The first part of the show was pretty much more of the same: Holden pestering Margo to arrest Damian (there's no evidence); Damian approaching Lily to plead his case; and Noah suggesting yet again that maybe Luke should give Damian a chance.
About that last point, I did like that Noah was completely up front with Luke about Damian asking him to convince Luke that he was sincere and that Noah had turned him down. It showed not only how solid their love is, but also that Noah's feelings on this are all his own. It's also good that they can argue about this without it affecting their relationship.
I'll shorthand the Holden/Lily/Damian stuff, because it wasn't all that new or interesting. Basically, Holden thought Damian was behind everything that was happening, Damian warned that by focusing on him they were putting Luke in danger because the real bad guys were still out there, and Lily was more or less caught in the middle, wringing her hands.
Back at Java, Luke shot down the idea of giving Damian the benefit of the doubt and the guys turned the conversation to the ad that Luke had placed on 'Greg's List' seeking volunteers for the Foundation.
That's when a potentially ill wind blew the Finn Twins into Luke & Noah's lives. I'm still not sure what exactly I feel about the two of them. They're a little annoying and creepy (more on that in a moment) and I don't think I like where this story is headed. In spite of that, though, I found myself actually liking the twins. They seem pretty different from all the other characters on the show and it's kind of a nice change. There is a lot of potential there and I especially liked how upfront Zac seemed about his sexuality.
But, I'm getting ahead of myself. The twins showed up at Java to inform Luke & Noah that they were the answer to all their prayers, more or less, as far as volunteers go. They were very pushy, seating themselves at Luke & Noah's table without being asked, and Zoe took every opportunity to touch Luke while Zac practically devoured Noah with his eyes.
Knowing ahead of time that they were twins, I was more than a little creeped out by how... um... all over each other they were! At one point, they practically rubbed noses and it looked like they were about to start making out! My first thought was that the actors were playing it all wrong, but then it escalated and it became obvious that it had to be intentional. When Luke asked how long they'd been together, they laughed and told him they were twins and were just "super affectionate." I'm not sure where the show is going with this.
They were also just generally rather annoying, finishing each other's sentences constantly. I get that the show is trying to demonstrate how connected they are, but it was extreme overkill. If they could tone things down a bit, though, with the sentence finishing and the incestuous vibe, I think I could be interested in these characters.
Zac & Zoe brought some ideas to the table for the foundation: a blog where gay and straight people could share their stories and see how similar they really are, and a dance where everyone is required to dance with people of both genders, regardless of their sexual orientation. Not exactly setting the world on fire, there, but they were at least enthusiastic.
They were also a bit mysterious about their origins, claiming to have been 'everywhere'.
I have to admit, I was surprised to see Zac's interest in Noah. I had assumed that he would be interested in Luke, though I'm not sure why I thought that. Here's a little bit of their exchange, from right after they met the guys:
Zoe: You want to bring attention to what you're doing-
Zac: -And we're very good at attracting attention.
Luke: Yeah, I can see that.
Zoe: It's a social skill that's often undervalued.
Zac: (Looking at Noah): Though you probably get your fair share of attention on your own.
Zoe: Z!
Zac: I'm simply pointing out the obvious.
Luke: Well, something that's not so obvious, Z, is that he's taken. (Luke takes Noah's hand.)
Zac: In some ways, we're all taken (looks creepily at his sister). And yet, there's a part of everyone that will always be free.
Noah: Yeah, that's, uh, deep.
Zac: -And we're very good at attracting attention.
Luke: Yeah, I can see that.
Zoe: It's a social skill that's often undervalued.
Zac: (Looking at Noah): Though you probably get your fair share of attention on your own.
Zoe: Z!
Zac: I'm simply pointing out the obvious.
Luke: Well, something that's not so obvious, Z, is that he's taken. (Luke takes Noah's hand.)
Zac: In some ways, we're all taken (looks creepily at his sister). And yet, there's a part of everyone that will always be free.
Noah: Yeah, that's, uh, deep.
I loved Noah's response right after the twins left: "And then that happened." That just about summed it up perfectly!
When Luke had to head back to his parents house to discuss the police protection that Margo had offered, the guys parted with a sweet kiss and "I love you"s. I'll never get tired of that! It's so awesome, I swear I want to cheer every time.
Luke rejected the idea of being under police protection, since he felt like it would be sending the message that to be out and proud, you had to have a cop over your shoulder keeping you safe.
Back at Java, Noah was closing up for the night when Damian stumbled in and collapsed on the floor, bleeding all over the place and announcing he'd been stabbed. I'm totally going to start stealing Noah's line, because it sums up about 99% of the crappy plot twists in Oakdale: And then that happened.
Noah called an ambulance and then Luke, and Damian claimed that he'd seen Luke leaving Java and had followed him to keep an eye on him, only to be jumped from behind and stabbed in the back. Holden, of course, thought that Damian set this up, too, but Damian warned Lily again that Luke's in danger.
Noah, meanwhile, was quite shaken up by the experience and upset at the idea that it could have been Luke who was stabbed. He and Holden managed to talk Luke into accepting the police protection after all.
The episode ended with Zac & Zoe running into Luke & Noah again at Al's Diner. After saying how 'hot' it was that Luke had to have police protection, they once again invited themselves to sit down, with Zac nearly in Noah's lap and Zoe looking at Luke like he was on the menu, and announced that they were 'sticking with' Luke & Noah.
Having watched soaps for all of my life, I think that the direction this story is headed in is clear. My guess is that Damian has hired the twins to break up Luke & Noah. Note Zac's interest in Noah, while the female half of the pair is all over the son that Damian wants so badly to be straight. I'd love it if I was wrong about this, but even if I'm right there is still room for something more interesting to come from it.
What if Zac, while trying to earn his paycheck by seducing Noah, falls in love with Luke? The more traditional soap story would be that he'd fall in love with the person he was paid to seduce, but having him fall for Luke instead would add an extra twist and put him at odds with Damian.
Of course, I'd much prefer the way I originally thought this story would go (and I guess it still could go that way), which is that whatever develops between Zac and Noah (or Zac & Luke) would be natural, not something Damian had arranged. I'd love an honest to God love triangle where you could feel why the character in the middle was torn between loving both of the others.
At any rate, I'm holding out hope for the story, even though the twins haven't exactly turned out to be what I expected!
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