This week on The Never Ending Soap Opera: Chad dumped Monica for her sister Sara. Sara is pregnant, but no one knows the baby daddy is. Ben is beginning to have feelings for Finn. Lauren is moving to New York to escape her stalker. Nolan is learning Hindu as his path of finding faith has led him to India. Darlene is back with a new piece of eye candy (of whom everyone is suspicious).
Soap operas. A simple concept with complex stereotypes. However, despite the stereotypes and ironic drama they cause among the general population, they still rank high among the TV ratings. In fact, not only do the 'soaps' rank in TV, they also fall into place in books. Even those who read tend to fall addict to the ever enchanting love-hate relationships throughout stories. With all of the various ways this drama filled content is accessible it's completely and utterly understandable when a teenagers' life becomes "dramatic."
Entering the teenage years, mainly in the life of a stereotypical girl, even the stare a stranger gives you from across the way becomes important... Important enough to perhaps write an entire sixty-minute episode just to end with a cliffhanger. Typically in a boys' life events become more minute as earning manhood and rank amongst friends takes priority. What a confusing life, creating a balancing act of love, lust and education.
The starring cast of any soap opera is predictable. There's the building or roommates consisting of various strangers who have all somehow come together: The dramatic one (although this is a soap opera, isn't everyone dramatic?); the sisters of which no one knows who they are or that they even existed until at least the seventy-second episode; the father who shouldn't have slept with another women; the policeman who seems to be called into this particular family for various murders and fights but never questions why. Among all of these main roles also lie the various throwaway characters who like to stir the pot.
In the average teenage group, most have a role. There's the jock who may be a star on the field and a star in the town's hearts but not a star in the future ACT; the popular girls who become elite, loved and envied by every other girl; the nerd who keeps telling himself one day all of the bullies will be working for him; the silently lost teenagers who are trying their hardest not to conform; the parents, principal and teachers who constantly monitor the teenagers but only truly see half of what's going, only to truly find things out about a month after they have happened. Also thrown into this crazy cast are the "others". These are people who bop in and out of peoples lives for a reason that has yet to be revealed until at least episode sixty-six.
The life of a soap cast is varied from episode to episode. Some days are up- days where Monica doesn't get her heart ripped out by Chad. Yet again, some days are down; days where Darleen's' new piece of eye candy turns out to be a drug dealer with a warrant for his arrest. Even so, these days are varied amongst the stereotypical drama. Drama such as Sara finding out she is pregnant but not knowing who exactly the father is. This is the drama that gives a soap an unrealistic feel. As if people actually find out they're pregnant, without knowing the father, every twelfth episode.
A teenager's reality is ever so changing. Some weeks are great weeks- weeks where the jock doesn't miss a beat in his triumphal return in a game after suffering a bad sprain. Although, some weeks are bad weeks- weeks when the popular girls are all simultaneously PMSing. However, in the life of a teenager even the slightest thing can cause a plot twist- things varying from a new zit to the nerd sat at the wrong table. When this plot twist drama is added in, social media takes a spiral. This is was makes it all seem like a dramatic reality. As if no other humans experience the minor faults in life.
Growing up in a soap is fairly impossible. Characters never seem to age, which although is most likely a result of the unnamed doctor practicing plastic surgery, it makes it hard to believe our beloved cast will ever find love. As if all life is about is the drama. The never ending drama with the same group of people episode after episode (until the actual star dies of course.)
In the real drama filled world, growing up is easy- Easy in the sense of which a person will hopefully grow up. Life in the real world isn't only about the drama. The drama ends when the petty problems end. For there will come a time when a zit is the least of our problems, when we ourselves could have a life or death situation.
This week on the Never Ending Soap Opera: Order is restored. Chad gets back together with Monica. Sara finds out the pregnancy was false because she was just pregnant eleven episodes ago. Ben and Finn find happiness in being each other's life long partners. Lauren realizes she needs to face her problems, not escape them. Nolan finds his passion through his new faith. Darleen dumps the mysterious eye candy and - wait. This is a soap opera. Stay tuned for more drama to come.
