Back
in
April
2011,
the
ABC
network
decided
to
pull
the
plug
on
its
two
longest
running
soap
operas,
"All
my
Children"
and
"One
Life
to
Live",
with
"One
Life
to
Live"
airing
its
last
episode
a
few
days
ago.
And
with
the
cancellation
of
the
long
running
"As
The
World
Turns"
a
year
ago,
it
would
seem
like
the
genre
is
quickly
coming
to
an
end.
Do I
care?
No.
I've
never
watched
a
daytime
soap
opera.
That
said,
the
news
made
me
think
of
the
episode
Soaplessly
Devoted,
where
Erika
Clark
reveals
her
love
for
the
soap
opera
"Medical
Center
of
Love".
The
news
about
Soap
Operas
made
me
realize
how
dated
that
particular
episode
might
become
in
future
years.
"Soap
whatas?",
some
listeners
might
begin
to
ask.
One
thing
that
makes
Odyssey
such
a
great
show
is
how
timeless
it
is.
I'm
often
able
to
revisit
those
earlier
shows
without
being
distracted
by
the
fact
many
of
them
came
out
of
the
late
'80s
and
early
'90s.
There
are,
of
course,
a
few
exceptions.
The
earlier
music
is
probably
one
of
the
easiest
way
of
finding
out
when
an
episode
aired.
Although
I'm
personally
accustomed
to
those
older
tunes,
any
child
approaching
the
show
for
the
first
time
today
might
find
them
a
little
off-putting;
in
fact,
some
might
refuse
to
listen
to
them
at
all
because
of
how
dated
they
sound.
Understandable;
after
all,
when
I
begin
watching
a
television
show
mid-series,
I'm
often
afraid
of
going
back
and
watching
the
series'
pilot
because
of
how
awkward
it
might
feel
compared
to
the
period
I
was
been
introduced
to.
Then
I
begin
to
think
about
all
the
episodes
that
may
never
have
existed
if
they
were
written
today.
The
characters
in
Stormy
Weather
and
Flash
Flood
might
have
benefited
from
having
a
cell
phone
on
one
of
them.
And
the
military
secrets
in
Waylaid
in
the
Windy
City
might
have
travelled
more
easily
if
someone
had
an
external
hard
drive,
or
at
least,
email―instead
of
carrying
a
giant
laptop
computer
around.
With
the
advancements
made
in
virtual
reality,
could
both
the
Imagination
Station
and
Room
of
Consequence
themselves
seem
outdated
in a
few
years?
Does
the
Imagination
Station
feel
a
little
less
interesting
now
that
we've
got
things
such
as
the
Wii,
compared
to
when
it
was
first
introduced?
What
has
helped
the
show
remain
timeless
is
its
decision
to
stay
away
from
parodies.
Parodies
and
pop-culture
references
date
shows
quickly.
Adult
comedies
such
as
"30
Rock",
"Family
Guy"
and
"Saturday
Night
Live"
rely
on
current
happenings
to
be
funny
and
will
probably
be
awkward
to
watch
10
years
from
now.
Yes,
Odyssey
has
referenced
Star
Wars,
James
Bond,
and
Indiana
Jones,
but
I'm
pretty
sure
kids
decades
from
will
still
understand
those
references;
others,
such
as
the
Twilight
Zone,
they'll
have
to
figure
out
on
their
own.
In
fact,
a
lot
of
other
popular
children's
shows
revolve
their
humor
around
pop
culture
references.
While
The
Mystery
at
Tin
Flat
was
a
parody
of
the
RealityTV
craze
and
Odyssey
Sings!
was
spoofing
"American
Idol",
those
seem
to
be
the
most
blatant
pop-culture
references
made
in
recent
years.
On
the
other
hand,
episode
titles
such
as
The
Amazing
Loser,
and
the
upcoming
"The
Bible
Network"
and
"Groundhog
Jay"
are
further
evidence
that
the
show
is,
perhaps,
dangerously
moving
in
that
direction.
That's
up
for
debate,
however.
Yes,
Soaplessly
Devoted
may
start
to
feel
dated
in a
few
years,
but
what
truly
matters
are
the
messages.
Will
the
messages
start
to
feel
dated
in a
few
years?
I
don't
think
so.
Or
at
least
I
hope
not.
Once
messages
start
feeling
outdated,
it
means
that
there
was
a
problem
with
the
message
or a
problem
with
the
current
zeitgeist.
Although
I
don't
know
many
kids
who
enjoy
going
to
the
"arcade"
anymore,
the
lessons
that
Jimmy
Barclay
learns
in
The
Prodigal,
Jimmy
still
stand.
And
although
it
is
considered
more
socially
acceptable
for
a
woman
to
choose
to
have
an
abortion
nowadays,
Pamela
Has
a
Problem
should
forever
remain
a
problem.
And
while
the
show
has
begun
to
portray
more
ethnically
diverse,
adopted,
or
even
broken
families,
it
should
always
retain
the
view
that
the
family
unit
is
important
and
divorce
is
rarely
a
solution.
So,
tell
me,
readers:
what
do
you
think
will
begin
feeling
dated
soon?
And,
aside
from
my
few
examples,
what
feels
dated
already?
On a
further
note,
there
seems
to
be a
lot
of
debate
on
TheToo
about
Adventures
in
Odyssey
needing
to
start
dealing
with
more
"current"
issues,
such
as
this
one,
in
order
to
remain
relevant
in
today's
society.
Although
I
won't
throw
my
input
into
that
particular
discussion,
I
believe
that,
as
Adventures
in
Odyssey
once
decided
to
mention
DVDs,
MP3s
and
Social
Networks
in
the
show,
they
will
also
have
to
decide
which
topics
at
the
height
of
discussion
in
our
society
are
worth
ignoring,
which
are
worth
waiting
on,
and
which
are
worth
enlightening
children
about
right
now.
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