Monday, February 7, 2011

As the World Turns

Back in September my favourite soap, As The World Turns, came to an end.  I still miss it and from time to time forget it isn't there anymore.  I'd watched it since before I was a teenager and it has always been there, a pleasant, constant distraction.  I know it's silly to miss a soap opera but these people had been in my living room just about every day for over 25 years and it's still seems weird to not have them around.  I started watching it on summer vacation while eating lunch after tennis lessons.  When I was unemployed it kept me company during my tedious job hunt.  When I became a housewife I would clean the kitchen and prepare for dinner while it was on.  When the Little Prince came we would survive the tears with the daily routine that kept us all sane.  The Suburban Prince would sometimes call home from work to ask if they found Jack yet.  It was hard to escape the lure of a story spanning 50 years.

The show debuted in April, 1956, and has been a staple of American culture for decades.  When the end was looming we wondered what would happen to our characters.  Would the writers end the show in a satisfying way?   I think they did!  Everyone landed right where they should be....

- Dusty finally got his happy ending with Janet and their new baby Lorenzo
- Carly and Jack ended up together again and have a baby on the way
- Lily finally stood up to Lucinda (it only took 40+ years) and is once again with Holden - the way it should be ever since the first time they met as teenagers...the bad boy and the rich girl, the classic story
- Lucinda and John, who were always perfect together rode off into the sunset together
- Katie and Chris got their perfect ending...it's nice to see Katie got to have love again after losing Brad a year ago
- Luke will survive even though Reid had to die to save Chris with a heart transplant
- Kim finally got Bob to herself when he retired...after about a thousand years as chief of the hospital
- Casey and Alison both got what they wanted - acceptance and respect
- Emily and Paul found peace...at last.
- Tom and Margo were left with an empty nest and each other - and the perfect house swap arrangement with Katie and Chris
- Barbara and Henry, the least likely couple, are quite perfect for each other.  When they started playing Last Dance I actually started crying. 

I suspect the crying scenes came easy for the actors...I was getting misty watching the last week of episodes and it does feel a bit like I have lost some friends and family - these people had been in my living room for so long I still hope I will turn on the tv and they will magically reappear!

Can you believe 2 books were written about the characters!

I have been watching Y&R for my soap fix and it was a nice surprise to see some of the actors from ATWT are now on Y&R! 


Have a fabulous day!

12 comments:

Wendy said...

We have no TV at all here. My husband is too cheap to get satellite and my kid kept breaking the rabbit ears, so I finally just gave up. We download and stream a lot of stuff, but the one thing I miss is my daytime TV. I've been watching Days of Our Lives since I was about 3, and now I've missed about 4 years of it. Every time I visit my mother and catch up, I don't recognize anyone anymore! It might be time to start nagging my husband about satellite again...

Southern Living: Preppy Style said...

I never watched As the World Turns, but we always watch Y&R, for years, since I was in elementary school....I would watch it with my mom on school days off. I still watch everyonce in a while.
My grandmother used to watch Bold and the Beautiful and when she died (my grandfather was blind), my grandfather continued listening every single day. I'm not sure if it's still on, but if it is, I'm sure he still listens.
It's amazing how these soap operas became parts of peoples lives!

Wendy said...

I felt the same way when Guiding Light went off the air. I grew up watching both GL and ATWT.

Leigh Powell Hines said...

Did ATWT have the character Lisa or was that the Guiding Light. My grandma powell watched the CBS soaps, and I watched the ABC soaps because that station came in the best where I lived in the 70's. But, I always knew about the other characters. When you said Tom and Margo, I knew immediately who you were talking about.

I always wanted to write a soap opera, and be a soap start. Perhaps that it is why I was such a dramatic serial dater when I was in my 20's. Ha!

I have a friend who lives in Finland, and he says that everyone there is hooked on the Bold and the Beautiful. He said there are ads in the paper because apparently, you have to pay a TV tax or something, and he told me about an ad that ran. A tax man is knocking on the door, and the person inside says, "We don't have a TV, but next time, don't knock during the Bold and Beautiful."

Carolyn said...

Oh how I miss Oakdale :( I saw Mike in a commercial the other day...made me sigh just a little. I couldn't agree with your post more...I too have watched since I was a teenager. Same holds true with Guiding Light. It's like saying good-bye to old friends.

how i met your father blog said...

i can totally understand what you mean! my gram and my mom both have "their story," which, for them is "one life to live."
they are dedicated to llanview and the buchanans!!
a good friend of mine actually did her senior history thesis on soap operas and their affects on pop culture - it was SO interesting!

preppyplayer said...

I use to watch All my Children starting in college and then when my kids were babies. None of my friends were married or had children, so during the day, the people from AMC were my friends!
years later my son Ryan worked on AMC for a bit and because he was a minor I had to be there for the week.

It was so cool to meet and speak with the folks from the soap. In fact a young actor was particularly nice, funny and friendly and hung out with all of us during his breaks- Fergie's husband, Josh Duhamel!
(this was twelve years ago!)

Nezzy (Cow Patty Surprise) said...

I grew up with the gang from Oakdale. I watched every afternoon back in the day many of the soaps were only 15 minutes. I remember Bob and Lisa as teenagers. Yep...I'm that old! I too miss them.

God bless and have a terrific day sweetie!!!

Ruth said...

I grew up watching Y&R and still watch it.

Michelle said...

Popped over from Twitter to day hi! I know exactly what you mean about the passing of these shows...I blogged after Guiding Light went dim: http://www.southernsomedays.com/2009/12/soaps-and-new-year.html

It is the ending of an era...so sad.

Cool Gal said...

I used to watch this years ago. I remember when Dusty and Lily were together. As much as I loved them as a couple, I LOVED Holden with Lily better. I am glad to hear they ended up together and Dusty got his happy ending, too (Yay for Lily standing up to Lucinda).

It's hard to believe it's over.

Hope you're having a nice day!

Tammy B said...

I used to watch As the World Turns with my late grandmother. It was one of her "stories". I remember when Bob and Lisa got a divorce. My grandmother thought that was scandalous. My late uncle never missed it. He scheduled his lunch so that he was home when it came on.