What Makes a "Soap" a "Soap"?
**With ITIB seeing what has happened already to show it's a soap none-the-less!
While the only absolute may be that there are no absolutes, we can be sure of one thing: on any given soap, at any given time, you can find any number of the following situations.
A character�s hitherto unknown illegitimate offspring will come to town.
A woman will fall in love with a charming young man, only to discover he�s her half-brother.
A twin will turn up (a) to assume the identity of the twin already in residence or (b) to allow an actor to return to the soap after his character has absolutely, irrevocably, died.
A woman will have a child whose father is not her husband, and, sometimes, not even her lover.
A character will be raped, but won�t report it.
At least one character will be a doctor or a lawyer. Lynne is an RN�.does that count?
Someone will have a split personality.
A character will have amnesia. Victoria couldn�t remember Edward in the end of Season 1.
Someone will be kidnapped. Edward was taken the wrong way on the way home thanks to Bradley, but was soon released.
A marriage of long-standing will fall apart, but the couple will reconcile.
A woman will be raped, but if the rapist has �audience appeal,� the incident will be downplayed and the rapist redeemed.
Someone will be unjustly accused of a crime.
A character will marry someone she/he doesn�t love.
Someone will plot to break up another relationship. Thomas tried to keep Victoria and Edward apart because Thomas thought he was getting too close to �his� girl. Edward and Victoria are only friends. (Season 1-2)
A character will be being blackmailed. Edward is being blackmailed by Bradley into loving him. Edward�s not gay but is going to use blackmail back on Bradley.
Someone will be using an assumed identity.
A character will have plastic surgery to change, completely, his/her identity.
Someone will run the town�s favorite bar, fast-food place, beauty salon, or disco.
A woman doesn�t want the baby she�s carrying.
A character will sue for a child�s custody and expect to win cause he/she is powerful and rich.
Someone will marry someone else because he/she believes (erroneously) his/her previous mate is dead.
An older woman will have a difficult time admitting her love for a younger man.
A character is a virgin, and wants to change the status quo. Edward believes that you shouldn�t have sex until you are married. First love then sex.
Someone is a crooked business person or politician.
A character is being threatened by the mob, a foreign power, or a CIA clone.
A new woman in town is a reformed prostitute.
A woman is a reformed prostitute whose former pimp arrives to unsettle her newly respectable life.
Someone will kill the pimp.
A character will return from the dead to find life has passed him/her by.
Someone is named Jennifer, Hope, Victoria, Nikki, Jack, John, Amanda, Samantha, Lisa, Kim, Julia, Paul, Bob, Connor. I so wanted to avoid this. It was too late when I found out I had a cast member named Victoria. Darn the luck.
A character will commit adultery because his/her spouse is cold, unkind, or unfeeling.
Someone overhears part of a conversation. I don�t remember if this has happened or not. Quite possible; however, when you live in the Ice Box, gossip is considered everyone�s middle name.