Interesting. Per your 3rd. panel, I had an interesting experiemce. I was a stay at home when the kids were young. I watched soap operas during the afternoon when they were napping.
I was at the kitchen sink clearing the dinner dishes one evening when I caught myself thinking of how Laura would overcome her dire situation. I suddenly realized that I was concerned about a soap opera star's situation!
I was stunned!
I never watched a soap opera again after that.