| "Reflections by Jill" - A Weekly Commentary on OLTL | |
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REFLECTIONS BY JILL….
I had a perfectly good topic picked out for this week’s column, and then I received the following letter from a One Life To Live viewer. I call her a “viewer” and not a “fan” because in my opinion, she’s not giving true fans much credit for intelligence, which never sits well with me, even though there is a bit of truth in some of what she says. I’d love everyone’s reaction to this letter…pro or con. Since we all come from different walks of life and have different issues to deal with, I’m curious to know your reactions.
“Jill: Everyone needs a bit of a wake-up call here: nothing is going to change
on OLTL just because some viewers (even if they are the majority, which is
impossible to prove anyway) LOATHE what's going on with the show. It has taken
me a long time to realize this. Note that I'm not exactly a longtime watcher of
the show, but I used to get quite exasperated with the directions that
storylines were taken. But I realized that I had to stop getting so uptight,
because even if all I did was go online and vent until I felt better, it wasn't
going to solve anything.
The only opinions that matter are the opinions of the corporations who buy ad
time--I think we all know that here. Why doesn't everyone just admit that?!
There are still some things that can be enjoyed about OLTL--after all, is there
anyone who can really say that the show is realistic? Sure, there are
situations/storylines that can be seen as QUASI-realistic, but the whole point
of soaps is that they're larger-than-life escapism. You cannot believe how sick
and tired I am of hearing people piss and moan about the Todd and Blair
situation. People are acting like what Todd did, ACTUALLY HAPPENED. Hello--this
is fiction, here.
People should not be reacting to artificial situations with real, genuine feeling--at least, not about something like this. Not that people shouldn't be passionate about things they like, but it seems like too much negative energy is being spent on things they can't affect at all. If there's something about the show that gives people genuine pleasure and entertainment, then that's great. It's an extra benefit for ABC, which is otherwise meeting its overall goal of making money from the advertisers. However--it's just not worth getting so upset about. Because, honestly, A) soaps are (for some) merely a training ground for future film actors, and therefore they will often take pretty faces that can breathe, and B)TPTB simply don't care that much about viewers' opinions. I may be a skeptic, but at least it allows me to enjoy (albeit on a relatively low level) OLTL's great moments and decent actors, and merely roll my eyes at things I find ridiculous. I do happen to think that there are things to be gained from watching soaps. It can offer psychological insight (at times), or at the very least you can come away feeling like your own life isn't that bad. Trust me, it's less stressful from this viewpoint.”
Well Viewer, I got your wake-up call…and now I’d like to respond. I think your point about not being a long-time viewer says a lot for your opinions that followed. Long-time fans are dedicated and have an investment in the show. Let me start by saying that I am a long-time fan…of OLTL as well as several other soaps in the past…as are many of the fans of this show. I am an adult with a very responsible and hectic job and a very busy life. The fans I know on-line and off-line have similar lives, whether they are professionals or stay-at-home moms or dads. Yes, several of them are men, whom I must say, have provided a wonderful addition to the feedback I get every week. Some of the biggest fans I know that you are calling “uptight” are accountants, writers, administrators, college students, moms who home-school their children, computer experts and retirees…and I even have one friend who is in the military. I don’t think any of them would tell you that they think the show is realistic. Obviously there is that small group of people who have a problem distinguishing reality from fiction, but they are not the average fans…they are over the top and have problems that neither of us are equipped to analyze…LOL…and I have a degree in Psychology.
Obviously, LOL, from your choice of words, you are very tired of people complaining about Todd and Blair and acting like they’re real. You mean they’re not? Bahahaha! I really think most of us know it’s fiction. The thing is that as in any kind of entertainment, one can get engrossed, whether it is in a good book, a good movie, or a great television series. I believe that about 20 years ago, 90% of American televisions were tuned in to find out the answer to the question of the century…don’t you remember, “WHO SHOT JR?” Come on…I know you couldn’t wait to find out either. There is such a simple explanation for this phenomenon…IT IS JUST GOOD, SIMPLE, HARMLESS, FUN!!!! I don’t think for a minute that the Todd/Blair fans think Todd REALLY committed all those bad deeds. And no one would believe that someone would get away with what Lindsay gets away with in real life. If nothing else, it’s a chance to have a good laugh, once in a while a good cry, and yes, once in a while we do shake our heads and want to put our boots through the screen in disgust. Oh, and does anyone think it’s realistic that every woman in Llanview wakes up with her hair perfectly coiffed and her makeup perfectly applied? Now that is stupid…but funny. I have asked myself several times, “Why do I watch this stuff?” The answer is…I love the romance (what there is of it)…I love the humor…and yes, sometimes I love to vent. I’ve been in some good battles over this soap and its characters and in my opinion, it gets the blood going…what could be wrong with that?
I don’t understand why you think it’s exerting “negative energy” to invest time and feelings in a television show. What’s the big deal? For me and many others, it’s a way to unwind at the end of the day. It’s not an escape, however, even for those who use it as an escape, I say again, So What! You mention that you used to go on line and rant about what displeased you and you decided it was not a good thing for you. That’s perfectly fine…for you. You did say you used to go on line and vent until you felt better. Sorry it’s not working for you any more. From the first time I went to a OLTL Web site to see what everyone was talking about, I made a huge bunch of friends who share a love of the show…and yes, we complain and we whine and we rejoice when we love something that happens on the show. Negative Energy? I think not!
Oh, and before I forget, I don’t feel that by watching soaps I come away with the feeling that my life isn’t so bad. Actually, I have a very nice life, but it sure could be better if I had a husband like Ben…or a house like Viki’s….or free access to the Wardrobe Department!….LOL….JOKE!!! I might just be one of those unrealistic “crazies” that you’re talking about, hiding behind this erudite façade that I project….HAH! Well, you be the judge. Does it make me crazy that I can tell you how many different pairs of beige slacks Ben owns…or how many dimples he’s got (you do realize there are more than two…at least that I have seen)…or that I can tell you all the bad things that have happened to Viki in that purple sweater set…or when someone trims their hair by ¼ of an inch? I know…I’m scaring you now…I can tell. Hey, we all need to loosen up. Who the heck watches the show for psychological insight? Now someone who does that would be a bit “off” in my book.
And when you say that the only opinions that matter to TPTB are the advertisers and that no amount of whining by the fans can influence change on the show, I have to laugh because I can see some of my friends reading that and thinking I wrote it…LOL. I have never been a big proponent of writing letters (shock, we agree here…LOL), although I know tons of people who write to TPTB all the time. I have always had my doubts about whether or not contacting those in charge has any impact, but I definitely DO NOT AGREE that everything is in the hands of the advertisers. Yes, the advertisers are huge, but they have to want satisfied viewers…satisfied viewers make for success for the advertisers because they keep coming back. Although TPTB have blatantly appeared in the past to ignore what the fans want, I am seeing some changes, however subtle, that lead me to believe that someone might be listening to some of the fans…even if it’s only with half an ear. Who knows…maybe Mrs. Kellogg, Mrs. Keebler and Mrs. Colgate Palmolive all like Viki and Ben and have their own focus group…LOL. Another reason I feel that the advertisers don’t carry 100% of the weight is that like myself, a huge amount of people tape the show and watch at night, after school, after work, or after their kids are in bed. Have you ever heard of anyone who watches a taped show and look at the commercials? NOT ME! I used to watch the show at the regular airtime at work on my lunch hour and I still found something else to do while the commercials were on. Now I watch at home after work and I can’t tell you if they’re selling diapers or tacos. I’m not being naïve…I just don’t believe anything contributes 100% to the success of the show.
Do you really believe that soaps are just a training ground for future film actors? I can count on one hand the amount of soap actors who made it big in Hollywood. I don’t see too many of the young actors and actresses on the shows today becoming the next Meg Ryan or Julianne Moore. Yes, there have been several big screen successes that have come out of the soaps, but the number is tiny compared to those out of work. I believe I recently read that only about 5%, if that many, of the actors in Hollywood are actually employed as actors. With so many actors leaving soaps and turning around and coming back a year later, I question that whole “training ground” theory. So many actors leave soaps for “the big time” and come back before we can blink our eyes, so I’d say the grass isn’t always greener on the other side of the street. Any of the young actors today would be lucky to have a career like the one Erika Slezak has had…Hollywood or not!
I would like to believe that we can all enjoy the show in our own way, without being critical of anyone’s reasons for doing so, and without being made to feel like it’s silly to watch, or that we are watching because of some psychological need to escape. We certainly don’t need someone to remind us that soap operas are fiction and I certainly don’t agree with the advice that if we view things the way the writer of this letter does that we’d have less stress. Life is filled with guilty pleasures. Soaps are one of mine and have a lot less calories than some other guilty pleasures, for sure. Of course, I could try to cut all the silly fiction out of my life and watch CNN repeat the same news stories 10 times every hour…or I could wind my way through every non-fiction selection on the New York Times Best Seller List…but what fun would that be…really?
I feel sorry for the writer who admits to getting a low level of enjoyment out of the show. I know lots of people who are not happy about the way the show is going and there are plenty of things I don’t like as well, but I respect everyone’s right to their feelings, without accusing them of being in a dream world. A while ago, a poster came to a message board that I frequent and accused the regular posters of being silly and treating the characters like they are real…telling us to get a life. Maybe that’s why this letter annoyed me so much…Been There and Heard It All Before! What’s silly to me is wasting time trying to “set people straight” when there are so many more important things in life than telling people how they should feel about their soaps.
See ya next week......
Jill
FAN FEEDBACK AND
QUESTIONS
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Sheila writes: “Hi Jill, I agree with you totally when it comes to Lindsay, Troy and Nora. It seems as if Troy not only likes to prance around half naked but he seems to work at the hospital 24/7. Does he ever just go home to sleep? Most doctors have a specialty, but Troy seems to be a Jack-of-all trades when it comes to medicine. Lindsay and Troy make a wonderful couple.....they truly deserve each other. I love the new Todd, but I also love the old one. It is so nice seeing him admit that he is happy. I just wish he would tell the truth to Blair. I loved it last week when he said he felt "warm and fuzzy." I can't believe how fast our little Starr has gone from wanting a baby brother to wishing he would just go way. She is really a piece of work.”
Dear Sheila: I have heard a lot of people say that Troy and Lindsay deserve
each other. I’m not so sure. I am not a fan of Troy’s lately, but does anyone
truly deserve a woman like Lindsay? I don’t know…maybe someone on death row?
And yes, a warm and fuzzy Todd is certainly a change, isn’t it? Let’s see how
long it lasts. As for Starr, I’m a bit afraid of what she might to do baby
Jack. When she’s not happy about something, watch out!
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Dawn writes: “I continue to enjoy your commentaries about the show. And your most recent one about the stuff that bugs you had inspired me to write about something that truly bugs me. It's those laughingly compromised and skewed Internet fan polls. Not criticizing per se the websites who run the polls (like about.com for example)...they are addressing a demand, which generates visitors to the site...similar to garnering Neilson ratings for the broadcast networks. But we all know there are fans who have nothing better to do with their time than to sit at their computer and cast vote after vote in the same poll. How sad. What does that behavior say about our own integrity and about our lack of confidence that our favorite daytime drama star could win a legitimate fan poll contest. This may even be a factor in justifying TIIC's perception that Internet fans are not useful for figuring out what works and doesn't work in the storylines...why they must use those dreaded focus groups instead. Think about it.”
Dear Dawn: I so totally agree with you about the online polls. I have voted in them myself many times and just don’t bother any more because I know, for example, if I go and honestly vote for Ben and Viki and they get a lot of votes, it brings out all the people who don’t even have a valid reason for disliking them. The best example I can think of is a poll for most romantic couple where Blair and Todd beat out Ben and Viki by a mile. Now Todd and Blair may be a lot of things…funny, crazy, devoted in their own way to each other…but most romantic????? I wonder who is casting all those votes….LOL!
