Serial Drama

Our Not Exactly Latest Soap Opera Digest Column

This actually WAS our latest Soap Opera Digest column once upon a time, but then things went haywire with issues going missing and scrambling to find the issue on newsstands and then getting distracted by who knows what. But we are both completists and eventually tracked the issue down and bring you the post below, and apologize for being tardy.

My Take
By Mallory Harlen

"Do you even know what a soap opera is supposed to be?"

I feel like I ask myself that question after every episode of ALL MY CHILDREN and GENERAL HOSPITAL, with a heavy sigh and an eyeroll. And I've finally gotten my answer: ABC Daytime DOES know what a soap opera is supposed to be. Shocking twists! Unexpected exits! Boatloads of drama! I'm excited about upcoming episodes for the first time in a long time! There's just one small issue: All of these exciting fireworks are taking place completely behind the scenes.

The news that AMC would be relocating to Los Angeles led many (and by "many", I mean "me") to winder about the fate of beloved characters. The eternal pessimist in me thought we'd be in for a Pine Valley with no Adam, no Erica, no Jesse or Angie, all replaced by vapid newbies. Thankfully, the majority of the cast is sticking around, with a few notable exceptions. Beth Ehlers (Taylor), and Aiden Turner (Aidan) have both been let go after being wasted in recent months. Ehlers joining AMC brought the show a ton of publicity and that seems to be the extend of the effort AMC was willing to put into her character. They half-heartedly gave her a romance with Brot, and a flirtation with Tad that went nowhere. She did fare better than Turner, though, who...was he even on the show in 2009?

Our Latest Soap Opera Digest Column

My Take
By Becca Thomas

Sometimes I issue little challenges to myself. Recent successful examples include: "Go a month without chocolate," "Repair shoes instead of throwing them out as an excuse to buy new ones," and "Try not to be completely negative about soaps." It was almost an across-the-board failure (on reflection the chocolate one, in particular, seems insane), but then DAYS OF OUR LIVES had the gall to get quite good, so I stumbled onto a one-for-three record. In hopes they can build on my modest success, I thought I would extend some challenges to my soaps.

DAYS is truly much improved of late. The pacing is much better than it was even just a few months ag, there are gorgeous men at every turn (why did nobody ever tell me PASSIONS had such a plethora of hotties?), returning favorites like Wally Kurth and Crystal Chappell make me smile even if I'm not sure how well they're ultimately going to be integrated into the canvas, and Victor and Stefano have rightly returned to their positions as chief villains.

But there are still improvements to be made in Salem. I challenge DAYS to make Nicole fun again. Understandably she had to become serious for the whole baby switch storyline, but for me, Nicole is really only entertaining when she's plotting something stupid and wearing lots of metallic clothing. We need more of that. On a somewhat related note, I challenge the show to do something unexpected with the EJ/Sami/Rafe triangle that I assume is coming now that EJ and Sami know that Sydney is theirs. There is the potential for months of soapiness in that if the writing team can restrain themselves from rushing it.

Our Column in the 11/3 Issue of Soap Opera Digest

The newest issue of Soap Opera Digest is on newsstands now, and in it is our latest My Take/ My Take, Too column. This month, Mallory continues to be all atwitter about the crazy casting news hitting the soap world: Thorsten Kaye, Beth Ehlers, Aiden Turner and Greg Vaughan are out, while Jonathan Jackson and James Franco are in, and she is seriously embarrassed to think about how long it must have taken for our editor to get rid of the approximately eight thousand exclamation points she had in her original draft. Meanwhile, Becca tries optimism on for size, and thinks of how great Jonathan Jackson's return to GH could be, especially if it coincides with Greg Vaughan landing a gig on the increasingly good Days of Our Lives.

Our Latest Soap Opera Digest Column

My Take
By Becca Thomas

Another Daytime Emmys ceremony has come and gone, and I'm thrilled, confused, and irritated all at once. Thrilled because there was some seriously, seriously bad fashion on display, and it was oodles of fun to mock. And confused or irritated by...well, by virtually everything else.

First, the things that irritated me least. DAYS's Ava was written almost incomprehensibly (still irritating these many months later), but Tamara Braun worked wonders with what she was given, so I was happy for her Supporting Actress win (and she looked absolutely gorgeous--bonus!). Also on the DAYS front, I am always happy to see someone from my two shows win something, particularly if the show is DAYS, which, let's face it, rarely gets nominated, much less wins anything. So congrats to Darin Brooks (Max) on his Younger Actor win, though I remain a bit puzzled by his nomination. (And by his suit at the ceremony, but that is a discussion for a different day.)

GH's Julie Marie Berman should have won the Outstanding Younger Actress award last year, so while I didn't think she had the same level of material or performances this year, I'm happy for her make-up win. Perhaps the same logic will bring Kirsten Storms the award next year. She didn't even get a nomination last year when by all rights she should have won for her performance as Maxie mourning Georgie, but at least we're moving in the right direction.

Our Column in the 10/6 Issue of Soap Opera Digest

For our latest My Take/My Take, Too column, our editors asked us to share our thoughts about the Daytime Emmys. You may remember that we had thoughts--lots of them. After a substantial amount of time turning sentiments like "RAAAAAAGE" and "What is she weari--OH MY GOD, MY EYES" into actual sentences, excising curses and cutting our marathon list of complaints down to 500 words, our latest columns appear in the October 6th issue of Soap Opera Digest, on newsstands today.

Our Latest Soap Opera Digest Column

My Take
By Mallory Harlen

In crafting their latest front-burner romances, both AMC and GH have decided to think outside the box. Since their "inside the box" thinking misses far more often than it hits, it's unsurprising that their attempts at telling unconventional love stories leave a lot to be desired. Namely, entertainment and couples worth rooting for.

David Canary (Adam) and Melissa Claire Egan (Annie) are two of my very favorite performers on AMC and in all of soapdom, so I understand the show's impulse to put them in a story together. After all, if you add their levels of talent together, you get a sum of awesomeness so great that it quite nearly distracts you from how bizarre their pairing really is. When Annie saved Adam, and Adam decided that he could honor Stuart's memory by taking care of Annie, I got excited for a potential platonic relationship, equal parts sweet and hilarious. The AMC in my head is far better than the one on-screen because we were immediately treated to passionate kissing. And while their age difference is, um, noticeable, to say the least, it doesn't rank in the top five reasons why this story makes me uncomfortable (it's definitely the sixth reason, though). Is Annie playing him or not? That's a completely rhetorical question, by the way, and one I'm not sure even the writers have the answer for. If she IS playing him, that's disappointing, as Adam Chandler should not get played by anyone, except for possibly Erica Kane (Let's all take a moment to mourn what looked to be a fantastic, promising Erica/Adam romance. Oh, what could have been!), and he should certainly not get played by a woman who became psychotic because Ryan Lavery dumped her. Adam is many things, but he's not that sort of chump.

Our Column In The 8/25 Issue of Soap Opera Digest

The latest issue of Soap Opera Digest is on newsstands now, and features several interesting pieces, from the Sam/Jason cover story (The cover reads "Fans won't be disappointed!" We...seriously doubt that), to an article on AMC's move and an interview with Bryton James (Devon, Y&R) about his friendship with Michael Jackson, as well as our latest My Take/My Take, Too column. This month, Mallory appreciates that General Hospital and All My Children at least tried to be creative with their latest front burner romances, but is so unhappy with the Spinelli/Maxie, and Adam/Annie pairings that she wishes they hadn't bothered, while Becca asks the GH and Days of Our Lives writers two questions: (1) what's with all of the miscarriages and pregnant women in peril? and (2) why do you find these things entertaining?

Our Latest Soap Opera Digest Column

My Take
By Mallory Harlen

The economic recession has hit the soap world. Major stars are being fired or forced to take pay cuts, sets are being consolidated and now, in what appears to be the latest cost-cutting measure, soaps are even sharing storylines. Right? Both ALL MY CHILDREN and GENERAL HOSPITAL have simultaneously introduced twin sisters of now-dead characters who were sold at birth. I have to assume that the writers went to the Soap Opera Cliche Factory and decided to split the cost of the cheapest one available.

Krystal Carey selling one of her children at birth is not at all surprising to me; after all, she uses every child she comes into contact with as currency. The woman sees babies as meal tickets, not tiny humans. What IS surprising is that AMC felt we needed a replacement Babe on canvas so quickly. I was downright gleeful when she was written off the show, though my joy was short-lived, as she was eulogized on a daily basis for moths afterward. I'm reasonably sure that if you added up all of the times the show mentioned her, she'd still probably have the highest episode count of all AMC characters. The writers have decided to compound this Babe overload by introducing her twin. And having every conversation about her twin mention Babe in some way. And set up a romance between her twin and JR, Babe's ex-husband. The only thing saving this story so far is the introduction of Brittany Allen (Marissa), a fantastic actress who has great chemistry with virtually every character in Pine Valley. And Marissa is markedly less awful than her sister, although she does share Babe's self-righteous streak: I can't help but be annoyed when she lectures people about their hatred of David. Sure, parental devotion is nice and all, but maybe she should check out dear old dad's criminal rap sheet before she starts defending him.

Our Column in the 7/28 Issue of Soap Opera Digest

Our latest My Take/My Take, Too column is in the newest issue of Soap Opera Digest, which is on newsstands now. Mallory questions the wisdom in two ABC soaps featuring the same "A popular character died. Don't despair, though: her unknown twin, who was sold at birth, is now in town romancing her love interest!" story at the same time. Her biggest query, as ever, is...how does anyone, anywhere, find this entertaining?  Meanwhile, Becca worries that Days of Our Lives and its penchant for slow-moving stories and poorly paced romances will botch the returns of the ever-awesome Wally Kurth and Crystal Chappell.

Our Latest Soap Opera Digest Column

My Take
By Becca Thomas

I am not anti-villain. I love a soapy bad guy or girl. I have adored DAYS OF OUR LIVES’ Victor Kiriakis and his malevolent deeds since acid-washed jeans were popular the first time around. And one of Victor’s worst enemies, Stefano DiMera? Who doesn’t root for him, at least a little bit, every time he comes back from the dead to wreak havoc? Then there’s GENERAL HOSPITAL’s Helena Cassadine, who is a kidnapper, brainwasher, and murderer many times over. Yet I love her! I could go on for pages with examples of my solidly pro-villain stance. And I also understand that even good guys have to have some villainous qualities now and then, to keep things interesting. But lately with Luke Spencer, GENERAL HOSPITAL has replaced what was a layered and interesting sometime villain with an unrepentant jerk who has lost all rootability in my eyes.