Memorable Soap Moments That People Loved...but You Thought Were Cheesy

[SoapDope]

What soap moments did viewers love and find memorable, but when you watched them, you thought they were cheesy ?

 

I am probably going to get slaughtered for this, but I find the 1979 OLTL Karen on the witness stand scene over acted and cheesy. 

 

 

[BetterForgotten]

Most things with Erika Slezak and Vicki's alters...

[P.J.]

ATWT, Iva/Lily/Josh when Iva revealed Lily's parentage while threatening Josh with a pitchfork. It was soapy overkill, and not in the best of ways.

[Faulkner]

In isolation the Karen Wolek scenes seem insane, but when I saw more of the Wolek story and how quiet most of JL’s work was, those scenes felt more cathartic.  

 

Slight tangent, but I used to think Susan Lucci tossing herself on Mona’s coffin was over-the-top and embarrassing, but having watched those scenes recently after losing a parent I found it all just heart-wrenching. Maybe I was projecting my own situation on it, but I was moved.

 

But to your point: the Jenny jet ski death scene on AMC was so cheap and cheesily done. The aftermath was incredible and painful, though.

[Franko]

Mary getting crushed by the C.

[Soaplovers]

The problem with viewing memorable soap moments is that you're only viewing the moment itself.. and not viewing the build up to the moment nor viewing the aftermath.

 

Karen's emotional outburst on the witness stand came after a multi year build up... same with Mary getting crushed by the hotel sign on Santa Barbara... both of those moments were preceded by months of story build up.

 

If I view Reva driving off the bridge on GL in 1990 just by itself.. it would seem over the top, etc.  However, as a small child.. you viewed months of Reva struggling with post-p. depression.. as well as having bad side effects from the medication keeping her even keeled.   It actually was a well done story at the time.

[SoapDope]

I didn't watch OLTL, so I guess just watching random scenes like Karen on the witness stand, can come across as campy without seeing the build up. I do think Erika Slezak is over the top, so is Susan Lucci. 

 

As much as I love Y&R, it has had it's fair share of cheesy moments. 

[DRW50]

 

The Luke and Laura wedding. I can never even get past Lesley's hooker dress. 

[DRW50]

 

As you know, I love Iva, I do, but that whole scene is just not good. It's just too contrived - Marland dramatic moments were usually not that way so I don't know what happened. 

[P.J.]

 

Yeah, I'm sure on paper, it sounded great. But part of the reason it doesn't work for me is just the fact Iva never looked like she could defend herself, let alone someone else. Maybe if she had simply flew at him, hitting him while his back was to her, then she'd have to explain to Lily why she'd attacked him like that---maybe that would've worked better for me.  

[juppiter]

Karen’s Pollyanna speech on Knots Landing. It’s the television equivalent of sucking on a lemon. I want to crawl into a hole and die when I hear it. 

[titan1978]

GL- Reva in the fountain.  I get the significance of it.  But it’s just bad melodrama to me.  Isn’t Josh in a wheelchair during that scene too?  Such a soap cliche.

 

Viki as Nikki Smith on OLTL.  Maybe not earlier versions.  But by the time we had Malone’s DID story, that really played up the tragedy and menace of her other alters, and later returns were just campy in a bad way.

 

I totally agree about Karen’s Pollyanna rant on Knots Lansing.

[edgeofnik]

@Soaplovers You're absolutely correct. It's most evident in those attempted "Emmy" reel scenes/moments v. the entire body of work that led to the watershed moment. 

 

I suppose you could contrast this thread with "Iconic/Great Soap Moments That Didn't Lead to Anything." There's been plenty of fantastic shocking moments, but the fallout completely fizzled or worse. I'll save those moments for that thread led by "Marlena Revealed As Salem Stalker."    

[SoapDope]

Yes, Karen's speech on Knots. I always felt Michelle Lee could get histrionic with her acting, especially all the crap with Meg. Victoria Principal would sometimes fall into that on Dallas. Like the episode where Bobby comes home with Christopher and she runs down the stairs bawling that Bobby brought her a baby. It was cringe worthy. 

[soapfan770]

I think the Adam Malik story on GL could be fairly cheesy at times, almost Phantom of the Opera-esque in a way with a masked and caped Roger snatching a bomb to save Blake and then Roger swinging out on a vine/wire off the balcony at Blake and Phillip's wedding. It was certainly was very compelling but some of the moments were just a little unintentionally laughable.

 

A lot of late 80s GL could be actually pretty cheesy but it at least it was entertaining. Although Queen Warren being a murderer was super cheesy. 

 

Probably the cheesiest Marland moment at ATWT for me was Darryl and Jessup falling out of the window as the climax to the Carolyn Crawford mystery. Both survived and then we found out the mousy Vicki Harper ordered the hit on Carolyn. Although Charles Keating as Niles Mason was VERY campy. 

 

Over top and embarrassing at a funeral? Probably Iris at Mac's funeral on AW.

 

One story I had always expected to fall apart but never did was Brad in a cage on Y&R. The entire scenario was definitely absurd but it never descended into camp at all, aside from Jack's quip about Lisa being a "a pile of hair".