Soap Operas Are Like Crack
Friday, November 13th, 2009 at 10:54 pm · 43 views
…For me at least, and I would suspect many other people because some of them have been around for several decades. Just like after my first pregnancy with the twins, I have been watching soap operas non-stop. Not matter how silly the characters and scripts get I just can’t get enough. What the hell is wrong with me? I have been watching soap operas since I came out of my mother’s womb. I blame it all on her. She got me hooked on the ABC soaps… All My Children, One Life to Live and General Hospital. I never could get with that Ryan’s Hope and I guess other people couldn’t either because it ended in 1989.
When I was younger, the only other soap I watched (with my aunt) was Young & the Restless. I watched the ABC soaps with my mom and after I finished homework. She recorded them daily with her VCR. I remember having to teach her how to set the timer *giggles*
During high school, as the devil took over Marlena, my best friend got me hooked on Days of Our Lives. I resisted at first because in St. Louis, Days of Our Lives comes on at the same time as General Hospital. So during that summer, I slowly converted over to a Days fan and (kind of) never looked back. I still watch Days of Our Lives now, but I keep up with General Hospital through commercials and talking with my mom. Amazing how much you can keep up with a show from a 45 second commercial. Sonny is still in the mob, Jason is covering up a murder… yeah.
Whenever I’m off from work, the crack calls me in. I watch the soaps non-stop. On the other hand, reality sets in when I am working. I had to stop taping the shows on the DVR because there was no way in hell I could work 8 hours, come home to do mother and wife duties, watch shows with my husband and still watch 3 hours (minus commercials) of soaps. Inconceivable! But I know some women do this… and I guess something gives in like less sleep and Facebook time *gasp*
I just have to vent about one particular soap opera character for a moment. Amanda on All My Children. She has absolutely lost her mind. And Jake really should just go ahead now to divorce her. Their relationship is going nowhere but downhill now. Only on a soap opera (and maybe Jerry Springer) would you see a woman sign a contract with a man to have his baby yet she is married to another man. And I was just too done with yesterday’s episode. You could see from the beginning that David is plotting and scheming for greater things than just having a baby by artificial insemination. He purposely forgets to fill the tank with gas, gets stuck in the middle of nowhere with Amanda on the way to the clinic then lures her to thinking they should sleep together in the car (or woods!) to get this over with. Amanda is actually considering this.
When I get all into the soaps like this, I know I’m crazy but I just can’t resist. It just be calling me man!
From elementary school age right up until my late 20s I was obsessed with teh Young & the Restless. I also have had similar type addictions for the Bold and the Beautiful and As The World Turns. Never got into the ABC soaps, but I remember spending a summer in Florida with my cousins watching Days of Our Lives- some sort of a rape rape trial going on (ok, I’m dating myself! LOL).
I’m no longer as obsessed but I do tune in occasionally and it astounds me how slowly the storylines move. I mean when you are watching day to day there seems to be all this action and stuff going on, but for me to tune in 3 or 4 years later and still understand the characters and storylines amuses me. And yet, that is probably the very thing that makes it so easy to fall in love!