Define "soapy"

[cct]

As a somewhat "newbie" to the board (think I've just now crossed over to dayplayer?), I'm curious about the term, "soapy."

I know what I think it means. I also thought I knew what everyone else thought it meant. But lately, I've seen such an overuse of the term to cover such a broad range of characteristics.

So, in your words, define "soapy"'

[EricMontreal22]

when using it to discuss soaps for me I think it means quintessential soap opera. Heightened emotions, soap characteristics like the pause on closeup fade outs, use of recap dialogue, classic triangles and other soap plots or even cliches (amnesia), etc.

[rhinohide]

I can't define it, but based on the way I see the term used, I don't think I like it very much. Usually I see people call something soapy when it . . .

1) Explains away out of character behavior, or rewrites history that the audience knows to be true but now is supposed to disregard as if it never happened to promote stories that don't make sense on their surface.

2) Permits the audience to root for the villain

3) Justifies stories that force the audience to suspend reality or drink the kool aid. (Soapy kool aid sounds awful to me, even if you put vodka in it. Blech!)

There's more, but these three "soapy goodness" situations are top of mind for me.

[MarkH]

I'm having a hard time defining right now, but here are two examples.

1. On Brothers and Sisters, when Justin and Rebecca turned out NOT to be brother and sister, and first fought their feelings, and then succumbed...every part of that seemed soapy to me. Not in a good way...for a show that I love and that I otherwise think has dealt with things (esp. when Jon Robin Baitz was there) in a fairly authentic way.

2. On Lost, when Kate and Sawyer made love, but then it was clear that her heart was with Jack...that seemed soapy to me.

So, I think soapy for me means the use of classic soap cliche plots (things that do not occur so often in the real world, outside of Jerry Springer)

[miajere]

I think soapy implies an emotional indulgence of some kind- whether that be revenge, romance, anger- anything you would let yourself do if you indulge in your fantasies a bit too much. When I think of soapy- I imagine seeing people doing the things we all wish we could do everyday, but never indulge in- but it defeats the purpose if we can't imagine doing an activity even in special circumstances- hence the importance of a great character played by a talented actor.

[Graciecat]

I tend to think of it as the best kind of camp.

[jimmyk311]

I think the word "soapy" is overrated and stupid.

[marceline]

I think soapiness is the low quality, overwrought aspect of daytime drama. The unrealistic plots (amnesia, return from the dead), the cliches (fainting=pregnant, "I've never been happier"= sudden death) and the things the make most people go WTF? (nobody works yet eveyone's rich, apartments without kitchens).

[Sylph]

Co-sign.

Soapy = trashy.

[YRBB]

This is how I personally define "soapy":

1) By plots

A soap typically includes shootings, kidnappings, affairs, blackmail, amnesia, accidents, triangles, lies, horrible mistakes, paralysis.

2) By cliches

Incredible and incessant coincidences (people walking in at the absolutely worst moment, overhearing, etc), misunderstandings, a whole family living together, things almost always go wrong

3) By style

Soaps by and large tend to have melodramatic dialogue, tight and long close-ups, accompany many scenes with grand/operatic music, reactions are usually far more dramatic than real life, etc.

4) By the total disregard of reality

A soap operates in a completely different world. It is almost 100% impossible for a group of 6 people to go through (1)

5) By Technical aspects

Continuous, multiple storylines going on at the same time, cliffhangers, villains in key roles, usually slow-pace

So, I guess when one says that "that wedding was so well done, so soapy" I think it means that it was the unison of characters who hate each other, secrets and lies bubbling under the surface, ready to explode, bitchy comments, a high tension on whether the marriage will actually happen, surprise twists (Somebody objects! Somebody suddenly shows up! Dramatic music! The secret suddenly comes out! The killer is pretending to be the priest!). Of course there are many decidedly more low-key soaps, but a full-fledged soap does all that and more. And, yes, soapy does also mean trashy, if only because of the high impropability of it.

[dragonflies]

I think of soapy as being when you see something on tv, even primetime, you go "That's something you'd see on a soap. It so soapy"

LOL yeah it's lame

[quartermainefan]

soapy is something so melodramatic and corny that it is so bad it's good. Soaps today don't even go for soapy anymore. It's campy, it is hammy music playing, it's something corny you can predict a mile away, it's trash, it's brilliant.

[R Sinclair]

I have to walk along this road as well. I think Soapy = Melodrama. Megan McTavish is a very melodramatic writer. She's always talking about "raising the emotional stakes" in all her interviews where she's hyping up her sweeps stories. Even in the dialogue, the situations are blown way out of proportion. Several years ago, on AMC, when Di (masquerading as Dixie) left to go to New York to confront the Dragon with Julia, she plainly told everyone that she was leaving via a note. It was no legitimate question as to the fact that she left on her own will -- but after she left, every word out of everyone's mouths was "Dixie is missing." No... she's not missing. She left. Not telling you where she went to doesn't equate to missing -- it equates to she doesn't want your asses to know where she's going.

Or when the truth about Charlotte came out, everyone involved in that storyline kept talking about "Explosions from the Chandler mansion when Adam finds out the truth!"

Soapy, to me, means sensationalized, over hyped, exceedingly melodramatic actions and reactions to rather everyday life things.

[dc11786]

I've always seen soapy as one of those words that can be used both positively and negatively. In the negative sensen, it usually means overly dramatic, an emphasis on romantic complications to an extreme degree (i.e. triangles/quadrangles), and plot driven events that defy established character traits. On the positive side, soapy can mean well connected plotlines, a balance of both family and romantic complications, and plots that may be over the top, but are grounded in well defined characters who react as they should to such bizarre events may just be another everyday occurence.