The light goes out

The longest running drama in television and radio history is now silent. The final episode of Guiding Light aired Friday, Sept. 18 after 72 years on the air. News of the show's departure was announced on April 1, and I honestly thought it was an April Fool's joke. Sadly, it wasn't. (If you don't want to know what happens during the final episode, then stop reading now!)

I grew up watching CBS soap operas thanks to my mother and grandmother, and even though years went by when I didn't watch them, I still found myself wondering what was happening with various characters such as Alan Spaulding, Josh Lewis, and of course Reva Shane Lewis Spaulding O'Neill (who has driven off a bridge, joined the Amish, was cloned, became a princess of an island nation, and recently gave birth to a son who is younger than her grandchildren.)

I started watching the show again a few years ago since we have a DVR, and it's easy to record the episodes and watch them later as a guilty pleasure. I noticed changes in how the show was filmed due to budget cuts. A lot of the scenes looked like I could have shot them with my camera, and many were shot outside instead of an indoor studio. I also could miss an entire week, watch one episode and be completely caught up, but that's how all soap operas work.

Despite the changes, I was sad to see the show go off the air, not only because it's the longest running show on television, but because a part of me will miss some of the crazy story lines. The last few weeks of the show, however, was a time to tie up loose ends and make amends. There were two weddings, a funeral, a life-saving medical procedure, several pregnancies and the happy homecomings of several former main characters. The show also introduced several gay characters recently.

In the final episode, the Spaulding family mourns the death of Alan Spaulding, who recently had saved his son Phillip's life during a risky medical procedure. He died peacefully of a heart attack, and his villain character became a hero. Josh professed his love for Reva and tells her they both need time to find themselves, and he'll return in a year and wait for her at the lighthouse if she decides she wants to be with him.

Fast forward a year into the future—babies are now born, a son has returned from war, and another wedding of two longtime lovers is taking place. Josh waits for Reva, and of course she shows up, and they drive away, starting a new life together...this time forever or at least until there's a reunion show.