2000 Life
Soap Opera Digest
May 9th, 2000 - Volume 25, No. 19
Life Goes On
By: Unknown
THUMBS Up! and Down!
Best Of Show Or Worse For Wear?
DigestHands Out Blue Ribbons and Booby Prizes
THUMBS UP!
ONE LIFE TO LIVE
Life Goes On
It takes guts to do something different on soaps. afraid of losing a crucial tenth of a ratings point, producers and writers hesitate before stepping outside daytime's accepted boundaries. But by focusing an entire episode on Viki's last day before breast cancer surgery, ONE LIFE TO LIVE took a gamble that truly paid off.
The show already knew they had a winning storyline and a pitch-perfect actress in Erika Slezak. But in an ambitious move, the powers-that-be went further. By closing off all other plots, viewers were afforded an intimate, slice-of-life glimpse at The Banner publisher's daily routine (which ranged from an editorial staff meeting to dedicating a new park to watching her kids horse around in the kitchen). Suddenly, Viki was like one of us, balancing work and family.
Underscoring Viki's value to her community and family reminded viewers how much she means to them -- and us -- and what a loss it will be if cancer claims her. Watching Viki enjoy a "normal" day also reinforced the fact that her life would be forever changed after surgery.
Although we worry about her, we believe (as does Viki, who ended the episode softly speaking the lines she karaoked for Ben last year) that she will survive. This episode was soap inspiration and innovation at it's best.
