Last Friday, I experienced something as a soap viewer that I had not felt in decades: a genuine surprise. No, correct that, a shock. At the close of Friday’s “General Hospital,” Nina (played by the divine Cynthia Watros) shoved her paralyzed and wheel-chair-bound son-in-law, Drew — into the water, where his daughter, Scout, had just demonstrated her swimming skills.
“Oh my God!” I screamed. “Finally, a soap opera in this day and age that’s smart enough to keep a great dramatic climax on the screen where it belongs instead of giving away the story to multiple websites.”
Of course, soap spoilers, which in my estimation comprise 65-75 percent of what passes for soap journalism by these days, have been around a long time. But Marlena, who remembers the days before spoilers, when you had to run home from school (in my case junior high, age 13) to experience the sublime surprise of the totally unexpected.
I’ll never forget the afternoon on “Another World” in 1967 when seedy Wayne Addison (played by Robert Milli) was murdered. Lenore Curtin (played by Judith Barcroft,) was made to stand trail. One Friday, it was revealed that the real murderer was Lenore’s husband, Walter (played by a wonderfully melodramatic actor named Val Dufour). What a creep!
Since then, there have been thousands of Friday cliffhangers on soaps. And why, my children, are Friday soap episodes so important? Because they make you tune in on Monday, after the weekend, to see what happens. In the early soap days, many of us became regular viewers because we loved the suspense. Today, most of the suspense is gone. Want to know what’s going to happen next? Turn on your computer, Google the name of your show, and chances are you will find spoilers for today’s and this week’s episodes on various soap sites.
Whose fault is this? Well, the spoilers are appearing on big websites, which are supposedly giving viewers what they want. And where do the websites get their information? From the networks, of course, which give out the info to publicize the shows.
This is so counterproductive. Going back decades and decades, head writers have spent a good deal of time and and exercised a good deal of skill coming up with Friday cliffhangers, which used to be kept as strict secrets. Those headwriters were true artists.
Irna Phillips understood that keeping soap opera viewers in suspense was what kept viewers tuning in. Agnes Nixon, Doug Marland, Claire Labine, Michael Malone — they all lived it. If you loved the crime soap “Edge of Night” as I did, no one did surprises and cliffhangers better than that show’s headwriter, the great Henry Slesar.
Oh, those great surprises! Remember when Reva (played by Kim Zimmer) drove off the bridge on “Guiding Light,” not to be seen for five years? Or “Days,” when John Black (Drake Hogestyn) was sent to the electric chair? All these years later, I still think about them and their enormous impact. These events were not given away by spoilers.
Now, I surrender, mes chers. I know endless spoilers (and opinions, of course) are what passes for soap journalism these days. In fact, you no longer have to sit down and watch the shows every day. Why bother? All you have to do is Google soap sites.
As for me, I still love soaps — even though the sites and networks are ruining all our fun by giving nearly everything away in advance.
P.S. Of course, the “GH” Drew plot surprise was a fake out. Gio found Drew miraculously alive in the water ¬— and no longer mute. How did that happen? That was yet another gigantic surprise — or would have been if a soap site hadn’t totally spoiled it by giving it away online some three hours earlier.
Yesssss. I can’t stand spoilers
Thanks as always G.L.
From one of Marlena’s old lovely friends, The Wonderful World of TV Soap Operas by Robert LaGuardia. Ballantine/Nonfiction. New York. Copyright ©1974 by Random House, Inc.
Bette Davis once confessed to Val Dufour at a party that she and her friend-secretary-confidant, Vic Greenfield, were card-carrying soap lovers; so much so that whenever she misses an episode of “Another World,” her favorite show, she calls serial-buddy Fran Allison, to find out what happened. “Bette was watching the week that I died,” says Val, who played the ill-fated Walter Curtin on “World” for eight years, “and then she called me and told me how sorry she was to see me go. She said, ‘Your last days were just beautiful, Val!’”
Once when Lena Horne had been taping the old “Kraft Music Hall” at “Another World’s” Brooklyn studio, she admonished Val: “You stop being so mean to Lenore!”
Bob LaGuardia was a very good guy and I still have his great books.
Now, my real reply:
Connie, girlfriend, I must tell you that it was expected that someone was going to push Drew right off of that dock & into the Quartermaine Lake. But, that is because we are soap fans so we think a certain way. The story sets it up that Scout wants her dad to see her swim practice, which is substantial, daily she is swimming out to the island & back! She is training for an event where the proceeds are going to a charity that Monica supported it. Tracy agreed to lift the Drew Ban only for this reason & also because we are not supposed to know it but Tracy has a real soft spot for all the kids. So, many of us were trying to speculate on who would do the shove. I don’t know if actual spoiler were out there because I have a laissez faire attitude about them. If I see them, I do not make a fuss. If I do not see them, I do not seek them out. (Unless it is needed for research.)
But, I not only see your point, I agree 110%. I have long thought we have passed the time when they served any real purpose. Now, some will say it is hypocritical of me to criticize. That is because I used to spill tea regularly. I admit that is an enjoyable pastime. Had to give it up. Formally retired my crystal ball. I was right one too many times & it became uncomfortable. No regrets.
I didn’t know the Q’s had a lake on their property. But it was time to move on with the Drew story—but he regaining his speech and mobility all at once was ridiculous. I wonder if Cameron threatened to quit unless they got his character out of that paralyzed state.
I wish he would. To see him at the pool yesterday, all hulking out, veins throbbing on his forehead, when less than a week ago, he was in a wheelchair, is beyond the suspension of belief.
EXACTLY!!! I so agree. But Cameron is such a hunk they can’t
help but showing off his glorious musculature.
The boathouse & that back dock have been used extensively for the last couple of years. I did not realize that body of water was considered to be a lake until Ned almost drowned at the culmination of the fairly recent story where he’d forgotten his Ned identity & thought he was sorta like Eddie Maine again, do you recall that? And, Olivia jumped in & swam till she found him & saved him & that was when he got his memory back? Frequently they mention that they could be at their pool instead of in the lake but only speak about it, so apparently there is no pool set except the 4 foot of water at the Metro Court. (James also fell in once & Cody saved him.)
Thanks for all this background material. Port Charles is such a weird place year round!