That's a Wrap

Everything on As the World Turns was just where we left it yesterday: one gay man about to be raped by his distant cousin of the female variety while his unconscious boyfriend, still bleeding from a gunshot wound, was tied up an inch away from him, and his biological father was just on the other side of the door, being held at gunpoint by the twin-brother-turned-boyfriend of his would be rapist. Got all that? It's okay, I don't think the writers do, either.

Zac told Damian not to worry about Luke, joking about him being in Zoe's capable hands, and telling him how she was 'making a man' out of him. Yeah, I think I want to puke. When Damian didn't start jumping for joy, Zac pointed out that he was the one who tried to send Luke to Scared Straight camp and wondered why he wasn't happy about this news.

Inside, Zoe was still all over Luke while he told her that he wasn't going to get her pregnant and pointed out that she'd be in prison anyway, she'd never be able to raise her child. Zoe voiced my own fears when she said that Luke would never turn his back on his child and would raise him himself, making sure her child got the inheritance that was her mother's birthright. That's all we need, Luke & Noah saddled with a child that would tie Luke to his rapist for life!

Zoe basically told Luke to just lie back and enjoy it and called him a 'good little baby making boy'. Yeah, I'm definitely going to puke.

Zoe sort of leaned her head down to Luke's lap and that's when Noah, not so unconscious after all, swung his legs around and grabbed her in a headlock between them. Yes!

Out in the hall, Damian and Zac heard Zoe screaming for help and rushed inside. As Damian and Zac fought over the gun, Noah's thighs were working overtime keeping Zoe in lockdown and Luke was freaking out because Noah was starting to bleed again from the strain.

Damian managed to get the gun and he was no sooner holding the twins at gunpoint than Margo and another cop burst in rather ridiculously, their own firearms drawn. You know, I feel deeply sorry for Ellen Dolan, the very talented actress who plays Margo Hughes. Once upon a time, she had stories worthy of her talent, but now she's written as a joke of a cop in these inane scripts. Yet another example of this show wasting acting talent to put bad writing on display.

Well, at least Zoe didn't get a chance to rape Luke. I was really worried about where they were going with that. He wouldn't have been the first LGBT character on daytime to become a parent through rape, after all (that would be All My Children's Bianca).

The next scenes, of Luke & Noah in Noah's hospital room, almost made this whole story seem worthwhile. That's the magic of Van Hansis & Jake Silbermann's chemistry, though. They make these sorts of quiet, sweet scenes come alive onscreen in a way that no amount of ridiculously convoluted plots, however well acted, could hope to achieve. It really makes me wish that they were in the hands of writers who didn't have them constantly battling psychos. There is so much more realistic drama that could be told with these two.

At any rate, they had some excellent scenes where, after exchanging mutual 'I love you's, Luke told Noah that he appreciated being saved from ' a fate worse than death', but that Noah shouldn't have put himself in danger like that. Noah responded that hadn't done it for Luke: "I just couldn't stand to see that psycho slut with her hands all over my boyfriend."

Noah then pointed out again that he'd been right about Damian not being involved and Luke agreed that Damian had indeed saved the day.

At the police station, Damian and Holden awkwardly apologized to each other and each accepted blame for the way things had gone down during the whole mess. I'm glad they included this scene, because they'd really been making Holden look like an ass lately and without this scene it would have seemed even worse.

Meanwhile, Zac & Zoe pinned the whole scheme on Damian, telling Margo that he'd arranged the whole kidnapping and they'd just been working for him. After learning of this, Damian stormed into the interrogation room and launched himself at Zac, who looked like he was about to wet himself, and demanded that he tell the truth.

When Holden informed Lily & Luke that the police were thinking Damian was involved with the kidnapping, Luke headed for the station and told Margo that after spending days with Zac & Zoe, neither of whom were exactly the silent type, he knew for sure that Damian hadn't been involved at all. Margo decided to take Luke's word for it.

Holden then asked Damian to leave town, for the sake of everyone, since his presence had unintentionally put the people they both loved in danger and could do so again. Damian rather morosely agreed.

Back at the hospital, Luke filled Noah in on how he'd cleared Damian but Noah was surprised that Luke hadn't actually spoken to his biological father. He suggested that maybe everything that had happened to them was a way of telling Luke that he'd never really get to know Damian unless he tried.

A very happy Holden returned to the hospital to tell Lily and Luke that Damian was leaving town and would finally be out of their lives. Luke & Lily both seemed decidedly unenthusiastic about the news, not that Holden noticed.

After Holden headed home to check on the rest of their children, Lily went to the Lakeview to say goodbye to Damian. He told her that he's very proud of their son and Lily noted that Luke would love to hear that because for all his pretending otherwise, what Damian thinks does matter to him.

When he got up to his room, Damian found the door ajar and went into defense mode, but the person waiting for him inside was Luke.

Damian: What can I do for you?

Luke: I don't know how to say this. I don't even know what it is I want.

Damian: Anything you need I will give you. You have only to ask.

Luke: I just realized that I don't know you. I mean, I know the DNA, I know the name, I know the history, but I don't know you.

Damian: I find myself in a similar situation where you are concerned.

Luke: And I don't know what kind of a relationship we can have, I don't know if we're even capable of one.

Damian: What is it you want?

Luke: All I know is this. I'm not ready for you to leave my life.

Damian: (smiling) Well then I won't. I'll stay here in Oakdale for as long as you like.

Luke: (smiling) Okay. Um, I should probably get back to Noah.

Damian: He's a very lucky boy.

Luke: So am I.

This was another great scene that really made this whole story seem almost worth it. I only wish the writers could have come up with a better way to get to this point!

Well, as much as I like Nicholas Galbraith and wish he could have played the character I imagined, one who was gay and interested in Noah, I'm glad this is all over. I hope to see more of Nicholas elsewhere, because he's a truly talented guy. He made me really like a role that was terribly written, so I can only imagine what he could do with better material.

As the World Turns introduced the so called Z Twins less than a month ago, on April 2, and their storyline seems to have come to a conclusion today, less than four weeks later. When you consider all that happened in that time, as well as the fact that Nuke were typically onscreen two or three episodes a week at the most, you'll see what I mean about everything on this show moving at warp speed. They just don't take any time to tell these stories and that, as much as the terrible ideas coming from the Head Writer, is what is ruining this show.

Yet, I find myself once again feeling optimistic now that one story has reached its conclusion. Maybe the next one will be better? That's me, the eternal optimist. Some people just never learn.