Lee’s Two Cents

Lee’s two cents - one positive, one negative


General Hospital: Don’t Drink The Water! (But please do.)

Ron Carlivati took a while to get into the right rhythm and groove at General Hospital. Sure, the show was infinitely easier to watch than the trainwreck that was Garin Wolf’s tenure and more entertaining than longtime Head Writer Bob Guza’s never-ending mob epic, but overall the show lacked a consistent tone or direction. All of that changed, though, with the return of fan fave villain Jerry Jacks and new baddie Joe Scully, Jr. Jerry’s plot to poison the water of Port Charles and demand a ton of money for the antidote made for absolutely fantastic viewing. Weaving in old stories, such as the Dead Man’s Hand cards, and involving the entire cast, the month-long umbrella story reminded us exactly why we fell in love with GH in the first place. It was full of thrilling action and adventure (I won’t forget the climactic confrontation between Jerry and Sonny on the docks any time soon), romance (Dante and Lulu’s strong devotion and love for one another, Alexis and Shawn’s epic kiss following her rescue, the growing triangle between Jason, Sam and Liz), humor (Todd rounding up the “1 Percenters”) and riveting emotional moments (Edward’s selfless act of giving little Emma the only available antidote proved to be a powerful moment for fans of John Ingle, who unfortunately isn’t looking very healthy). In the end, the story was not only a throwback to the swashbuckling adventure of GH’s past, but a sign that this creative team knows what they’re doing and that for the first time in years, General HOspital is in very good hands.


Days of Our Lives: Listen To Your Mother, Sonny

Sonny was upset with his mother for not approving of his burgeoning relationship with Will, but I wanted to hug the woman. I get that Will and Sonny are being positioned as the next gay soap supercouple, but Adrienne really has a point. Sonny is a happy, well-adjusted guy with a nice family and good looks on his side; why settle for some constantly embattled, irrationally angry guy who is still not quite okay with being gay? Sometimes we look beyond the baggage to see a wonderful person worth fighting for, but so far, Will has only proven to be selfish and absolutely dysfunctional. Sonny should go with his heart, yes, but he should also be practical. There’s a reason Sami hasn’t been able to nail down one guy, and Will has definitely shown many of her negative, self-destructive traits. Run while you can, Sonny. You’ll only regret this in the future....

Back To (Horton) Square One....

For those of you who haven’t yet heard, I’m sorry to report that DAYS head writers Darrell Ray Thomas, Jr. and Marlene McPherson (sometimes called “MarDar”) have been fired and replaced with veteran soap writers Gary Tomlin and Christopher Whitesell. I’m deeply disappointed with this news. Though their stories were met with sometimes met with criticism, Thomas and McPherson should be commended for returning something to Salem that had been missing for years: heart, soul, love and family.

Looking back, it’s easy to see why Thomas and McPherson’s work was met with such mixed reaction. With the soap press inundated with news of a “reboot” that would restore DAYS to its former glory, many viewers expected something more than what they got. Their first few episodes, centered around the unveiling of Horton Square and the return of several fan favorite characters, were filled with a warmth that the show, along with most soaps, had been lacking for a long time. Families interacted, friends hung out with each other, romance was in the air for both established and new couples and stories began to center around organic, character-driven conflicts. The first months of “MarDar’s” run saw the return of John and Marlena, Austin and Carrie and Jack, as well as the introduction of a new character, Madison. The returning characters were integrated smoothly into the existing fabric of the show, and Madison was paired with Brady, who found himself without a love interest. Additionally, the long-gestating story of Will coming out of the closet began, which got fans and press talking. So what went wrong?

The main stories took a few months to develop, but it was Johnny’s disappearance that set off a chain of events that began with Sami and EJ having sex and ended with the destruction of Sami and Rafe’s marriage and EJ and Nicole’s still-tenuous relationship. Will witnessed the disturbing sex act, which sent him into a tailspin and eventually led to his coming out. The mystery of Alice’s closely guarded secrets allowed for some fun Bo and Hope moments, while all the while we got to see small, intimate moments between all the characters; who can forget the painful but cathartic therapy session between Bo and Hope where they finally dealt with unresolved feelings about Zack’s death.

It would be easy to pick apart little mistakes that Thomas and McPherson made. Not every story they wrote was a winner; I’m sure nobody wants to recall the pointless caper revolving around Chad, Will and Sonny’s Web site, and the less said about the suspense-free mayoral race the better. But even those stories, which fell very flat, had elements that kept them watchable, even enjoyable. The Web site saga’s cimax laid the groundwork for Abigail’s obsession with Austin as well as Chad and Melanie finally getting together. The mayoral race eventually figured into Will’s story and gave Abe and Lexie some much-needed conflict.

So if Thomas and McPherson consistently featured popular characters in compelling stories, why would they be fired less than a year after their tenure began? I tried very hard to think of a good reason, but Marlene McPherson answered the question herself on her Twitter account:

@marlenemcp: Thank you DOOL fans. U r the best and we love you! NBC never let us tell our stories. They kept stopping us and changing our direction. Sad.

There you have it, folks. In this time of shows be canceled right and left and all sorts of upheaval behind the scenes at almost every soap, the corporate suits still think they know what’s best and interfere until things stop working. It’s ridiculous to see two talented writers get the boot, seemingly for no reason at all, by two writers whose previous track records have been spotty at best. I hope that McPherson and Thomas find work elsewhere, because they proved in their short time on the show that they understood soap opera as a medium and knew how to respect, entertain and satisfy the audience. “MarDar’s” work will continue airing until July, so hopefully their work won’t be completely undone by the “new” regime. For now, though, keep watching DAYS and let the-powers-that-be know that you have been enjoying DAYS and are disappointed to see yet another jarring change about to occur.

2012: We are back,Rating the Soaps!

It's 2012 is in full swing and it’s time to rate the soaps!

The Bold and the Beautiful
The Story So Far: After months of waffling back and forth between the feuding Steffy and Hope, Liam has seemingly settled down with Hope, while Steffy finds herself in Rick’s orbit once again, much to Amber’s chagrin. Brooke and Ridge have been focused on their daughters, while Taylor and Thorne have grown closer.
What Works? I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again - B&B is a blast to watch. It’s funny, it’s fast-paced and it has an extremely talented cast. Audiences who tune into B&B every day know what they’re getting: frothy, light romance with characters they love. Great character moments, like Liam and Bill’s recent falling-out, serve as great chasers to the often-campy stories.
What Needs Work? For a show that’s got such a strong cast of women, the stories border on misogynistic. Hope and Steffy shouldn’t be fighting for Liam! He’s hurt them both and hasn’t exactly proven himself to be a catch. Other characters like Jackie and Owen, who are interesting and fun, don’t get nearly enough airtime. And stories often start and stop with little to no warning.
Grade: B

Days of Our Lives
The Story So Far: Love and family is the name of the game in Salem, as couples come together and fall apart and families crumble as buried secrets and resentments come to the surface. Sami’s family has all but fallen apart after Will revealed that he caught her and EJ having sex, while Rafe and Carrie gave in to their attraction with a passionate kiss - witnessed by their spouses. Months after discovering that Alice was keeping secrets from her loved ones, Hope learned the terrible truth that Alice had tried to hide: she and John are still married! The next generation of Salem has had its own turmoil, as Abigail’s issues with her father have led to an unhealthy obsession with compassionate Austin, and Will’s sexual confusion has led to volatile and rash behavior. And Brady and Madison’s carefree romance has been rocked by the surprise entrance of Madison’s much older, devious husband Ian, who seems to have connections to everyone in Salem.
What Works? DAYS has delivered on its promise of romance and family drama in spades. Watching Sami’s family fall apart before her very eyes has been riveting, and seeing seemingly solid couples John and Marlena and Bo and Hope rocked by the revelation of John and Hope’s marriage has made for great drama. Brady and Madison’s bland romance has surprisingly become the springboard for a new umbrella story with new character Ian, which is finally going to give Kate and Stefano something to worry about. Will’s coming of age story has been exciting to watch, as well, and the overall use of vets and fan faves have made for easy viewing.
What Needs Work? The constant shuffling of couples, especially with the teens (Melanie, Chad, Gabi, Abigail), has made it hard to invest in any new pairings. Sonny, a compelling new character, has been relegated to being Will’s sounding board and seems to exist in his own after school special. Jack’s return has been less than stellar, with his trademark humor being replaced with upsetting anxiety and trauma. And where are faves like Justin and Adrienne?
Grade: B+

General Hospital
The Story So Far: Fates are about to collide as a tragedy rocks Port Charles to its core and changes the course of everyone’s lives.
What Works: As usual, the cast is uniformly excellent.
What Needs Work: The whole show, but the new creative staff knows that, so it’s okay!
Grade: N/A, as the show is in transition and rating it in its current state would be unfair.

Crystal Chappell on Dayplayer Dish!

Hey soap fans! Make sure to listen to Dayplayer Dish this Sunday, September 18 at 6pm EST for an exciting interview with the fabulous Crystal Chappell! We're very excited to chat with Crystal about her extensive soap resume, Venice, and tons more! Be sure to listen at http://blogtalkradio.com/dayplayerdish and join us in the chatroom!

Top 25 Soap moments!

Here is the complete listing of our picks for Daytime's top 25 moments. To hear our commentary on these moments, you can check out our show :http://www.blogtalkradio.com/dayplayerdish/2010/07/25/dayplayer-dish


Lee and Lauren's Top 25 Soap Moments...
1. Luke and Laura's Wedding ~General Hospital
2. Bo kidnaps Hope on her Wedding Day~Days of Our Lives
3. Karen Wolek's testimony~One Life To Live
4. Stone dies of Aids~General Hospital
5. Reva baptizes herself the slut of Springfield ~Guiding Light
6. Luke and Noah's finally kiss~As The World Turns
7. BJ's heart~General Hospital
8. Phillip and Olivia too hot for TV love scene that leads to daytime censorship~Guiding Light
9. Marlena's Possession ~Days Of Our Lives
10. Luke rapes Laura at the Campus Disco ~General Hospital
11. Cassie's death~Young and The Restless
12. Ann's death~Bold and The Beautiful
13.Maura West's debut on ATWT ~As The World Turns
14. Bianca comes out of the closet~ All My Children
15. Olivia professes her love for Natalia ~Guiding Light
16. Aids Quilt storyline~One Life to Live
17.P&G cancels AW, GL and ATWT
18. The climax to the Paris,Texas storyline ~One Life To Live
19. Todd Rapes Marty 1992~One Life To Live
20. Rapemance(Todd and Marty) 2008 ~One Life To Live
21. Maureen dies ~Guiding Light
22. Sonny and Brenda confrontation over the wiretap (*Click Boom also*) ~General Hospital
23. Mary Ryan dies ~Ryan's Hope
24. Carly's buried alive~One Life To Live
25. Susan Lucci finally wins her Emmy! ~All My Children

Molly Burnett Stops By DayplayerDish

Hey Days of our lives fans, join us tonight at 6pm EST/ 3pm PST, when Molly Burnett(Melanie) stops by to dish on her fabulous role as Melanie on DAYS OF OUR LIVES, What's it like working with some of the show's biggest stars? How does she feel about her Emmy nomination and her guest spot on True Blood. Find out only at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/dayplayerdish/2010/06/06/dayplayer-dish

May Day! May Day! Days promo is on fire!

If you listened to the podcast last Sunday, then you know that my pick for most anticipated soap for May Sweeps is Days of Our Lives. The promo is on fire! I am so glad NBC (for whatever reason) started to invest in DOOL again! The scene with Victor and all of his ex-wives? Classic! Can't wait. ~LA

RIP Frances Reid

Days of our lives was the very first soap that I started watching, so it's with a heavy heart, that I must acknowledge the passing of Ms Frances Reid. Alice was the true definition of a soap opera staple. The heart and soul of the Horton family. As a soap viewer, I would always look forward to scenes with Alice giving advice to everyone from Hope, Jennifer, Bo, John, and her great-grandchildren. Alice provided the warmth that would sometimes be lacking in some of the plot driven story lines. I remember at times, I would roll my eyes in the back of my head, but Alice’s advice would bring me back to reality.

Christmas time was the best, because even if the plots were getting on my nerves, I would always look forward to the tradition of hanging the Horton ornaments. I can't forget the baking of some good old fashion Horton donuts.

The cast and crew always spoke highly about Ms Reid, about her wicked sense of humor, and in the YouTube link posted below, you can just see what type of fun, extraordinary woman she was. Rest in Peace, Frances Reid, truly a daytime icon.
YouTube Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-cY4A30FZw

Who are these people? The standard about me information entry

Thank you for stopping by Dayplayerdish blog! So why are you here? And more importantly, who the hell are Lauren and Lee?

Lee will start this blog off with a little bit about himself:
What’s cooking, rational soap fans? My name’s Lee, and I’m your typical soap fan… who’s a guy. Before you ask – no, I am not a Nuke fan. In fact, I find Nuke to be the worst couple on ATWT at the moment... wow, two sentences and I’ve already gotten onto my soapbox! I’ll hold back for now. A little bit more about me… I recently graduated from college with a degree in cinema studies, meaning I watched a whole bunch of movies and wrote papers on them. I’ve interned at Soap Opera Weekly and All My Children and found both to be an incredible experience. I can’t wait to share with you my opinions, beliefs, and random musings on soaps! Where to begin… well, I was raised on ABC soaps, namely General Hospital and Port Charles but when both went sour (two words: mafia vampires) I turned to All My Children and One Life to Live, which is now my favorite. I’ve dabbled in NBC and CBS soaps, but they just don’t grab me like the ABC soaps !


And now here's Lauren:
What’s up rational soap fans! So here I am blogworld! Why am I here? The answer is simple, I love soap operas. Yes it’s true, I love soap operas. I majored in Communication studies, with a minor in journalism. I’ve had the amazing experience to intern at Soap Opera Digest/Soap Weekly magazine for two years. I’ve worked as a talent runner for the Daytime Emmys for the past three years. People always look at me twice when I say I love soaps. Why? It’s simple. I’ve been a fan of the genre since I was six years old. So as the years progressed, and the stories got bizarre (hello GL’s Reva being cloned wtf!) or touching (GH’s BJ Heart) to amazing love stories (Hi GL’s Otalia fans! Hello my Bo and Hope shippers going 26 yrs strong baby!) I love this genre through thick and thin. This year we lost Guiding Light(and in 2010 we are losing ATWT and possibly more soaps)one of the longest running programs in television history! That’s right television history, no other show, on television, will be able to accomplish what Guiding Light did in 72 years! As a fan of the soap opera genre, this makes me proud to brag to people, who like to look down on the genre.

So here we are blog world, with my soap brother from another mother, Lee. We plan on tackling all your soap news, shows, gossip.. one blog, one podcast at a time. A he said/she said type of blog. So sit back and read, and as always, please leave comments. We appreciate hearing from all you soap fans out there. Be sure to check out our soap podcasts, once we have it up and running. Thank you for reading.