Soap Opera Viewing
By Starrleena Magyck, 21st Dec 2011 | Follow this author
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Posted in WikinutWritingEssays
For soap opera fans, watching soap opera viewing provides romance, adventure, and
plenty of drama. Watching the stories unfold, even if they are drawn out for several months entices the soap fan to continue watching these stories.
Soap Opera Viewing
I love to watch soap operas and have been watching them for more than 20 years. I love to watch the stories unfold, even if the stories are drawn out for several months. The soap opera, “Days of Our Lives” takes place in the fictional town of Salem USA, somewhere near the city of Chicago, Illinois. The other soap opera I will be comparing is “One Life to Live” which takes place in the fictional town of Llanview, Pennsylvania. Days of Our Lives revolves around romance and fantasy, while One Life to Live deals has dealt with social issues like bullying and has a soap-within-a-soap called “Fraternity Row,” along with musical episodes dealing with high school proms.
A favorite scene in Days of Our Lives is the Horton Family (one of the core families) when they have their holiday tree trimming party with family members. Every family member puts an ornament with their name on it on the family Christmas tree. Those who are not in town or deceased, someone in that specific family puts their ornament on the tree. Foe every new member that comes into the family through marriage also gets an ornament of their own to put on the tree.
The show also had made up two fictional towns. One town is “New Salem” spelled
backwards to become “Melaswen.” This resulted when half the citizens were “killed off” only to be placed on the island of “Melaswen” by Tony Dimera, played by Thaao Penghlis. The other fictional town was created back in the 1990s by spelling the family name of “Dimera” backwards to become “Arimed.” This story resulted in the character of John Black, played by Drake Hogestyn, nearly being executed by the gas chamber.
Days of Our Lives is one of the last soap operas, besides the youngest of the soaps,” The Bold and the Beautiful,” to have a gay character. They have their first gay character, Sonny Kiriakis, played by Freddie Smith, the son of Justin Kirakis (Wally Kurth) and Adrienne Johnson Kiriakis (Judi Evans). The character of Will Horton (Chandler Massey) is slated to be also gay, who is the son of Sami Brady Hernandez (Alison Sweeney) and Lucas Horton (Bryan Dattilo). This may lead to their first gay couple, Sonny and Will. Will has been dealing with a lot after catching his mother in a compromising situation with EJ Dimera (James Scott), father of her youngest two children, Sydney and Johnny Dimera.
One Life to Live has dealt with such storylines such as bullying. Austin Williams who plays Shane Morasco, the son of Gigi Morasco (Farah Fath) and Rex Balsom (John-Paul Lavoisier), tackled the role who was bullied by Jack Manning (Andrew Trischitta), the son of Todd Manning (Trevor St. John at the time; now Roger Howarth). The story resulted in Shane attempting suicide by going to the roof of Llanview High where his parents eventually found him in time and convinced him not to end his life by reinforcing the fact that his life was too precious to end.
One Life to Live has done the soap-within-a-soap story with their soap opera, “FraternityRow.” It starred Megan Gordon (Jessica Tuck), daughter of Victoria Banks (Erika Slezak), who played the dual role of Roxanne and Ruby Bright. The show even had an award show similar to the Daytime Emmy Awards, in which they called it The Daisy Awards. The show even brought back “Fraternity Row” in their version of One Life to Live’s upcoming cancellation on January 13, 2012.
One Life to Live pulled off one of the best recasts when Roger Howarth vacated the role of Todd Manning in 2003. They brought in actor, Trevor St. John as the new Todd Manning, who played until 2011 when he was revealed to be Todd Manning’s twin brother, Victor Lord, Jr., which their mother, Irene Manning, kept hidden when their father Victor Lord, refused to acknowledge the other twin. Victor Jr. was eventually murdered and as of this date, his murder still hasn’t been resolved.
With One Life to Live’s eventual cancellation looming in four weeks, on January 13, 2012, the stories currently being played out like Victor Jr.’s murder, and Stacy Morasco possibly being the not-so-dead Gigi Morasco, will more than likely be wrapped up by the time One Life to Live airs its final episode. January 13, 2012 will be a day to remember when a popular show with soap opera fans alike ends.
Both shows have both dealt with kidnapping and baby switches and paternity tests. On Days of Our Lives, it was Sydney Dimera, whose mother was Sami Brady, who was switched at birth by Nicole Dimera (Arianne Zuker) switching her with teen-mother, Mia McCormick’s (Taylor Spreitler) baby girl, Grace. On One Life to Live, it was teen mother, Starr Manning’s (Kristen Alderson), whose live daughter, Hope, was switched with cousin, Jessica Brennan’s (Bree Williamson), still-born daughter, Chloe.
Soap operas provide romance, adventure, and plenty of drama for any soap opera fan. Days of Our Lives offers romance and fantasy to their stories, while One Life to Live deals more with such topics like teen bullying, a soap-within-a-soap, and musical episodes revolving around high school proms.
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