Narrative arc in American Soap Operas: A Comparison of Two Episodes from Gossip Girl and General Hospital

I recently asked my mom if she knew of a good soap opera to watch, and she immediately suggested “As the World Turns” and began reminiscing about the “old days” when she would watch every new episode in sequence. Even now, people follow soap operas on a regular basis. What makes these television programs special that people would be drawn to the television week after week? Perhaps the answer lies within a soap opera “story formula” analogous to the one for a hero’s journey as expounded by James Campbell. I hope to probe into this possible explanation by comparing the common themes between individual episodes of Gossip Girl (GG) and General Hospital (GH) in American soap operas.

At first glance, GG and GH are very different shows. The first focuses on the drama in the lives of wealthy teenagers at a private school in Manhattan. The latter is about the lives of several families and their relations. However, a closer look shows very basic similarities, such as the use of multiple storylines and the interconnectedness of all the characters and how it affects their actions and decisions in life.

The pilot episode of GG starts out by presenting the viewer with a compelling unknown. Why did Serena, popular rich girl at school, leave for boarding school last year? Why did she return to Manhattan? Similarly, in the second episode of the 48^th season of General Hospital, viewers are immediately faced with several questions: will Sonny be convicted for Claudia’s murder? Will Dante and Lucky figure out who really beat Kristina? Both GG and GH start their episodes with a question to be answered during the episode or season.

Conflicts arise almost immediately in the stories, and for GG and GH, they have mostly to do with character relationships. In GG, there is an obvious friendship and power struggle between Selena and Blair from the start. And in GH, there are conflicts between Kristina, her family, her boyfriend, Keifer, who beat her, the family of the boy she blamed, Ethan. There is also the conflict of Sonny being convicted for a murder that his son, Michael, actually committed. All of these dramatic elements serve to hook the viewer into the story.

Finally, there is always a resolution to at least one of the multiple storylines. GG wraps up the mystery of Serena’s unannounced disappearance and reappearance by the end of the first episode, revealing her secret relationship with Blair’s boyfriend. The end of the episode of GH shows Keifer beating Kristina and then being seen by her mother. This wraps up the question of whether Keifer will be caught and Ethan’s name cleared. However, both shows leave the viewer with a new unknown for one of the storylines. In GG, we still do not know if Blair and Serena will become friends again. We also know that there is a sparking romance between Serena and Dan, but we don’t know if it will last. Similarly, in GH, we don’t know if Kristina is still alive or if Maxie will be able to stall her witness account long enough for the truth about Sonny and Michael to remain a mystery to the jury by the end of the episode.

Both GG and GH use multiple storylines and follow the narrative arc of unknown, conflict, resolution, and cliffhanger. This cycle of story seems to play a significant role in the keeping viewers engaged and following these soap operas.

In "The Flow"

I was once a Neopets addict. The cute virtual pets and arcade-style games were what drew me in at first, but they were not what kept me playing. Although I did play Meerca Chase everyday, I spent most of my time on the message boards, looking for role-playing games to play with other people online. One particular role-playing game comes to mind. The basic guideline for the story was high school drama, and I, being a 12-year-old junior high school girl, was instantly intrigued. I joined the conversation, convinced all the people joining that I was "literate", and somehow managed to weasel my way into the role of female protagonist. I played the shy, not-so-popular girl who had a huge crush on the high school football quarterback. It was quite amazing how playing that part in the RPG captured my attention so completely. I did not bother to eat until we had reached the end of the story. By then, the football quarterback had gone psychotic and run around the school with a gun because he was so in love with my character but didn't know how to express his feelings in a less dramatic way.

I think that there are several reasons why participating in this particular RPG put me within "the flow":

• it involved some literary skill, but was not too difficult that I would have to edit and re-edit my posts.
• it involved social interaction, particularly the goal of impressing the other participants.
• it allowed me to have some control over the storyline
• it provided me with instant feedback from other players.
• it gave me an intrinsic satisfaction in having enjoyed and been part of creating a good story, which is related to Csikszentmihalyi's conception of an "autotelic" personality.

These five reasons are also found within Larazzo's article, Why We Play Games. In this article, Larazzo explains that helping people get in "the flow" while gaming depends on 4 Keys: Hard fun, easy fun, altered states, and the People Factor. In my experience with the RPG, I was challenged, but not frustrated. I experienced the emotions my character would have experienced when she found out her crush was literally crazy for her, and even forgot my own real needs in the process, such as food. And the People Factor was obviously important to my experience in "the flow". Larazzo takes the concept of "the flow" and shows how gaming helps people achieve it.

iPad...the next big thing?

My brother seems to think so....

New Year's Resolutions

In just the first week of 2010, I've felt like I have little direction and purpose in what I'm doing. Yes, I am working toward medical school and getting my major requirements done. And yes, I'm doing research to discover new ways to treat bacterial infections. But what is it all for, really, if God isn't in it? I don't want my life to be meaningless, but that's exactly what it is without God.

I mentally made a note of these resolutions before the new year, but I want to put them down in writing and deliberately ask God to make them worthwhile.

Resolution #1: Gain 10 pounds. (People say I'm a little underweight, and I think it's true....my BMI is 18.5. This is a really hard one for me.)

Resolution #2: Go on facebook on Friday nights and Saturdays only. (So far so good...)

Resolution #3: Spend quiet time in the mornings with God, submitting the whole rest of the day to Him. (I want to try to be a little more creative with these things. I definitely want to continue prayer journaling and reading the Bible, but more consistently. And maybe try writing poems, singing praises, and drawing pictures to God.)

Dear Heavenly Father,

Please be gracious to me as you always have been, and help me fulfill these New Year's resolutions in order to bring glory to Your name.

In Jesus' Name,

Amen

I've Got the Joy, Joy, Joy...!

Some of the wonderful kids in Siborongborong singing in English!

North Sumatra Presentation Video

Hi Everyone,

Here's the video of my presentation on helping people overcome poverty.

Looking Back

It has been a week since I returned from my trip overseas, and already I'm falling back into my bad habits. I sleep late and wake up late, I spend most of my time reading silly fiction novels, and I eat at weird times of the day (although I am eating more now, which is a good thing). But what this fall back into my old habits has shown me is that it is so hard for people to change, even when we want to.

My wild adventure to several small villages in Sumatra may have helped shaped my views on poverty, education, and medicine, but, for some reason, it hasn't been able to keep me from falling back into laziness. It's the same way with the people in Aek Matio, who want to become more economically stable, and know that the training and credit union they've received are means to that end. They know that they need to improve their farming techniques and the way they manage their money, but no matter how hard they try, they don't change.

What I'm coming to realize is that true life transformation doesn't come from traveling to faraway countries, helping the poor, or working your way up the economic ladder. No, those can be life-changing experiences, but the actual life-change comes from Christ. I've seen it in the lives of my friends and family. In Sitabotabo, we could see how those who walked with God had such joy in their eyes, and could work wholeheartedly for God's glory. In my own life, I've known the joy of realizing that Jesus loves me in the darkest moment of my despair, and experiencing the life transformation (still in progress) that follows.

As I learn more about microfinance, I am amazed at the simple brilliance of the idea. But the success of these small credit unions really does depend on its members; whether they are willing to set aside some money each month, whether they are ready to start a business with the money they borrow. Matthew 6:33 says, "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." We need to share the gospel and encourage people to have a personal relationship with God before even introducing the concept of microfinance, and the desire to work, save money, and send their children to college, all for God's glory, will follow.