Best Of Show Or Worse For Wear?
Digest Hands Out Blue Ribbons
And Booby Prizes

THUMBS DOWN!
Prime-Time Disbelief
     On soaps, we can watch spouses return from the grave without batting an eye. Same goes for evil twins and amnesiacs. It's the little things that drive us batty. Lately, it's prime-time that has us shaking our heads.
     We're not just talking about 20-somethings playing 16-year-olds. On BEVERLY HILLS, 90210, Dylan is a recovering alcoholic who throws back beers like they're Evian, but none of his pals seems to worry. What planet are they on? Probably the same one as MELROSE PLACE, which would have you believe it takes a few minutes to get from Michael's Malibu Beach house to the West Hollywood apartment complex. In reality, that drive takes over 40 minutes - without traffic.
     Meanwhile, in Cape Cod, DAWSON'S CREEK kept their cast in shorts till January. No way! We all know that New England has chilly winters. (By the way, it snowed exactly once in Capeside this season.) And how does Mr. Leery, who has no visible means of support, afford a living space the size of a basketball court?
     At least FELICITY acknowledged that its heroine "lucked out" and got a big room at the University of New York, but a space that large should have three people inhabiting it. And while it's reasonable for Felicity to work and attend school, it's a lapse in sanity to think the freshman could punch in at the admissions office, have a part-time job at Dean & Deluca and handle a full course load without blowing a fuse.
     The only thing not working overtime on nighttime soaps is credulity. Is it asking too much for an occasional reality check?