The Beta Males of Daytime

[P.J.]

Well, in the "beta-can-be-a-good-thing" vein....Hal Munson clearly belongs in the discussion. In some ways, Hal was the heart of Oakdale.

[DRW50]

Bob was a very interesting character. He seemed genial, but he never had a problem standing up for what he believed, right or wrong. He ended his marriage to Sandy because of her career. He didn't like Jennifer wanting to go back to school, and he put his foot down. He loved Lisa, but once he realized how screwed up she was, he never looked back, even though she was clearly still in love with him for many years. He pursued Kim (in 1984, not the first time around) even when she insisted they should just stay friends. He made his unease clear about Kim/John spending so much time together, which led him to stray with Susan. He also rarely held his tongue regarding Chris' mistakes.

Unfortunately a man like that can't exist on soaps now. Unless you go around raping, brawling, and spreading STDs, you're not a real man.

[P.J.]

Oh, Bob and John got in a few brawls, as I remember. The difference was, Bob never came off as a caveman. He always had a point, and while he was clearly opinionated, he rarely raised his voice. Nowadays, men who need to make their point yell, scream, and belittle whoever they disagree with.

Or murder, depending on the show.

[DRW50]

That type of male character is often the strongest, the one who can be cool and quiet. John was like that quite a bit too. They could cut to the quick, without fisticuffs or snide one-liners. It made the moments where they did fight or did say nasty things even more powerful, because it wasn't a default, the way it was with a loser like Craig.