Deep Soap: Unexpected Results

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Deep Soap: Unexpected Results; Sara A. Bibel on The Hole & Goutman
Tweet Topic Started: Sep 24 2008, 02:03 PM (753 Views)
RogerNewcomb	Sep 24 2008, 02:03 PM Post #1
Administrator Posts: 20,208 Group: Admin Member #1 Joined: August 30, 2008	http://thebiz.fancast.com/2008/09/deep_soa...ed_results.html We�re Sending Our Love Down The Hole It was supposed to be a tense, emotional story. Four year-old Ethan Snyder had fallen into a large hole on the Snyder farm. His family prayed that the rescue team would be able to get to him in time. His uncle Paul (Roger Howarth) was also trapped with him. I should have been scared that one or both would be seriously injured. (I�ve been watching soaps for too long to believe that anyone will ever die without months of advance notice in the soap press.) Instead, I was giggling. It wasn�t due to bad production values or a campy tone. In fact, this was one time when the new P&G location-heavy worked well. There really was an underground pit and authentic rescue equipment. But all I could think of was the old episode of the Simpsons where Bart scams the non-Guiding Light Springfield into believing that a kid is stuck in a well and Sting writes a song about it, �We�re Sending Our Love Down The Well.� Maybe it was just me. Years of exposure to The Simpsons have made it difficult to take many things seriously. Or maybe it was a scene that was good on paper but didn�t translate to the screen. Soaps are full of such unintentionally funny moments. What seemed like a great, dramatic story on paper turns out due to acting, directing, or unintentional references to other shows to be almost as hilarious as 30 Rock. I was a part of a few of them on The Young & The Restless. Remember Devon�s (Bryton) close encounter with a lion? Or Brad�s (Don Diamont) Nazi-killing thighs? Neither were supposed to inspire peals of laughter. Unintentional hilarity can come from daytime�s one-take style, which can result in performances that should have ended up on the cutting room floor being beamed into your living room. But I think the majority of the accidental humor on soaps comes from writers being so deep inside the storylines that they lose perspective. From an emotional standpoint, both of these story beats fulfilled a specific function. Devon was supposed to learn that the Winters were willing to risk their lives to save him. Brad was supposed to finally free himself from the people who had been persecuting his family for years. Yet what the audience saw were a couple of unconvincingly shot, over-the-top action scenes. The underlying intent of the scenes was lost in the cheesy spectacle. Believe it or not, even the most plot-driven storylines are often the results of hours of intense discussion about the characters emotional journeys. Sometimes by the time a show got to us lower level writers we knew there was a good chance it would be a howler. (It was really hard to write naturalistic dialogue about anything to do with the dreaded reliquary.) Other times, it was disconcerting to turn on the TV and discover that the scene you�d labored to make powerful and poignant was actually a candidate for Best Week Ever. I would always try to console myself with the knowledge that if viewers were laughing, then they were entertained. I hope that any ATWT writers reading this will take it the same way. They did nothing wrong. It was all Bart Simpson�s fault. Maybe You�re The One Who Should Take A Few Days Off, Chris Goutman In a recent interview, ATWT�s Executive Producer Christopher Goutman said, �I don't think there is an appetite in this society right now to watch this show five days a week; they don't have the time or the energy." In a sense he�s right. Research has shown that the majority of soap viewers do not watch every day. It would not surprise me if it has always been that way, though I�m sure that four days a week has become one. However, I don�t think anybody running a daytime show should have that attitude. It�s defeatist. As difficult as it is to keep your head up in the face of declining ratings, head writers and producer should believe that if they just keep working at it, they�ll finally hit upon the right formula and reengage the audience in the show. Fans mock writers and producers for overhyping upcoming episodes as the greatest stories ever told. But if the people behind a show don�t believe in what they�re doing, then nobody else will. This is the second time Goutman has sounded like he�s given up in an interview. Previously he told viewers not to bother sending fan mail because nobody pays attention to it. I�m not angry or offended. I�m concerned. When he came to ATWT, he and Hogan Sheffer revitalized the show. For years it was the �prestige� soap. Now Goutman sounds burned out and unhappy. Maybe he needs to spend a couple weeks on a relaxing vacation. If that doesn�t reinvigorate him, perhaps it�s time he stepped aside and allowed someone who has a passion for daytime dramas to take over Oakdale.



aetmauro	Sep 24 2008, 08:04 PM Post #2
Advanced Member Posts: 4,468 Group: Members Member #46 Joined: September 2, 2008	Goutman needs to resign or be fired. As far as I'm concerned, he's just about saying so himself. I wasn't tired of watching ATWT 5 days a week until he decided to continue his onslaught of newbies/recasts/disrespect of fans/screw show history/etc etc etc. His handling of MB's departure was the last straw for me. Frankly, if he's that miserable, I can't imagine why he doesn't take a break or something...
	--- Anni ----


flashdance	Sep 24 2008, 10:40 PM Post #3
Advanced Member Posts: 11,246 Group: Members Member #8 Joined: August 31, 2008	I am still THOROUGHLY MORE ENTERTAINED with my attempt of keeping up with the FIVE HOURS of Oakdale. One of the rare things that I treasure is that I can talk to other people about watching this daily show....BUT I am not forced to take a break or to have to watch REPEATS of the same action over and over. The soap opera continues and is still THERE even though one or many walk away from their TV. Am I old fashioned...?? I wouldn't call it OLD FASHIONED. Are the people that tire of the show...too over exposed with spoilers..?? I believe this is one of the major factors with a five show a week format. WE DO NOT NEED TO HAVE SPOILERS AND SPOILERS AND SPOILERS for practically every scene. CUT DOWN THE SPOILERS and then maybe we have a show that we might have some desire to watch. YES. The writing and the acting and the cast of characters and the scenery and lighting and the music are all part of the package. BUT this soap opera has raised the bar. At least we do not have any SCOTLAND castle dramatic stories to weed through. At least we are not being given castaways on a deserted island. At least we do not have everyone coveting a HUGE DIAMOND. Yep...there are weak points to ATWT....but the weak links that we are currently being "forced" to watch are not on the low end of the popularity spectrum. I feel that we have been given some things that we have been asking for. The veterans have returned. We are getting SOME of our favorites back. The only CONSTANT in this world during the last 50 years have been a soap opera. I am still sold on this type of show.

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