If you watched the parade of presenters at last week’s Daytime Emmy Awards, you had to notice that the soap cliché is all about beauty. On every soap I can think of, you’ll see hunky heroes with perfect pecs and luxurious locks who doff their shirts to hit the sheets with tiny temptresses with saccharine smiles and bounteous bosoms. Many of them can’t act worth a darn, but they’re all gorgeous. Gleaming teeth, shiny hair, wasp waists, the sinuous play of muscle hard up against the plump curve of breast implants spilling from sexy lingerie... Same old, same old.

If you look different, the rule is you’re either comic relief or a villain (and most of them look like fashion models as well). I guess that’s why the first thing people see when they look at OLTL’s Marcie is that she breaks the mold for soap heroines. She’s fairly short, somewhat plump, and she has a goofy, Betty Boop voice. She’s pretty enough (shiny hair, nice smile, bounteous bosom) but far from the waif stereotype. Plus she came onto the show as a friendless hospital employee who got attached to (or obsessed with) beautiful, vapid Jenn Rappaport (the quintessential swimming-in-the-shallow-end ingénue). Even if she weren’t too curvy to fit the standard issue soap stereotype, Marcie’s overwhelming eagerness to be Jenn’s friend and her willingness to lie, change records, and act like a doormat for her new pal put her decidedly outside the normal path to romantic heroine.

But actress Kathy Brier got noticed right away, even in this less-than-stellar role. She gives Marcie energy, charm and vitality, and she has an underlying sweetness that makes viewers want to see more. We know Marcie had a difficult childhood, which accounts for her over-the-top, puppy-dog attachment to Jenn, and we also know she was smart enough to eventually see the light and realize she didn’t need to be friends with such a user. All good. We also saw her form a new attachment — to Al Holden, AKA The Voice of the Night — and learn the value of real friendship. She helped Al, she forced him to confront his addiction, and she did the right thing and made the right choices when it came to telling Al’s parents about his drug problem. How refreshing! Not only does Marcie look different from the saucy vixens who populate daytime, but she shows welcome depth, loyalty, empathy and compassion, too. She doesn’t automatically think of herself first, but actually makes steps to be a better person and integrate herself into the Llanview world.

All this, and she’s peppy, feisty and resourceful enough to duct-tape Al in a dorm room to get him through withdrawal and then talk a hostage-taker into letting her go to the bathroom so she can look for weapons. How could anyone resist that kind of moxie?

Although Brier’s partner in this relationship, Nathaniel Marsten, is not a cliché pretty boy, he is certainly closer to the type than Brier is. But he and Brier match up well physically, with his height and protectiveness making him seem sweet and heroic around her, and her sparkling eyes and bright smile making her seem vulnerable and all glowy around him. My standards for successful couples are met nicely, since Marcie and Al bring out the best in each other — they seem more attractive, smarter, and all-around better when they are together. Although I doubt we will ever see big, sultry love scenes between the two, they look good together, and I look forward to seeing exactly how they do progress on the sexual side of the street.

Notice that I called the beginning of the Marcie/Al relationship “friendship” a few paragraphs ago. To me, this burgeoning romance is not about The Fat Girl Finding Love, no matter how many pundits crow about Marcie’s weight. Instead, I see a classic love story about friends who fall deeper in love, who work from a base of really caring about each other rather than just lust. While they had Jenn on a pedestal, Marcie and Al both acted more like The Jenn Rappaport Fan Club than her equals, which I suppose gives them something in common. But now they seem to have woken up and smelled reality, learning that reaching out and really loving someone, allowing yourself to be loved back, is more valuable than being used.

So here’s a little song, courtesy of Barry Manilow, that Al might like to play for Marcie on his radio show...

I can’t believe I bought Jenn’s line

She wouldn’t say the kid was mine

Caught up in her lies and babymaking

She hopped into my bed

But she was just faking, oh, Marcie

Well you came and you took my abusing

And you locked me away, oh Marcie

And you trapped me and stopped me from using

And I need you today, oh Marcie

Yesterday’s a dream

Now I’m on the airwaves

Talking on the breeze

The Voice is calling, oh, Marcie

Well you came and you gave without taking

And I saw the real you, oh Marcie

And you kissed me and stopped me from shaking

And I need you today, oh, Marcie...

Rumor has it this couple will be the big summer duo for OLTL, once again breaking tradition and taking focus away from the pretty plastic people like Jenn and Cris. I’ll believe it when I see it — with blonde bimbo lovers in charge all over ABC I’ve lost any optimism I ever had that we’ll get any diversity whatsoever, either racial or ethnic or in terms of age, IQ or body type — but I would dearly love it if it were true! Bring on Marcal and let the good times roll!

Next week — the controversial couple of Bianca and Lena. And after that... Something a little different. Her Royal Highness is going to the mattresses (which means something different for a romance writer than it does to gangsters, but it basically means I’m going to be away from SoaptownUSA for a few weeks to meet a pressing deadline) so I am going to open this space to my readers. Send me your thoughts — a few paragraphs, a page, whatever — about your favorite classic couples from ABC soaps. They can be old couples, new couples, couples who never were. This is your chance, you Luke & Laura Lovers, Jesse & Angie Aficionados, Bo & Sarah Buffs, Lois & Nedophiles, Erica & Dmitri Devotees, Frisco & Felicia Fanatics, Scott & Eve Shippers... Tell me who your fave couple is from anywhere in the world of ABC daytime and why you like them and think they work so well. I’ll run the best of what I get, with the proviso that I retain the right to edit for grammar, spelling and length.

Oh, and if there’s someone you abhor, despise, detest, and abominate, feel free to send that on, too. If I get to take these couples apart limb from limb, you may as well enjoy the same privileges! I’ll be looking for good writing and a spiffy turn of phrase. Let the games begin!

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