As the World Turns: Sophie Duran Returns

It was the best of times and the worst of times for As The World Turns fans. Just when viewers of As The World Turns were totally fed up with the Sophie Duran storyline, relief came when the powers that be finally killed off this wretched character. Cole was swiftly revealed as Sophie Duran’s killer on As The World Turns, and it looked like the soap would be back on track and better than ever (without Sophie).

It was too good to be true, As The World Turns fans. After being buried and dug up by Paul Ryan, dead Sophie Duran appears to be alive and well–as a ghost! Suddenly, lots of major characters seem to be possessed by an evil spirit, and one by one, the citizens of Oakdale are becoming ill and acting out in bizarre ways. This current storyline makes me wonder: has As The World Turns jumped the shark? (in other words, has this series of events made As The World Turns totally unwatchable?)

Sophie Duran Returns to As The World Turns

On As The World Turns, Sophie Duran was a badly written, poorly played character and her scenes were a chore to watch. For months, so much of As The World Turns was centered around Sophie, and it had a really negative impact on the show. I for one was thrilled to see As The World Turns wrap up the Sophie storyline, and move onto other more satisfying stories. However, in the last few weeks, As The World Turns has made it clear that Sophie Duran is still very much on the show, if only in spirit.

It really makes you wonder what they were thinking, coming up with this ridiculous storyline on As The World Turns and presenting it to viewers as entertainment.

As The World Turns Jumps the Shark

Recently, some characters on As The World Turns began acting strangely as they received objects like watches and pieces of jewelry. Sophie Duran had been a jewelry designer on As The World Turns, so it was pretty clear she was sending these possessed little objects to residents of Oakdale, in order to control the action from beyond the grave. For example, whenever Alison wore a silver bracelet she thought was a gift from her father, she felt ill and also exhibited some really erratic behavior.

The moment for me when As The World Turns really jumped the shark was the first time Meg saw Sophie during her marriage ceremony to Paul Ryan (Sophie was standing in the distance just outside Meg’s hospital room).

The apparition of Sophie Duran on As The World Turns couldn’t be any cheesier. Each time we see her, Sophie is dressed in white flowing garments and her figure is surrounded by white light (is this supposed to be the universal symbol for a TV ghost–draped in white gauzy clothes standing in a bright light?)

If that doesn’t insult the viewer’s intelligence enough, Sophie is also now pushing a baby carriage when she shows up in Meg’s visions. She was pregnant at the time of her death so her showing up with a black baby carriage is somehow supposed to demonstrate her grief. I think the whole storyline is in really bad taste, and in addition to being tacky and silly, I also find this As The World Turns plot somewhat offensive.

Last week on As The World Turns, Meg saw Sophie Duran at Fairwinds and they actually had a conversation. Meg’s conversation with Sophie in the garden was so cheesy and full of cliches that it made me wince (as it made me snicker a little too). The only bright spot in this As The World Turns story is the way it exposes the evil deeds and questionable morality of Meg’s new husband Paul Ryan. I like the way Sophie implores Meg to really take a look into the soul of the man she married, by asking some hard questions.

What kind of man finds the dead body of the woman he thought was carrying his baby, but doesn’t contact the police? What kind of person could care so little about the fate of the person who was the potential mother of his unborn child? What man could bury his former lover in the garden of his house, then marry another woman in that same garden? How could Paul treat Sophie’s death so lightly?

I like the way Sophie is acting as Meg’s conscience, forcing her to really examine her marriage to Paul. But that’s the only thing I like about this dumb, ill conceived As The World Turns supernatural storyline. These kinds of lame plots make As The World Turns unwatchable.

I hope that As The World Turns makes this Sophie Duran story mercifully brief. It is stupid and tasteless, and if the show doesn’t wrap it up soon, I fear As The World Turns could face a mass exodus of fans and a serious decline in ratings this season.