'Dirty Soap': Breakups, Fights & Feuds – Oh, my

Thanks to E!, daytime fans and reality show addicts are getting a glimpse into the soapy lives of a handful of actors. The show chronicles real life relationships, breakups, feuds, and struggles. It’s a needed reminder that soap stars are more than the characters they play on TV and that real life just may be as complicated as their alter egos.

We know them best as their alter egos; the conniving, lying, cheating, promiscuous, and downright dirty characters they play on daytime. We keep tallies of their affairs, backstabs, and bitch smacks, but how well do we really know some of daytime’s favorite stars? Well, thanks to E! daytime fans and reality show addicts are getting a glimpse into the soapy lives of a handful of actors. The show chronicles real life relationships, breakups, feuds, and struggles. It’s a needed reminder that soap stars are more than the characters they play on TV and that real life just may be as complicated as their alter egos.

The show first introduced Kelly Monaco (Sam, General Hospital), who was one of the most candid on the show. Her raunchy side (how funny were her fan club weekend clips?) was countered by her vulnerable side (ending an 18 year relationship – ouch!). I found her so refreshing on this show. She was shocking, hilarious, and truthful. My hope is that daytime viewers who tune in take this moment to separate Kelly from the character of Sam, who as we all know is very adored or completely despised among fans.

I also hope that Kirsten (Maxie, General Hospital) gives Kelly a break as well. While she wasn’t front and center on this episode, Kirsten made her presence known when she pushed Kelly toward dealing with her breakup. Anyway, there comes a moment when a relationship is over that it’s time to throw things out and start new, but we’re talking eighteen years here. And forcing Kelly to do something she doesn’t want to do isn’t helping her. Anyone else wonder if Farah Fath (Gigi, One Life to Live) was on to something when she said that Kirsten was a bossy friend? If anything, Kirsten should take Kelly out for a night on the town and buy her some ice cream to cry into at the end of the evening. (Although are we supposed to believe this breakup is recent? If you follow Kelly on Twitter, you know she’s been dating someone else. Then again, it is eighteen years, so that takes a hell of a lot of getting over.)

Our single ladies aside, the rest of the cast is made up of beautiful couples with equally beautiful complications. With her stint on OLTL over, Farah wants to move across the country, but doesn’t have boyfriend John Paul Lavoisier’s (Rex, One Life to Live) blessing. Did anyone else feel uncomfortable watching some of their scenes? I don’t know what is worse; the fact that John Paul doesn’t even seem to like her or that Farah dismisses his opinion without a care in the world. It could be the editing, but so far, these two seem ill suited and doomed. Along with Farah’s anxiety about seeing her ex-best friend, Kirsten, she’s bound to have a very, very soapy season. The foreshadowing of relationship woes and catfights make Farah the one to watch this season.

Although Farah may have some competition with Jenna Gering, who’s distraught over her husband’s love scenes, even though Galen (Rafe, Days of Our Lives) has been on daytime the entire time they’ve been together. The over dramatic reaction to Galen’s love scene proves one thing: never read lines with your spouse. If you must, skim it first to block out any of the dirty-dirty. I understand that jealousy is natural, but he’s an actor and it’s the nature of the game. Here’s hoping that we don’t have to spend all season watching her having fits. And if we must, here’s hoping she has a delicious breakdown on TV.

I saved the best, and perhaps most beautiful, for last. Nadia Bjorlin (Chloe, Days of our Lives) and Brandon Beemer (Owen, The Bold and the Beautiful) were sickeningly adorable. From him making her breakfast to his teasing about Chloe’s departure from Salem and his unwavering support – is there anything not perfect about these two? Seeing Nadia prepare to leave a show she had been on for so long was pretty heartbreaking. In an era when soaps are being canceled and actors are fired on a whim, it was sad to see how much it affected her. We know how upsetting it is for fans, but we don’t normally get to see such an instant reaction from the actor.

Nadia’s goodbye was matched by her conversation with Farah about the end of their characters, another moment that daytime fans definitely understood. As viewers we mock, hate, and argue about the ridiculous story lines that are sometimes put on screen. And guess what? The actors do as well. Sometimes they’re frustrated and dislike what they’re given, but like the viewers, they can’t change it.

Overall, the show is a reminder that in a genre whose viewers live and die by their favorite soap, the actors are merely just doing their job. They have way more important things going on and don’t worry about who they’ll be sleeping with or back stabbing at work. Their lives are way more serious (and in some ways more soapy) than their daytime personas.

So, what did you think? Will you be tuning in next week?