By Polly Bryant 溫純/選注

For many of us， watching soap operas has become one of lifes little rituals—a way to unwind at the end of the day.1 Women， in particular， often become hooked on2 these long-running television series. Some cannot bear to miss a single episode， recording the entire series so they can watch it at will.3 They care about the characters， so much so that anger can even be felt when a story line takes an unwanted twist.4 Whats more， some extreme viewers even confuse the line between fictional character and real-life actor or actress， verbally abusing “bad” characters on the streets or in supermarkets.5 Such fans have become so caught up in a soap that they have illogically blurred fantasy and reality，6 as though they believe an actor really is the character they play.

Are Soaps Realistic？

In most soap operas， everything is magnified7. Statistics are clearly out of line with real life in most “ordinary” residential settings.8 In a soap， your chances of meeting a grisly end are hugely amplified when compared with true-life data.9 Accidents and illness may take away some of our favourite characters， but surely it has to be the chance of getting bumped off by murder that is the most unrealistic statistic of all.10 Countless acts of murder and manslaughter11 are committed in soap operas， usually all occurring within the same street or two. Well， you know where you would never want to move to！

Such high rates of murder are out of line with “real” life data， yet we have to remember that a soap opera is supposed to entertain us. It cant be completely realistic， otherwise it would be quite boring. Most peoples “real-life” would not be deemed interesting enough to air on television several times per week，12 year after year. Therefore， a soap can never be truly realistic if it is designed to entertain. Characters do have to face rather more than their fair share13 of problems. After all， a soap must have limits on the number of characters portrayed， both for easy-to-follow viewing （too many actors is confusing， plus relationships are not built up between on-screen characters and the watching public） and budgets.14

Sensitive Issues

That said， soap operas do try to approach many serious issues with accuracy and empathy.15 Drug and alcohol addiction， domestic abuse， terminal illness， gay marriage and abduction are all problems that have been tackled on-screen.16 Script writers17 and actors research such story lines thoroughly， in order to portray the issue with as much truth as possible. Sometimes， they meet with real-life people who have first-hand experience of the issue. Sometimes， charities18 that deal with such problems are approached.

When popular soap character Stacey Slater， played by Lacey Turner， discovered she had bi-polar disorder in EastEnders， the BBC approached charities such as Mind and The Bipolar Organisation （Manic Depression Fellowship）， in order to ensure that they could create an accurate story.19 In another story line， actress Kacey Ainsworth， who played abused wife Mo Slater over a decade ago， met with three women who had suffered domestic abuse in real life. It is not only about creating an accurate story line to give the show credibility—the airing of such harrowing issues is sensitive when it is considered that some of the watching public will resonate with the topics due to personal experience.20

Escapism21

Die-hard soap fans like nothing better than to disappear into someone elses world for half an hour—even if that world is often fraught with problems and incidents that make their own lives seem like a box of chocolates.22 Getting caught up in the characters lives is all part of the escapism. A long-running series offers a comforting familiarity， a bit like putting on a favourite pair of slippers23. It is always there， ready to fill in that slot24 at the end of a day. Some soaps have even become part of the Christmas Day ritual—an occasion when viewers can usually be assured of watching some dramatic events unfold.25 Christmas on a British soap opera rarely goes well！

When you want a break from your own routine or a chance to forget your own problems， what better way than to become embroiled26 in someone elses for a while？ And because soaps tend to be long-running shows—the first episode of Coronation Street 27 aired in 1960—there is none of the disappointment felt when a favourite serial comes to an end. In fact， getting hooked on a soap can be a gradual process， which can sometimes leave viewers unable to remember a time when they didnt watch it. Long-standing characters are followed as they grow up and journey through their lives （and sometimes deaths） like loyal， on-screen friends. And when something happens to a well-loved character， no matter how fictional， it can almost be like a grieving28 process for some people.

Even for those of us who are not， or who wont admit to， being quite so pulled in， soaps still make for easy watching. Regular viewers can switch on and relax， already familiar with the setting and the faces on the screen. It is not like watching a one-off29 drama， where we have to concentrate as we get to know the characters and the story line. With a favourite soap， we know whats what from the very second the theme tune ends.30

A Womans Ritual

Often， it is women who enjoy watching soap operas， whereas men do not share the same enthusiasm. When we think about the reasons for this， we should consider the emotional nature of females compared to their male counterparts. Men are typically practical， gravitating more towards action， sports， factual programmes， thrillers with conclusions or obvious humour.31 Women might like these too， but by nature they are often more empathetic， feeling emotions in a different way to men. Men are much less caught up in the psychological32 dramas of day-to-day life which is one of the main elements of soap operas that attracts women. Females tend to gossip33 more， whereas men discuss topics. Men obviously do care about relationships， but they are much less interested in discussing them， or in concerning themselves with other peoples. The emotional play-out of events does not resonate so naturally with men， who like to look for quick solutions to problems. Therefore， the ritual of soap-watching will always appeal more to women.

“Ordinary” People

Another factor that draws in34 viewers is the apparent “ordinariness” of many of the characters. British soaps resonate with their watching public because they reflect （to an extent） the ordinary man/woman on the street. Unlike the flashy35 American Soaps that we watched in the 80s， we often feel we can relate to our favourite characters. Whilst some aspects of soaps might be overly dramatic and unlikely， there is much for us to find understanding in. The typical， working citizen， who likes a drink and a bit of a banter in their local； the tribulations of relationships， marriage and divorce； the loneliness of the elderly； emotional dilemmas； struggles with money； gossipy chats with the hairdresser； teenage issues； interaction within the community—all of the aforementioned can hit a note of understanding within ourselves.36

Sometimes， issues aired can help us to better understand other people and their plights—not long ago， favourite Eastender Dot Cotton， played by the legendary June Brown， was viewed suffering from loneliness and depression.37 Recent history showed her on-screen husband sent into full-time residential care after suffering a stroke—after Dot tried to look after him at home but couldnt cope.38 Without going over the entire story， viewers are given an insight into the difficulties that might be faced as one ages， and the emotional traumas39 that might be experienced. Not only that， but as a result we are given a glimpse into the minds of some of our own elderly relatives or our ageing neighbours， struggling in isolation behind closed curtains.40

Understanding others in our society is important， and sometimes we can be educated via the television. Yes， some story lines are at best unlikely—but most soaps also approach serious issues in a conscientious41 manner. Our best soaps have remained popular over decades and across generations—and it doesnt look as though they are going anywhere soon.

1. ritual： 例行公事，老規(guī)矩；unwind：（使）心情輕松。

2. be hooked on： 被……迷住，對(duì)……著迷。

3. episode： （戲劇、電影、電視等的）一集，一出；at will： 隨意，任意。

4. 他們?nèi)绱岁P(guān)注劇中角色，以致當(dāng)劇情發(fā)展不盡如人意時(shí)會(huì)感到憤怒。story line： 故事情節(jié)；twist： 意外轉(zhuǎn)變。

5. 另外，有些極端的觀眾甚至混淆了虛構(gòu)的角色和現(xiàn)實(shí)生活里的演員，以至于在街上或是超市里遇到飾演“壞蛋”的演員時(shí)竟然出言不遜。fictional： 虛構(gòu)的，小說的；verbally： 口頭地。

6. illogically： 沒有道理地，不合邏輯地；blur： 模糊，混淆；fantasy： 幻想，空想產(chǎn)物。

7. magnify： 放大，夸大。

8. be out of line with： 與……不相符；residential： 居住的；setting： 場景，環(huán)境。

9. grisly： 可怕的，恐怖的；amplify： 夸大，夸張。

10. 意外事故和疾病會(huì)帶走我們最喜愛的角色的生命，但毫無疑問的是，遭遇謀殺而喪命是最不現(xiàn)實(shí)的劇情。bump off： 殺死，謀殺。

11. manslaughter： 過失殺人。

12. be deemed： 被視為……；air： （用電視）播送。

13. fair share： 公平分配。

14. 畢竟，為了方便觀眾追?。ㄌ嘟巧粌H會(huì)給觀眾造成混亂，也令其難以與熒幕上的人物建立聯(lián)系）和制作預(yù)算的原因，一部肥皂劇塑造的角色數(shù)量有限。portray： 表現(xiàn)，表演；budget： 預(yù)算。

15. that said：（引導(dǎo)讓步說法）即便如此；empathy： 同感，共鳴。

16. 吸毒酗酒、家庭暴力、晚期絕癥、同性婚姻和綁架劫持都是熒幕上出現(xiàn)過的話題。terminal：（疾?。┩砥诘?；abduction： 綁架，劫持。

17. script writer： 劇本作家，編劇。

18. charity： 慈善，慈善機(jī)構(gòu)。

19. 在《東區(qū)人》中，當(dāng)情節(jié)發(fā)展到蕾?！ぬ丶{扮演的斯泰西·斯萊特發(fā)現(xiàn)自己患有狂躁抑郁癥時(shí)，英國廣播電臺(tái)為了確保故事逼真，特意與心理和狂躁抑郁癥機(jī)構(gòu)（英國的躁狂抑郁癥協(xié)會(huì)）等慈善機(jī)構(gòu)進(jìn)行了接觸。bi-polar disorder： 狂躁抑郁癥，與后半句中的manic depression同義；EastEnders：《東區(qū)人》，是一部英國電視肥皂劇，首次于1985年在英國廣播公司播出。

20. 這樣做不僅僅是為了通過準(zhǔn)確的情節(jié)而讓劇情顯得真實(shí)可信——講述這類令人難過的話題是十分敏感的，有些觀眾可能會(huì)由于個(gè)人經(jīng)歷而產(chǎn)生共鳴。credibility： 可靠性，可信度；harrowing： 悲慘的，令人悲傷的；resonate with： 使發(fā)生共鳴。

21. escapism：（以沉湎于空想或消遣的辦法）逃避現(xiàn)實(shí)。

22. 鐵桿粉絲最喜歡的莫過于從現(xiàn)實(shí)里消失半個(gè)小時(shí)，完全沉浸在別人的世界里——即便他人的世界也常常是問題重重和事故不斷，相比而言自己的生活簡直就像“一盒巧克力”那么美好。die-hard： 頑固的，死硬的；be fraught with： 充滿的，伴隨著的。

23. slipper： 拖鞋。

24. slot： 位置。

25. 有些電視連續(xù)劇已成為圣誕慶祝的一部分，圣誕節(jié)特輯通常為觀眾呈現(xiàn)特別的劇情。unfold： 呈現(xiàn)，披露。

26. embroil： （使事態(tài)）陷入混亂，使糾纏不清。

27. Coronation Street：《加冕街》，英國播放時(shí)間最長的一部超級(jí)電視肥皂劇。

28. grieving： 令人悲痛的。

29. one-off： 一次性的。

30. 對(duì)于極其喜愛的肥皂劇，只要主題曲一唱完，我們立馬就知道下面要發(fā)生什么了。

31. 男人一般來說比較實(shí)際，更感興趣的是動(dòng)作片、體育運(yùn)動(dòng)、紀(jì)實(shí)節(jié)目和驚悚片等有結(jié)果或特別幽默的電視節(jié)目。gravitate： 受重力作用，被吸引；thriller： 恐怖小說，驚悚片。

32. psychological： 心理上的，情感的。

33. gossip： 講八卦，說長道短。

34. draw in： 吸引。

35. flashy： 浮華的，俗麗的。

36. 最典型的場景就是，藍(lán)領(lǐng)階層喜歡在住處附近的酒吧飲酒逗樂，煩惱的人際關(guān)系、婚姻與離異，老年的孤獨(dú)，感情困境，為錢所困，和理發(fā)師閑聊八卦，青少年問題，與鄰里的互動(dòng)——所有這些都能讓我們有所感觸。banter：（善意的）取笑；local： 住處附近的當(dāng)?shù)鼐瓢?；tribulation： 苦難，艱難；dilemma： （進(jìn)退兩難的）困境，窘境；aforementioned： 上述的，前述的。

37. 有時(shí)候，電視里的話題能夠幫助我們更好地理解他人及其痛苦。不久前，《東區(qū)人》里最受歡迎的角色——由著名演員茱恩·布朗飾演的多特·科頓，就在劇中遭受著孤獨(dú)和抑郁的折磨。plight： 困境，折磨；legendary： 有名的，大名鼎鼎的。

38. 不久前的劇情是她在劇里的丈夫中風(fēng)之后被送入了24小時(shí)監(jiān)護(hù)病房，此前多特也想自己在家里照顧他，但卻心有余而力不足。stroke： 中風(fēng)。

39. emotional trauma： 情感創(chuàng)傷。

40. 不僅如此，通過劇情我們還可以窺見自己某些年邁的親戚或鄰居的內(nèi)心，離群索居的他們正在緊閉的窗簾后面獨(dú)自掙扎。glimpse： 一瞥；in isolation： 孤立地。

41. conscientious： 小心謹(jǐn)慎的，煞費(fèi)苦心的。