I have a daily routine of watching old episodes of famous Australian soap operas—Neighbours and Home and Away.
I started watching Home and Away months before I started with Neighbours.
I became emotionally attached to Home and Away. With Neighbours, I didn't feel much love. I watched it more as a cultural enrichment project. I wondered if time would change that, and I'd eventually feel some kind of attachment eventually.
Well, I think it's happened.
Last week I took a day off from my soap operas because I wanted to spend the whole day on editing. I imagined I'd miss Home and Away. To my surprise, I ended up missing Neighbours.
I think the love is there now.
My favorite character is Jim Robinson. Right now, there's a storyline where he's in love with a younger woman, and his family's being really nasty about it. I'd have more sympathy for their jealousy and resentment if it weren't for the fact that they chased his last love away as well.
It's not like Jim Robinson has been rude about it. It's not like he sat his kids down and said, I want to tell you about your beloved mother who's no longer with us, and then instead talked on and on about some other woman he's carried a torch for during the last few decades.
The other new development in my relationship to Neighbours: when I look at Jim Robinson I no longer see a younger version of Bradford Meade.
Speaking of Bradford Meade....last night I dreamed some other TV show was going to become a sort of spin-off of Ugly Betty. They were going to have Betty become a character on this other show. I think it was New Girl. Jess and Becky could become friends. I would LOVE it if that dream came true.
