The Soaps That I LOVE

By: Shahane Martirosyan
Shahane.Martirosyan@gmail.com

It’s the drama. It’s the actors. It’s the context. It’s the location. It’s the tense excitement. I’m gripped with it. It’s everything and anything. In fact, I don’t even know exactly what it is that draws me to it. The “it” is my new obsession with Armenian soap operas. I watch them every day. I discuss them vigorously. I love them as though they were Coppola’s newest gift to me.

I grew up watching them during summers at my grandmother’s home in Etchmiadzin. There really wasn’t much else to do in the tiny city. We woke up, ate breakfast, and watched the soap operas that were imported from Latin America and translated into Russian for our viewing pleasure. There was drama. There was love. There were day-to-day events played out in a kind of emotionally arousing way that I thought would be impossible to witness in Armenian society.

Nearly a decade later, living in one of the busiest cities in the world, thousands of miles away from Etchmiadzin and its nonchalant environment, I find myself glued to the television set every single night before I go to bed, watching soap operas brimming with emotional roller-coasters that make Six Flags rides look like a picnic by comparison. There is one difference, though: these telenovelas that I am completely selling my soul to are on the Armenia TV and USArmenia TV channels, and they are in Armenian.

Recently, as once again I was avoiding working on a finals-week research paper to watch the newest episodes of my darling shows, I began to think: how did this happen? As a college student, the only programs I watched on television were Lakers games. At least that’s how it used to be…

Now I watch The Neighbors (Harevanner), Unhappy Happiness (Dzhbakht Yerjankutiun), The Cost of Life (Kyanki Gine), Escape (Pakhust), and Destiny’s Captives (Chakatagri Geriner).

First things first... The transition to watching these amazing shows happened accidentally. It was not an intention of mine to fall in love with soap operas that mean, or at least should mean, absolutely nothing to me. Also it wasn’t that I had nothing else to do. The truth of the matter is that the soap operas have grown into something of a distraction in my life. At this point, though it is not entirely clear why these shows are so addictive, a closer analysis of them provides me with a variety of reasons for my obsession.

The Neighbors is not really that fascinating. It is about the daily lives of a group of average Armenians in Yerevan. Recently, of course, the show has had some turning points, which landed the main male characters in jail, but that’s just the humorous aspect of the show. In fact, they don’t even mind being in jail that much.

The show has the I Love Lucyesque factor that drives each character into outrageous and incredibly funny scenarios. Maybe that’s the reason that many people in Los Angeles have fallen in love with this particular show. Or maybe it’s the core of the show: the neighborly atmosphere that it exudes in each episode.

Indeed, there is that Yerevan feeling in The Neighbors: all the neighbors are aware of each other’s business and each building has its own gossip lady, who knows everything and is given to sharing her knowledge with anyone over a cup of coffee.

The popularity of The Neighbors can be attributed to the fact that many former residents of Armenia now living in Los Angeles remember home when they watch this show. Every time I watch it, I remember our neighbors from the third floor of our apartment building in Yerevan, who would visit my mom every day for morning coffee. In addition, the cast is extremely talented and only adds to the amazing writing.

In Destiny’s Captives, the actors’ talent has become so evident that I have found myself discussing their craft with my Armenian classmates at school. The story is about the members of Yerevan’s upper crust, the nouveau riche, whose greed for more money and power has driven them into a world where nothing else matters – nothing, that is, except their families.

Destiny’s Captives captures the lifestyle of the Armenian capital’s tiny yet bone-chillingly formidable ruling class, focusing on family problems and complications that arise when people have no monetary issues. It is enticing to watch the story unfold as each character copes with evolving situations and their corresponding tangles, providing a glimpse into a world not easily imagined by most Armenians, whether in the diaspora or Armenia itself.

In a similar vein, The Cost of Life offers plenty of insight into corruption, Yerevan-style. In fact, the biggest guilty pleasure in the whole wide world is watching The Cost of Life – and loving every minute of it. With a myriad twists and turns in tow, the storyline concerns one Arto Aramich, an oligarch who faces trouble from every corner as enemies both old and new attempt to bring him down while his wife has an affair with his most trusted man. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. There is an incredible amount of emotional turmoil between the characters as they keep secrets from one another and only the audience is allowed to know what’s really going on.

Apart from its highly engaging subject matter, The Cost of Life is noteworthy because it’s probably the first Armenian show in a very long time to feature high production values as well as actors from Armenia and the United States alike – with Alla Tumanian joining the cast this past season. Additionally, the city of Yerevan plays a central role in the soap, with many scenes showcasing the beautiful streets and landmarks of the capital, including Republic Square.

My other favorite, Escape, also takes the viewer through the streets of Yerevan, but this Yerevan is much scarier.

Escape tells the story of a guy named Arthur and his friends. It is really not that simple though. The reason that this series is titled Escape is that Arthur is wrongfully sent to jail for raping and killing his fiancée. The only way out is to escape, which, after living through a jail world marked by its own rules and regulations, Arthur manages to pull off. However, after breaking out of prison, he’s left with only one option in life: to join the ranks of Yerevan’s organized crime.

Escape makes the Sopranos and the Godfather look like Nickelodeon series. Still, Escape and the aforementioned American classics do have something in common: a lovable protagonist. It is practically impossible to not like Arthur, just as it would be impossible to dislike Michael Corleone. Escape is chock-full of crime, punishment, love, respect, family, honor, and much, much more.

Lastly, I have to mention the series that started all this for me, Unhappy Happiness. Unlike the other series, this one has a woman in charge – well, that’s how the series started. She is obviously an unhappy woman, as on the very day of her first wedding, her groom was arrested; her child was stolen from her in Moscow; her most trusted accountant stole half a million dollars from her; she was kidnapped during her second wedding ceremony; her archenemy bought half her company without her knowledge; her mother died… And that’s just a few of the reasons for her unhappiness.

Unhappy Happiness also depicts the world of the mafia and its affiliations with the police forces. All the characters are somehow related and are chasing after the stolen half a million dollars. The show alludes much to its Latin American counterparts – for instance, by stretching the notion of having a home with servants who discuss their masters’ lives while working in the kitchen. The show’s main character, Anna, has an appealing persona that draws viewers every night to watch her unhappiness unfold.

Anyways, there is still much more to be said and discussed about my shows, but The Cost of Life is on right now.