Bet you thought I was going to write about mindfulness or stretching or whatever anxious mood stateI'm currently fending off - my own personal seesaw. But no - tonight I am going to sing the praises of Soap Operas! I love soap opera dramas and began watching them in grade school with my Grandma who sat of the couch in the afternoon waiting for us to return from school when my mother went back to school. She'd inevitably have the Kleenexes out and the TV tuned to Days of Our Lives, As the World Turns or Search for Tomorrow. I got all wrapped up in Luke and Laura's complicated romance in my late teens so I didn't have to think about my own failed romances. My older sister is addicted to telenovelas on Telemundo. She says she started watching to learn Spanish, but I know better.
Soap operas play an important role in our lives. My current favorite (which just ended last night - boo hoo) is technically a mini-series but in my book its' classic SO drama. That would Big Little Lies on HBO Go. It's got a big fat star studded cast (Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Zoe Kravitz, Laura Dern, Shailene Woodard) and produced by Hollywood veteran David Kelley. And a big fat drama involving the interpersonal violence of women's lives; jealousy; PTA school events; sullen teenagers; worrisome children; rape; violent sex; and an ending where the bad guy gets his commupence and the women prevail and make peace. Very satisfying ending in this political time when men appear to be very invested in stripping women of their hard earned rights and the man in the WH is a sexual predator. As a matter of fact I can't believe it has ended and was hoping there would be a season two - even though the finale was a beautiful surreal mix of seductive music, costuming, heightened tension, blurred imagery and memory, consensual violence and satisfy (sort of) resolution. You are left hanging a bit at the very end, but its a small gem well worth the watch.
Now I'll admit this is a guilty pleasure, but when confronted with the reality of ICE raids in nearby towns, near loss of health care, almost certain ruination of the environment, threat of global warfare, just to mention a few items - it can be a real pleasure to slip into a world of manufactured problems especially if set in coastal California.
That was last night. I watched something far more sobering and real but just as dramatic tonight. The documentary Newtown on PBS - about the Sandy Hook shooting in Connecticut. It was very difficult to watch but incredibly important, because we all need to admit that supporting Second Amendment rights should not include the ability to own assault style weapons such as the AR-15, which fire bullets that are meant to explode inside the body. That should never ever happen to another 6 year old child in this country again, just as it should not be happening every day to Syrian and Iraqi children.
Watching soap operas makes it easier to bear the real dramas we face everyday. Thank goodness for fantasy and escape if it allows us to be more present when it matters. And thank goodness for TV dramas that deal with real issues like bullying and sexual violence.
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| Luke and Laura from General Hospital in the 70's |
Soap operas play an important role in our lives. My current favorite (which just ended last night - boo hoo) is technically a mini-series but in my book its' classic SO drama. That would Big Little Lies on HBO Go. It's got a big fat star studded cast (Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Zoe Kravitz, Laura Dern, Shailene Woodard) and produced by Hollywood veteran David Kelley. And a big fat drama involving the interpersonal violence of women's lives; jealousy; PTA school events; sullen teenagers; worrisome children; rape; violent sex; and an ending where the bad guy gets his commupence and the women prevail and make peace. Very satisfying ending in this political time when men appear to be very invested in stripping women of their hard earned rights and the man in the WH is a sexual predator. As a matter of fact I can't believe it has ended and was hoping there would be a season two - even though the finale was a beautiful surreal mix of seductive music, costuming, heightened tension, blurred imagery and memory, consensual violence and satisfy (sort of) resolution. You are left hanging a bit at the very end, but its a small gem well worth the watch.
Now I'll admit this is a guilty pleasure, but when confronted with the reality of ICE raids in nearby towns, near loss of health care, almost certain ruination of the environment, threat of global warfare, just to mention a few items - it can be a real pleasure to slip into a world of manufactured problems especially if set in coastal California.
That was last night. I watched something far more sobering and real but just as dramatic tonight. The documentary Newtown on PBS - about the Sandy Hook shooting in Connecticut. It was very difficult to watch but incredibly important, because we all need to admit that supporting Second Amendment rights should not include the ability to own assault style weapons such as the AR-15, which fire bullets that are meant to explode inside the body. That should never ever happen to another 6 year old child in this country again, just as it should not be happening every day to Syrian and Iraqi children.
Watching soap operas makes it easier to bear the real dramas we face everyday. Thank goodness for fantasy and escape if it allows us to be more present when it matters. And thank goodness for TV dramas that deal with real issues like bullying and sexual violence.
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