By Marlena De Lacroix a.k.a. Connie Passalacqua Hayman Is it right or wrong for a daytime soap opera to kill off a baby or a child? After all, a large part of the viewing audience is young mothers, and they could find such a sequence unbearable to watch. After watching little Delia Abbott get hit by a car on Friday’s episode of The … [Read more...]
Barely on the Fringe of Believability
September 21, 2013 by 6 Comments
By Marlena De Lacroix a.k.a. Connie Passalacqua Hayman On soaps, romance comes in many permutations, some exhilarating and some, shall we say, less so. Far out on the latter end of the spectrum is the romance that seems to be on the horizon on The Bold and Beautiful. I’d place it solidly in the category of “Ew!” We got our first clue this … [Read more...]
The Young and the Restless’ Big Baby Reveal: Well Worth Waiting For
September 14, 2013 by 18 Comments
By Marlena De Lacroix a.k.a. Connie Passalacqua Hayman The Young and the Restless may be the best soap when it comes to dragging out its storylines. Because this week, it was more than worth than nine month wait when it was explosively revealed to Dylan MacAvoy that Chelsea’s newborn baby Connor isn't really his, but the child of Chelsea’s … [Read more...]
General Hospital: This Storyline Should End
September 8, 2013 by 7 Comments
By Marlena De Lacroix a.k.a. Connie Passalaqua Hayman When has a storyline go on too long? This is a question normally leftonly to headwriters who must figure out if an audience is still interested in the outcome of a story. Right now on General Hospital, one storyline that has gone on too long is the secret biological parentage of Maxie’s baby … [Read more...]
They Make My Day
August 24, 2013 by 3 Comments
By Marlena De Lacroix a.k.a. Connie Passalacqua Hayman Who are your current favorite soap characters – the ones who make your day as soon as you see they will be in an episode of your favorite daytime drama? Here are my current faves: * Avery Clark (played by Jessica Collins), The Young and the Restless. She’s the only soap character I … [Read more...]
General Hospital: The Emergence of Ava Jerome, One Intriguing Woman
August 3, 2013 by 17 Comments
By Marlena De Lacroix a.k.a. Connie Passalacqua Hayman They showed her from her legs up, clad in a drop dead red halter dress. This week on General Hospital, Ava Jerome was revealed to be the sister of the new power broker in town -- Derek Wells. As played by soap veteran William deVry, Derek has a shady past: he really is one of GH’s old mob … [Read more...]
The Young and the Restless’ Monster Plot Twist
July 20, 2013 by 2 Comments
By Marlena De Lacroix a.k.a. Connie Passalacqua Hayman Soap plot twists are usually small and un-undoable. This week, The Young and the Restless let lose a monster that is neither. As you know, most of the show over the last couple of months has revolved around the fact that Nick (Joshua Morrow) found out from a paternity test that he is … [Read more...]
Appreciating Three Wise Decisions – In Soap Land, No Less
June 29, 2013 by 9 Comments
By Marlena De Lacroix a.k.a. Connie Passalacqua Hayman Soap critics never miss a chance to bash all they dislike. But credit should always be given where credit is due. So this week, Marlena would like to give kudos to three significant decisions: 1. OWN, the Oprah network, picked up the first 40 episodes of All My Children and One Life to … [Read more...]
A Negative Vote on This Year’s Daytime Emmys
June 17, 2013 by 15 Comments
By Marlena De Lacroix a.k.a. Connie Passalacqua Hayman Last year I praised HLN’s first production of the Daytime Emmys because it was straightforward and lean. This year’s show was exactly the opposite -- overlong (almost three hours) and full of things that just shouldn’t have been included. Boring! How about that couch? I’m talking … [Read more...]
The Young and the Restless: Time and Patience Needed
June 8, 2013 by 4 Comments
By Marlena De Lacroix a.k.a. Connie Passalacqua Hayman I’m on school vacation and have plenty of time on my hands. So I’ve been watching a lot of The Young and the Restless. It’s pretty good soap, if time and patience are your strengths as a soap viewer. Y&R, as is its custom, is much slower than other soaps. A storyline -- take Jack … [Read more...]
