Likes and Yikes - 2009

This is my version of a best and worst list for the year, as some things I’ve enjoyed and others make me shake my head in disgust and/or confusion. Just like TV Guide’s Cheers and Jeers, which at times had cheers within jeers and jeers within cheers. It is not comprehensive, but just my general feelings on random topics that I can’t elucidate into a 500 or more word essay at this point. As with soaps some stories are still underway, I am planning on writing a "year in review" post later this week about the general trends of 2009.

All My Children

Likes/Yikes: Amanda, Jake, and David I like all three characters; I like all three actors, and I like the idea of a triangle. I didn’t like the execution of the classical style triangle. David is too “evil”, Amanda too trusting and Jake too ineffective. This story could have run for years, with David loving Trevor so much that he could not give him up, Amanda being torn between her husband and the man she believes to be the father of her child, and Jake wanting to be with Amanda, but letting his jealousy of David get in the way.

Likes/Yikes: The first legal same-sex marriage on a soap was between Bianca and Reese. Unfortunately it ended before there was a honeymoon, as Reese had kissed Bianca’s brother-in-law Zach.

Days of Our Lives

Yikes: The loss of veteran characters like Marlena, John, Steve and Kayla, who have all left Salem. There were times since then when events in their children’s lives should have necessitated a visit, but instead there was barely a mention. Yes I do understand, that the actors may not want to come back, but when Stephanie (Steve and Kayla’s daughter), Brady (John’s son) or Sami (Marlena’s daughter), have problems their parents should not be forgotten.

Likes: How Days has an umbrella story about Baby Sydney. Those twins are just adorable, and I was skeptical about the whole baby saga, but in the end I did like it. Figure I will write more about this in 2010.

General Hospital

Likes: The younger generation as the new actors playing Molly, Kristina, Michael and Morgan are entertaining and match well with their parents. Kudos goes to the casting department at GH.

Yikes: Robin’s post-partum depression story, in which baby Emma ended up in a tree. While I think post-partum depression is an important topic, the way the plot was handled didn’t make all that much sense. The low points include Robin walking out in a snowstorm with a bundled baby and making believe she was someone else to ignore her problems. I was very glad, when that story came to an end.

Likes/Yikes: The departure of Greg Vaughn’s Lucky and the return of Jonathan Jackson as Lucky. All it took to finally write Lucky with intelligence and a heart was the decision to rehire Mr. Jackson in the role of Lucky Spencer. I wish they had decided to do right by the character years ago, regardless of who was playing the part. I feel for those who love Mr. Vaughn in the role, as I bet they miss him.

Guiding Light

Likes/Yikes: The cemetery scenes, featuring various characters. After GL got canceled, it seemed like characters spent more time at the cemetery visiting tombstones. From Phillip visiting his own empty grave, to Buzz speaking to not only Jenna, but their dead son Coop, the chats with Gus’s placard, Jonathan seeing Tammy, Blake going to her husband’s memorial, and Lillian making final peace with her best friend that died due to her actions many years ago. It was sad seeing scenes with these characters visiting the cemetery, as most of these characters should have never died. With the show over, none of them can return from the dead except in our imaginations.

Likes/Yikes: Sorry again with a death topic, but Jeffrey’s death is what inspired this concept as the end of that character made few happy. The people who loved Jeffrey were upset he was alive, hiding from Reva and abandoning their baby boy. The people who loathed Jeffrey were upset he was alive, and Guiding Light spent so much time in the final weeks mourning a living character that had been on canvas less than a decade.

Likes/Yikes: Like the increased use of some actors and characters in GL’s final year, but it felt like it took cancellation to get to see them more regularly.

One Life to Live

Likes/Yikes: The reunion of Bo and Nora, tied into the destruction of the brother relationship between Bo and Clint and the anger some felt with how they took Matthew to boarding school against his will. It took ten long years and a lot of teasing to finally get Bo and Nora back together. Unfortunately, for some viewers the reunion was marred due to the storyline. The couple grew closer over Matthew’s paralysis, but “kidnapped” him once he got a court order to have surgery to correct it. Once Matthew had the surgery, and learned to walk all was forgiven. I don’t get how even if Matthew got to walk again, why he wasn’t resentful of his parents actions. Of course, perhaps Clint destroying Bo’s professional career, and publicly embarrassing the couple may have been felt to be enough for them to deal with together. I’m not sure where this one is going, but things should continue to brew as the family finds out about Bo and Nora.

Yikes: The quadrangle of Gigi, Stacy, Rex, and Schyuler. I put this in this category because once they started talking about bags of blood, and Stacy risking the life of Gigi and Rex’s son Shane, I lost interest. I hope this improves soon.

Here's hoping that 2010 is a better year than 2009.