Soap operas, we love to hate them. Any soap opera junkie knows what I mean. I think one of the best parts of watching soaps is that it provides an opportunity to gather with friends for an hour and rip the show apart.In my apartment, my roommates and I have become professionals at critical (and I mean critical) analysis of soaps. Our favorite is ‘Days of Our Lives,’ which has a slight edge over ‘Beverly Hills, 90210′. Maybe their’s some kind of subconscious therapy in denouncing cast members’ clothes, hairstyles, weight, hand gestures, walking style, talking style, ect. You name it, we laugh at it! Sometimes I wonder if certain people are cast for their awkwardness just to keep viewers into the show. For instance, Donna on ‘90210’, played by Tori Spelling. This poor girl is made fun of by just about everyone I know who watches the show. You’d think we would get tired of watching weird people do the same old thing because the stories seem to move slower than slow. You could probably stop watching the show, start again in six months, and be completely caught up after seeing just two episodes. We say we’re so bored with the shows. We say over and over again how ridiculous they are. Why can’t we seem to stop watching them? At some point in the evening, someone in my apartment who missed the show that day will ask, ‘What happened on ‘Days’?’ Then one of us will give our negative interpretation of the episode’s events.Yes, soap watchers can sometimes even show signs of addiction. Dependency on a soap opera? Scary, isn’t it. Well, I have proof. I’ve resorted to programming my VCR to record a show if I think I won’t be back in time to see it. I’ve known people to schedule classes around their shows. A friend, who I’ll leave nameless, misses class if there’s a particularly good episode.The best episodes are most often on Fridays (Friday is the day for daytime soap cliffhangers). They captivate us and leave us so, so anxious to find out what will happen. Nine times out of ten, Monday’s answer is disappointing. At least with daytime soaps, the wait is only 23 hours Monday through Thursday. Friday shows require a 71 hour wait. The once-a-week shows make you wait a whole 167 hours. In my opinion, the best part of those shows is the 15 second preview clip of the next week’s episode. They’re perfectly crafted to leave viewer with just enough mystery so that they must see the next show. Producers are so smart! I really should find something better to do with my time, like study. But I prefer to think soaps carry educational value. You can learn a lot from the story. For example, watching women lust after and fight for men that are clearly not interested in them has taught me how stupid I am to continue to like my ex-boyfriend, Anthony. Watching characters behave like idiots makes you analyze your own behavior. Funny how that is. These shows are completely fictional, yet they easily relate to our own lives. Maybe that’s why they’re addictive. I don’t need psychological help to solve my problems. I just need to watch the soaps.
Mary Ehrnfelt is a senior majoring in journalism from Strongsville, Ohio who recommends watching soaps to make yourself feel better about your own life.
