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As an aside, I don't mind the new posting box on LJ, it's easier on my eyes. I've become both farsighted and near-sighted now...and am currently wearing bi-focal contact lenses. If they do not give me a headache in three weeks, I'll buy more of them and get bifocals as backup. Right now have bought reading glasses and long distance lenses. Sigh. I'd been avoiding the eye doctor, because I was in denial. She said it's normal for people in their 40s to need reading glasses. Nice to know I have company. So...people, who whine about getting gray hairs and being old in their 30s, three things to look forward to in your 40s: 1) reading glasses. 2) creaking limbs and hips. 3) menopause or rather perimenopause if you are female (I have no idea what men go through, but it must be something - because otherwise, so unfair!) and oh yes...more gray hairs. But hey, you begin to stop giving a shit about certain things...so there is an upside.
So that show you've been watching...it is beginning to resemble a soap, but you aren't quite sure...how to know? Here's five simple ways...
[How do I know? My mother weaned me on soap operas at an early age...by telling hilarious stories about them. There was no escape. ]
1. Oppressive love triangles. Often more than one. Although on occasion, if we are lucky, we'll get the oppressive quadrangle. Sometimes it will even be five people...which is always interesting.
2. Bad Boy turned Good Boy turned Bad Boy turned Good Boy and back again, ad naseum...and unfortunately, often includes a twice-redeemed rapist or thrice-redeemed killer. Rape tropes are very popular in soap operas. Particularly redeemed rapists.
3. No one stays dead. Seriously, if an actor can come back to a role and strike a deal, they may end up being revived. It's possible. There's nothing, literally nothing that will stand in the way of reviving them. Soap opera writers are weirdly creative in this respect.
As a result of the no one stays dead rule, anyone can get killed off. Doesn't matter. Usually in prime time soaps it's not the leads, but they've been known to do it and bring them back in some other form. This does keep the audience on its toes. OTOH sooner or later the audience catches on to the "no one stays dead" caveat and stops getting upset when someone gets killed off. In fact, some audience members may actually root for a character to get killed off just to shake things up, assured they will pop up again, eventually. There are situations...in which killing off the characters does not work...so you know the leads will never die on the show (as long as the actors are on contract and don't want to leave and are highly popular with fans), which makes it very hard to worry too much about their longevity.
4. One Tru Love - It's Epic. Yes there is always the super-couple or the destined romance, that is thwart with peril, and is star-crossed. But hello, they are soul mates, and destined.
They often get married about 5 times and divorced 5 times. Or just keep breaking up and getting back together again. And often, but not always, end up being part of the Oppressive Love Triangle/Quadrangle. In many cases...they'll end up breaking up with their one true love and marrying someone else, then coming back to one true love in the end.
5. Unpredictable plot twists and plot arcs, because the writers appear to be on crack and their plots defy logic. Oh sure you can retcon, but seriously you don't know where they will go, could be any of five options. Bound to disappoint, but there's that off chance it will be wonky goodness - so being a hopeful viewer you watch. It also means you will relentlessly hunt down spoilers to ensure that it does end up as wonky goodness, and if it isn't? You will be prepared and can possibly just choose to tune out now. Makes the disappointment less painful.
If the show has lots of spoiler websites and huge spoilerwhores...it probably is a soap opera. Also nothing screams fans and shipper wars like soap operas.
Those are my five ways. Truth be told, I enjoy soaps. They can be a lot of fun. GH right now is a trip and a half. True Blood is just crack. Nothing says guilty pleasure better than soap opera, and unlike reality series, you can honestly say that no real people or animals were hurt in the process.
So that show you've been watching...it is beginning to resemble a soap, but you aren't quite sure...how to know? Here's five simple ways...
[How do I know? My mother weaned me on soap operas at an early age...by telling hilarious stories about them. There was no escape. ]
1. Oppressive love triangles. Often more than one. Although on occasion, if we are lucky, we'll get the oppressive quadrangle. Sometimes it will even be five people...which is always interesting.
2. Bad Boy turned Good Boy turned Bad Boy turned Good Boy and back again, ad naseum...and unfortunately, often includes a twice-redeemed rapist or thrice-redeemed killer. Rape tropes are very popular in soap operas. Particularly redeemed rapists.
3. No one stays dead. Seriously, if an actor can come back to a role and strike a deal, they may end up being revived. It's possible. There's nothing, literally nothing that will stand in the way of reviving them. Soap opera writers are weirdly creative in this respect.
As a result of the no one stays dead rule, anyone can get killed off. Doesn't matter. Usually in prime time soaps it's not the leads, but they've been known to do it and bring them back in some other form. This does keep the audience on its toes. OTOH sooner or later the audience catches on to the "no one stays dead" caveat and stops getting upset when someone gets killed off. In fact, some audience members may actually root for a character to get killed off just to shake things up, assured they will pop up again, eventually. There are situations...in which killing off the characters does not work...so you know the leads will never die on the show (as long as the actors are on contract and don't want to leave and are highly popular with fans), which makes it very hard to worry too much about their longevity.
4. One Tru Love - It's Epic. Yes there is always the super-couple or the destined romance, that is thwart with peril, and is star-crossed. But hello, they are soul mates, and destined.
They often get married about 5 times and divorced 5 times. Or just keep breaking up and getting back together again. And often, but not always, end up being part of the Oppressive Love Triangle/Quadrangle. In many cases...they'll end up breaking up with their one true love and marrying someone else, then coming back to one true love in the end.
5. Unpredictable plot twists and plot arcs, because the writers appear to be on crack and their plots defy logic. Oh sure you can retcon, but seriously you don't know where they will go, could be any of five options. Bound to disappoint, but there's that off chance it will be wonky goodness - so being a hopeful viewer you watch. It also means you will relentlessly hunt down spoilers to ensure that it does end up as wonky goodness, and if it isn't? You will be prepared and can possibly just choose to tune out now. Makes the disappointment less painful.
If the show has lots of spoiler websites and huge spoilerwhores...it probably is a soap opera. Also nothing screams fans and shipper wars like soap operas.
Those are my five ways. Truth be told, I enjoy soaps. They can be a lot of fun. GH right now is a trip and a half. True Blood is just crack. Nothing says guilty pleasure better than soap opera, and unlike reality series, you can honestly say that no real people or animals were hurt in the process.