I don't watch that many soaps, just one in particular which is Home and Away. I've been watching Home and Away for a ridiculously long time and in that time I've noticed a few things that are typical of soap operas. I thought in this blog post I would share a few of those things with you. Enjoy!
Relationships:
The majority of characters in a soap opera have been in a relationship with almost every other character their age. The thing that really gets to me is how the teenagers are all in relationships and have been in at least five relationships before they're eighteen. If that was real life I definitely wouldn't be single. In soaps there is no such thing as being single. Being single is a tragedy and you are guaranteed to be set up with someone.
Romance in soaps in never straightforward. There could be two characters who really like each other. Their story gets dragged out and you are screaming at the TV rooting for them. Eventually, they do get together and you're happy for a while, then you get bored and the relationship ends. Of course most breakups come about due to lying, cheating and/or death.
There Are No Secrets:
Soaps are usually set in a small area and word gets around fast. You will never meet a character who doesn't care about somebody else's life. In soaps it's not just the women who have intuition. If a character is having problems they will be asked to spill the beans, guaranteed. Also, someone always turns up at the perfect moment. If two people are having an argument I can promise you someone will turn up to see what all the commotion is about.
Your Past Will Come Back To Haunt You:
I lost count a long time ago of the amount of times a character has found themselves in a rut because their past came back to bite them. Whether it's an ex, an estranged family member or the police investigating a murder, your past will find you. Don't think a small sea side town is going to hide you!
Tragedies Are A Common Occurrence:
A soap would not be a soap without a truck load of tragedy! A small area can experience numerous murders, car accidents, fires and terminal illnesses in a very short space of time. The inside of a hospital can be seen at least once in every episode. I'm surprised the characters are still sane with all that death and destruction happening around them. A phrase commonly used when describing a storyline full of tragedy is that someone's life "hangs in the balance" and nothing good can ever come of it!
Well, those are just a few observations. Let me know if there is anything else typical of a soap opera that I missed. What are your favourite soaps? I'm just going to go now and watch another weeks worth of Home and Away but until then...
I'll see ya when I see ya!
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