It's in the tea leaves

Editor's note: I began this post last summer (2014) and have finally decided to resurrect it, revise it, and publish it. Better late than never.

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With the demise of so many American "daytime dramas" over the last few years, I've been pleased to keep my soap opera jonesin' at bay by tuning into serial (melo)dramas from other countries and cultures.

Back in the day (the 1980s), I used to watch the UK soap EastEnders when they showed it on various PBS stations around the nation. I even remember watching some episodes of Coronation Street on the USA Network waaay back in the early days of cable TV, when I think the networks were trying to fill up their schedules with anything and everything.

I half-remember Dierdre being depressed and about to throw herself off a freeway overpass. So even drab-looking British drama from 1981 had a place on the dial.

On trips to the UK, Australia, Mexico, and elsewhere, I've also watched soaps--for the campy fun, yes, but also for cultural understanding. (Honest. I think soaps are a great way to get a glimpse at a culture's dreams and fixations.) I liked mid-2000s Corrie when Cilla Brown was front and center and Sally Webster was having an affair with her boss (formerly Alistair from As Time Goes By, later Stefan Hauser from Footballers Wives) at the car dealership. I've enjoyed Dulce desafío, Emmerdale, Simplemente María, Tú y yo, and, of course, Egoli: Place of Gold. I've even tried to find an online source for 7de Laan, as well as Virginie.

I periodically watch reruns of Dark Shadows on HuluPlus, a show I remember with fondness and fear from childhood. As detailed recently in these digital pages, I think about crazy fun Santa Barbara (a soap like no other, past, present, or future), mid- to late-'70s Another World, Texas, early '80s Guiding Light, the vaguely remembered opening credits for The Secret Storm, and other shows I used to watch along with my Mom, Vivien Leigh, when I wasn't even old enough to go to school, pre-1967.

I've always drawn the line at The Young and the Restless and General Hospital, the former too boring, the later too silly, for my refined soapie tastes.

And upon first, then second, then third glance, I also drew the line in a big, showy, Baz Luhrman way at Neighbours, a world-famous Aussie soap, one I've seen in the past (both in Australia in 1987 and on a trip to England in 1993) and now in the present via HuluPlus.

Vivean Gray as Mrs. Mangel

I must admit that I drew only a soft line in the sand upon first seeing Neighbours in 1987. I was secretly trying to get a glimpse of soap supercouple Scott Robinson (Jason Donovan) and Charlene Mitchell (Kylie Minogue), but I ended up being oddly fascinated with the character of Mrs. Mangel, a Dot Cotton-prototype busybody who would read tea leaves and screech out dire warnings. "It's in the tea leaves!" she would proclaim.

Funny that that one line should stay with me almost 30 years later. I even mentioned it on a date of all things some eight years ago, and, well, I was still very much single for another two years after sharing that remembrance. A word to the woebegone: If they can't tolerate your personal tastes, naff or otherwise, they're not worth getting to know.

When I tuned in in 2005, I don't remember much at all. I can't even tell you whether I was watching Neighbours or Home and Away, another Aussie suburban melodrama. That should tell you how unimpressed I was with either/both.

Now that Neighbours is currently airing on HuluPlus, I've had another opportunity to check in with the 30-year phenomenon that is life on Ramsay Street, Erinsborough, Victoria. When I first drafted this post, Neighbours was running bout a month behind broadcast in Oz. At that time, I had seen approximately three weeks' worth of shows. And these three weeks' worth of episodes had managed to make me both bored and annoyed--but mostly just annoyed.

Here are some of my observations from the early days of my reacquaintance with Neighbours:

There are a squillion other characters, most of them under 30, yammering on about skateboarding, the pool, the beach, coffee bars, and their love lives. Most of them blond (natural, etc.). All of them whiter than white, making semi-dramatic pronouncements in the most obnoxious versions of Australian accents. Think Kath & Kim, not Nicole 'n' Hugh.

First of all, I've met plenty of Aussies that don't sound like they were playing extras in a barbie scene from Crocodile Dundee. It's completely possible to be Australian and not sound like you're about to issue forth with a "call me Cobber" or "fair dinkum" in your speech--although one character (the perpetually tear-stained Sonya) went full Sheila recently when she thanked another for "shouting" her a free massage. Wagga Wagga. Tassie. Flinders Station. Indeed.

Second of all, not everyone in Australia is of the pale persuasion, although heritage and sunscreen do make many so. I do remember during the three weeks I spent there in 1987 that I was ultimately glad to get home to Washington, D.C. I do think certain places--like Australia, like Canada--tout their multiculturalism more than it might warrant. Yes, it's new to you, but some of us have been multicultural (whether by choice or by force) for the better part of three centuries. And I'm not just talking about the U.S.--Mexico, South Africa, Colombia, Cuba, Brazil, even New Zealand can stand up, proudly or otherwise, and be counted.

That's about as far as I got, obviously quickly getting lost in an outback of opinion about various and sundry. I just remember being annoyed by Sonya's constant crying, annoyed by Naomi's yesteryear attempts to seduce Toadie (seriously, a character named Toadie!), annoyed by Kyle's bogan accent and style, annoyed by Brad's winged hair and Marlboro Man walk, annoyed by Imogen and Amber's whinging, annoyed by Bailey's nascent alcohol abuse (and rather fabulous hair--credit where credit is due)--just annoyed by pretty much everything and everyone on the show.

The only bright spot then was the character of Paige Novak, later Paige Smith, played by Olympia Valance (sister of Holly Valance, a former Neighbours star herself). Absolutely fabulous and totally watchable, not because she is very beautiful (which she is) but because of her character's verve, gutsiness, trouble-making, and overall joie de vivre. Everyone else paled in comparison.

I can't remember what happened next, but I think I gave up on Neighbours for a few weeks. I don't really remember what drew me back in, but I think it was the conclusion of the storyline about Paige being the secret daughter of Lauren and Brad and the subsequent fallout from that big reveal. Somehow that hooked me. And once that did, I kept watching and began reevaluating my initial impression of other characters, other stories, and the show overall:

• Sonya stopped crying and became interesting once I saw her feistier and more fun-loving side, then her battle with her addiction demons from the past.

• Naomi became just a helluva lotta fun and much more sympathetic once she moved to the end of her stalker-like behavior toward Toadie and began her Mrs. Robinson-styled affair with the young and spunky Josh. You learned more about the regret she felt for having made such a huge mess of things in her life and the very real, very unrequited feelings she had for Toadie. I especially like the episode when she visited Toadie in the hospital. For me, she has become one of the best reasons to watch the show.

• Kyle and Georgia got married and while Kyle's still a bogan, he's a bogan with sensitivity and depth of feeling toward Georgia and over his missing-in-action father. Kyle and Georgia's wedding and the swell of emotions surrounding that was a thing of daytime beauty.

Nate Kinski  played by Meyne Wyatt

• I still find Daniel and Amber super annoying, but recently I even came around to appreciating Amber just a bit, during her reactions to believing that she had been abandoned at the altar by Daniel and in the aftermath of her father's accident.

• And I love Nate! Not only is he sexy, he's an engaging actor--his post-traumatic stress disorder storyline had me quaking, sniffling, and recalling my father's struggles with the same condition. It is hard for me to imagine any American show, daytime or otherwise, dealing with this topic, especially with sensitivity and real compassion. To my knowledge, he's the first regular aboriginal Neighbour to join the cast, so finally, one big little step into the diversity pool.

There have been missteps: The whole Erinsborough tornado seemed gimmicky and resulted in very little drama. I can't really get into Naomi's relationship with Mark Brennan, mostly because I find Mark judgmental and self-righteous (although admittedly impeccably ab'ed). I loathe even more that that relationship may end with Naomi moving on to Paul Robinson, possibly having her literally become Mrs. Robinson. Call me Dolce & Gabbana, but I couldn't care less about Chris's quest to become a father by serving as a sperm donor to "I must be a mother at all costs" Lucy Robinson. I thought Matt's downward spiral was too rushed and not necessarily true to the character.

Overall, I've been less keen on the Neighbours 30th anniversary storylines, much of it feeling (understandably) contrived and probably more meaningful to the lifelong fans than to me. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the Harold and Madge reunion and wanted more. That sort of tender, emotional interaction between characters is what Neighbours does best, in my opinion.

At the end of the day, I now look forward to catching a new episode of Neighbours. It's become my preferred soap, even over Coronation Street. I think others, too, must be enjoying the show because recently via Hulu we've gone from being four weeks behind Australia to just two weeks behind, on par with the UK schedule.

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Things are changing in my life--for the better in many ways. (Details to be revealed soon.) I've been a little bothered to think this may mean that I won't be able to watch Neighbours anymore via Hulu. It's not going to change my life plans, but the fact that it even rises to the surface of my mind when contemplating major life events is a testament to how much I enjoy this show.

As odd as it sounds to say out loud, I think I need a soap in my life--an minor daily escape, a dream of an alternate universe that offers me the chance to feel a range of emotions--from sadness to wistfulness to satisfaction to titillation to laughter. I don't need a soap so that I'll cry or wallow in emotions, although I don't think those are necessarily bad feelings to have. Rather I need a soap to help me take out some time at the end of a busy day, to relax, to relate, and to fantasize a bit about living in a community with others who care about me. Given their domestic nature, soaps acquaint you with their characters' daily lives, making you feel, fleetingly, that you're watching a story acted out by friends.

Admittedly, they are friends with more happening lives, better hair, and a superior muscle-to-body fat ratio. Fantasy can only go so far.

I'm glad that I gave Neighbours another chance. I'm happy to have the show in my life right now to meet my needs. In my future life, regardless of where I live or what I watch on TV, I hope to have good neighbors for many years to come.