Change Your Image
another dustin
Reviews
Spyder Games (2001)
A sinful indulgence...
So maybe _Spyder Games_ is not the most original show on television. And maybe the actors are a little green. And well, yeah, the story lines are a bit predictable. But so what? _Spyder Games_ is less an original soap and more an homage to the genre. And when it comes to the completely empty calories and mindless entertainment soaps provide, _Spyder Games_ is spot on.
The creators of the show are self-proclaimed longtime soap fans, and it clearly shows in their work. SG utilises practically every plot twist and character flaw classique ever used, save the ground-breaking [don't laugh] Ivan-is-gay story line. (Well, Erica's daughter is a lesbian on _All My Children_, so perhaps 'unprecedented' is more appropriate. Gay men are indeed a soap rarity.) And while the plot may seem a bit trite, there's something amusing and comfortable in such blatant cliché.
SG really deserves kudos for its campy experience in escapism. If anything, it offers its viewers a half hour out of the day to abandon all faculties of the brain and space out in its mindlessness. Its one stroke of true genius is a cast including _Sunset Beach_ alum Shawn Batten and Christina Chambers, Go-Go's guitarist and green-haired pixie Jane Wiedlin, and the John Waters Baroness Mink Stole. Beyond that, it's just brilliant. And not in the conventional sense, but rather in its reverence to the housewife-stories from which it was born.
General Hospital (1963)
C'est fantastique!
No matter what anyone says about _General Hospital_, there is one undeniable fact: this show is a classic. True, after nearly forty years on the air, it is a bit stale. But really, the same could be said for any daytime drama, save the bizarre antics on _Passions_.
Modern soaps are ultimately an escape from the doldrums of real-life. And while GH is more or less a caricature of the show it was in the early 1980's, it's still a fun way to spend an hour each day. So what if it's not what it used to be? Its long-time stars paved the road for every hard-bodied heartthrob working in daytime today. Besides, nothing is what it used to be. And thank god. Think about the last interview you saw with Elizabeth Taylor. Would you still like to see her as Helena Cassadine instead of Constance Towers?
I didn't think so.