I thought, do I write something straightforward, or something fun, or perhaps a tongue in cheek goodbye letter – all things I’ve done over the course of my musings about PORT CHARLES. I’ve ranted, I’ve raved, I’ve swooned, I’ve giggled, I’ve cried, I’ve gushed, I’ve written love letters, I’ve issued vampire warning reports, I’ve written endless complaints and endless praise. I’ve never hidden how I felt about pretty much anything, probably allowing my biases, in particular towards a magnificent angel and mesmerizing vampire who forever changed the canvas, to show more times than I should have.

Sometimes I’ve hit the mark, more often times than not I haven’t but all of it has always come from a place of love and admiration – for a remarkable show that was never afraid to turn away from convention and take risks and for the depths the extraordinary actors, crew and production were willing to go to tell the story, to create this fantastical world, this alternate reality that is PORT CHARLES.

Through it all I’ve come to feel a special relationship with you all - the accessibility of the internet having allowed us writers, dare I call myself that, to actually develop something akin to an almost familial relationship. While still largely a one-way conversation, I basically do all the talking, your feedback and comments have turned my musings into an ongoing discussion. And I’ve come to value and appreciate all your support, whether we’ve met or not, in your emails and in your posts all over the internet soap community in a way that I never thought possible. 

And hasn’t PORT CHARLES had exactly the same effect.

This show became a family. The actors talk about the family unit the set became. They talk about the family unit the show and its fan base (that’s us) became. We talk about the family unit this show became to us. No other daytime drama has ever fostered the kinds of reactions in its fans PORT CHARLES did. The passion, at times both positive and negative, this show stirred in our hearts took everyone by surprise. No one knew it was happening until it simply couldn’t be denied. 

So is it a wonder that I won’t say goodbye. I’ll wave farewell, I’ll say adieu, but never au revoir. I’ll move on to the next grand adventure for my musings, hoping you’ll all follow along, but I will always, always remember PORT CHARLES in that special place I’ve created deep in my soul that only it can claim. And I suspect all of you have a similar place and will do the same. It will take more than mere cancellation to put PORT CHARLES into the past tense.

Lest this sound like one maudlin, sentimental load of sap – it is. I’m entitled. And so are you, not that anyone needs my permission to be emotional, just because its my specialty doesn’t mean its yours, but in all honesty how can any PORT CHARLES fan not be emotional today.

Six years ago PORT CHARLES emerged as a spin off from the long running and ever popular General Hospital. A younger, hipper version of its mother show, it struggled to find its audience and its footing in the muddy waters of daytime ratings. The switch to a 13 week arc format, coupled with a turn to the supernatural took this show in an innovative direction that made daytime stand on its ear and garnered it its first Emmy nomination for Best Drama. While in the end the experiment failed financially, PORT CHARLES gave us indescribable moments of magic and vibrancy, making an indelible mark and redefining boundaries in a genre that had grown complacent and tired of itself.

PORT CHARLES put a smile on our face, a catch in our throat, an extra beat in our heart with its singular and savvy take on stories out of any realm we ever knew before in daytime. The show always opted for an original approach, even from the very beginning when the supernatural was not yet a part of its vocabulary. It was individual, amusing, sexier and more enthralling than any soap opera has ever been – an imaginative showcase of wonderfully talented actors, exciting action and drama blended with compelling characters whose humanity shone through all the dark twists. 

PORT CHARLES will always serve as a vivid reminder of how the upheavals of fictional characters have an irresistible effect on our lives as we seek out recognition within ourselves. It strove to be a reflection of our world but as a dream, a fantasy, an escape – our world only better.

Despite its shortcomings, PORT CHARLES courageously took chances - in angels and vampires and vampire slayers, in heaven and hell, in love and hate; in innovative production design and camera work, in direction, music and lighting. It represented creativity and freedom - a free spirit that at its best conveyed a sense that the world it had created was possible – a place where the human condition could play out against the supernatural backdrop. Life and death, good vs. evil, love, hope and redemption - revealing the fundamental and irrepressible human spirit and its desire to connect us all. 

The show’s mixing of fantasy and reality may have been an acquired taste – the characters moving back and forth between its real and fictional world, going beyond replicating reality to manufacturing it but at its best we believed. We believed because of the inference of the truth of its situations and the characters’ behavior within that truth.

PORT CHARLES had the chance not to accept the status quo but to challenge the stars in the name of destiny, and for one brief, shining moment it did. At the end of the day the show pushed the boundaries between standard and convention, accepted and unaccepted, life and illusion always with love and acceptance as is pivot point.

The greatest pleasure has been exposure to a drama that at times was so astonishing and exhilarating it brought me to tears. Given the powerful forces exerted against creativity in an industry that lauds mediocrities and worse, in the name of money and ratings, it is that much more astounding that the level of excellence the amazing cast and crew strove for never wavered.  It’s been an honor and a privilege to celebrate PORT CHARLES.

There are tears in my heart and a shiver up my spine as PORT CHARLES signs off for the last time.  

Bravo.

Music crescendos. Roll credits. Fade to black.

This column is my thanks to everyone, my gratitude and my goodbye, at least from this PORT CHARLES soapbox.  This show changed and enriched my life in ways that are far beyond anything I can express.  For the connections, opportunities, friendships, love and support that have been forged through all of this, and you all know who you are, and for a very special keepsake, I will be forever grateful; you’ve made me believe angels really do walk this earth.

...until we muse again Port Charles Fans

*** Please note the views expressed here are those of the author and not the site.