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The "Back from the Dead" storyline is one of my personal favorites. Everyone knows, that in soapland, if there is no dead body, then there is always a possibility that the character will come back from the dead. And even if there is a body, there is that small chance that the character will find some way to return, or at least that the actor will get to continue on the show as a look-alike.

The back from the dead storyline is a good one because there is so much at stake for the "dead" character. Upon his return he usually finds that things are not as he had left them. His significant other is in love with someone else, or he has lost his position in his company. Everyone has moved on, and the character must adjust to the changes and get his life back, and often the character, himself, has gone through changes as well. What was he doing while he was gone, and what is he going to do now?

There is also much at stake for the characters who were close friends or relatives to the "dead" character. The viewers get to watch as the characters mourn the loss of the dead character, as they try to pick up the pieces and move on, and then as they rejoice upon the return. It also becomes interesting to watch the "dead" character's adversaries: How do they react to the death? How do they take advantage of the situation? And what will they do when the character returns?

In some cases, the viewers know that the supposedly dead character is, in fact, alive. This occurred several years ago on The Young and the Restless. Victor Newman was in a plane crash, and everyone on the show thought him to be dead, when in fact he was in Kansas living on Hope's farm. The viewers watched as Victor lived the simple life and fell in love with Hope; meanwhile Jack and Brad worked to take over his company. The fans enjoyed the softer side of Victor, and anxiously awaited the priceless looks on Jack's and Brad's faces when Victor returned to take back his company.

In other cases, there is a tragedy that results in reported death with no body, or occasionally there is a body that appears dead but is not really. This usually occurs because the actor who plays the character has another project to do, and they are taking a leave of absence from the show, or in some cases the writers are planning to cast another character and need a window of time to cast someone else. Either way, these storylines make for good day time television. Viewers get to watch as the characters mourn for the dead and eventually

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