the hint of adultery caused shock waves. In her autobiography,  Eileen Fulton recounted one incident where a fan recognized her on the street in New York and hit her with a handbag, shouting that Lisa was a 'slut' and much too good for Dr. Bob.

 The writing in the 50's, 60's and 70's, created by Irna Phillips, was based on the  problems of the Hughes, Lowell and Stewart families. It was like a window into life in middle America, with Grandpa, Nancy, Chris and their children having breakfast in the kitchen.Nancy and Lisa would have their best 'girl talks' while hand-washing the dinner dishes. There was always a strong pot of coffee and a feeling that WE, the viewer, were part of the family. Family was always front and centre in well-written and poignant storylines. But there also was the drama - the infidelity, the suspicions of unseemly behaviour and frank discussions of societal mores. There was plenty of drama and a bit of fantasy escapism thrown in to keep the viewer interested and coming back each day. When Penny lost her husband Jeff (the first soap supercouple), in an unexpected car crash, fans were devastated and mourned together with the family. When the unwed Ellen was looking for the son she gave up for adoption, the viewers felt her pain and anguish. We were able to relate to a mother's longing and were able to understand the implications of the custody battle when the Stewart family was introduced. Later, we rejoiced when Ellen and David Stewart slowly fell in love with each other and had a family. As new characters and families were introduced, we grew to love or hate each and every one of the characters. And we adored the storylines. The acting and writing was outstanding.I would still watch every opportunity I had, through high school and in University. When I was at work, before VCR's, I would call my mother at night to get the daily update. As a young mother, I would make sure that nap-time would coincide with the time I took for my 'story'. It was my daily pleasure.

 Then in the 1980's, we had Douglas Marland. For anyone who knows anything about 'soaps', he was the very BEST. No one could ever match his writing skill. That decade introduced other locations away from the central core family abodes. Sitting around the kitchen with a cup of morning coffee and dusting the bookshelves in the living rooms, which portrayed a more sedentary and mundane daily life became more of a background to more interesting storylines. It was done in subtle yet exciting ways, to give us danger and intrigue, sexual innuendo and beautiful love stories. New families, (the Montgomery, Snyder and Walsh families) were introduced with rich and full backgrounds and endless possibilities for relationships and storylines. We had Tom and Margo falling in love in the jungle while dealing with 'Mr. Big',  Betsy and Steve looking for answers in Greece, teenaged Lily, Holden and Dusty finding first love in the stables, Craig and Sierra acting as rebels in Montega, Lucinda and John frolicking in the bathtub, Duncan and Shannon discovering a renewed love in the Scottish castle and of course Barbara experiencing the drama of life and love in Oakdale and in the bull ring with James, Gunnar, Brian and Hal.

 All of a sudden love, intrigue, suspense and betrayal were played out in all kinds of 'hot', scary and exciting places. But there were also weddings, funerals,  Fourth of July fireworks with the Hughes family, Thanksgiving at the Snyder farm, and board room meetings with Lucinda, Kirk and Samantha. Christmas Eve carols were celebrated with such sincerity and pure love that the viewer knew that they belonged at the celebration with their beloved 'reel' families. And no, the affairs and language remained appropriate for television. I was never ashamed to say that a certain scene was too risquee or that I was dismayed at the use certain phrase or words. I especially loved Kim's "Kiddo", and of course, 'Hello Barbara' will always remind me of James Stenbeck taking over from John Dixon as the resident 'bad boy' of Oakdale. It was pure MAGIC!!! And then we also had Frannie, Kevin and Douglas Cummings. I was shocked when we discovered his secret obsession. We grew to love Kim and Bob together. Yet we were not at all surprised when Bob wandered. After all, he had been involved many, many times before.

 But, also in the late 1980's and after Douglas Marlands death, we started to lose the veteran actors with a concentration on younger 'outsiders' who slowly infiltrated Oakdale. Nancy and Chris disappeared from view, but we had Lucinda Walsh causing all kinds of trouble, Susan Stewart giving Kim a 'run for her money' with her affair with Bob, and James Stenbeck becoming a major evil thorn in everybody's side. We had Andy and his problem with addiction, Paul and Emily's early sexual introduction to each other, Lily meeting Damian Grimaldi and breaking up the 'soul-mate' love of Holden and Lily. And we had Hal Munson (the wonderful Benjamin Hendrikson) coming between Tom and Margo, but eventually giving Barbara a solid and stable relationship (after her tumultuous, earlier relationships).

 The focus was taken away from the core families and now concentrated on the newcomers. But that was okay, too. We were still caught up in the 'story', because we knew the history. So, although the 90's started with some not so 'good' stories, on ATWT, at least, the viewer was still involved in the families, stories and the look into life in Oakdale. . No, the writing wasn't as good at times; and some of the storylines were contrived and simply used to 'keep' the viewers 'hooked' . But, we were 'hooked'. We loved the loves of the Snyder clan (Iva, Seth, Caleb, Ellie and Holden), Kirk and Samantha, Duncan and his inter-racial marriage to Jessica, Connor and the very sexy Mark. Although Carly, Mike and Rosanna's triangle gave us pause to raise our eyebrows, the loss of the baby reminded us all of how 'fleeting' and hard life could be, and of course the introduction of Jack, Julia, and David made us all wonder how far the writers would go to keep us interested. What fun. And it wasn't too much. We accepted and loved everything. Yes, there were times when the storyline was played out a little too long and when the writing was not up to caliber, but we loved it all, none the less. And, we loved, loved, loved each and every one of Lisa's husbands and marriages (except, of course, Michael Shea). To me, it was like Carly finding her 'true north' with Jack. As the World turns, to me, was HOME.

 It was only after the introduction of 'reality tv' with the OJ Simpson trial, that everything started to fall apart. The writers tried to 'spice it up', but they were starting to run out of scenarios, triangles, plots and surprises that were fresh and still stayed within character. For a while, it seemed that everyone in Oakdale had either been in jail and accused of a crime, or else been involved romantically with everyone in town. I believe John Dixon was involved with every woman, except Nancy. But the fans stayed. Except, more and more viewers were also entering the work force - but, we had VCRs and eventually DVRs. So, we watched into the first decade of the 21st century, but in different ways that were not recognized in the ratings. And, there were no more location shoots on the Amalfi coast or in exotic places. The sets were scaled back (no more fresh flowers in every room, or three Christmas trees in Lucinda's house). The change was gradual. You can see the difference when you watch a clip from 1989 and compare it with one in 2005.

 But, and here is where I disagree with people who say that the 'soap opera' is inferior to other scripted dramas - the caliber of the acting NEVER waned. The veteran actors (who never really regained their original glory on screen) are masters at their craft. Eileen Fulton, Don Hastings, Marie Masters, Kathryn Hays, Elizabeth Hubbard, Kathleen Widdoes, Helen Wagner, Ellen Dolan, Scott Holmes, Anthony Herrera, Jon Hensley and Colleen Zenk will NEVER be forgotten by fans not only for their consummate expertise as actors, but for the roles they created and portrayed for so long. For Colleen Zenk and Anthony Herrera to be given roles so rich and complex, is an actor's dream. Barbara went from  naive ingenue to gilted mother and abused wife, and from bitter, controlling and vindictive vixen and mother to finally, a vulnerable and accepting older woman with a renewed resolve to fulfill her dreams. Through it all, James remained menacing yet, you had to 'love' him for his 'undying' tenacity to create havoc. And the younger actors have a fantastic future ahead of them. Van Hansis was brilliant in his portrayal of a young gay man finding a connection to his inner self and also to his strength in his relationships - talk about a positive role model. Terri Conn, Austin Peck, Jesse Sofer, Roger Howarth, Kelley Menighan Hensley just to name a few, gave us not only 'eye candy' but excellent acting skills in the portrayal of their characters. Actors who are not in a continuing serial drama don't get the opportunity to develop skills over a long time. They also don't get a chance to have close and meaningful relationships with their fellow cast members and crew.

 There are certain kudos and definite errors that I must attribute to the producers. I will NEVER forget the prophetic last scene between Nancy Hughes and Katie Peretti, when Helen Wagner explains love and loss. It was almost ethereal ; and it broke my heart. But, it was certainly not appreciated that at Nancy's death, Penny, Don, Frannie, Andy, Adam and  Ellen Stewart were not there. I feel that it was not only a sign of disrespect to Helen Wagner but also to Rosemary Prinz, Ellen Bruder, Scott Defreitas and Julianne Moore. Martha Byrne grew up on screen and is one of the most prized and phenomenal actresses - ever. Her Emmy winning performances in the dual roles as Lily and Rose, are classic. But, she was disrespected by the producers for not being allowed to reprise her role as Lily at the end; and I will never forgive them for that. I love Maura West and I hate how CBS is treating her now, as well - absolutely shameful. As far as two-time Emmy winner Michael Park is concerned, I am so pleased that he honoured his own family, instead of attending the shameful award ceremony which actually dishonoured the daytime serial drama.

 So, as a final word, although I do agree that the original "GOOD" portrayal of characters and storylines has changed over the years, I don't see my 'story' as having morphed into the type of 'garbage' we so often see in primetime. It is still "GOOD". The writing and especially the acting, remains incredible. No one will ever be able to convince me that the actors on daytime are not the very best at their craft - much more so than some of the 'so-called' popular stars who don't have the expertise and skill required in a daily serial. Seriously, I would much rather see Maura West than Lindsay Lohan, any day. It is now up to the experts to redefine what a great serial drama should be and use a new model for the future. It can be done. Irna Phillips, Agnes Nixon and Douglas Marland knew how, and the actors certainly know how. We need someone brilliant like that to do it AGAIN. Martha Byrne, how about it?