The 'Big' Soap Moments

[NorrthCafe]

1. Fans have complained about things like 'pacing' for a long time. Writers are taking huge shortcuts to telling storylines (instant love, instant friendships, instant enemy status). They seem to move quickly as a way to trying to keep fans attention. I find it distracting when characters who start dating one day, are deeply in love and on their way to getting married or having children in just a few quick months.

I also miss the other 'big' storyline moments.

2. Mixing up large shares of the cast for joyous moments:

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Soap characters now seem to be isolated into kinship groups or dating pairs, but there's little social interaction in between. When there are large group moments, the writers throw all sorts of characters together, people who typically shouldn't appear together in scenes.

3. The great big humiliation of a villain who'd thought s/he'd gotten away with something. The more public, the better:

Annie had already been exposed for lying about Reva pushing her down a flight of stairs and killing her baby (a dead baby she continued to carry long before the phony 'shove'). This moment was almost as big as Annie confessing on the witness stand that she'd set Reva up.

4. Backstory development.

Daytime writers use to not expect us to immediately love or hate new characters when they introduced them. We use to have to wait until the full backstory was revealed to learn whether all was what it seemed, or if there was yet more to learn about newbies. It took years to figure out whether ATWT's Lucy Walsh was a villain or a heroine - until we found out that she fit neither category, she was just a complex well thought out character.

Are there other 'big moments' soap writers don't seem to write for any more? Examples of any of the above from your favorite soaps/soap characters?

[DRW50]

I think you got everything!

Another one I miss is the big business meeting where the stocks and fur go flying and relationships in the office and in the home are never the same. ATWT's stockholder's meeting in 1991, when Lucinda lost control of Walsh, is a great example.

[Toups]

Kristen/Susan revelation during "The Elvis Wedding". Of course the most memorable moment was Susan's teeth flying into Vivian's drink.

Sami gets busted during her wedding to Austin in Sept 1997.

Pretty much every revelation from Reilly-1 was a "big moment" because he took the time to tell the story.

Soaps just don't take the time time to tell long term stories anymore. I applauded DAYS for doing that with the baby switch but that revelation wasn't near as good as anything from Reilly-1.

Victor returns to Newman Enterprises after Jack/Brad takeover is another favorite "big moment" of mine.

Another "big moment" I miss is the revelation of an affair - a real, rooted, affair (John/Marlena), not a sleazy affair (Nik/Liz, Jason/Liz, Sam/Ric, etc).

[dsvd79]

One of my favorite "Big" moment of all time was the baby switch with Lauren and Sheila. To me that was classic. Then it carried on to B&B. Lauren was going to tell all of the Forrester's about Sheila. Sheila got into a car accident and dreamed to me the best cat fight ever, fight between Sheila and Lauren. Those were some "Big" moments for me.

Others:

Iva is Lily's Mom- ATWT

Victor returns from Kansas- Y&R

Victor's heart attack, and Jack walk over him, kicking his hand- Y&R

[Khan]

I miss payoffs in general. Remember when soaps used to "reward" viewers with juicy and strangely cathartic denouements?

[Paul Raven]

DOOL - Jake is revealed as The Salem Strangler while strangling Mary Anderson.

Edge of Night had many such reveals as villians were unmasked.I never saw it but the reveal that Keith Whitney and Jonah Lockwood were one and the same is often talked about as a highlight.

[catsmeouch]

I loved it when evil psycho bitches who put on a friendly face were outed as villains, like when Sheridan busted Beth for stealing Marty, when Marlena found the touchstone and realized Kristen took Susan's baby, when Kate exposed Sami for raping Austin, etc, etc.

[bellcurve]

I agree. I much preferred the first Sami reveal over the second one in the first Reilly era. It was the first time people really saw Sami for who she was and how good she was at playing the victim until she was alone with everyone who had outed her(Kate/Nurse Lynn/Jamie) and the real Sami emerged publicly and openly for the first time.

[Gray Bunny]

Agreed. "Sami's Secrets Revealed!," as they promoted it in June 1996 was much more fun of a payoff for me.

[Paul Raven]

Victor and Nikki's 1st wedding was a big pay off in terms of that couple finally marrying with a lavish wedding with practically all of the cast in attendance plus the return of the Brooks sisters and other past characters.

[MichaelGL]

^That reminds me, what about romantic pay off? As a fan of OLTL's Jared and Natalie, it was hook, line, and sinker for me as I watched them survive one obstacle after another to be with each other. However I was heavily disappointed when the couple did not get the fairytale wedding I had hoped they would have; instead they eloped!

This pales in comparison to stories like DAYS Doug and Julie back in the day when at least, after years of suffering and longing for one another, they eventually were wed in a touching and sweet wedding ceremony. Imagine just how great of a pay off that was after all the years of having to put up with all the heart break and misery they endured. Sure there was even more drama to be had afterwards, but even if that first time wasn't the charm, it must have been somewhat cathartic for fans to finally see these two characters finally say "I do."

Julie and Doug are just one example, for a show that used to do romantic pay offs very well; Bo and Hope, Jack and Jennifer, etc., etc. You don't have to look only at DAYS, even Douglas Marland allowed the tortured coupling of Holden and Lilly on ATWT a happy wedding.

[quartermainefan]

This for some reason is the most memorable moment I ever saw on AMC. I saw this at college, in the student hall watching this on a TV with about 100 people all glued to the chairs hanging on every word, every camera change.

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This is Ruth Warrick at her best, and it resolves the big mystery. Just watch all the scenes with Phoebe and company and FF over Erica. It does resolve a murder mystery if you happen to be watching this story on YT.

When the end comes and the killer is revealed, you could not hear a word because all the people watching were screaming. And what is weird is all the college kids loved Phoebe and her hammy ways and loved to laugh and scream at the show.

[DRW50]

Is that the Nina recast with Palmer and Marian?

I can't believe Marian was dumb enough to keep using that purse.

[quartermainefan]

I love that scene. RW is giving this monologue so over the top and everyone else is her audience. And she is just selling it in her usual unrealistic style but it all works and you believe a character that is completely unbelievable. That is the Nina recast btw.

[Quent]

The big moments on ATWT that I remember:

Iva, Josh, Lily and the pitchfork.

David Stenbeck's funeral with Emily, Denise, Lily, Molly and Julia (who shot the corpse!)

The reveal that Doug Cummings was Kim's stalker.

Barbara and Hal's engagement party, where Carly was revealed to have switched the paternity results, faking John Dixon as Parker's father.

The Endicott Awards, where Katie was humiliated when all her shenanigans were revealed.

Jennifer's final moments, where she got to say goodbye to all her family.

Hal's death.