In case I neglected to mention it, "Days of Our Lives" has gotten a lot better in recent months, despite the baby switch storyline debacle in which EJ made Sami think Sydney was dead. I still think that crossed a line. Aside from that though, DOOL's storylines have been reminding me of the way soaps used to be when all the stories were character-driven. That's not to say that other soaps don't still produce character-driven storylines, in fact I am sure all of them do to a certain degree, but there seems to be much less emphasis on producing those types of storylines these days. Instead, many storylines seem to be created simply for the drama they can provide, so it is refreshing when soaps tell stories in ways that are both entertaining and plausible, at least within the framework of that soap.
I am especially enjoying what is going on with Phillip, Melanie, Nathan, Chloe, and Daniel. I left Stephanie out on purpose because I can never tell when she is being sincere or manipulative and at this point I would prefer she weren't even a factor in this particular storyline. I love that Phillip and Chloe were led to believe that their significant others were cheating on them and that they slept with each other as a result because this is such a classic soap scenario. Moreover it was written in a way that seems authentic, not contrived or forced like some storylines. That's saying a lot because given everything that had to happen in order for Phillip and Chloe to get the wrong idea it could have very easily come across as a poorly executed way of pairing up Nathan and Melanie, and Carly and Daniel. I have to wonder though if Phillip and Chloe's roll in the hay will result in her finally becoming pregnant. That would certainly be the ultimate soap opera twist.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Compromised: GH
There seems to be an unsettling trend present on General Hospital at the moment, not that it hasn't always existed in some form or another but lately it has gotten out of control. I am referring to the show's tendency to transform all villains into victims and vice versa.
When Sonny shot Dante, the lovable cop with honor and values, I knew that he would not remain a villain for long. This is, after all, a soap opera. I just don't understand why GH seems to be tarnishing the essence of the Dante character in order to make Sonny seem more sympathetic by comparison. Dante's questionable acts do not cancel out Sonny's bad behavior. It's quite simple, two wrongs do not make a right.
I also don't understand why GH keeps coming up with ways to get viewers to notice the similarities between Sonny and Dante. Dante doesn't have to embody all of Sonny's traits for him to be recognizable as his son. It is possible that Sonny could have produced an offspring that shares only a few of his qualities, particularly since that offspring was not raised around him. Just like it was possible for Michael to share many of Sonny's qualities despite the lack of shared DNA. It is part of that whole nature versus nurture argument.
I am really disappointed by the fact that Dante betrayed Morgan's trust to find Michael. This completely goes against everything Dante supposedly stands for, and for that I feel like the character is being slowly re-written.
The Dante that viewers were first introduced to would never have allowed himself to become so blinded by vengeance that he put that above everything and everyone else. And I dread seeing how Morgan is going to react when he finds out that Dante went to get Michael and that he was responsible for making that happen.
This only offers validity to the argument that Dante somehow betrayed Sonny's family during his investigation. And I suppose it will not be long before the investigation is made to seem more criminal than anything else that happens in Port Charles.
When Sonny shot Dante, the lovable cop with honor and values, I knew that he would not remain a villain for long. This is, after all, a soap opera. I just don't understand why GH seems to be tarnishing the essence of the Dante character in order to make Sonny seem more sympathetic by comparison. Dante's questionable acts do not cancel out Sonny's bad behavior. It's quite simple, two wrongs do not make a right.
I also don't understand why GH keeps coming up with ways to get viewers to notice the similarities between Sonny and Dante. Dante doesn't have to embody all of Sonny's traits for him to be recognizable as his son. It is possible that Sonny could have produced an offspring that shares only a few of his qualities, particularly since that offspring was not raised around him. Just like it was possible for Michael to share many of Sonny's qualities despite the lack of shared DNA. It is part of that whole nature versus nurture argument.
I am really disappointed by the fact that Dante betrayed Morgan's trust to find Michael. This completely goes against everything Dante supposedly stands for, and for that I feel like the character is being slowly re-written.
The Dante that viewers were first introduced to would never have allowed himself to become so blinded by vengeance that he put that above everything and everyone else. And I dread seeing how Morgan is going to react when he finds out that Dante went to get Michael and that he was responsible for making that happen.
This only offers validity to the argument that Dante somehow betrayed Sonny's family during his investigation. And I suppose it will not be long before the investigation is made to seem more criminal than anything else that happens in Port Charles.
Paula's Soapbox Live
Several weeks ago I announced that I would be unveiling some new features on "Paula's Soapbox" in honor of the one year anniversary which is on May 28th. A few nights ago I announced that one of those features would be a new look for the blog, something that I hope will be both aesthetically pleasing and user-friendly. That is still in the works, but may take some time to fully implement. However, I am very excited to report that I will be unveiling another new feature that takes effect this week. On Friday night at 11:00 PM central time, "Paula's Soapbox" is going live, on the air, through blog talk radio. I will still be submitting blog posts, the live show will just be an extension of that. On the show I plan to give weekly recaps of both General Hospital and Days of Our Lives to get you caught up before each show airs the following week. I have scheduled a short podcast this Friday so there probably will not be time for me to take callers for that particular show, but I suspect I will be asking people to call in to future episodes. I realize Friday's time is rather late and some of you may miss it as a result, but the show should be archived shortly after completion so those that want can listen later. I have placed a widget under the tab "Paula's Soapbox Live" where you can listen to any archived shows and/or visit the main site of "Paula's Soapbox Live" on blogtalkradio.com, where you can listen and participate in live shows. I hope you enjoy the new features because I have been looking forward to bringing them to you!
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Blind Justice: GH
When General Hospital began telling a story about teenage domestic violence I was hopeful that it would have the capacity to educate and warn teenagers about the nature of abusive relationships. I had hoped this storyline would encourage them to respect themselves and empower them to seek help should they ever find themselves the victim of abuse. My hopes were high because I genuinely believed GH wanted to shine a light on a subject that is so rarely talked about. The PSA's that aired after every episode where Kristina was abused only seemed to confirm this belief. However a few weeks ago it became clear that this was not a story of education and empowerment, despite evidence to the contrary.
In the beginning this storyline showed so much promise that is difficult to fathom how it could go so horribly wrong in such a short amount of time. I'm not quite sure what happened but once Ethan became a factor everything just sort of unraveled. And somewhere along the way I think the show just sort of gave up trying to even convince the audience they were trying to tell an important story. Correct me if I'm wrong, but even the PSA was noticeably absent on Friday after Kristina experienced her most brutal beating.
And since Alexis killed Kiefer when she hit him with her car, no lesson can even be taken from all of this. If Kiefer had lived and was prosecuted it would send the message that abuse is not a tolerable offense, therefore victims should not be afraid to speak out against the violence. The only message that is being sent with Kiefer's death is that the only way to escape abuse is by killing the abuser. On the other hand I suppose I should be relieved that Kiefer was killed because with the direction this show has been going lately it would not have surprised me to see him become the reformed bad boy who ultimately reunited with Kristina.
On a positive note, I am glad Kristina finally admitted to Dante that Kiefer was the one who had been beating her. At least that lets the viewers know that Kristina would have likely pressed charges against him. I am also glad that she acknowledged the ongoing nature of abuse because even if viewers are unable to take away anything else from this they need to know that abuse only stops when the victim is finally able to walk away.
In the beginning this storyline showed so much promise that is difficult to fathom how it could go so horribly wrong in such a short amount of time. I'm not quite sure what happened but once Ethan became a factor everything just sort of unraveled. And somewhere along the way I think the show just sort of gave up trying to even convince the audience they were trying to tell an important story. Correct me if I'm wrong, but even the PSA was noticeably absent on Friday after Kristina experienced her most brutal beating.
And since Alexis killed Kiefer when she hit him with her car, no lesson can even be taken from all of this. If Kiefer had lived and was prosecuted it would send the message that abuse is not a tolerable offense, therefore victims should not be afraid to speak out against the violence. The only message that is being sent with Kiefer's death is that the only way to escape abuse is by killing the abuser. On the other hand I suppose I should be relieved that Kiefer was killed because with the direction this show has been going lately it would not have surprised me to see him become the reformed bad boy who ultimately reunited with Kristina.
On a positive note, I am glad Kristina finally admitted to Dante that Kiefer was the one who had been beating her. At least that lets the viewers know that Kristina would have likely pressed charges against him. I am also glad that she acknowledged the ongoing nature of abuse because even if viewers are unable to take away anything else from this they need to know that abuse only stops when the victim is finally able to walk away.
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