Back to 'Normal'

Luke was onscreen again today on As The World Turns, but there wasn't all that much going on story wise. The episode started with Damian running into Luke just outside of Noah's hospital room. Damian was there to see Noah, but Luke asked him to come back later since Noah had just gone to sleep. Damian asked if Luke had been there all night and Luke explained that he couldn't leave, not when he'd come so close to losing Noah.

Damian invited his son to lunch and called to invite Holden & Lily along as well when Luke explained that they were expecting him. Luke & Damian had an awkward but rather sweet conversation while waiting for the Snyders, where Damian asked Luke how he and Noah planned to celebrate when Noah got out of the hospital and Luke sort of sidestepped the question (well, I guess he can't exactly say that they won't be leaving the bedroom for a week, can he?). Damian also asked if Luke & Noah still planned on moving in together.

It was rather touching, watching Damian try to show that he was okay with Luke's sexuality while things were still feeling awkward between the two of them. It's not surprising, given that they're basically still strangers, that the conversation would be stilted.

Holden & Lily finally arrived and were expecting this to be a farewell lunch, since Luke hadn't been home to tell them that he'd asked Damian to stay. Holden, needless to say, was far from pleased when he heard the news. He stormed off and Luke went after him, catching up with him and telling him that this was in no way a rejection of Holden by Luke. Luke declared that he is a Snyder, not a Grimaldi, and explained that he felt like he really needed to get to know Damian to fully know himself. He also felt that Damian may not be as bad as they've believed he is.

Holden was understanding and told Luke that he had his back. Back in the dining room, Lily revealed to Damian that Luke had other issues (you know, besides being kidnapped by crazy cousins who want his money and his unborn child) including a drinking problem and an unfortunate tendency to rig student elections. Luke needed direction in his life, and the foundation was finally providing that, Lily explained. Damian blamed himself for Luke's problems and thought that Luke getting to know him would help.

After Holden & Lily left without eating lunch, Luke filled Damian on the news that the foundation's funds, wired to Zac & Zoe's account as ransom, would be returned but it was going to take awhile and in the meantime the foundation wouldn't be able to meet its commitments to the charities that depend on their contributions to operate.

Damian offered to support the foundation with his own money until the original funds were returned and Luke warned him that he'd have to be okay what the foundation, and Luke himself, stood for if he did that. Damian readily agreed and Luke accepted his offer.

Luke returned home and filled Holden, Lily, and Lucinda about this latest turn of events. Lily told her son that Damian's support wasn't necessary, since she'd planned to keep the foundation going with her own money, but Luke said that he felt he should take up Damian on his offer.

Once they were alone, Holden went all alpha male on Lily, telling her he thought she should quit her job as Executive Director of the foundation now that Damian was involved. Lily, of course, didn't agree and Holden basically had a tantrum about Damian wanting Lily and Luke back and tried to force Lily to choose between them. When she wouldn't, he flounced out of the room like a spoiled little brat. Yeah, I'm really not liking the way they're writing Holden at the moment.

Lucinda, meanwhile, headed for Damian's hotel room for a confrontation of her own. Finally! I've been waiting to see these two spar since Damian returned to the show, but this is the first time they've had a scene together. Lucinda warned Damian not to mess with Lily & Holden's marriage and Damian showed her the door after saying that since Lucinda is no longer his mother in law, he doesn't have to listen to her lectures any more. I hope that isn't the only time we'll see the two of them go head to head!

So, that was pretty much it. After the last few weeks of episodes crammed with plot twists that should have played out slowly over a couple of months, at least, it seemed like a very uneventful episode indeed. Hopefully Luke & Noah will have some nice scenes once Noah is out of the hospital, and I'm still looking forward to the two of them moving into their own place this summer. For now, I'm going to just pretend that the return of Colonel Mayer isn't looming on the horizon.