Shows / The Chaotic Soapbox
The Chaotic Soapbox
Welcome to The Chaotic Soapbox — where Days of Our Lives, soap opera chaos, fanfiction, feminism, queerness, and neurodivergence all collide in one gloriously messy, deeply affectionate conversation. If you know the emotional comfort of revisiting the same beloved scenes, the joy of dissecting a storyline down to the last dramatic gasp, or the specific thrill of caring far too much about a fictional universe, you’re in the right place.
Episodes
- The Chaotic Soapbox
Episode 19 - Soap Tropes: The Plot Has Amnesia (Again)
A soap trope is a promise. A cliché is what happens when the writers forget the characters, the continuity, and apparently the show bible. Jenn and Rachael get…
- The Chaotic Soapbox
Episode 18 - Let Her Love Peter Pan
An autistic woman’s weekly visits to Peter Pan at Disneyland became internet sport, with strangers searching for her in the park and turning awkward moments…
- The Chaotic Soapbox
Episode 17 - Another John? In This Economy?
Fifty years of Marlena, and not one baby named after her. But Salem has found room for yet another John, Roman, Alice or Caroline. Jenn and Rachael put Days of…
- The Chaotic Soapbox
Episode 16 - Izzy B: Not John’s Disney Princess
One balcony dance, one tragic death scene, and suddenly Isabella Toscano is the great love of John Black’s life? Salem, the timeline would like a word. Rachael…
- The Chaotic Soapbox
Episode 15 - The Gays of Our Lives: Progress, Panic, and the Fight to Be Seen
“The Gays of Our Lives” is the kind of phrase bigots throw out when they think Days of Our Lives has suddenly gone too queer — which is funny, considering how…
- The Chaotic Soapbox
Episode 14 - Queering US Soaps: Progress, Panic, and Lost Storylines
What happens when soaps want queer stories but networks panic first? Rachael and Jenn trace queer representation across American daytime, from…
- The Chaotic Soapbox
Episode 13 - The Opposite of Fitting In (Safe People, Big Feelings and Belonging)
This final part of the three part-series on grief and belonging gets very personal. Rachael and Jenn move from parasocial grief into the everyday reality of…
- The Chaotic Soapbox
Episode 12 - Why It Matters: Fandom, Grief & Neurodivergent Connection
In this episode of The Chaotic Soapbox, Rachael and Jenn dive into the heart of parasocial attachment and place it right where it thrives most: fandom. Using…
- The Chaotic Soapbox
Episode 11 - When Icons Die (Dolly, Tim and the Shape of Parasocial Grief)
What happens when someone you’ve never met leaves a real hole in your life? In this first part of a three-episode series, Rachael and Jenn talk about the…
- The Chaotic Soapbox
Episode 10 - The Problem with Paul (Continuity, Canon and Soap-Time Nonsense)
Paul’s great. The timeline is a crime. Paul Narita is a great character. The problem is that the story that gave us Paul makes absolutely no sense. Rachael and…
- The Chaotic Soapbox
Episode 09 - The NeuroSpicy Writer’s Brain (Masking, Therapy and Writer Dopamine)
For the final part of the fanfic series, things get personal. Rachael, Jenn, and Sion talk about how neurodivergence shapes the way they write, create, and…
- The Chaotic Soapbox
Episode 08 - What Makes Fanfic Good? (Voice, Smut, and Research Rabbit Holes, Oh My!)
What makes fanfic good? Rachael, Jenn, and Sion get into the difference between a story that uses John and Marlena’s names and one that actually sounds like…
- The Chaotic Soapbox
Episode 07 - What the Hell Is Fanfic?
If you’ve ever wondered why smart, grown women are out here writing 120 chapters of Jarlena angst, this episode is for you. Rachael, Jenn, and guest Sion get…
- The Chaotic Soapbox
Episode 06 - Roman, Ew - Let it go, already!
The writers want to pair Roman and Marlena — again. Jenn and Rachael are here to explain exactly why that's a hard no. In this episode, the girls break down…
- The Chaotic Soapbox
Episode 05 - From Chaos to Calm: What Marlena Teaches Neurodivergent Fans About Emotional Stability (Part 2)
If Marlena Evans feels like a feminist North Star for neurodivergent women, you’re not imagining it. In this follow‑up to last week’s deep dive, Rachael and…
- The Chaotic Soapbox
Episode 04 - From Chaos to Calm: What Marlena Teaches Neurodivergent Fans About Emotional Stability
Most neurodivergent folks gravitate toward strong, calming female characters like Marlena in Days of Our Lives—not just for the drama, but because she embodies…
- The Chaotic Soapbox
Episode 03 - Why Soap Operas? (Why Soaps Are a Safe Space for Neurodivergent and Marginalized Communities)
Most of us are drawn to soap operas because they offer more than just entertainment—they're a complex blend of community, emotion, and identity. But why do…
- The Chaotic Soapbox
Episode 02 - How Deidre Hall Became the Heart of Salem—and Why It Matters More Than Ever
Most soap fans overlook the magic behind their favorite shows — but this episode peels back the curtain on the passionate fans and storytellers shaping Days of…
- The Chaotic Soapbox
Episode 01 - Happy 50th Anniversary Deidre (or why Scenes and Storylines are not the same thing!)
Most fans debate over favorite scenes—but did Peacock really capture what truly made Deidre Hall iconic? With her 50th anniversary on Days of Our Lives just…