Once upon a time, I was in graduate school. And while I was in graduate school, I watched a lot of TV. I mean, A LOT. An insane amount. Like, at this point in my life, I don’t even know nor understand how I managed it.
Hint: I had a TiVo and VCR (this was before dual tuner TiVos were a thing) and a really crap sleep schedule.
So, yes, back in 2004-2006, when I was working on my Master’s degree, I watched a lot of television. And for about a year or so, I was super into As the World Turns.
I had watched the show off and on for years. My grandmother was a diehard soap fan, so whenever I visited her for breaks, I always got caught up on the shows she watched. I mean, it’s entirely possible I got hooked on the show during a visit with her. Who knows? All I know is that I watched it pretty much every day while I was in my MA program.
So why did I pick it for this list? Well, it still has one of my very, very, very favorite scenes/plot lines of all time. OF ALL TIME. It has been seared into my consciousness, and I hope I never, ever forget it.
Basically, what happened is that Emily was in love with Paul and planned to marry him, but at the last minute Paul dumped her, saying he didn’t want to ruin her life. Never mind that he had already made her an accessory to a switched baby plot. Never mind that. So, Emily was so distraught that Paul dumped her on New Year’s Eve (yes, I seriously remember when it aired because it was so fantastic) after she had lied for him for months that, when he walked away from her, she shot him in the back.
Now, that was delicious enough. (And how the year ended. Did I mention they were on a cliff? So, yes, that was the cliffhanger.) BUT IT GETS BETTER.
After shooting him, she tells him she’s sorry and that she loves him and she didn’t mean it, but then she gets freaked out and PUSHES HIM OFF THE CLIFF after she thinks he’s dead. It is seriously one of the best television moments ever.
And God bless YouTube because I can post it right here.
I had an LJ icon of Emily shooting Paul with the text “accept rejection.” I mean.
Anyway, Emily was completely out of her mind and after Paul recovered (of course he survived after he got pushed off a cliff and then run over by a car while out in the middle of nowhere with no adequate medical supplies), she would still tell him she loved him and ask him if he thought they would work. AFTER SHOOTING HIM IN THE BACK AND PUSHING HIM OFF A CLIFF.
God bless us, everyone.
For the A to Z challenge, I’ll be blogging about fannish pursuits (aka things I’m a fan of or have strong feelings about). Tune in tomorrow to see what I picked for B!
The Englishist 
OMG! That’s classic! I was hooked on “The Young and the Restless” for many years! Looking forward to your letter B!
Mary
http://www.thetransgentlewife.com
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My dad looooooves the Young & the Restless.
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omg, this was awesome. I’ve had a crap week, I’ll tell ya, and this made me laugh and snicker. I’ll be back for B. @abetterjulie from http://persephoneknits.blogspot.com
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aw, yay! I’m glad it helped cheer you up. I hope this week is better.
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Wow… “As The World Turns” was my grandmother’s favorite soap way back in the early 1960’s. She and I had this battle about whether we’d watch my cartoons or ATWT at noontime.
There’s an interesting video on YouTube of the broadcast of ATWT the day Kennedy was shot. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDOojsg62O0, if you want to see it.
John Holton
Blogging from A to Z Challenge Co-Host
The Sound of One Hand Typing
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Oh, there was no arguing about what to watch during my grandmother’s soaps. She was extremely flexible but she never bent on that. My cousin and I got to fight over the TV…after 4 p.m.
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I’m getting all nostalgic for our younger days! I still can’t believe ATWT and GL are gone.
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Me neither, Tracie. It’s crazy to me.
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Wonderful! My first laugh of the day. My Grandma was a big fan of Days of Our Lives. Just dropped by from A to Z. I’m The Bookwright.
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I have never watched a soap opera – I’ve watched what I consider the soap opera for teenagers, aka anything on the CW though. I have to say that I love that scene and your explanation of the awesomeness of the melodrama.
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Oh I love love teen dramas. I didn’t even talk about the teen plot that was going on at the same time (all related to the baby switch!), but it was also glorious.
I think I’m starting to veer away from the high school teen drama into the post-high school teen drama. A sign of maturity?
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OMG I remember this! And the switched baby plot! I used to watch ATWT and Guiding Light before they both ended. I don’t know how I had time to watch soap operas since they’re on EVERY DAY.
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It was always easiest when there were plots I didn’t care about because then I could FF. But, yeah, still. It’s a huge commitment.
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