Top 10 Over the Top Plots of 1996

[DRW50]

Year of the Soap was an ad campaign which ABC ran in early 1998. It had some shots from Super Soap Weekend, possibly, and had a pompous announcer talking about how this would be the year of the soap.

I don't get why that plot would be on the list either, unless someone saw it as being tacky or exploitive.

[EricMontreal22]

I think Marlena actually has said she did find it tacky. I simply disagree (especially in a year filled with some of AMC's tackiest storylines )

[DRW50]

Animal killing is a no-no for some people.

I have a lot of issues with animal killing when it is done for shock value, but I thought this story was tastefully done and one of the few on AMC in the late 90s which had something close to a heart.

[Pine Charles]

I would have been a bit disgusted if they had someone stab Harold to death or something, but he was put to sleep. I believe he had cancer, correct?

I also think the story was done tastefully and was touching.

[EricMontreal22]

Carl, agreed completely--and who can't relate to the death of a family pet? It's not the same as if, say, that Candy Cane terrorizing lady had decapitated Harold to further torment Janet...

[Pine Charles]

Sophie!

God, I HATED that bitch!

[DRW50]

I think he had cancer.

There were a few good scenes where Janet felt guilty as she wondered if the cruel way she'd treated him when she was Jane Cox had helped cause his health decline.

[Mitch]

Okay, that makes sense...I thought they had him run over or something...(I am such a dog puss that seeing those pictures of a real live healthy dog playing a dying one going to heaven made me start tearing up!!!) I think the good old trips to heaven, visits of dead characters are overdone but that seemed nice and a fitting way to end the storyline (Harold, happy in heaven reunited with his owner I guess!!)

If see thought THAT was tasteless I wonder what she thought of her dear friend having Marlena joke Alice Horton to death on a donut (and treating it all like a joke!!)

Anyway, those small, but touching real life stories are really what use to ground soaps for the rest of the over the top (though when well done, very entertaining) storylines, Though still it isnt something I would want to watch, like those painful episodes following Maureen Bauers death, they were so well done, acted, written, but they were too REAL...( you knew at the time it wanst like Roger, Reva or Alan "dying") and TOO relatable.

But I am also very weird when it comes to showing animals dying...I was watching the really, really, really bad Halloween 4 on AMC last night, and I was all worried when they showed a character stalked by Michael Myers holding a kitten. I was worried they would show him killing the kitten, however, the actual beheading of the anonymous horny teenager did not make my flinch!!!

[Pine Charles]

Yes, he was reunited with Natalie (Kate Collins). Natalie loved Harold very much.

[SFK]

And KC sure looked great in heaven.

[Pine Charles]

Yeah, she looked really good in that scene.

I wish it was on YouTube.

[DRW50]

I wish it was too. I remember some took more notice of the big ring she had on her finger, ha.

The saddest part was when Harold looked back and Natalie told him they would be fine