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SPLASH PAGE FOR FEBRUARY
By Joe McDonald
This month, a little missive about soap operas. All kinds of soap operas. It wanders around a little bit, folks-so bear with me.
What is a soap opera?
The soap operas as we know them began on radio and gained their name because most of these daytime dramas were sponsored by soap companies. These melodramatic serials, whose plotlines continued from day to day, featured scenic characters, both good and evil, enduring all manner of trials and tribulations. Listeners would tune in daily to hear what would happen and then spend their long weekends waiting to ‘see’ where the story would go next.
As the Age of Television came upon us, the daily melodramatic serials on radio disappeared, only to be replaced by their video counterparts. As with the radio dramas, some of which were directly adapted from the radio dramas, all manner of scenic characters, both good and evil, would suffer through the misfortunes of their lives. It seemed no one on these shows ever had it easy, but there was always one or two who would struggle on and triumph in the end. Viewers would tune in daily to see what would happen and then spend their long weekends waiting to see where the story would go next.
And slowly, through the Sixties and Seventies and on through today, the fan base began to grow and multiply. I vividly remember how my grandmother used to make certain she found time during her day to watch her “stories”: THE EDGE OF NIGHT and SEARCH FOR TOMORROW. Her whole world would come to a complete halt as she relished in the ascendancy of the oppressed and groused at the conquests of the heinous. And she was not alone, as millions of viewers retailored their daily habits to take part in the adventures.
Today, the numbers of die-hard fans has multiplied fast and furious. Thousands of fan clubs exist for virtually every show on the air, and even for some which have gone off to the television graveyard. And these fans are truly passionate in their appreciation of their favorite shows, actors, and characters. In fact many have trouble separating the actor from the character. I recall a couple of years ago when the actor who plays ‘Lucas’ on DAYS OF OUR LIVES showed up at work for an in-store appearance. I helped run security that day and I can tell you it was a near riot scene. And almost half the crowd called him ‘Lucas’ during his stay, even though the poor guy’s name is Brian.
And when it came time to leave, the teens and adults who raced through the store with reckless abandon. Let’s stop for a moment and look at todays ‘modern’ daytime dramas, not to mention those night-time ones passed off as ‘serious drama’ and you have it all. Rape. Murder. Incest. Intrigue. Illegitimacy. Torture. Adultery. Kidnapping. Arson. Psychopathic killers. People possessed by the devil. And that’s all before the first commercial break. A brief gander at these shows makes the simple “Bill lost his job” tales of the 40’s and 50’s seem so much more at ease.
Comic books, whether you care to admit it or not, are soap operas. Despite the fact they are made up of pretty pictures and fancy words, they are still melodramatic serials, whose plotlines continue from issue to issue. They feature scenic characters, both good and evil, (most of whom race off into battle in spandex tights), enduring all manner of trials and tribulations in their personal life; not to mention their battles against evil villains. Comic book fans ‘tune-in’ monthly, in most cases, to see and read what is happening and then spend those long weeks waiting to ‘see’ where the story will go next.
And the topics? Rape. Torture. Mass murder. Intrigue. Illegitimacy. Adultery. Kidnapping. Arson. Psychopathic killers. People possessed by the devil. And the occasional mad villain trying to take over the world for his or her own evil gain. No longer do we just settle for The Red Skull trying to please his fellow Nazis. No...that would be too simple.
And slowly, through the Sixties and Seventies and on through today, the fan base grew and multiplied, leading to the virtual end of comics at the convenience store or at the ‘Mom and Pop’ newsstand and making way for the birth of what became known as the ‘Direct Market’.
Professional wrestling is a soap opera and one which is growing in literal leaps and bounds, putting fans in the once empty arenas. Despite the fact they are made up of wild painful looking moves and blood and gore galore, they are still melodramatic serials, whose plotlines continue from televised episode to televised episode. They feature scenic characters, both good and evil, (almost all of whom race off into battle in spandex tights), enduring all manner of trials and tribulations in their personal life; not to mention their battles against rabid fans in the stands and their hyper-stimulated opponents in the ring. Wrestling fans ‘tune-in’ several times a week and spend upwards of $60.00 a month on Pay Per View, to see what is happening with their favorite and least favorite athletes. And then they count the days waiting for the next episode to ‘see’ where the story will go next.
We have flagrant disrespect for authority. There are moments of torture, adultery, kidnapping, illegitimacy and psychotic behavior. We have rednecks, arsonists, fake porn stars, Brandon Lee clones, pimps, giants, dragons and other freaks. The merchandising of wrestling reaches far and wide, dealing in magazines, videos and assorted clothing items.
It’s not just about ‘wrasslin’ anymore.
And slowly, through the regional wars of the Sixties and Seventies, through to today with the overexposure presented by the advent of cable television, the fan base has grown and multiplied and has no end in sight. The story has become the show.
Politics is a soap opera, in case you haven't noticed. The whole affairs in Washington as of late are melodramatic serials, whose plotlines continue from one televised episode to televised episode. They feature scenic characters, both good and evil, enduring all manner of trials and tribulations in their personal and public lives.
Professional sports is a soap opera. In the middle of what is supposed to be athletes doing their best for personal pride and their teams, we have melodramatic serials, whose plotlines continue day to day and game to game, It features scenic characters, both good and evil, (most of whom appear in color costumes), enduring all manner of trials and tribulations in their personal life and on the field of play.
Life is a soap opera: your life and my life. Life is a melodramatic serial, whose plotlines continue from moment to moment, touching the lives of everyone it comes in contact with. Life features scenic characters, both good and evil, who continually endure all manner of trials and tribulations in their personal lives. We all get up every single day to see what will happen next.
But, unlike televised serials, comic books, and professional wrestling, you can’t get out of a storyline by shutting off the television or closing the book. You are stuck in your storyline until you resolve the issues or leave the story. Resolving the story is sometimes not easy, but is usually a lot easier to deal with than the closing of the book, which is truly a permanent thing. And the villains in real life, while not as ghastly as those found in comics or on the pro wrestling circuit, can be as evil as any written by a creative author. Real life is populated by some of the slimiest characters to inhabit a bad screenplay. The crooked politician who steals from his constituents. The drug dealer who hooks grade school children on his wares, thus securing another generation of clients. Child molesters who creep into beds at night to give their own special brand of love to their offspring. Abusive parents who leave long lasting welts on the body and souls of the little who cry out and don’t know why. Murderers who kill without thinking or feeling, but then cry for themselves as they face the payback of justice. Rapists who torture their victims long after the act is done. Arsonists who delight in the allure of the flame and the horror it causes. Psychopaths who commit acts to make Rex Miller stand up and take notice. Injurious spouses who take great joy in playing mental mind games in between their bouts of organized insanity.
But real life is also populated with superheroes. The mysterious benefactor who donates a large sum of money to a charity so others will benefit. The stranger who dives into the freezing water to save a drowning child, only to lose his struggle in the process. The family who saves a child from the streets by way of the foster children and adoption programs available to them.
The difference between these characters, both the pure and the malevolent, and the ones which populate your favorite comic or televised melodrama or pro wrestling PPV? They’re not so easy to spot. They are average everyday people who don’t necessarily wear black, or have a twisted grin or carry a continent sized death inducing weapon. They don’t always wear white, speak in Shakespearean prose or smile just because they do. They are you and me and the people we meet every single day. They are the man at the gas station, the kid hanging out at the corner store, the baby in its’ mothers’ arms. They are the woman you work with, the neighbor mowing his lawn, the person you curl up in bed with at night.
They are the players in this drama we all know as life. They are all important to our survival as a race of beings upon this planet. They are all part of the plan.
So, next time you see someone playing the role of evil to the hilt, do something about it, if you can. At the same time, when you see that good Samaritan doing his or her thing, crack a smile and join in, in you can. We're all here for as long as we are allowed. Why not make this soap opera a little more palatable while you can.
Keep reading. Keep dreaming. Keep supporting the creators who weave the tales and allow us to drift from this soap opera into their own.