You'll ask me, what is so appealing about soap operas. One of the things I enjoy the most is character development. You see actors embody these characters for years and years. The actors know their characters so well, that it's second nature to be those characters. You see them evolve, unless they are so evil that they can't be redeemed and then that's usually the curtain call for them. You see them go through hardships, where you cry with them. You see their dreams come true (usually only to be short lived) and rejoice. You learn to care about these characters. You learn to care about the actors. I can probably tell you the real name of 95% the actors on General Hospital, but I probably can't tell you half the names of the actors that play on primetime shows. The character development really allows for incredible acting. Hitting rock bottom and rising from it and making it believable day after day. Most primetime shows air for a few years and while the acting isn't bad, it's just not of the same caliber.
But, is all that drama, are all those emotions worth it? I think so. It allows you to be in tune with your emotions. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in our lives that we forget to feel. We don't have outlets to let those emotions out, or we don't allow ourselves the time to let our feelings show because we're so busy all the time. There's often at least one storyline that you can relate to your life in some way. And, no, obviously not the crazy one about freezing the world, or bringing people back from the dead.
There is a lot of silliness like the two examples I just stated. There's unnecessary staring, constant repeating, talking to oneself so that someone accidently overhears you. I think that part of the show helps balance the reality of some of the storylines with fantasy. Too much realism all the time would probably be too much for our mind and hearts to take. At least, that's my opinion. It also gives flexibility to the writers to bring back beloved fan favorite characters/actors. ;)
I think daytime television has also paved the way to make certain controversial subjects less taboo. It brings more understanding and acceptance. AIDS was taboo for a long time. It was one of the big storylines on General Hospital in the 90s. Then it was a big storyline on primetime (ER). Homosexuality was featured on One Life to Live in the 90s as well. I think the world is much more understanding of both these topics. I'm not saying that soap operas deserve all the credit, but I think that they certainly helped in getting the world to see things differently.
Another big part of daytime television - life and death. Killing off an important character will create a lot of drama, ripple effects and allow the show of various emotions, and often a murder mystery. But death doesn't always revolve around important characters. And sometimes, it involves babies or children. Of course, that is certainly not a happy storyline, but much like other dramatic stories, it is interesting to see the different perspectives lived through by different characters. I've seen a couple characters suffer miscarriages. I've seen one character suffer a stillbirth. I saw another character lose her 3 year old son to a drunk driver. Before I started watching, there was BJ's story, where the 8(?) year old daughter of Bobbie and Tony, was hit by a car and gave her heart to save her cousin Maxie who was dying from a heart defect. Maxie still is part of the show and they refer to that story often. Most recently, there was the storyline of Gabriel. He was born very early and went in the NICU. But he was born too early and did not survive. This story was very difficult to watch, but I think it was played out beautifully. The pain the actors portrayed was gut-wrenching. The mental break the mother had was totally understandable and believable. The blame the father felt was real. I've been there. While it's not a story anyone really wants to see, I think sharing one perspective that is very real, is a good step in telling the world, that hey, this really happens. Be there for your loved ones if it does. Offer your arms, your shoulder and your ears to them.
Why General Hospital and not another? I started watching when I was about 11. My neighbor's babysitter would watch the show and after watching it a couple times with her, I was hooked. While I watched on and off for several years, I haven't missed many episodes in the last 10 years or so. Waste of time? Perhaps, but I've seen many perspectives on many different life situations. While some of them are far fetched and will never happen, others very well could. Having seen possible reactions and outcomes, I feel better prepared to face whatever else life wants to throw at me.
Losing my son has been the most painful experience in my life. The drama, and comedy offered by General Hospital, has given me an outlet. It's given me something to look forward to - like Monday's episode? Spoiler alert - is Mac okay after being shot by Levi? What will happen to Maxie and Lulu who are hostages of Levi and his partner? Will Dante and Nathan/James aka Detective Sexypants save them? Is Jason really alive? Are Sam & Patrick going to get together? Will Sonny succeed in seducing his ex-wife Carly?
And at the same time, it keeps me connected to Preston. Yes, he had to "watch" with me. Hey, it helped keep me awake during his late night feedings ;)
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