Soap Operas...

One of my blogger friends mentioned the demise of the soap opera she watches. It took me back to my early womanhood when I was at home with my babies. It seemed they liked the 3pm hour for their afternoon feedings. I'd turn on the TV, which in that time, broadcast only game shows, talk shows and soaps.  I started watching General Hospital, and I got 'hooked'.

I'm almost ashamed to admit that. But, it is the truth. I watched almost daily, to be sure not to miss a moment of Dr. Steve Hardy and his girlfriend, and later wife, Audrey.  There were twists and turns, sickness, sorrows, deaths, resurrections, weddings, you name it...it was there. Things were written into stories that would never happen in real life!

There was a story line that involved some sort of mafia characters...every story must have a few villans, you understand.  After awhile of talking about the 'Ice Princess' who was the 'head' of the evil operations, she made her first appearance. The beautiful, violet-eyed Elizabeth Taylor did a short stint as the Ice Princess. She hatched a plan (and pulled it off) to freeze the entire area (I've forgotten the name of the city) from an underground weather station. She wreaked havoc, and when the story line was over, those characters were gone for good.

But of course, they were replaced by others.  Somewhere along the line, they introduced Dr Leslie Webber's long-lost daughter, Laura. She stayed on the show for a very long time, and in time, she was the main character. She had a sweet and loving relationship with Luke, and though they went through fire and rain, they ended up married. It was said that more people watched their 'wedding' than any other show to that date. Truth? I don't know, but we who watched were certainly intrigued by the whole thing.

What makes those things so addictive?  Are we so bored with our lives that we must watch a story-book portrayal of life?  I know that the writers of these things give you just enough at a time to draw you back....especially when they give you a 'cliff-hanger'.   All I can say is this, I guess I needed that entertainment and then I got hooked. 

Once I went to work, full-time, that was the end of that. I lived my own life and didn't have time for the nonsence that appeared on the TV screen at 3pm each week day.  And, do you know what? I didn't even miss it.