Dallas – Bobby’s Dallas Death Nightmare
Bobby Ewing, the do-gooder of the Dallas series, was always
in tactical competition with his brother J.R as he was the more favourite son
but always kept the true love of brotherhood with him. Unfortunately Bobby’s
role in Dallas came to a shocking end when Katherine ran Bobby down with her
car, where he later died in hospital from his injuries. This infuriated the audience
as he was seen as a good-hearted character and “had no reason to die”.
As the 2 series (season 7 and 8) went on without poor Bobby
Ewing, the production team realised that they executed their “money-maker” from
the show, and it showed from the TV ratings and audience numbers. A decision
was made and plot lines were twisted to then finally find that two whole seasons after Bobby’s death, Pam would wake up from her terrible nightmare that
consisted of life without Bobby (“Quite a long dream” you’re thinking, I know).
All was revealed that Bobby did not come back from the dead but was just sat
beside Pam while she dreamt her awful dream.
This questioned the audience. Had they just been mocked? Were
they only part of a gullible ride hosted by a notorious string of lies? Who was
to know? Bobby Ewing was back in the spotlight, alive and well as ever.
However, was it reasonable to question the morality and dreaming someone’s
death, and putting thousands of hard-core Dallas fans through misery and pain
for a whole season? Or was it discourteous to just bring him back by throwing
away two entire seasons of drama, corruption and disruptive affairs? The production
team of Dallas really did test the illogical verisimilitude of this story line.
Staging people’s death then bringing them back is seen as a highly supernatural
cause and therefore an impossible factor in the real world. Pushing the boundaries
of a realistic soap opera can be dangerous and troublesome but it does cause a
stir in the public’s eye, bringing a whole new level of “the shock factor” to
the piece. The public did not expect to see such a thing as it is seen as
impossible and very unpredictable, therefore breaching the illogical verisimilitude
of this plot twist. All in all, Dallas dreams can go on for a long
time.
The well-known Jack Duckworth in Soap, Coronation Street,
said his farewell to his long-lived character role after 30 years of being a
member of the cast, greeted at death by his wife, Vera. Her death in 2008 saw
their 50 years of marriage potentially come to an end, however she was soon
joined by Jack in 2010 when he passed away in his sleep, sitting in Vera’s
chair. The scene shows Jack sitting in his wife’s chair (the same chair that
his wife had passed away in) after celebration with everyone in the pub, with
feint music playing in the background. Suddenly, Vera appears, talking to Jack and
helping him cross in to the afterlife. Before he leaves they are seen having
one final dance to ‘Softly as I Leave You’ by Matt Monro, ending with Tyrone,
Molly and Connie returning to find Jack lifeless in his chair.
This represented illogical verisimilitude as it is unlikely
that Jack would've been greeted by his wife after death as well as having one
final dance with his wife. However, illogical verisimilitude is utilised to “cushion”
the death of one of the most beloved characters in soap history for their
audience. By presenting that Jack had a peaceful death that was happy for him,
it influences the emotions of the audience as they believe that he is at peace
although they are distraught over the loss of such a popular character. Being
named one of the most influential couples in soap history, alongside Dot and
Jim Branning in EastEnders, it was clear that the producers wanted to ensure
that Jack had a peaceful yet emotional send off, that was tasteful as, if they
were to offend their audiences, they may issue complaints, especially on such a
serious topic of illness leading to death rather than overcoming. By reuniting
Jack and Vera once more, although it was illogical verisimilitude, it
influences the audience to believe that deaths can be peaceful, which could
soften the anxiety that some audience members may have if they are linked to
somebody that is dying of an illness, like Jack, linking to the function of
personal identity.
The Video:
Soon-to-be-husband of Carmel McQueen, Calvin Valentine,
returned to Hollyoaks in 2011 after wife, and newly turned nun, Carmel, makes a
plead to God. Calvin was shot on his wedding day by Carmel’s sister, Theresa,
who Calvin had slept with in the past and was father to Kathleen-Angel. With
the McQueen’s being a tight-knit family and a part of the soap for several
years, represented like The Dingles in Emmerdale, they come together to cover
Theresa’s tracks and frame Kyle for Calvin’s death. Kyle, after being sent to
jail for his alleged murder, escapes, kidnapping Theresa and Kathleen-Angel,
who later turn up in hospital. Distraught Carmel over the loss of her
never-to-be husband, sister, who flat-lined during surgery and is barely alive
and labelled step-daughter/niece being extremely injured, attends church to
plead to God for an escape route, leading to her be visited by the ghost of
Calvin. Calvin’s return reignites the love that she had for her husband and
leads her to stay strong for her family, with both Theresa and Kathleen-Angel
surviving.
[Henry]
The Video:
Coronation Street – Goodbye Jack
This represented illogical verisimilitude as it is unlikely
that Jack would've been greeted by his wife after death as well as having one
final dance with his wife. However, illogical verisimilitude is utilised to “cushion”
the death of one of the most beloved characters in soap history for their
audience. By presenting that Jack had a peaceful death that was happy for him,
it influences the emotions of the audience as they believe that he is at peace
although they are distraught over the loss of such a popular character. Being
named one of the most influential couples in soap history, alongside Dot and
Jim Branning in EastEnders, it was clear that the producers wanted to ensure
that Jack had a peaceful yet emotional send off, that was tasteful as, if they
were to offend their audiences, they may issue complaints, especially on such a
serious topic of illness leading to death rather than overcoming. By reuniting
Jack and Vera once more, although it was illogical verisimilitude, it
influences the audience to believe that deaths can be peaceful, which could
soften the anxiety that some audience members may have if they are linked to
somebody that is dying of an illness, like Jack, linking to the function of
personal identity.
[Kira]
The Video:
Hollyoaks – Calvin’s Return
Soon-to-be-husband of Carmel McQueen, Calvin Valentine,
returned to Hollyoaks in 2011 after wife, and newly turned nun, Carmel, makes a
plead to God. Calvin was shot on his wedding day by Carmel’s sister, Theresa,
who Calvin had slept with in the past and was father to Kathleen-Angel. With
the McQueen’s being a tight-knit family and a part of the soap for several
years, represented like The Dingles in Emmerdale, they come together to cover
Theresa’s tracks and frame Kyle for Calvin’s death. Kyle, after being sent to
jail for his alleged murder, escapes, kidnapping Theresa and Kathleen-Angel,
who later turn up in hospital. Distraught Carmel over the loss of her
never-to-be husband, sister, who flat-lined during surgery and is barely alive
and labelled step-daughter/niece being extremely injured, attends church to
plead to God for an escape route, leading to her be visited by the ghost of
Calvin. Calvin’s return reignites the love that she had for her husband and
leads her to stay strong for her family, with both Theresa and Kathleen-Angel
surviving.
The use of illogical verisimilitude in this narrative almost
depicts humour as, after her husband being shot, her sister being a murderer
and her family being known for crime such as stealing and confidence trickery,
she opts for the career of a nun, pleading to God for help. Although the
utilisation of humour lightens the mood, we are still feeling left sorry for
Carmel as she is a good person. She has only recently lost her husband and is
left with the chance of losing both her sister and niece, who after knowledge
that the child is Calvin’s takes her from Theresa. Being visited by the ghost
of her husband giving her hope influencing the audience to have the hope that
someone is helping Carmel even though she is left on her own. Initially, we
know that it is probably a figment of her imagination but it still pleases the
audience as we know that Carmel is at a better place post-visit.
[No video found]
Emmerdale- Marlon's Decision
After Tricia becomes trapped when the pub collapses during the famous 'Storm' storyline she is taken to hospital in a life threatening situation, her husband Marlon is made to make the decision whether they should turn off her life support machine. In the scenes leading up to this Marlon see's his wife as a spirit and begins talking to her and how he will cope without her if he looses the love of his life.
In this scene Tricia is seen dressed all in white connoting the fact that she is now a spirit, the use of this colour and costume allows reader to see this and this is also clarified when the camera zooms out to the image of just Marlon sitting alone on the bench and he has actually been speaking to no one. The clever use of mise-en-scene in this shot allows the audience to feel the emotion Marlon is going through and we begin to realise what life is going to be like for Marlon when she passes.
As Marlon walks away and returns back to the village to face his big decision there is non-dietetic music being played in the background, the lyrics we hear are; "Every night I see your face when I have to pray, I need a bell, book and candle to keep your ghost away, Keep your ghost away, keep your ghost away, I need a bell, book and candle to keep your ghost away" These lyrics re-enforce to the audience that the Tricia we have just seen Marlon speaking to was in fact a spirit and she still remains in a coma back at the hospital. He has decided to turn off her life support machine therefore ending her fight and he must now move on as she has just told him too. Tricia is then moved from her hospital bed which is shown in slow motion to reflect her moving on and leaving the soap.
This scene is an example of illogical verisimilitude as this is something which wouldn't happen in real life however the audience don't question the scene because Marlon is a much loved character and the two of them together made the audience fall in love with their relationship so when this storyline was advertised and shown it drew millions of viewers to the soap and was a turning point in the soaps history as Tricia was such an iconic character. In 2005, Mark Charnock (who plays Marlon) was nominated for and won a British Soap Award for Best Dramatic Performance, after the death of his wife Tricia Dingle.
[Kira]
[No video found]
Emmerdale- Marlon's Decision
After Tricia becomes trapped when the pub collapses during the famous 'Storm' storyline she is taken to hospital in a life threatening situation, her husband Marlon is made to make the decision whether they should turn off her life support machine. In the scenes leading up to this Marlon see's his wife as a spirit and begins talking to her and how he will cope without her if he looses the love of his life.
"Keep me in your heart till you find someone else" [Tricia]
"There couldn't be anybody else" [Marlon]
"I think there will be, I hope so I;d hate for you to be on your own" [Tricia]
In this scene Tricia is seen dressed all in white connoting the fact that she is now a spirit, the use of this colour and costume allows reader to see this and this is also clarified when the camera zooms out to the image of just Marlon sitting alone on the bench and he has actually been speaking to no one. The clever use of mise-en-scene in this shot allows the audience to feel the emotion Marlon is going through and we begin to realise what life is going to be like for Marlon when she passes. As Marlon walks away and returns back to the village to face his big decision there is non-dietetic music being played in the background, the lyrics we hear are; "Every night I see your face when I have to pray, I need a bell, book and candle to keep your ghost away, Keep your ghost away, keep your ghost away, I need a bell, book and candle to keep your ghost away" These lyrics re-enforce to the audience that the Tricia we have just seen Marlon speaking to was in fact a spirit and she still remains in a coma back at the hospital. He has decided to turn off her life support machine therefore ending her fight and he must now move on as she has just told him too. Tricia is then moved from her hospital bed which is shown in slow motion to reflect her moving on and leaving the soap.
[Alice]
The video:
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