ALL: Darkest storylines in soap operas

[Maxim]

Dark periods in shows where storylines turned sinister, scary and disturbed. Storylines that seemed like they came from a true crime-blog.

• Bold

Let me start with The Angela impostor storyline.

How can you go darker than this?

Disturbed, disfigured impostor plans the Forrester's demise.

When I was a child I used to have nightmares from her scenes with the veil.

I LOVED this story and it was Bill Bell at his finest. And darkest. It began slowly and slowly build up to this obsessed, full of hatred demented woman, who wanted to destroy Stephanie.

Something truly amazing is that Bill Bell HINTED about this story for 300 episodes, before even starting it. 

 

 

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Edited December 20, 2023 by OpportunisticSlut

[Manny]

Eden's rape on Santa Barbara was very graffic and brutal from what I remember. I was a kid back then, but I would say that was the darkest moment I ever saw on daytime soaps. I remember her being all beaten and bloody  and crying.. 

[Faulkner]

Y&R: Adam dressing up as Victor’s dead wife Sabrina to gaslight and torture a pregnant, mentally fragile Ashley, leading her to fall down the stairs and miscarry, with Adam quickly disposing of the fetus in the Newman Ranch fireplace. Then, with Ashley suffering a hysterical pregnancy, Adam steals baby Faith from Sharon and gives it to Ashley, letting Sharon believe her baby died just a few years after she’d tragically lost Cassie. 

[Maxim]

WOW. What year is this. I want to watch it. Sounds brutal.

[Faulkner]

2009, I believe. A very lurid era for the show.

[Maxim]

Thank you. My interest is perked up.

[Contessa Donatella]

Intentionally graphic, brutal, using odd-angle shots, at home in her own shower, a violent stranger & he was so rough with her that she nearly drowned besides being raped. Then you'd think there's no way it could get any worse but her rapist was revealed to be her OB/GYN. 

[AMCOLTLLover]

Mid 2000’s on Passions where u had the feeling like there was a serial killings going on and too much rape.. I hated that weird rape year.

OLTL and Todd leading the Gang rape on Marty.. I love Roger and he is a fine actor but I never got over this stuff.. That they tried to downplay that and make Marty the lunatic in the end was such a slap in the face to the audience! I was too little to when it aired and my mom switched it off and I saw glimpses of it and remember Todd attacking her in the alley and threatening her. How can we pretend like Todd is so hilarious and such a good daddy in later years and such a misunderstood men? Like F that! 
 

And DAYS with the Salem stalker. I was in puberty during those years and that story was so shocking to me. The story was so stupid but dark and yet it saved the show. I’ll admit I was rooting for Shawn-Douglas to nail Marlena when he was on to her. The outcome of that story was the dumbest thing I’ve ever had to witness on any soap.. Yet they got away with it and still get away with their crap. I stopped Days when Gabi left and probably will never return. I suffered enough from this show and this is the show my mom and me watched together. This and Bold were my first two soaps as a child and they ruined it. F them. Like seriously. It belongs to peacock. No one on NbC should suffer through this. Let the hardcore fans go through those dark times lol 

Edited December 21, 2023 by AMCOLTLLover

[Khan]

Here's another story to add to the list: the "LOVING Murders," which were used to end one show (LOVING) and launch another (THE CITY).  Most of the killings occurred in a somewhat gentle fashion (poisoned powder puffs, toxic candles, etc.); yet, at the same time, it was so unsettling to watch so many long-time characters meet untimely demises at the hands of one of their own.  (No spoilers for anyone who hasn't seen or heard of the storyline, lol).

Edited December 21, 2023 by Khan

[Liberty City]

The Deveney Dixon storyline is one I always felt should have been revisited throughout the years; her face reconstructed, returning to taunt Stephanie and the Forresters. Could have been brilliant.

[Khan]

ICAM.  Watching Marty Saybrooke regress into a psychopath (and over John [!@#$%^&*] McBain) was an insult to anyone with even half of a brain.  It was enough to make you want to sue everyone involved.

Edited December 21, 2023 by Khan

[kalbir]

If Bill Bell was still in charge, yes. Bradley would bungle the execution.

[Maxim]

 

Oh my god, I would really love if he was able to build a storyline like his father - for months we get hints of a woman visiting a reconstructive surgeon. We hear him telling her the chances of success are really low. Scene there and scene there... nothing much, but just hints and suspense. And then in 3-4 months we hear the doctor say the results are miraculous and that now nobody will ever recognize her. The camera slowly shows us her hands, then goes up and up to reveal Kate Collins from All my children... Deveney under the name - "Stephanie Rogers"

 

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It can really be something to rock the whole show for years.  But Bradley doesn't have the capacity to execute a storyline like this. 2 months later and Deveney will be sleeping with Bill or Deacon and it will be cheap and disgusting. 

[Contessa Donatella]

I would mention at this point one dark story from AMC's Megan McTavish. Possibly she should have her own dark story sub-topic but never mind that. The one I am thinking of now is the UnAbortion. 

[AMCOLTLLover]

I remember now from my teenage years how dark and depressing the bold and the beautiful became in 2007 and Stephanie Forrester’s kinda involvement that lead to Brooke’s rape. That was just disgusting and turned me off that show so hard. Like wtf ? I felt so sorry for all the actors and actresses involved. It wasn’t even a good storyline at all.

and one year later we have the damn eggs storyline with Brooke-Taylor. And killing off Taylor’s daughter Phoebe.

Like what was Bell Junior smoking during the mid 2000’s? Honest question