There was a time when I sneered at people who got caught up in soap opera story lines. Since then, I've discovered Christian Mann and Oliver Sabel, and their fantastic storyline in the German soap opera "Verbotene Liebe" (Forbidden Love).
Top: Christian Mann, Bottom: Oliver Sabel
Their story line has been going on since 2008, and I have been following it since 2009. I have grown to love these two characters as I never thought I could. I watched as they met, fell in love against the odds, fought their way to a relationship, battling homophobia as well as every other thing couples have to deal with, and now, today, they finalised their divorce, and I couldn't stop crying. I feel completely ridiculous, but that's that.
Trying, and failing, to reconnect
Both actors, Thore Schölerman (Christian) and Jo Weil (Olli) have done a spectacular job portraying two people who simply can't make their relationship work, and the depression and desperation that follow the realisation that it's all over.
Tonight's episode was so intense and so heartbreaking that I cried my way through the entire first half of it, and now I simply don't know what to do with myself. It's interesting to get so involved in a fictional couple, especially since I'm not normally a fan of romance, but Christian and Olli have captured my heart and if the writers of Verbotene Liebe don't bring them back together soon, I'm going to have to go to Germany and kick some serious soap writer butt.
So this is the reason I currently can't focus on writing my term paper in World Literatures. Christian and Olli, you have probably ruined my grade in this subject, but nevertheless, I love you to pieces!
Tonight's episode, and the utterly and completely depressing end to Christian and Olli's marriage.
