Subject: Re: Soap Opera Digest on Twin Peaks
From: dan@GNU.AI.MIT.EDU.UUCP
Date: 1990-08-27, 01:12
Newsgroups: alt.tv.twin-peaks

In article <38400@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU> suelynn@eclair.berkeley.edu 
(Susan Streisand) writes:

> >So, how do people feel about Twin Peaks being treated as just another
> >nightime soap?
> >

It doesn't bother me at all.  "Soap Opera" need not be a perjorative term.
There are many things I've enjoyed over the years that are "soap operas".
As a longtime reader of the daily "Brenda Starr" comic strip, I long ago 
learned to accept the idea that a soap could be simultaneously trashy,
vulgar, insightful, fascinating and even funny.  Kind of like TP itself.

It's been my experience that most publications devoted to soaps have 
a very general definition of what one is.  All it needs to have is
continuing stories and characters, and it's a soap.

Furthermore, TP is not the first completely off-the-wall soap.  Consider:

General Hospital: 8 or 9 years ago, the plot invloved a mad scientist
(played by John Colicos, of "Battlestar Galactica") who plotted to 
take over the world, with a freeze ray.  He pointed his freeze
ray at Port Charles, and soon Luke and Laura (the unlikely sex symbols
of the show) were off to try to ferret out this madman.  Hijinks included
a stint on a dessert island, a la "Gilligan's Island".

Furthermore, a recent storyline (I've long since given up the show, so
I'm not up on this) involved finding an alien being in a barn.

One Life to Live: Last year, one plotline revolved around a mysterious
underground kingdom called Eterna, where a bunch of the regular cast were
trapped.  Another OLTL storyline a couple of years earlier involved
time travel.

And then there's Dark Shadows...
_______________________________________________________________________________
Hooker - that's a colloquiallism for prostitute - though the word hooker is 
correct.  The word prostitute has been neologized.  Too many guys have 
"prostituted their art."  All these men all over the world:  "I'm prostituting 
myself.  I can"t work for them.  I'm not gonna prostitute myself any longer!"
Now some shriner says to the bell captain, "Son, go get me a 100 dollar
prostitute."  "Yessuh."
Ten minutes later a guy comes to the door with a beard.  He writes - some 
schmuck:"Good evening.  I'm a prostitute."
"Not for me you're not.  Get outta here.  And get the bell captain 
outta here.  He's a bit weird."
-- Lenny Bruce
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