Luke was on today's As the World Turns, sans Noah. The episode started with Lily calling Luke up and inviting him and Noah to dinner, since they never get to see the guys now that they live in their own apartment. Which, apparently, we viewers will never be seeing onscreen. In fact, I think the guys have actually just leased a table at Java, where at least Noah doesn't have a long commute to work.
Luke agreed to meet his parents, but said that Noah was busy editing and couldn't come. Over dinner, Luke told Holden & Lily that Noah is always so busy with the film now and that even when they are together, Noah's mind is still focused on his movie. Luke is worried he'll see even less of Noah once the new job at Grimaldi Shipping starts the next day.
Holden & Lily basically brushed aside Luke's legitimate relationship worries, like the stellar parents they are, since discussing that didn't fit in with the real purpose of the dinner: convincing Luke not to go to work for Damian. The two of them told their son that they'd accepted that he didn't want to go back to school, that he wanted to try business, but they felt that he'd learn more about management if he went to work for WorldWide (his Grandmother's company), where Lucinda will be needing a right hand man.
They insisted that this wasn't about Damian, but rather about the byzantine corporate structure of Grimaldi Shipping (not to mention all the crazy Grimaldis themselves) and how Luke would be better off working at a more 'local' global conglomerate like WorldWide.
Around that time, Lily spotted Damian eating Meg's face across the room (maybe they were making out; either way, I had to look away!) and ran off to talk to him, ostensibly about the fact that she and Holden were giving Luke another option, but really because she was oh so jealous that one of the men from her past isn't still hung up on her.
Holden and Luke tossed the issue back and forth, with Luke pointing out that this wasn't about choosing Damian over him, except that Holden himself seemed to be trying to force him to make such a choice.
Once Lily returned with Damian and got him to tell Luke that he was fine with whatever Luke decided, Luke said that he hadn't changed his mind: he was working for Grimaldi Shipping. Holden wasted no time in telling his son that he was making a big mistake.
Well, it seems like they're setting up a story where Luke & Noah may be drifting apart a bit, and Mason will certainly be figuring into that. I'd much rather watch that story than anything to do with Luke going into business with Grimaldi Shipping. That can only lead to more crazy Grimaldi psychos of the month, and it doesn't really suit Luke anyway. Luke has never been a business person and I just am not buying that he ever would be. The only way this story can work is if he tries it out and realizes it's not for him.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Y&R: Family Matters
On today's The Young and the Restless, Philip and his son Chance finally met for that cup of coffee that they'd arranged to have at the start of the week. It began as awkwardly as you'd expect, with Philip clearly nervous and Chance still referring to his father rather coldly as 'Sir'.
Chance suggested they start with Philip telling him why he'd left. His father explained that it had come down to a choice between going off to find his truth or staying and living a lie. Chance asked why he couldn't have found his truth in Genoa City and Philip told him that he was gay.
If Philip expected an explosive reaction to his revelation, he didn't get one. Chance didn't seem bothered at all about finding out his father was gay, but he was perplexed as to how Philip being gay explained making his family think he was dead for twenty years. I can see where he'd be confused by that, since it's not part of your typical coming out process! I still haven't heard a reasonable explanation for why he didn't just leave and move to New York or San Francisco or anywhere else in the world.
Philip told his son that it was difficult for younger people to understand the way the world was back then, that there was a lot less acceptance and gay pride (definitely true, but we're still talking about 1989, not 1959!), and on top of all of that, he had all the expectations of his position in the Chancellor family weighing him down and was just trying to play a role, one that he could only play with the help of a lot of alcohol.
Chance said it sounded like Philip was going through a lot back then, but nothing could explain the fact that he'd had a wife and a child that he'd abandoned, that he'd run from his responsibilities. Chance wouldn't be able to live with himself if he ever did the same.
Philip said he hoped Chance was never faced with such an impossible choice himself and Chance pointed out that Philip had obviously come out to the family since his return and no one was trying to drive him out of it. How impossible a choice could it have been?
Philip agreed that they may have accepted him twenty years ago, but at the time his fear had told him they wouldn't. He'd known he could never be the husband or father his family needed, but when Chance protested that he'd never even tried, Philip said he had, in the beginning, telling Chance that he'd fed him, changed him, and held him when he cried.
Chance dismissed this by saying they'll never know how things might have turned out if Philip had stayed, and Philip FINALLY apologized to someone for his actions, telling Chance he was sorry that he'd left him, but then he quickly tried to shift blame again, saying that maybe if he'd had a mother like Chance did in Nina, things might have been different.
Chance did thank Philip for being brave enough to come back and be tested for Huntington's Disease, especially knowing all that he'd be facing by doing so. Philip said he hadn't been brave, he'd just been trying to be a father.
They wrapped up the conversation with Philip telling Chance that he didn't have to leave Genoa City if Chance wanted him to stick around. Chance didn't really respond to that, though, so Philip shook his hand and told him to let him know.
After meeting with his son, Philip went to see his mother, Jill. They talked about the meeting with Chance and Philip said that he couldn't tell if his son was burying his rage or just didn't care at all about him. Jill recalled how she used to tell herself that Philip's anger at her at least proved he'd cared.
Philip then brought up his abandoning of his son and claimed it was part of a family pattern of putting his own needs before his child's. Jill went on the defensive, pointing out that she'd sent him to boarding school for a few years, yes, but she hadn't left his life completely or let him think she was dead!
Philip said that he wasn't trying to lay blame (yeah, right), but instead wanted to begin healing their dysfunctional family, starting with forgiving her for the past and letting her know that he knew she'd been the best mother she'd been able to be. It ended up being the first real mother/son scene the two have had since Philip's return.
Meanwhile, Chance was meeting with his own mother. Nina asked how things had gone with Philip and Chance told her he'd found out the guy was gay. Nina asked how he was feeling about that and Chance said it didn't make any difference to him. Nina pointed out that Philip was still his father and Chance admitted that the only reason he'd even agreed to meet with the guy was because he thought Nina was still in love with him. Now that that wasn't the case.... The look on Nina's face, though, brought Chance up short and he asked her to confirm that she wasn't still in love with Philip.
Nina confessed that Philip had been the love of her life and even with all that she'd found out recently, he still was. Chance was clearly not pleased to hear this.
Well, I've wanted to see a scene where a parent comes out to their child on a soap for some time now, and we finally got one. Of course, the way I imagined it, the parent wouldn't have been a stranger to the child to begin with. That added a whole different dynamic to the story and still leaves another sort of parent coming out to child story to be told by some other soap.
Chance's non-reaction may mean he really isn't bothered by Philip's sexuality or it may just be a part of his overall attitude towards Philip, which is cold at best. Time will tell how okay he actually is with this piece of news.
Chance suggested they start with Philip telling him why he'd left. His father explained that it had come down to a choice between going off to find his truth or staying and living a lie. Chance asked why he couldn't have found his truth in Genoa City and Philip told him that he was gay.
If Philip expected an explosive reaction to his revelation, he didn't get one. Chance didn't seem bothered at all about finding out his father was gay, but he was perplexed as to how Philip being gay explained making his family think he was dead for twenty years. I can see where he'd be confused by that, since it's not part of your typical coming out process! I still haven't heard a reasonable explanation for why he didn't just leave and move to New York or San Francisco or anywhere else in the world.
Philip told his son that it was difficult for younger people to understand the way the world was back then, that there was a lot less acceptance and gay pride (definitely true, but we're still talking about 1989, not 1959!), and on top of all of that, he had all the expectations of his position in the Chancellor family weighing him down and was just trying to play a role, one that he could only play with the help of a lot of alcohol.
Chance said it sounded like Philip was going through a lot back then, but nothing could explain the fact that he'd had a wife and a child that he'd abandoned, that he'd run from his responsibilities. Chance wouldn't be able to live with himself if he ever did the same.
Philip said he hoped Chance was never faced with such an impossible choice himself and Chance pointed out that Philip had obviously come out to the family since his return and no one was trying to drive him out of it. How impossible a choice could it have been?
Philip agreed that they may have accepted him twenty years ago, but at the time his fear had told him they wouldn't. He'd known he could never be the husband or father his family needed, but when Chance protested that he'd never even tried, Philip said he had, in the beginning, telling Chance that he'd fed him, changed him, and held him when he cried.
Chance dismissed this by saying they'll never know how things might have turned out if Philip had stayed, and Philip FINALLY apologized to someone for his actions, telling Chance he was sorry that he'd left him, but then he quickly tried to shift blame again, saying that maybe if he'd had a mother like Chance did in Nina, things might have been different.
Chance did thank Philip for being brave enough to come back and be tested for Huntington's Disease, especially knowing all that he'd be facing by doing so. Philip said he hadn't been brave, he'd just been trying to be a father.
They wrapped up the conversation with Philip telling Chance that he didn't have to leave Genoa City if Chance wanted him to stick around. Chance didn't really respond to that, though, so Philip shook his hand and told him to let him know.
After meeting with his son, Philip went to see his mother, Jill. They talked about the meeting with Chance and Philip said that he couldn't tell if his son was burying his rage or just didn't care at all about him. Jill recalled how she used to tell herself that Philip's anger at her at least proved he'd cared.
Philip then brought up his abandoning of his son and claimed it was part of a family pattern of putting his own needs before his child's. Jill went on the defensive, pointing out that she'd sent him to boarding school for a few years, yes, but she hadn't left his life completely or let him think she was dead!
Philip said that he wasn't trying to lay blame (yeah, right), but instead wanted to begin healing their dysfunctional family, starting with forgiving her for the past and letting her know that he knew she'd been the best mother she'd been able to be. It ended up being the first real mother/son scene the two have had since Philip's return.
Meanwhile, Chance was meeting with his own mother. Nina asked how things had gone with Philip and Chance told her he'd found out the guy was gay. Nina asked how he was feeling about that and Chance said it didn't make any difference to him. Nina pointed out that Philip was still his father and Chance admitted that the only reason he'd even agreed to meet with the guy was because he thought Nina was still in love with him. Now that that wasn't the case.... The look on Nina's face, though, brought Chance up short and he asked her to confirm that she wasn't still in love with Philip.
Nina confessed that Philip had been the love of her life and even with all that she'd found out recently, he still was. Chance was clearly not pleased to hear this.
Well, I've wanted to see a scene where a parent comes out to their child on a soap for some time now, and we finally got one. Of course, the way I imagined it, the parent wouldn't have been a stranger to the child to begin with. That added a whole different dynamic to the story and still leaves another sort of parent coming out to child story to be told by some other soap.
Chance's non-reaction may mean he really isn't bothered by Philip's sexuality or it may just be a part of his overall attitude towards Philip, which is cold at best. Time will tell how okay he actually is with this piece of news.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Booker Longlist Announced
The longlist nominees for the Man Booker Prize were announced yesterday. The Booker prize, if you don't follow such things, is an annual British literary award, given to writers who are either British, Irish, or who live in the Commonwealth of nations that is made up of many of the UK's former colonies. It's one of the top honors in literature.
I've followed literary awards for a few years now, but last year I decided to try something I'd always wanted to do but never attempted: I'd read the whole list of nominees before the winner was announced. I chose the Booker longlist, which was announced right around that time, and started out with The Northern Clemency, by Philip Hensher, which I really loved. Hensher, an openly gay author, kept me captivated with his writing, which isn't always easy to do when the book in question is over 700 pages long. I devoured it very quickly, though, loving (most of) the characters and the portrait of Britain in the 1970's and 80's.
I moved on to Child 44, by Tom Rob Smith, which was a decent thriller set in the Soviet Union of the early 1950's, but seemed an odd choice for a literary award.
I was able to find a copy of The Northern Clemency through the University library, but I quickly discovered that several of the titles on the longlist hadn't been published in the United States yet and I was so disappointed that I ended up abandoning the effort with only those two titles read. I was very glad to see Hensher's book make the shortlist, but in the end the prize went to The White Tiger, by Aravind Adiga.
This year, I know better than to attempt to read all the titles (several of which, again, haven't been published here in the U.S. yet) before they pick a winner, but I am going to try and read the titles which are available. I put holds on several of them at the library this afternoon. If I find anything as enjoyable as The Northern Clemency was, it will be well worth it!
Here's this year's longlist:
A.S. Byatt, The Children's Book
J.M. Coetzee, Summertime
Adam Foulds, The Quickening Maze
Sarah Hall, How to Paint a Dead Man
Samantha Harvey, The Wilderness
James Lever, Me Cheeta
Hilary Mantel, Wolf Hall
Simon Mawer, The Glass Room
Ed O'Loughlin, Not Untrue and Not Unkind
James Scudamore, Heliopolis
Colm Toibin, Brooklyn
William Trevor, Love and Summer
Sarah Waters, The Little Stranger
I've followed literary awards for a few years now, but last year I decided to try something I'd always wanted to do but never attempted: I'd read the whole list of nominees before the winner was announced. I chose the Booker longlist, which was announced right around that time, and started out with The Northern Clemency, by Philip Hensher, which I really loved. Hensher, an openly gay author, kept me captivated with his writing, which isn't always easy to do when the book in question is over 700 pages long. I devoured it very quickly, though, loving (most of) the characters and the portrait of Britain in the 1970's and 80's.
I moved on to Child 44, by Tom Rob Smith, which was a decent thriller set in the Soviet Union of the early 1950's, but seemed an odd choice for a literary award.
I was able to find a copy of The Northern Clemency through the University library, but I quickly discovered that several of the titles on the longlist hadn't been published in the United States yet and I was so disappointed that I ended up abandoning the effort with only those two titles read. I was very glad to see Hensher's book make the shortlist, but in the end the prize went to The White Tiger, by Aravind Adiga.
This year, I know better than to attempt to read all the titles (several of which, again, haven't been published here in the U.S. yet) before they pick a winner, but I am going to try and read the titles which are available. I put holds on several of them at the library this afternoon. If I find anything as enjoyable as The Northern Clemency was, it will be well worth it!
Here's this year's longlist:
A.S. Byatt, The Children's Book
J.M. Coetzee, Summertime
Adam Foulds, The Quickening Maze
Sarah Hall, How to Paint a Dead Man
Samantha Harvey, The Wilderness
James Lever, Me Cheeta
Hilary Mantel, Wolf Hall
Simon Mawer, The Glass Room
Ed O'Loughlin, Not Untrue and Not Unkind
James Scudamore, Heliopolis
Colm Toibin, Brooklyn
William Trevor, Love and Summer
Sarah Waters, The Little Stranger
Slow Week So Far; Kish Interview
So far, this has been a pretty quiet week in the world of LGBT soap characters. The only real action was on The Young and the Restless on Monday, when Philip decided it was time for him to get back to his life in Australia.
Nina tried to convince him to stay in Genoa City so their son Chance could have the opportunity to get to know him. Philip felt that Chance could look him up in Sydney when he was ready to find out more, but Nina warned that if he walked out of Chance's life again, that would be the end of it.
They discussed how well their son had turned out and Philip said he'd had very little to do with that, but Nina said that she often saw Philip in a look or a gesture of Chance's. After a bit of flirting with a waiter, Philip asked if Nina had told Chance he was gay yet and she told him not to worry about that, saying again that he'd be fine with it.
Later, Nina asked Chance to consider taking the opportunity to get to know his father, saying that she didn't necessarily expect him to form a life long bond, but that for all his faults Philip was warm, funny, and kind hearted. Chance said it sounded like Nina had forgiven Philip and she explained that she's trying not to judge him too harshly and she just hopes her son will do the same.
Shortly afterward, Chance called to ask Philip if they could get together the next day and Philip happily agreed and cancelled his plane reservation. Chance, meanwhile, told Chloe that he'd called Philip for his mom's sake: she was still in love with the guy.
That's been about it as far as onscreen action this week. Offscreen, One Life to Live's Brett Claywell (who plays Kyle) and Scott Evans (who plays Fish) gave an interview to Out.Com about Kish:
Check out the whole interview. Everything I read about Scott Evans makes me love the guy even more. It's ridiculous, by the way, that One Life to Live still has not signed him to a contract! Recurring was one thing when he was just the sweet, bumbling cop who didn't really have a story of his own, but now that he's one half of Kish, they'd be foolish not to show him the dotted line.
Nina tried to convince him to stay in Genoa City so their son Chance could have the opportunity to get to know him. Philip felt that Chance could look him up in Sydney when he was ready to find out more, but Nina warned that if he walked out of Chance's life again, that would be the end of it.
They discussed how well their son had turned out and Philip said he'd had very little to do with that, but Nina said that she often saw Philip in a look or a gesture of Chance's. After a bit of flirting with a waiter, Philip asked if Nina had told Chance he was gay yet and she told him not to worry about that, saying again that he'd be fine with it.
Later, Nina asked Chance to consider taking the opportunity to get to know his father, saying that she didn't necessarily expect him to form a life long bond, but that for all his faults Philip was warm, funny, and kind hearted. Chance said it sounded like Nina had forgiven Philip and she explained that she's trying not to judge him too harshly and she just hopes her son will do the same.
Shortly afterward, Chance called to ask Philip if they could get together the next day and Philip happily agreed and cancelled his plane reservation. Chance, meanwhile, told Chloe that he'd called Philip for his mom's sake: she was still in love with the guy.
That's been about it as far as onscreen action this week. Offscreen, One Life to Live's Brett Claywell (who plays Kyle) and Scott Evans (who plays Fish) gave an interview to Out.Com about Kish:
Brett, you’re from Greensboro, North Carolina, which isn’t necessarily the most gay-friendly of states. I know that’s a generalization but --
BC: It is a generalization but it’s absolutely the truth. Like I said before, when I began this storyline, I had to go through all the emotions of this story including calling my father to let him know who and what I was playing on One Life. So in reality, it was like I was coming out to my parents. There have been a lot of real emotions that have tied my reality and [the show’s locale] Llanview together.
Hopefully, your casting and talent will help change people’s perceptions down south.
BC: That’s the entire purpose of this storyline. When I spoke to our executive producer, Frank Valentini, about this character, I said my intent was to make Kyle the homosexual next door -- who doesn’t fit any stereotype, who just happens to have a different sexual preference.
It’s ironic that Scott, who is out in real life, is playing the character in the closet and Brett, who is straight in real life, is playing the out-and-proud gay character --
SE: I think it’s ironic but some of the dialogue and scenes I’m playing out have happened to real-life people I know, so it’s easy in a way. I’ve seen the struggle up close and personal.
BC: I think the fact that Scott is an out gay man makes the dynamic between us more effective because it’s almost like I’m putting myself in Scott’s shoes, so it allows us to understand each other better.
BC: It is a generalization but it’s absolutely the truth. Like I said before, when I began this storyline, I had to go through all the emotions of this story including calling my father to let him know who and what I was playing on One Life. So in reality, it was like I was coming out to my parents. There have been a lot of real emotions that have tied my reality and [the show’s locale] Llanview together.
Hopefully, your casting and talent will help change people’s perceptions down south.
BC: That’s the entire purpose of this storyline. When I spoke to our executive producer, Frank Valentini, about this character, I said my intent was to make Kyle the homosexual next door -- who doesn’t fit any stereotype, who just happens to have a different sexual preference.
It’s ironic that Scott, who is out in real life, is playing the character in the closet and Brett, who is straight in real life, is playing the out-and-proud gay character --
SE: I think it’s ironic but some of the dialogue and scenes I’m playing out have happened to real-life people I know, so it’s easy in a way. I’ve seen the struggle up close and personal.
BC: I think the fact that Scott is an out gay man makes the dynamic between us more effective because it’s almost like I’m putting myself in Scott’s shoes, so it allows us to understand each other better.
Check out the whole interview. Everything I read about Scott Evans makes me love the guy even more. It's ridiculous, by the way, that One Life to Live still has not signed him to a contract! Recurring was one thing when he was just the sweet, bumbling cop who didn't really have a story of his own, but now that he's one half of Kish, they'd be foolish not to show him the dotted line.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Nuke Day: Stand By Your Man
Yesterday was a Nuke Day on As the World Turns and it all started when Noah showed up at Java to surprise Luke with a back to school gift. Luke broke the news that he was going to work for Grimaldi Shipping instead of returning to college, which left Noah feeling hurt that Luke had made a major life decision without even discussing it with his boyfriend first.
Luke protested that he hadn't seen Noah much lately because he's been so busy with the film (he'd stayed out most of the night before helping Mason and another filmmaker edit a documentary) but Noah pointed out that he hadn't even known that Luke was having doubts about going back to school to begin with and that it's not like Luke to keep something that big from him.
Wait, didn't it count that Luke told Noah in last Tuesday's episode that he felt like he was going back to school because it was what everyone else wanted him to do? Strangely, both Luke and Noah seem to have forgotten that already. I blame the characters, since the writers of this show always have it so together when it comes to their plots.
At any rate, Noah was upset because they were going to be attending school together and then moving to New York when they graduated and now Luke has changed the plan. Luke informed his boyfriend that the main offices for Grimaldi Shipping are on 5th Avenue, so New York is still in, and that in the meantime, they can travel the world on Grimaldi business. Noah pointed out the obvious, that he wouldn't be able to travel with Luke while he was in school.
Luke told Noah that when he was talking with Damian, he'd realized that he was unhappy. Noah rather nervously asked if Luke was unhappy just with school, or... He couldn't even bring himself to say the words, but Luke quickly assured Noah that he was very happy with his boyfriend, and just wanted to know that Noah supported him in what he wanted to do with his life.
Noah told Luke that he wasn't going to be the type of boyfriend who thought everything Luke did was adorable, even when it was a huge mistake. That, Noah said, is enabling, not supporting.
It was at this tense juncture in the argument that Mason showed up. He told Noah that the film they'd been working on the night before was finished and they were going to have a screening if Noah wanted to come. Noah started to say no, but a frustrated Luke said that Noah should go and then left after saying that the job wasn't worth having everyone get angry with him.
Mason asked if everything was okay and Noah explained the situation, saying that he thought Luke was scared of being stuck in an English class while Noah is doing something 'glamorous and exciting' like making a film.
He also told Mason that he thinks it freaked Luke out to meet Mason and his ex (so, they've broken up, then? Farewell, George!) because he doesn't want to be the one left behind, like George was.
Mason advised Noah not to use him as an example for his love life: every relationship is different, and he and George had other problems, too (the biggest one being the fact that George was just a day player on the show).
Noah confided that he and Luke have had a lot of problems, but that things have been really great lately. Mason responded that it sounded like a relationship worth fighting for, then. Words he'll later regret, no doubt!
Meanwhile, Luke went to find Damian to quit the job he hasn't even started and ran into his Grandmother instead. He told Lucinda he was going to quit and she was thrilled, naturally, but made a mistake by saying that she could find him a job.
Luke got riled up, saying that he thought this was supposed to be about him going back to school but it's really just about no one trusting Damian. Our Mr. Snyder went into full on drama queen mode, declaring that no one was going to keep him away from Damian and then stormed out saying that he'll be proud to work for him.
He headed back to Java and met up with Noah, telling him that he was sorry he hadn't talked with him about this college situation in advance and that he'd never been in a relationship before and was bound to make mistakes. Aww! My heart kind of melted at that, and you could see that Noah's did, too. Maybe that was because Luke did that thing where he took Noah's face between his hands and stared into his eyes, though. I personally would pretty much agree to anything at all if Van Hansis ever used that move on me! Especially when he's looking as hot as he was in this episode.
Luke went on to say that he needs to do this and that part of it is about getting to know Damian, which Noah has encouraged him to do from the beginning. Luke said he wanted Noah to be a part of all his plans and asked him to please not freak out. Noah handed Luke the bag he was carrying: he'd exchanged the back to school gift for neckties that Luke will need, since he'll be going into business.
Luke kissed Noah (the second kiss of the episode, by the way, after their kiss hello at the start of the show) and pulled him into a hug and all was well (for the moment).
I liked Mason more today, after the advice he gave Noah. It's good to see that he's not someone who already has designs on Noah, that whatever happens later will happen naturally, in the moment.
I'm sure this 'Luke gets a job' story will end up being more about Luke and Noah being pulled in two different directions, but that's fine with me. I'm glad to see them getting a story where, at least so far, there are no psychos on the horizon!
Luke protested that he hadn't seen Noah much lately because he's been so busy with the film (he'd stayed out most of the night before helping Mason and another filmmaker edit a documentary) but Noah pointed out that he hadn't even known that Luke was having doubts about going back to school to begin with and that it's not like Luke to keep something that big from him.
Wait, didn't it count that Luke told Noah in last Tuesday's episode that he felt like he was going back to school because it was what everyone else wanted him to do? Strangely, both Luke and Noah seem to have forgotten that already. I blame the characters, since the writers of this show always have it so together when it comes to their plots.
At any rate, Noah was upset because they were going to be attending school together and then moving to New York when they graduated and now Luke has changed the plan. Luke informed his boyfriend that the main offices for Grimaldi Shipping are on 5th Avenue, so New York is still in, and that in the meantime, they can travel the world on Grimaldi business. Noah pointed out the obvious, that he wouldn't be able to travel with Luke while he was in school.
Luke told Noah that when he was talking with Damian, he'd realized that he was unhappy. Noah rather nervously asked if Luke was unhappy just with school, or... He couldn't even bring himself to say the words, but Luke quickly assured Noah that he was very happy with his boyfriend, and just wanted to know that Noah supported him in what he wanted to do with his life.
Noah told Luke that he wasn't going to be the type of boyfriend who thought everything Luke did was adorable, even when it was a huge mistake. That, Noah said, is enabling, not supporting.
It was at this tense juncture in the argument that Mason showed up. He told Noah that the film they'd been working on the night before was finished and they were going to have a screening if Noah wanted to come. Noah started to say no, but a frustrated Luke said that Noah should go and then left after saying that the job wasn't worth having everyone get angry with him.
Mason asked if everything was okay and Noah explained the situation, saying that he thought Luke was scared of being stuck in an English class while Noah is doing something 'glamorous and exciting' like making a film.
He also told Mason that he thinks it freaked Luke out to meet Mason and his ex (so, they've broken up, then? Farewell, George!) because he doesn't want to be the one left behind, like George was.
Mason advised Noah not to use him as an example for his love life: every relationship is different, and he and George had other problems, too (the biggest one being the fact that George was just a day player on the show).
Noah confided that he and Luke have had a lot of problems, but that things have been really great lately. Mason responded that it sounded like a relationship worth fighting for, then. Words he'll later regret, no doubt!
Meanwhile, Luke went to find Damian to quit the job he hasn't even started and ran into his Grandmother instead. He told Lucinda he was going to quit and she was thrilled, naturally, but made a mistake by saying that she could find him a job.
Luke got riled up, saying that he thought this was supposed to be about him going back to school but it's really just about no one trusting Damian. Our Mr. Snyder went into full on drama queen mode, declaring that no one was going to keep him away from Damian and then stormed out saying that he'll be proud to work for him.
He headed back to Java and met up with Noah, telling him that he was sorry he hadn't talked with him about this college situation in advance and that he'd never been in a relationship before and was bound to make mistakes. Aww! My heart kind of melted at that, and you could see that Noah's did, too. Maybe that was because Luke did that thing where he took Noah's face between his hands and stared into his eyes, though. I personally would pretty much agree to anything at all if Van Hansis ever used that move on me! Especially when he's looking as hot as he was in this episode.
Luke went on to say that he needs to do this and that part of it is about getting to know Damian, which Noah has encouraged him to do from the beginning. Luke said he wanted Noah to be a part of all his plans and asked him to please not freak out. Noah handed Luke the bag he was carrying: he'd exchanged the back to school gift for neckties that Luke will need, since he'll be going into business.
Luke kissed Noah (the second kiss of the episode, by the way, after their kiss hello at the start of the show) and pulled him into a hug and all was well (for the moment).
I liked Mason more today, after the advice he gave Noah. It's good to see that he's not someone who already has designs on Noah, that whatever happens later will happen naturally, in the moment.
I'm sure this 'Luke gets a job' story will end up being more about Luke and Noah being pulled in two different directions, but that's fine with me. I'm glad to see them getting a story where, at least so far, there are no psychos on the horizon!
Friday, July 24, 2009
Y&R: Like a Virgin
I was hoping for some more Rafe & Adam on today's The Young and the Restless, but no such luck. We did have a few scenes with Philip and Chance, though.
Chance showed up at Crimson Lights, the local coffee place, with Katherine and Chloe. He'd just finished telling them that being in Iraq had made him realize that he had to cherish all the time he could get with the people he loved when Philip showed up and asked to speak with his son privately. Philip felt that Chance must have a lot of questions to ask him.
Chance, still addressing his father as "Sir", said he didn't have any questions and that if he did, he'd just ask his mother. Philip said he'd like his son to hear his side of the story from him, but Katherine pulled him aside to advise him to back off and give Chance time. The only father he'd ever known was another husband of Nina's, Ryan (who is dead now) and Philip couldn't expect him to just welcome him with open arms after all he'd done.
After Katherine left, Philip attempted to talk to Chance again, but his son told him that since he'd 'died' when he was a baby, Chance never knew him, never missed him, and that Philip just has no bearing on his life at all now.
Philip left, leaving Chance alone with Chloe. During their conversation, Chance revealed that he'd never had a girlfriend. Chloe made a comment about meaningless hook ups and Chance told her that he wasn't into those, either: he's a virgin!
Chloe couldn't believe that he'd go off to war without ever having had sex and asked if it was a religious thing, or if he was gay. Chance said no to both (and didn't seem to be at all bothered that someone might think him gay, which could be a good sign for when he finds out about Philip) and explained that it had just never happened and he wasn't going to pay for it or do it with someone who means nothing to him just so he can say he's done it.
Chloe, impressed with meeting her first hot male virgin, wasted no time in kissing Chance, saying that he'd never been kissed right if he hadn't wanted to take things further.
That was really all that happened today and it was more about Chance than it was Philip. It doesn't look like they'll be bonding any time soon, but Nina may have been right that Philip's sexuality won't be an issue with his son.
Chance showed up at Crimson Lights, the local coffee place, with Katherine and Chloe. He'd just finished telling them that being in Iraq had made him realize that he had to cherish all the time he could get with the people he loved when Philip showed up and asked to speak with his son privately. Philip felt that Chance must have a lot of questions to ask him.
Chance, still addressing his father as "Sir", said he didn't have any questions and that if he did, he'd just ask his mother. Philip said he'd like his son to hear his side of the story from him, but Katherine pulled him aside to advise him to back off and give Chance time. The only father he'd ever known was another husband of Nina's, Ryan (who is dead now) and Philip couldn't expect him to just welcome him with open arms after all he'd done.
After Katherine left, Philip attempted to talk to Chance again, but his son told him that since he'd 'died' when he was a baby, Chance never knew him, never missed him, and that Philip just has no bearing on his life at all now.
Philip left, leaving Chance alone with Chloe. During their conversation, Chance revealed that he'd never had a girlfriend. Chloe made a comment about meaningless hook ups and Chance told her that he wasn't into those, either: he's a virgin!
Chloe couldn't believe that he'd go off to war without ever having had sex and asked if it was a religious thing, or if he was gay. Chance said no to both (and didn't seem to be at all bothered that someone might think him gay, which could be a good sign for when he finds out about Philip) and explained that it had just never happened and he wasn't going to pay for it or do it with someone who means nothing to him just so he can say he's done it.
Chloe, impressed with meeting her first hot male virgin, wasted no time in kissing Chance, saying that he'd never been kissed right if he hadn't wanted to take things further.
That was really all that happened today and it was more about Chance than it was Philip. It doesn't look like they'll be bonding any time soon, but Nina may have been right that Philip's sexuality won't be an issue with his son.
Rest In Peace, E. Lynn Harris
I just saw the news that E. Lynn Harris, the openly gay writer who wrote several novels about gay African American characters, has died suddenly at the all too young age of 54.
I haven't yet read any of the novels Harris wrote, but I did read his memoir, What Becomes of the Broken Hearted, a few years back. It was actually assigned reading in a Gay & Lesbian History class I took and I found his story to be very moving.
It's always tragic when anyone dies before their time. You can't help but think of all the books he had yet to write. The silencing of a strong African American voice in gay fiction is especially sad.
Rest in peace, Mr. Harris.
I haven't yet read any of the novels Harris wrote, but I did read his memoir, What Becomes of the Broken Hearted, a few years back. It was actually assigned reading in a Gay & Lesbian History class I took and I found his story to be very moving.
It's always tragic when anyone dies before their time. You can't help but think of all the books he had yet to write. The silencing of a strong African American voice in gay fiction is especially sad.
Rest in peace, Mr. Harris.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Luke Day: I Don't Need No Education
Noah wasn't on today's As the World Turns, but Luke was and he made a big decision about his future. The show started with Luke receiving a phone call from his mother, asking that he come home right away: Lucinda was bringing over the Dean of Oakdale University to discuss Luke becoming a student again.
Luke, who was at the Foundation office, said he'd be there, though he was clearly not feeling very enthusiastic about it. He told Damian about the meeting and said that he felt like he'd be taking the place of someone who really wanted to go to college, whereas Luke himself thought of it as more of a chore.
Damian told his son that he shouldn't go back to school just because everyone else wanted him to. Luke wondered what he could do instead, since the Foundation doesn't take up much of his time. Damian brought up the idea of Luke coming to work in the family business, Grimaldi Shipping. Luke told Damian that he'd never really been interested in business, but Damian pointed out how well he'd done with the foundation and then talked about Luke learning the business from the ground up, and about all the world traveling that would be involved. He even said that Noah could go along, too.
Damian mentioned that he'd always dreamed of one day turning the business over to Luke and to Luke's own sons. Luke pointed out that if he did have sons, they wouldn't be from a traditional marriage and Damian said that all he wanted was for Luke to be happy in his personal life and in whatever he chose to do professionally. I'm glad Luke pointed that out about not having a 'traditional' marriage, but I wish he'd also told Damian that his future children may well be daughters who could run a shipping business just as well as anyone else.
Luke agreed to think about all of this and headed to Lily & Holden's to meet with the Dean. As soon as he got there, though, he announced that he didn't want to go back to school, that he'd had a job offer from Grimaldi Shipping that he thought he should take.
After the Dean left, Holden immediately blamed Damian for talking Luke into this idea. Lucinda ripped into Luke for embarrassing them all with the Dean and then noted that he'd be turning himself into a 'sleazy Grimaldi knock off' and warned that Damian's business ventures weren't exactly known for their legality.
Luke told his family that he'd only agreed to go back to school because he didn't want to disappoint them. Holden still felt it was all Damian's fault and wanted to go tell him to stay away from Luke, but Lily stopped him, saying that she'd go herself. Needless to say, their meeting didn't go smoothly. Damian said he was just giving Luke another option and Lily pointed out that Damian's crazy family was involved in the business, too, and hadn't exactly been kind to Luke in the past, noting Zoe as the most recent example.
Lucinda & Holden were left with Luke and both told him that they'd never had the chance to go to college themselves and had to fight for everything they had because of it. Luke told them he wasn't ruling out college altogether, but he wasn't going back right now. He told his father that this wasn't intended to be a rejection of him in favor of Damian.
Before they could argue any further, Lily returned with Damian and announced that she thought Luke had to make his own decision in the matter and that if anyone had been trying to manipulate Luke, it had been the three of them, inviting the Dean over. Huh? Where did that come from? It feels, as it so often does with this show, that a scene or two is missing.
Anyway, Lucinda saw Damian out and warned him that she knows what kind of games he plays. She'll be watching him, and she's been known to play a game or two herself.
Luke followed Damian out and told him that he'd made his decision and wasn't going to change his mind. Damian was thrilled and told Luke not to worry about his parents or Grandmother. They'd see how good this was for him and it would all work out.
Lucinda is one of my favorite characters on this show, and I always love seeing her in confrontational mode. I especially loved her scenes with Luke today, since it's not often she and her Grandson cross swords. Van Hansis and Elizabeth Hubbard play off each other very well and both gave great performances.
If this story sets up more scenes between those two, I'll be very happy. It'll be interesting, too, to see what Noah has to say about all of this.
Luke, who was at the Foundation office, said he'd be there, though he was clearly not feeling very enthusiastic about it. He told Damian about the meeting and said that he felt like he'd be taking the place of someone who really wanted to go to college, whereas Luke himself thought of it as more of a chore.
Damian told his son that he shouldn't go back to school just because everyone else wanted him to. Luke wondered what he could do instead, since the Foundation doesn't take up much of his time. Damian brought up the idea of Luke coming to work in the family business, Grimaldi Shipping. Luke told Damian that he'd never really been interested in business, but Damian pointed out how well he'd done with the foundation and then talked about Luke learning the business from the ground up, and about all the world traveling that would be involved. He even said that Noah could go along, too.
Damian mentioned that he'd always dreamed of one day turning the business over to Luke and to Luke's own sons. Luke pointed out that if he did have sons, they wouldn't be from a traditional marriage and Damian said that all he wanted was for Luke to be happy in his personal life and in whatever he chose to do professionally. I'm glad Luke pointed that out about not having a 'traditional' marriage, but I wish he'd also told Damian that his future children may well be daughters who could run a shipping business just as well as anyone else.
Luke agreed to think about all of this and headed to Lily & Holden's to meet with the Dean. As soon as he got there, though, he announced that he didn't want to go back to school, that he'd had a job offer from Grimaldi Shipping that he thought he should take.
After the Dean left, Holden immediately blamed Damian for talking Luke into this idea. Lucinda ripped into Luke for embarrassing them all with the Dean and then noted that he'd be turning himself into a 'sleazy Grimaldi knock off' and warned that Damian's business ventures weren't exactly known for their legality.
Luke told his family that he'd only agreed to go back to school because he didn't want to disappoint them. Holden still felt it was all Damian's fault and wanted to go tell him to stay away from Luke, but Lily stopped him, saying that she'd go herself. Needless to say, their meeting didn't go smoothly. Damian said he was just giving Luke another option and Lily pointed out that Damian's crazy family was involved in the business, too, and hadn't exactly been kind to Luke in the past, noting Zoe as the most recent example.
Lucinda & Holden were left with Luke and both told him that they'd never had the chance to go to college themselves and had to fight for everything they had because of it. Luke told them he wasn't ruling out college altogether, but he wasn't going back right now. He told his father that this wasn't intended to be a rejection of him in favor of Damian.
Before they could argue any further, Lily returned with Damian and announced that she thought Luke had to make his own decision in the matter and that if anyone had been trying to manipulate Luke, it had been the three of them, inviting the Dean over. Huh? Where did that come from? It feels, as it so often does with this show, that a scene or two is missing.
Anyway, Lucinda saw Damian out and warned him that she knows what kind of games he plays. She'll be watching him, and she's been known to play a game or two herself.
Luke followed Damian out and told him that he'd made his decision and wasn't going to change his mind. Damian was thrilled and told Luke not to worry about his parents or Grandmother. They'd see how good this was for him and it would all work out.
Lucinda is one of my favorite characters on this show, and I always love seeing her in confrontational mode. I especially loved her scenes with Luke today, since it's not often she and her Grandson cross swords. Van Hansis and Elizabeth Hubbard play off each other very well and both gave great performances.
If this story sets up more scenes between those two, I'll be very happy. It'll be interesting, too, to see what Noah has to say about all of this.
Y&R: Outed
Today was a pretty big day in the Adam & Rafe storyline on The Young and the Restless. Adam had successfully found a way to shift the blame for his crimes against Ashley on to a crazy woman instead of Rafe's Aunt Estella and he felt like celebrating with Heather, in a very heterosexual way.
While Adam and Heather were upstairs, Nikki showed up and told Victor that she had something to tell him about Adam. Instead of beating around the bush, Nikki just blurted out the 'truth': Adam is gay. Nikki elaborated, telling Victor that she'd seen him with Rafe, and Victor asked if she could have misconstrued what she saw.
Nikki replied that she knew what a kiss looked like. Imagine what she could have said if she'd walked in ten minutes later!
Meanwhile, Adam and Heather had finished up and, after some pillow talk about the future Adam sees for the two of them, she had to get back to work. She ran into Rafe in the hallway on her way out and they had another tense conversation.
Rafe clearly has a reason to feel uptight when he runs into Heather in or near Adam's bedroom, but why does Heather act the same way? She's given no indication at all that she suspects anything is going on between Adam and Rafe, so maybe she's just responding to the 'back off my man' vibe Rafe is sending out? I'm not sure.
Rafe had a pretty good idea what had just happened when he walked in and found Adam shirtless on the rumpled bed and when Adam told him they needed to talk, Rafe knew it wasn't going to be good news.
Adam, having eliminated the danger that Rafe would continue snooping to clear his Aunt Estella if he didn't keep him pacified with all the hot sex, told Rafe that they couldn't be more than friends any longer.
Wow! First off, what a shock that Victor would turn out to be a supportive father after all. It really doesn't fit what we (and the rest of his family) know about him. Is Victor pretending to be supportive for reasons of his own? Or is it genuine?
More importantly, Adam won't be able to admit that he was only pretending to be gay, not without exposing his other secrets. So, what now? Does he try and get back together with Rafe to cover up his earlier lies? How soon until Heather finds out that her man has cheated on her with another man?
I have to admit, I'm really enjoying this story. I wasn't completely sure I would, since Adam isn't actually gay, but it has turned out to be very watchable.
While Adam and Heather were upstairs, Nikki showed up and told Victor that she had something to tell him about Adam. Instead of beating around the bush, Nikki just blurted out the 'truth': Adam is gay. Nikki elaborated, telling Victor that she'd seen him with Rafe, and Victor asked if she could have misconstrued what she saw.
Nikki replied that she knew what a kiss looked like. Imagine what she could have said if she'd walked in ten minutes later!
Meanwhile, Adam and Heather had finished up and, after some pillow talk about the future Adam sees for the two of them, she had to get back to work. She ran into Rafe in the hallway on her way out and they had another tense conversation.
Rafe clearly has a reason to feel uptight when he runs into Heather in or near Adam's bedroom, but why does Heather act the same way? She's given no indication at all that she suspects anything is going on between Adam and Rafe, so maybe she's just responding to the 'back off my man' vibe Rafe is sending out? I'm not sure.
Rafe had a pretty good idea what had just happened when he walked in and found Adam shirtless on the rumpled bed and when Adam told him they needed to talk, Rafe knew it wasn't going to be good news.
Adam, having eliminated the danger that Rafe would continue snooping to clear his Aunt Estella if he didn't keep him pacified with all the hot sex, told Rafe that they couldn't be more than friends any longer.
Rafe: You're breaking up with me?
Adam: I was confused. I'm sorry if I lead you on.
Rafe: You're just- you're not comfortable with your sexuality! Believe me, this sort of thing takes time.
Adam: Listen, I realized I'm not gay Rafe.
Rafe: You're in denial and you think it's safer to hide in the closet.
Adam: I know my feelings, Rafe, and I am attracted to women.
Rafe: You've been playing me.
Adam: I mistook gratitude for attraction.
Rafe: Gratitude?
Adam: I was scared. I'm going blind. I'm trapped in this house like it's a prison.
Rafe: You used me!
Adam: I never meant to hurt you, Rafe, I swear that.
Rafe (sarcastically): Thanks a lot, that really helps. Thank you.
Adam: I will always care about you Rafe, just not in that way.
Rafe: God, I am such an idiot. You know, I knew not to get involved with you. I am so stupid!
I felt bad for Rafe, but I was glad that he quickly realized that Adam had just been using him all along. It's not like he didn't already have his suspicions about that, after all.
Meanwhile, Nikki ran into Heather at the local coffee shop and started to warn her about Adam, too, but Heather told her to back off before Nikki was actually able to out Adam to yet another person. After Nikki left, Heather spotted Rafe across the room and complained to him about Nikki's warning about 'evil Adam'. Rafe told her that Nikki was right, Adam is bad news, but Heather just told him to go to hell.
Adam thought he was free and clear at last, but Victor had seen Rafe leaving Adam's bedroom. Victor went in to talk to his son and said that it was over- he knew what he'd been hiding. Given that Adam is hiding multiple things, he played it cool and asked just what Victor thought he knew.
I doubt Adam expected to hear his father say that he knew he was gay, though! Adam tried to play it off, asking what would give Victor that idea, but when Victor told him that Nikki had seen him with Rafe, Adam started to stammer.
Victor cut him off, telling him he could stop pretending:
Adam: I was confused. I'm sorry if I lead you on.
Rafe: You're just- you're not comfortable with your sexuality! Believe me, this sort of thing takes time.
Adam: Listen, I realized I'm not gay Rafe.
Rafe: You're in denial and you think it's safer to hide in the closet.
Adam: I know my feelings, Rafe, and I am attracted to women.
Rafe: You've been playing me.
Adam: I mistook gratitude for attraction.
Rafe: Gratitude?
Adam: I was scared. I'm going blind. I'm trapped in this house like it's a prison.
Rafe: You used me!
Adam: I never meant to hurt you, Rafe, I swear that.
Rafe (sarcastically): Thanks a lot, that really helps. Thank you.
Adam: I will always care about you Rafe, just not in that way.
Rafe: God, I am such an idiot. You know, I knew not to get involved with you. I am so stupid!
I felt bad for Rafe, but I was glad that he quickly realized that Adam had just been using him all along. It's not like he didn't already have his suspicions about that, after all.
Meanwhile, Nikki ran into Heather at the local coffee shop and started to warn her about Adam, too, but Heather told her to back off before Nikki was actually able to out Adam to yet another person. After Nikki left, Heather spotted Rafe across the room and complained to him about Nikki's warning about 'evil Adam'. Rafe told her that Nikki was right, Adam is bad news, but Heather just told him to go to hell.
Adam thought he was free and clear at last, but Victor had seen Rafe leaving Adam's bedroom. Victor went in to talk to his son and said that it was over- he knew what he'd been hiding. Given that Adam is hiding multiple things, he played it cool and asked just what Victor thought he knew.
I doubt Adam expected to hear his father say that he knew he was gay, though! Adam tried to play it off, asking what would give Victor that idea, but when Victor told him that Nikki had seen him with Rafe, Adam started to stammer.
Victor cut him off, telling him he could stop pretending:
Victor: It's all right. I don't want you to worry about anything. You're my son no matter what, okay? You'll always be my son.
Wow! First off, what a shock that Victor would turn out to be a supportive father after all. It really doesn't fit what we (and the rest of his family) know about him. Is Victor pretending to be supportive for reasons of his own? Or is it genuine?
More importantly, Adam won't be able to admit that he was only pretending to be gay, not without exposing his other secrets. So, what now? Does he try and get back together with Rafe to cover up his earlier lies? How soon until Heather finds out that her man has cheated on her with another man?
I have to admit, I'm really enjoying this story. I wasn't completely sure I would, since Adam isn't actually gay, but it has turned out to be very watchable.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Brief Y&R Scenes and a Forbes March Interview
There wasn't a lot of development in either of the gay stories on The Young and the Restless today, but there was one important turn of events: Nikki Newman outed Adam to his half brother Nick.
You'll recall that Nikki saw Adam and his lawyer Rafe kissing and wasted no time in telling her daughter Victoria all about it. She almost told her ex husband Victor (Adam's father, who'd presumably be less than supportive), but they were interrupted and in the time since she's been going back and forth on whether or not to spill the beans.
Today, though, Nikki and her son Nick were talking and Nick mentioned that he'd seen Adam carrying women's clothes the other day (they were part of his attempt to gaslight Ashley). Nikki asked if they were his girlfriend Heather's and Nick said that Adam had told him that they were Ashley's dry cleaning and he was just taking them out to her car for her. Nick found the whole thing odd, though, and joked to his Mom that maybe they were Adam's clothes.
Nikki said that she couldn't say what his fashion tastes were, but she did catch Adam in a very compromising position with his lawyer. Nick asked if she meant Heather and Nikki said no, Heather was his girlfriend. His lawyer is his boyfriend.
Nick's mouth dropped open and he asked if she was serious. When she said she was, Nick immediately said he thought Victor should know. In fact, he even volunteered to tell his dad the news himself, saying that he had a feeling that a boyfriend wasn't all that Adam was hiding.
Nikki said she didn't want Nick to say anything, but with more and more people finding out, it shouldn't be long before Adam's secret is completely out.
On another note, AfterElton's weekly Gays of Our Lives column had an interview this week with Forbes March about his role as Mason on As the World Turns:
You'll recall that Nikki saw Adam and his lawyer Rafe kissing and wasted no time in telling her daughter Victoria all about it. She almost told her ex husband Victor (Adam's father, who'd presumably be less than supportive), but they were interrupted and in the time since she's been going back and forth on whether or not to spill the beans.
Today, though, Nikki and her son Nick were talking and Nick mentioned that he'd seen Adam carrying women's clothes the other day (they were part of his attempt to gaslight Ashley). Nikki asked if they were his girlfriend Heather's and Nick said that Adam had told him that they were Ashley's dry cleaning and he was just taking them out to her car for her. Nick found the whole thing odd, though, and joked to his Mom that maybe they were Adam's clothes.
Nikki said that she couldn't say what his fashion tastes were, but she did catch Adam in a very compromising position with his lawyer. Nick asked if she meant Heather and Nikki said no, Heather was his girlfriend. His lawyer is his boyfriend.
Nick's mouth dropped open and he asked if she was serious. When she said she was, Nick immediately said he thought Victor should know. In fact, he even volunteered to tell his dad the news himself, saying that he had a feeling that a boyfriend wasn't all that Adam was hiding.
Nikki said she didn't want Nick to say anything, but with more and more people finding out, it shouldn't be long before Adam's secret is completely out.
On another note, AfterElton's weekly Gays of Our Lives column had an interview this week with Forbes March about his role as Mason on As the World Turns:
FM: I didn't realize how sensitive the whole gay issue is still in America. I was brought up very liberally. My parents were academics. I was brought up in a town full of liberal arts universities. I've been in entertainment my entire adult life. It just wasn't a big deal to me. I've always had friends who were gay.
When I was younger, I had friends coming out of the closet. One of the things I realized this morning when I was thinking about it on my porch, thinking about one of my friends in high school when he came out of the closet, it wasn't a big deal to me. I was like, "Alright. We're still friends, right? Then let's move on." For him, it was a really big deal, and I didn't really pay that the credit of the weight that it was for him. I couldn't understand how complicated it was for him.
AE: Knowing that, how does it help you play the character?
FM: It adds a dimension to it. That's why I was looking forward to playing this character, finding out what that is. What it is is it's almost like having a secret all the time. As an actor, you're always looking for your character's secret, and you're either telling the secret or keeping it. It shouldn't be that way. It's like, you have to keep all the disclaimers in or else you'll be a homophobe. It is that way. Either a man or a woman who is gay is out or they're in at any given moment. That's really interesting.
As a character, I'll pick moments to make a little inside joke to Noah. You know, we're both gay, we know this guy is and he doesn't know it, we can make an inside joke here. It adds a whole dimension. Do I touch him? Do I not touch him? How do I feel when he touches me? It's a totally different relationship. Are you in private; are you in public? There's a whole added dimension to it, which is a revelation to me.
Check out the whole thing. I found what Forbes had to say about his character's feelings for Noah and about upcoming scenes where the tension begins to build between Luke & Mason really interesting.Kish: Truth and Lies
Things picked up today right where they left off yesterday on One Life to Live, with Fish getting defensive and a little panicked over Layla's question. Oliver insisted that just because it was taking him a little while to 'get going' didn't mean that he was gay. In fact, he was 'a thousand percent' into women, liking everything about them. He then offered to prove it to Layla and moved in for a kiss, but she pushed him away.
Fish then accused Layla of being obsessed, pointing out that she'd thought their waiter was gay and now thought he was as well just because he was too tired to 'make it happen' that night. He reminded her that he's been with women before and then suggested that she go talk to Stacy Morasco for proof that he's not 'that way'.
Layla said that she knew he slept with Stacy- once. Fish asked if one night stands weren't real, then, and said he'd thought he and Layla were for real, but he must have been wrong. Layla felt guilty after that and apologized, saying that she's from the acting and fashion world where being gay is no big deal, but he's from the cop world where it is, and she never meant to hurt him.
Layla told Oliver that she should never have questioned his honesty and that he'd been wonderful to her. It was Fish's turn to feel guilty as Layla apologized for getting scared, upset with herself for even considering the idea that he'd use her to convince people he was straight.
While all of this was going on, Cristian was still standing outside of Kyle's motel room, reading Fish's note. Kyle himself showed up and got on Cristian's case for reading his mail, but Cristian more or less told him that blackmailers in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.
After Kyle read the note, Cristian told him that it had left him even more convinced that Fish was hiding something. Kyle asked him to just leave it alone, but Cristian pointed out that it was Kyle himself who'd started them down this path by saying that Fish was using Layla.
Cristian seemed surprised when Kyle told him that whatever had gone down between Oliver and himself in college was between the two of them. Kyle had said Fish had something to hide, and now he was saying it involved both of them, Cris pointed out.
Kyle protested again that Fish was entitled to his privacy, but then admitted that Fish was involved with 'somebody' in college and made a mess of it.
Fish then accused Layla of being obsessed, pointing out that she'd thought their waiter was gay and now thought he was as well just because he was too tired to 'make it happen' that night. He reminded her that he's been with women before and then suggested that she go talk to Stacy Morasco for proof that he's not 'that way'.
Layla said that she knew he slept with Stacy- once. Fish asked if one night stands weren't real, then, and said he'd thought he and Layla were for real, but he must have been wrong. Layla felt guilty after that and apologized, saying that she's from the acting and fashion world where being gay is no big deal, but he's from the cop world where it is, and she never meant to hurt him.
Layla told Oliver that she should never have questioned his honesty and that he'd been wonderful to her. It was Fish's turn to feel guilty as Layla apologized for getting scared, upset with herself for even considering the idea that he'd use her to convince people he was straight.
While all of this was going on, Cristian was still standing outside of Kyle's motel room, reading Fish's note. Kyle himself showed up and got on Cristian's case for reading his mail, but Cristian more or less told him that blackmailers in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.
After Kyle read the note, Cristian told him that it had left him even more convinced that Fish was hiding something. Kyle asked him to just leave it alone, but Cristian pointed out that it was Kyle himself who'd started them down this path by saying that Fish was using Layla.
Cristian seemed surprised when Kyle told him that whatever had gone down between Oliver and himself in college was between the two of them. Kyle had said Fish had something to hide, and now he was saying it involved both of them, Cris pointed out.
Kyle protested again that Fish was entitled to his privacy, but then admitted that Fish was involved with 'somebody' in college and made a mess of it.
Kyle: They were crazy about each other. You know, they had plans together, had a future. Well, Fish made promises he couldn't keep.
Cristian: Meaning?
Kyle: Meaning he didn't have the guts to go the distance. Fish cared more about what people thought about him than he did about who he was with. So he walked away, pretended like the whole thing never happened.
Cristian: Meaning?
Kyle: Meaning he didn't have the guts to go the distance. Fish cared more about what people thought about him than he did about who he was with. So he walked away, pretended like the whole thing never happened.
Hearing Kyle talk about his relationship with Fish and seeing how much pain he's still in over it really made me care for this character all the more. Brett Claywell played this scene really well, I thought. Kyle's heartbreak was right there, but it was clear that he was trying to keep it at a distance in front of Cristian.
Given that Kyle has been a shades-of-gray blackmailer and Fish has been such an upstanding cop and all around good guy, it's a nice twist to find out that Kyle is the lovesick, broken hearted man who wanted a life with Fish, and Oliver was the coward who turned his back on who he really was out of fear.
I can't wait for these two to actually get together again, I like them both so much individually and I think they're going to be explosively hot when they're finally a couple!
Now, Cristian has enough information that he should be able to put two and two together. He knows that what happened was between Kyle and Fish and now he also knows that it was a relationship that Fish walked away from. No one, however, has ever accused Cristian Vega of being the sharpest tool in the shed, and he returned to his apartment just about as clueless as ever.
He walked in just as Fish seemed to be on the cusp of telling Layla the truth. Oliver was feeling bad that she was blaming herself for jumping to conclusions about him using her as a beard. Cristian's return, however, ended whatever small chance there may have been of Fish easing his conscience. Mr. Vega told them that he'd just come from seeing Kyle Lewis and that he felt Layla should know that something went down in college between the two, and that Fish was keeping secrets from her.
Layla told Cristian that she & Fish weren't any of Kyle's business, or Cristian's either for that matter. After Cris left the room, Layla asked Fish if there was any truth to what he'd said and Fish once again dismissed Kyle as an old frat brother who now had a grudge against him because he was a cop.
Layla let it drop and asked if Fish was going to stay mad at her for asking if he was gay. Fish said he'd have to think about it and headed for his bedroom alone.
I have to say that I thought Scott Evans did a great job today as well, playing both Fish's guilt at knowing the truth, that he really was using Layla, and his defensive desperation, the need to keep that closet door firmly closed. Fish is truly a good guy, but he's a guy who thinks he'll lose everything if the truth is known, and Scott played that very well.
Kyle, meanwhile, had discovered that he'd lost his room key and was sitting in the hall outside his door, clutching Fish's latest rejection in letter form and looking miserable, when Roxy stumbled by with a bottle of booze in hand (she's got her own issues!). After she told him she didn't have a spare key for his room and called a locksmith for him, she joined him on the floor and asked if he'd had bad news.
I freely admit that I'm a romantic and that I always identify with characters who are apart from the person they love. I don't know what it is about that sense of longing and the ache of wanting to be with someone you can't have that gets to me, but it does every time. Maybe it's because it makes the eventual payoff when they do get together all the sweeter? I'm not sure.
In other words, though, I loved today's Kyle scenes. I also love the irony that he's found someone to commiserate with in Roxy, of all people! Not because I don't think she'd make a great friend for a gay character, but because he recently blackmailed her into giving him a free motel room! A room where he apparently still lives, even though he no longer has anything to hold over her head.
All in an all, another fantastic episode. I love these guys.
Given that Kyle has been a shades-of-gray blackmailer and Fish has been such an upstanding cop and all around good guy, it's a nice twist to find out that Kyle is the lovesick, broken hearted man who wanted a life with Fish, and Oliver was the coward who turned his back on who he really was out of fear.
I can't wait for these two to actually get together again, I like them both so much individually and I think they're going to be explosively hot when they're finally a couple!
Now, Cristian has enough information that he should be able to put two and two together. He knows that what happened was between Kyle and Fish and now he also knows that it was a relationship that Fish walked away from. No one, however, has ever accused Cristian Vega of being the sharpest tool in the shed, and he returned to his apartment just about as clueless as ever.
He walked in just as Fish seemed to be on the cusp of telling Layla the truth. Oliver was feeling bad that she was blaming herself for jumping to conclusions about him using her as a beard. Cristian's return, however, ended whatever small chance there may have been of Fish easing his conscience. Mr. Vega told them that he'd just come from seeing Kyle Lewis and that he felt Layla should know that something went down in college between the two, and that Fish was keeping secrets from her.
Layla told Cristian that she & Fish weren't any of Kyle's business, or Cristian's either for that matter. After Cris left the room, Layla asked Fish if there was any truth to what he'd said and Fish once again dismissed Kyle as an old frat brother who now had a grudge against him because he was a cop.
Layla let it drop and asked if Fish was going to stay mad at her for asking if he was gay. Fish said he'd have to think about it and headed for his bedroom alone.
I have to say that I thought Scott Evans did a great job today as well, playing both Fish's guilt at knowing the truth, that he really was using Layla, and his defensive desperation, the need to keep that closet door firmly closed. Fish is truly a good guy, but he's a guy who thinks he'll lose everything if the truth is known, and Scott played that very well.
Kyle, meanwhile, had discovered that he'd lost his room key and was sitting in the hall outside his door, clutching Fish's latest rejection in letter form and looking miserable, when Roxy stumbled by with a bottle of booze in hand (she's got her own issues!). After she told him she didn't have a spare key for his room and called a locksmith for him, she joined him on the floor and asked if he'd had bad news.
Kyle: Nothing I haven't heard before.
Roxy: Is it about you and that cute guy with you in the picture?
Kyle: Yep.
Roxy: Wanna tell me what's wrong?
Kyle: He's a coward who's afraid of telling the truth.
Roxy: Is it about you and that cute guy with you in the picture?
Kyle: Yep.
Roxy: Wanna tell me what's wrong?
Kyle: He's a coward who's afraid of telling the truth.
I freely admit that I'm a romantic and that I always identify with characters who are apart from the person they love. I don't know what it is about that sense of longing and the ache of wanting to be with someone you can't have that gets to me, but it does every time. Maybe it's because it makes the eventual payoff when they do get together all the sweeter? I'm not sure.
In other words, though, I loved today's Kyle scenes. I also love the irony that he's found someone to commiserate with in Roxy, of all people! Not because I don't think she'd make a great friend for a gay character, but because he recently blackmailed her into giving him a free motel room! A room where he apparently still lives, even though he no longer has anything to hold over her head.
All in an all, another fantastic episode. I love these guys.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Nuke Day: Three's Company
Today's As The World Turns started out with Noah and his hunky film professor at Java, going over the beginning of Noah's screenplay. Mason thought it was a good start and noted that Noah was avoiding the beginner's mistake of making it too wordy.
Luke showed up to see Noah, not realizing he was meeting Mason. Noah introduced the two of them and Mason politely told Luke that while he thought his screenplay wasn't right for Noah, it did have potential. The three of them talked about what a film making genius Noah was and Mason advised Noah to get his film out on the festival circuit when it was done, saying it could help get financing for his next film if he won some awards.
Noah thought Mason was getting ahead of things, but the Prof told the guys that he'd got his own start that way, that he'd made a documentary that had played at Cannes, Florence, Lisbon, etc, and that he'd met his 'other half' while he was on the festival circuit. Mason told the guys that walking down the red carpet together was very romantic, though he looked a little sad while he was saying it.
After telling Luke and Noah that they made a great couple, Mason excused himself to meet someone for dinner. Once his Professor was gone, Noah started trying to work on his screenplay, obsessing about getting it written quickly so that he could meet his deadline for the film. Oddly, for the 'not too wordy' screenplay Mason had praised, we could see one long block of text on Noah's laptop, with no break for character dialogue. Luke, seeing how stressed out his boyfriend was, suggested that he step back, take the night off, and come at it fresh in the morning.
Noah agreed and the two of them headed out for a night on the town at that hottest of nightspots, Metro. As soon as they walked in, they spotted Mason and another man across the room at a table, looking very tense.
Luke wondered if the guy with Mason was his 'other half' and asked if he'd mentioned to Noah that he was gay. Noah said it had never come up and the guys decided to leave since Mason and his dinner companion looked like they were having a serious discussion.
At that point, Mason spotted the two of them and invited them to join him and his partner, George, noting that they'd been having a lover's quarrel and that he was ready to kiss and make up.
George was not happy with the built in audience and complained that Mason always did this, invited in a crowd so they'd have to pretend nothing was wrong. Having made everyone else at the table look like they'd rather be locked up in a warehouse by crazy fake gay non-twins than sitting there, George made an abrupt departure.
Mason apologized, saying George was 'in one of his moods', and the conversation turned to how he'd met George in Europe, on the film festival circuit, and things between them had been great until Mason accepted a position teaching at Oakdale University.
When Noah asked if George was a filmmaker, too, Mason explained that George didn't do anything: he comes from money and doesn't need to work. George had nothing to do during the day in Oakdale, so by the time Mason comes home, George is very needy. Being the center of someones life when they don't have a life of their own can be intense, Mason confided to the guys.
Okay, I know it was really subtle, so you may have missed this, even with Luke's uncomfortable squirming in his chair: George is Just! Like! Luke! and Noah is Just! Like! Mason! The future, unveiled.
After Mason made his own departure, Luke actually voiced this fear, in case there really were some audience members watching who didn't catch on. They were probably the same three viewers who actually find the endless Paul/Meg/Dusty mess to be riveting TV.
Anyway, Luke told Noah that he doesn't want to be home alone, keeping Noah's dinner warm while he's out at awards shows or film festivals.
Noah assured Luke that they'll be working together on films, with Luke writing and Noah directing, and that they'll never be like Mason & George. Besides, Noah pointed out, Luke is going back to college to work on his writing.
Luke said that he was only going back because everyone is telling him he should, not because he really wants to, but then they dropped the subject and looked into each other's eyes, presumably preparing to enjoy the rest of their night together.
I'm really enjoying the potential of the Mason story so far, though the character seems a bit pretentious, especially since he's teaching a film class in Oakdale, Illinois. He's charming, I admit, and very sexy, of course, but I hope the plan isn't to make him unlikable, since the best triangles are the ones where there are fans for each pairing, when you can actually see why the person in the middle is drawn to both of the others.
Still, I think Mason is going to stir things up nicely and it really looks like we're going to get an all male love triangle here, which will be groundbreaking. Let's just hope it's watchable, too.
Luke showed up to see Noah, not realizing he was meeting Mason. Noah introduced the two of them and Mason politely told Luke that while he thought his screenplay wasn't right for Noah, it did have potential. The three of them talked about what a film making genius Noah was and Mason advised Noah to get his film out on the festival circuit when it was done, saying it could help get financing for his next film if he won some awards.
Noah thought Mason was getting ahead of things, but the Prof told the guys that he'd got his own start that way, that he'd made a documentary that had played at Cannes, Florence, Lisbon, etc, and that he'd met his 'other half' while he was on the festival circuit. Mason told the guys that walking down the red carpet together was very romantic, though he looked a little sad while he was saying it.
After telling Luke and Noah that they made a great couple, Mason excused himself to meet someone for dinner. Once his Professor was gone, Noah started trying to work on his screenplay, obsessing about getting it written quickly so that he could meet his deadline for the film. Oddly, for the 'not too wordy' screenplay Mason had praised, we could see one long block of text on Noah's laptop, with no break for character dialogue. Luke, seeing how stressed out his boyfriend was, suggested that he step back, take the night off, and come at it fresh in the morning.
Noah agreed and the two of them headed out for a night on the town at that hottest of nightspots, Metro. As soon as they walked in, they spotted Mason and another man across the room at a table, looking very tense.
Luke wondered if the guy with Mason was his 'other half' and asked if he'd mentioned to Noah that he was gay. Noah said it had never come up and the guys decided to leave since Mason and his dinner companion looked like they were having a serious discussion.
At that point, Mason spotted the two of them and invited them to join him and his partner, George, noting that they'd been having a lover's quarrel and that he was ready to kiss and make up.
George was not happy with the built in audience and complained that Mason always did this, invited in a crowd so they'd have to pretend nothing was wrong. Having made everyone else at the table look like they'd rather be locked up in a warehouse by crazy fake gay non-twins than sitting there, George made an abrupt departure.
Mason apologized, saying George was 'in one of his moods', and the conversation turned to how he'd met George in Europe, on the film festival circuit, and things between them had been great until Mason accepted a position teaching at Oakdale University.
When Noah asked if George was a filmmaker, too, Mason explained that George didn't do anything: he comes from money and doesn't need to work. George had nothing to do during the day in Oakdale, so by the time Mason comes home, George is very needy. Being the center of someones life when they don't have a life of their own can be intense, Mason confided to the guys.
Okay, I know it was really subtle, so you may have missed this, even with Luke's uncomfortable squirming in his chair: George is Just! Like! Luke! and Noah is Just! Like! Mason! The future, unveiled.
After Mason made his own departure, Luke actually voiced this fear, in case there really were some audience members watching who didn't catch on. They were probably the same three viewers who actually find the endless Paul/Meg/Dusty mess to be riveting TV.
Anyway, Luke told Noah that he doesn't want to be home alone, keeping Noah's dinner warm while he's out at awards shows or film festivals.
Noah assured Luke that they'll be working together on films, with Luke writing and Noah directing, and that they'll never be like Mason & George. Besides, Noah pointed out, Luke is going back to college to work on his writing.
Luke said that he was only going back because everyone is telling him he should, not because he really wants to, but then they dropped the subject and looked into each other's eyes, presumably preparing to enjoy the rest of their night together.
I'm really enjoying the potential of the Mason story so far, though the character seems a bit pretentious, especially since he's teaching a film class in Oakdale, Illinois. He's charming, I admit, and very sexy, of course, but I hope the plan isn't to make him unlikable, since the best triangles are the ones where there are fans for each pairing, when you can actually see why the person in the middle is drawn to both of the others.
Still, I think Mason is going to stir things up nicely and it really looks like we're going to get an all male love triangle here, which will be groundbreaking. Let's just hope it's watchable, too.
Kish: The Question!
Today was another Kish episode on One Life to Live, or maybe I should say that it was a Fish day, since Kyle wasn't actually on. Still, it was a big day in their storyline.
The show started with Cristian arriving outside of Kyle's motel room, wanting to know more about how Fish was using Layla. Kyle wasn't in, but Cristian spotted an envelope sticking out from under the door. He'd just bent down to pull it out when Brody Lovett happened by and interrupted him.
Ah, Brody, the hottest man in Llanview (and that's really saying something!). I was hoping that he'd show up in the Kish storyline at some point! Like, when it was time for their first love triangle and Brody realized he'd been bi curious for a long time.... Wait, where was I? (Actually, I'm only kidding since as much as I'd love to see Brody's portrayer, Mark Lawson, play a gay character someday, I really like Brody with Jessica Brennan. They've got great chemistry and you can't get a better Meet Cute than two crazy kids- literally!- in an asylum, right?)
Brody and Cristian had this only-on-a-soap conversation where even though they'd just met for the first time in a motel hallway, Cristian was soon confiding the whole Kyle-Fish-Layla thing to Brody, who (like the rest of the ever growing chorus) told Cristian about Kyle's blackmailing ways and noted that it seemed like Layla meant an awful lot to Cristian.
After Brody mentioned that he'd just been accepted to the police academy, Cristian wondered if he could take the opportunity to sneak a look at Fish's... file! Sorry, my mind drifted again, imagining Fish and Brody in the police locker room. Brody has that affect on me, what can I say?
Brody, of course, noted that the files were classified and tactfully didn't mention that as a cadet at the police academy, he's not exactly going to be in a position to stroll into the Llanview police department's record room for some strange guy he just met.
After Brody left, Cristian had a little debate with himself about pulling the envelop out from under Kyle's door, but in the end he went for it and discovered that it was a letter from Fish himself:
The show started with Cristian arriving outside of Kyle's motel room, wanting to know more about how Fish was using Layla. Kyle wasn't in, but Cristian spotted an envelope sticking out from under the door. He'd just bent down to pull it out when Brody Lovett happened by and interrupted him.
Ah, Brody, the hottest man in Llanview (and that's really saying something!). I was hoping that he'd show up in the Kish storyline at some point! Like, when it was time for their first love triangle and Brody realized he'd been bi curious for a long time.... Wait, where was I? (Actually, I'm only kidding since as much as I'd love to see Brody's portrayer, Mark Lawson, play a gay character someday, I really like Brody with Jessica Brennan. They've got great chemistry and you can't get a better Meet Cute than two crazy kids- literally!- in an asylum, right?)
Brody and Cristian had this only-on-a-soap conversation where even though they'd just met for the first time in a motel hallway, Cristian was soon confiding the whole Kyle-Fish-Layla thing to Brody, who (like the rest of the ever growing chorus) told Cristian about Kyle's blackmailing ways and noted that it seemed like Layla meant an awful lot to Cristian.
After Brody mentioned that he'd just been accepted to the police academy, Cristian wondered if he could take the opportunity to sneak a look at Fish's... file! Sorry, my mind drifted again, imagining Fish and Brody in the police locker room. Brody has that affect on me, what can I say?
Brody, of course, noted that the files were classified and tactfully didn't mention that as a cadet at the police academy, he's not exactly going to be in a position to stroll into the Llanview police department's record room for some strange guy he just met.
After Brody left, Cristian had a little debate with himself about pulling the envelop out from under Kyle's door, but in the end he went for it and discovered that it was a letter from Fish himself:
Kyle,
I know you talked to Cristian Vega, that you told him I was using Layla, but I'm not! I care about her. She's a great girl and I want to be with her. So please back off. Whatever you think you know about me, it was a long time ago. I'm not that guy anymore. For both our sakes, get on with your life and stop messing with mine.
Oliver.
I know you talked to Cristian Vega, that you told him I was using Layla, but I'm not! I care about her. She's a great girl and I want to be with her. So please back off. Whatever you think you know about me, it was a long time ago. I'm not that guy anymore. For both our sakes, get on with your life and stop messing with mine.
Oliver.
The best part, I have to say, was hearing Fish's voice over, (presumably in Cristian's head as he was reading) emphasize the 'her' in I want to be with her as if he was saying "her and not you" and the threatening way in which he said 'back off', complete with clenched teeth!
While all of this was going on at the Angel Square Motel, Fish and Layla were arriving back at their place in the midst of an argument. It seems that in spite of his promise to keep their relationship a secret at work, Fish talked and now the whole station knows.
Of course Fish talked! What's the use of having a beard if you can't let anyone know you're dating a woman? Silly Layla.
Layla was pissed that Fish hadn't respected her wishes and didn't care when he protested that he'd only told one cop, who'd told another, who'd told another, etc etc. Fish calmed her down by spouting out a laundry list of all that was hot about her and noting that he just had to brag because he couldn't believe a woman like her was with someone like him.
Layla softened and wondered why he was so down on himself. Fish explained that he was a tech geek in high school and Layla told him those days were over. Oliver told her that the spirit of high school is alive and well in the men's locker room at the police station:
While all of this was going on at the Angel Square Motel, Fish and Layla were arriving back at their place in the midst of an argument. It seems that in spite of his promise to keep their relationship a secret at work, Fish talked and now the whole station knows.
Of course Fish talked! What's the use of having a beard if you can't let anyone know you're dating a woman? Silly Layla.
Layla was pissed that Fish hadn't respected her wishes and didn't care when he protested that he'd only told one cop, who'd told another, who'd told another, etc etc. Fish calmed her down by spouting out a laundry list of all that was hot about her and noting that he just had to brag because he couldn't believe a woman like her was with someone like him.
Layla softened and wondered why he was so down on himself. Fish explained that he was a tech geek in high school and Layla told him those days were over. Oliver told her that the spirit of high school is alive and well in the men's locker room at the police station:
Fish: It's beyond juvenile. You know, who's scoring, who's not.
Layla: But you're not like that.
Fish: Well, I have to be, or--
Layla: Or what?
Fish: Or I won't survive there. ... Look, I've wanted to be a cop for as long as I can remember. I love my job and I'm really good at it, too. But you need more than a string of arrests, you've got to fit in.
Layla: But you're not like that.
Fish: Well, I have to be, or--
Layla: Or what?
Fish: Or I won't survive there. ... Look, I've wanted to be a cop for as long as I can remember. I love my job and I'm really good at it, too. But you need more than a string of arrests, you've got to fit in.
I already loved Fish before this episode, but these scenes just completely took it to another level. Getting this glimpse of what Fish's daily life must be like at the station and how it affects him just made Oliver all the more endearing. I kind of wanted to wrap my arms around him and hold him until it's all better. Oh, and to tell him that soon he'll get to see Brody naked in the locker room all the time, and who can be sad when there's naked Brody?
Oh, wow, I'm probably ten steps behind more observant viewers on this but: Fish's partner on the force was killed recently and he doesn't have a new one. Brody will soon enough be a rookie cop in need of a partner! Brody and Fish as partners would make my year!
Sorry, back to today. Layla forgave Fish for spilling the beans and then noted that Cristian was at work. Layla moved in for a kiss and then pulled off her shirt. Fish got even more nervous at the sight of a bra and literally took a step back while telling her how beautiful she was, her face and body, how she was everything a man could want.
Layla said that as long as Fish wanted her, that was all that mattered. She moved forward and directed her hands towards a part of his anatomy that quickly revealed to her that Fish didn't want her all that much after all!
Layla asked if she was coming on too strong and said that they didn't have to do this. Oliver said he wanted to, needed to, making it sound like an obligation rather than a desire. He moved in for another kiss, looking like someone about to finish his chores, not hook up:
Oh, wow, I'm probably ten steps behind more observant viewers on this but: Fish's partner on the force was killed recently and he doesn't have a new one. Brody will soon enough be a rookie cop in need of a partner! Brody and Fish as partners would make my year!
Sorry, back to today. Layla forgave Fish for spilling the beans and then noted that Cristian was at work. Layla moved in for a kiss and then pulled off her shirt. Fish got even more nervous at the sight of a bra and literally took a step back while telling her how beautiful she was, her face and body, how she was everything a man could want.
Layla said that as long as Fish wanted her, that was all that mattered. She moved forward and directed her hands towards a part of his anatomy that quickly revealed to her that Fish didn't want her all that much after all!
Layla asked if she was coming on too strong and said that they didn't have to do this. Oliver said he wanted to, needed to, making it sound like an obligation rather than a desire. He moved in for another kiss, looking like someone about to finish his chores, not hook up:
Fish: This will work.
Layla: Fish, are you talking about you and me, or the sex?
Fish: Both. I want my girlfriend to be happy, right?
Layla: What about you? Are you happy?
Fish: Why wouldn't I be happy with you? (he tries to move in for another kiss, clearly not really wanting to)
Layla: No. It's okay.
Fish: I'm sorry.
Layla: You don't have to apologize. You didn't do anything wrong.
Fish: I just really want it to work with us. It's important to me.
Layla: Yeah, I'm getting that.
Fish: Come on, let's go to your room.
Layla: No. This isn't going to work.
Fish: Sure it is.
Layla: No, actually it's not. And that's okay, because I should have picked up on it sooner.
Fish: All that matters is how we feel about each other.
Layla: Yeah, that's important. But we need to be on the same page, and we aren't.
Fish: What do you mean?
Layla: Are you gay?
Layla: Fish, are you talking about you and me, or the sex?
Fish: Both. I want my girlfriend to be happy, right?
Layla: What about you? Are you happy?
Fish: Why wouldn't I be happy with you? (he tries to move in for another kiss, clearly not really wanting to)
Layla: No. It's okay.
Fish: I'm sorry.
Layla: You don't have to apologize. You didn't do anything wrong.
Fish: I just really want it to work with us. It's important to me.
Layla: Yeah, I'm getting that.
Fish: Come on, let's go to your room.
Layla: No. This isn't going to work.
Fish: Sure it is.
Layla: No, actually it's not. And that's okay, because I should have picked up on it sooner.
Fish: All that matters is how we feel about each other.
Layla: Yeah, that's important. But we need to be on the same page, and we aren't.
Fish: What do you mean?
Layla: Are you gay?
Yes! I'm impressed. Usually the women in these story lines are totally clueless until they catch their man with a man of his own or until some third party outs them. Not Layla, though! I love that she picked up on this so early and it's going to be really interesting to see what Fish has to say for himself after that little cliffhanger of an ending.
I can't wait to see what happens next!
I can't wait to see what happens next!
Monday, July 20, 2009
Y&R: Two In One
First up, last Friday's episode of The Young and the Restless, which picked up where Thursday's show left off, with the surprise return of Philip Chancellor IV from his tour of duty in Iraq. On Friday, once he'd received the effusive greeting from the women in his life and told them he now goes by the nickname Chance (which will spare us from having to say III or IV to differentiate between Philips, at least), he spotted his not so dead father across the room.
At first, I assumed that his mother, Nina, had already filled him in, since he didn't show the slightest bit of shock, but instead just called out an almost angry sounding "You!" As we soon found out, though, Chance had no clue that his father was still alive until he saw him standing there, yet he remained completely unemotional about it, to the point of shaking Philip's hand and telling him that it was nice to meet him.
Chance noted that he'd seen a lot of people die but never seen someone come back: what was Philip's secret? Katherine quickly changed the subject, saying that they could talk about that later. Chance did make a few more mild inquiries, like how long Philip had been in town, did anyone else in the family know he was alive before this, and who was Cane, really?, but he remained oddly detached.
In the middle of all of this, Philip got the call letting him know that he was not a carrier of Huntington's Disease, which meant that Chance couldn't have it, either.
Later, after Chance had left the room, Nina, Jill and Katherine discussed the soldier's calm attitude and attributed it his military training. They also talked about telling him the truth and Philip interrupted to tell them to back off:
Oh, man. Get over yourself!
That was all that happened on Friday, but it was a bit surprising, to say the least, to see Chance have basically no reaction at all to finding out his father was very much alive.
On to today's show. Philip showed up at the Chancellor mansion to see Nina and his son, only to find himself crashing his half brother Billy's birthday party. Since they hadn't had a chance to talk since Philip's resurrection, Billy took the opportunity to tell his brother that he understood the pressures he'd been facing and had escaped them himself, just in a different way. At this point, of course, Billy doesn't know that his brother left because he's gay.
Nina suggested that she, Philip, and Chance have lunch together, but Chance quickly bowed out, telling them that he was still tired and had some unpacking to do. After Nina and Philip left, Chance got to know his Uncle Billy's ex, Chloe, who asked him what he thought of his Dad and if he had any memories of him from before he 'died'.
Chance told her that having just met the guy, he doesn't have an opinion one way or the other about him.
Over lunch, Philip told Nina that since Chance would barely look at him he was either hiding a deep anger towards him or just had no interest in getting to know his father at all. Nina asked Philip to give Chance time, saying that he'd come around. Philip wondered how Chance would react to finding out that, on top of everything else, his father was gay. Nina assured him that their son would be okay with it, but Philip seemed unconvinced.
That was all, two pretty low key episodes as far as this story goes. It will be interesting to see where they go from here with Chance. His detachment is a twist I didn't expect, so I'm curious to see what it's leading up to. I'm also hoping to see Chance dealing with having just returned from war, since no one comes back from combat and blithely resumes their former life without any issues.
At first, I assumed that his mother, Nina, had already filled him in, since he didn't show the slightest bit of shock, but instead just called out an almost angry sounding "You!" As we soon found out, though, Chance had no clue that his father was still alive until he saw him standing there, yet he remained completely unemotional about it, to the point of shaking Philip's hand and telling him that it was nice to meet him.
Chance noted that he'd seen a lot of people die but never seen someone come back: what was Philip's secret? Katherine quickly changed the subject, saying that they could talk about that later. Chance did make a few more mild inquiries, like how long Philip had been in town, did anyone else in the family know he was alive before this, and who was Cane, really?, but he remained oddly detached.
In the middle of all of this, Philip got the call letting him know that he was not a carrier of Huntington's Disease, which meant that Chance couldn't have it, either.
Later, after Chance had left the room, Nina, Jill and Katherine discussed the soldier's calm attitude and attributed it his military training. They also talked about telling him the truth and Philip interrupted to tell them to back off:
"Don't rush him, don't fix him. Let the kid be. I mean it, I don't want you driving him away, like you drove me away."
Oh, man. Get over yourself!
That was all that happened on Friday, but it was a bit surprising, to say the least, to see Chance have basically no reaction at all to finding out his father was very much alive.
On to today's show. Philip showed up at the Chancellor mansion to see Nina and his son, only to find himself crashing his half brother Billy's birthday party. Since they hadn't had a chance to talk since Philip's resurrection, Billy took the opportunity to tell his brother that he understood the pressures he'd been facing and had escaped them himself, just in a different way. At this point, of course, Billy doesn't know that his brother left because he's gay.
Nina suggested that she, Philip, and Chance have lunch together, but Chance quickly bowed out, telling them that he was still tired and had some unpacking to do. After Nina and Philip left, Chance got to know his Uncle Billy's ex, Chloe, who asked him what he thought of his Dad and if he had any memories of him from before he 'died'.
Chance told her that having just met the guy, he doesn't have an opinion one way or the other about him.
Over lunch, Philip told Nina that since Chance would barely look at him he was either hiding a deep anger towards him or just had no interest in getting to know his father at all. Nina asked Philip to give Chance time, saying that he'd come around. Philip wondered how Chance would react to finding out that, on top of everything else, his father was gay. Nina assured him that their son would be okay with it, but Philip seemed unconvinced.
That was all, two pretty low key episodes as far as this story goes. It will be interesting to see where they go from here with Chance. His detachment is a twist I didn't expect, so I'm curious to see what it's leading up to. I'm also hoping to see Chance dealing with having just returned from war, since no one comes back from combat and blithely resumes their former life without any issues.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Y&R: What a Jerk!
At the start of today's episode of The Young and the Restless, Jill, Nina, and Katherine were discussing the Philip situation again. Jill was more willing to be understanding after some time to think if over: how often did someone get a second chance like this? Katherine was still bitter about Philip taking the coward's way out and leaving them to suffer with guilt and grief for twenty years. Nina, meanwhile, was just sort of playing referee between the two.
Philip soon showed up to let them know that he'd been tested for Huntington's disease and would have the results later in the day. His son may have the disease, but had left to serve in the military without being tested, not wanting to face it. The main reason that Nina wanted to exhume Philip's body in the first place was to test it to see if he's a carrier for the genetic disease; if he's not, then their son doesn't have it.
Katherine congratulated Philip on standing up for his son and asked when he was going to do so for the rest of the family. After some more arguing, Philip admitted that Katherine was right: he hadn't had faith in his family. However, he said he wouldn't apologize because if he had it to do over again, he'd probably do the same thing.
What?! Okay, I officially don't like Philip very much at this point. He's pretty much a selfish jerk right now. Hopefully we'll start to see something more develop with the character soon.
Katherine felt much the same way I did at his remark, telling him it was a 'vicious slap in the face' to all of them. Even Nina couldn't let his words pass, finding the fact that he'd choose to abandon his son all over again if he had the choice unforgivable.
There was some more talk of what he'd done to them all and some more protests from Philip that he hadn't had any other choice because he hadn't fell safe coming out to them. Again, I feel for his motivations, but not his decision or the fact that he's still completely unrepentant twenty years later.
At that point, Cane showed up to say goodbye to Jill, the woman who'd thought she was his mother for the last couple of years, and to Katherine, who'd thought for awhile that she was his grandmother. Philip tried to get Jill and Katherine to see that Cane wasn't a bad guy and that they shouldn't let him just leave, but Cane was literally forgotten by them all when a hunky soldier in army fatigues walked in the door.
Yes, Philip Chancellor IV made his debut at last, swarmed with hugs and greetings from his mother, grandmother and Katherine while the father he's never know watched from across the room. I can't really say what emotion Philip III was feeling, since his face wore the same expression it always seems to, but presumably we'll see some drama between the two tomorrow.
I do have to say that one look at Philip IV in his uniform made me wish that the rumors of a Philip IV/Rafe pairing had proven true! Then again, daytime has done stories where fathers and sons romance the same woman, so why not a Philip III/Rafe/Philip IV love triangle? Now that would be groundbreaking!
Philip soon showed up to let them know that he'd been tested for Huntington's disease and would have the results later in the day. His son may have the disease, but had left to serve in the military without being tested, not wanting to face it. The main reason that Nina wanted to exhume Philip's body in the first place was to test it to see if he's a carrier for the genetic disease; if he's not, then their son doesn't have it.
Katherine congratulated Philip on standing up for his son and asked when he was going to do so for the rest of the family. After some more arguing, Philip admitted that Katherine was right: he hadn't had faith in his family. However, he said he wouldn't apologize because if he had it to do over again, he'd probably do the same thing.
What?! Okay, I officially don't like Philip very much at this point. He's pretty much a selfish jerk right now. Hopefully we'll start to see something more develop with the character soon.
Katherine felt much the same way I did at his remark, telling him it was a 'vicious slap in the face' to all of them. Even Nina couldn't let his words pass, finding the fact that he'd choose to abandon his son all over again if he had the choice unforgivable.
There was some more talk of what he'd done to them all and some more protests from Philip that he hadn't had any other choice because he hadn't fell safe coming out to them. Again, I feel for his motivations, but not his decision or the fact that he's still completely unrepentant twenty years later.
At that point, Cane showed up to say goodbye to Jill, the woman who'd thought she was his mother for the last couple of years, and to Katherine, who'd thought for awhile that she was his grandmother. Philip tried to get Jill and Katherine to see that Cane wasn't a bad guy and that they shouldn't let him just leave, but Cane was literally forgotten by them all when a hunky soldier in army fatigues walked in the door.
Yes, Philip Chancellor IV made his debut at last, swarmed with hugs and greetings from his mother, grandmother and Katherine while the father he's never know watched from across the room. I can't really say what emotion Philip III was feeling, since his face wore the same expression it always seems to, but presumably we'll see some drama between the two tomorrow.
I do have to say that one look at Philip IV in his uniform made me wish that the rumors of a Philip IV/Rafe pairing had proven true! Then again, daytime has done stories where fathers and sons romance the same woman, so why not a Philip III/Rafe/Philip IV love triangle? Now that would be groundbreaking!
Emmy Nominations
The nominations for the 61st Annual Emmy Awards were announced today and though a lot of the nominees seem to be the same old shows and people (Charlie Sheen again, really?), I was very happy with a few of the nominations.
At the top of that list is Kristin Chenoweth, nominated for the second year in a row as Oustanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy for the role of Olive Snook on the late, great show Pushing Daisies. You probably know by now that I completely adore Kristin and I'd love to see her win an Emmy, not only for herself but for the show, which won a couple of technical Emmys and an Emmy for directing last year but really deserved more.
Kristin's competition: SNL's Amy Poehler and Ugly Betty's Vanessa Williams, who were both nominated against her last year as well, SNL's Kristin Wiig, 30 Rock's Jane Krakowski, and Weed's Elizabeth Perkins. I think Chenoweth has a real shot at winning this year.
Another nomination that made me really happy was How I Met Your Mother, which finally, after four seasons, is nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series! I've always been a huge fan of this show and have said before that I think it's the best ensemble comedy on TV right now. (Every time I say that, someone brings up The Office, which I must confess I've never really watched, or 30 Rock, which I like a lot, but I still think How I Met Your Mother is better)
Neil Patrick Harris, meanwhile, got his third consecutive nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy for playing Barney Stinson and I really hope that he wins this year. He more than deserves it.
The show itself really deserved the nomination and I hope it takes home the Emmy. Like I said, I'm a 30 Rock fan as well but they've already won enough.
For Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy, I'm pulling for Toni Collette, who was incredible in The United States of Tara, though honestly I would have thought it more of a drama than a comedy, as funny as it can be at times. Still, it can be hard to draw that line between the two these days.
The other nominees I was glad to see were the Lifetime movie Prayers For Bobby and its star, Sigourney Weaver. The movie had a real impact on me and I thought Weaver was really incredible in it.
The final bit of great news is that Neil Patrick Harris will be hosting! After watching him host the Tonys last month, I think he should just host every awards show from now on. Hopefully he'll sing again, since I thought his closing number at the Tonys was one of the highlights of the night.
At the top of that list is Kristin Chenoweth, nominated for the second year in a row as Oustanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy for the role of Olive Snook on the late, great show Pushing Daisies. You probably know by now that I completely adore Kristin and I'd love to see her win an Emmy, not only for herself but for the show, which won a couple of technical Emmys and an Emmy for directing last year but really deserved more.
Kristin's competition: SNL's Amy Poehler and Ugly Betty's Vanessa Williams, who were both nominated against her last year as well, SNL's Kristin Wiig, 30 Rock's Jane Krakowski, and Weed's Elizabeth Perkins. I think Chenoweth has a real shot at winning this year.
Another nomination that made me really happy was How I Met Your Mother, which finally, after four seasons, is nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series! I've always been a huge fan of this show and have said before that I think it's the best ensemble comedy on TV right now. (Every time I say that, someone brings up The Office, which I must confess I've never really watched, or 30 Rock, which I like a lot, but I still think How I Met Your Mother is better)
Neil Patrick Harris, meanwhile, got his third consecutive nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy for playing Barney Stinson and I really hope that he wins this year. He more than deserves it.
The show itself really deserved the nomination and I hope it takes home the Emmy. Like I said, I'm a 30 Rock fan as well but they've already won enough.
For Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy, I'm pulling for Toni Collette, who was incredible in The United States of Tara, though honestly I would have thought it more of a drama than a comedy, as funny as it can be at times. Still, it can be hard to draw that line between the two these days.
The other nominees I was glad to see were the Lifetime movie Prayers For Bobby and its star, Sigourney Weaver. The movie had a real impact on me and I thought Weaver was really incredible in it.
The final bit of great news is that Neil Patrick Harris will be hosting! After watching him host the Tonys last month, I think he should just host every awards show from now on. Hopefully he'll sing again, since I thought his closing number at the Tonys was one of the highlights of the night.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Kish Light
Kyle was nowhere to be seen on today's One Life to Live, but he was at least a topic of conversation between Crisitan and Tea Delgado. The two of them ran into each other at the hospital and the subject of Kyle naturally came up, since what he said about Fish is very much on Cristian's mind and since Kyle's late sister Rebecca blew Tea up a few months back at the end of the end of the KAD Serial Killer story.
The conversation was more of a catch up between the characters than anything new, since Tea doesn't actually know Kyle (though she, like everyone else, did helpfully mention his blackmailing of Natalie & Jared). Basically Cristian just reiterated that he's worried that Fish is going to break Layla's heart.
Meanwhile, it was Layla's first day at the police station and after Fish showed her around she brought up the fact that the two of them are now living together, working together, and dating. Layla told Fish that she didn't want everyone at the station thinking she'd got the job because she was going out with him.
Fish got the impression that Layla was breaking up with him, but Layla explained that she just wanted to make sure that they stayed strictly professional while at work and keep their relationship quiet. Fish, who I thought seemed almost disappointed when he realized she wasn't breaking up with him, agreed to the plan, noting that he was good at doing under cover work. They sealed it with their one and only kiss at the station, in the privacy of John McBain's office, which Cristian of course showed up just in time to see.
That was pretty much it today as far as Kish was concerned. I have no complaints so far, though. I think they're handling this story perfectly with a slow- but not too slow- build up.
The conversation was more of a catch up between the characters than anything new, since Tea doesn't actually know Kyle (though she, like everyone else, did helpfully mention his blackmailing of Natalie & Jared). Basically Cristian just reiterated that he's worried that Fish is going to break Layla's heart.
Meanwhile, it was Layla's first day at the police station and after Fish showed her around she brought up the fact that the two of them are now living together, working together, and dating. Layla told Fish that she didn't want everyone at the station thinking she'd got the job because she was going out with him.
Fish got the impression that Layla was breaking up with him, but Layla explained that she just wanted to make sure that they stayed strictly professional while at work and keep their relationship quiet. Fish, who I thought seemed almost disappointed when he realized she wasn't breaking up with him, agreed to the plan, noting that he was good at doing under cover work. They sealed it with their one and only kiss at the station, in the privacy of John McBain's office, which Cristian of course showed up just in time to see.
That was pretty much it today as far as Kish was concerned. I have no complaints so far, though. I think they're handling this story perfectly with a slow- but not too slow- build up.
Nuke Day: Make Room For Mason
Luke & Noah's new story kicked off today on As the World Turns with the introduction of Noah's new film school advisor, played by Forbes March.
At the start of the episode, Luke & Noah were packing up the final box of their stuff for the move into the new apartment. Noah was rather down in the dumps and Luke quickly got the reason out of him: having burned the film about his father, he was worried about his Senior project. He told Luke that he couldn't seem to come up with any good ideas for a film.
Luke offered the perfect solution: a script by Luke Snyder himself! Personally, I'm pleasantly surprised that anyone on the writing staff of the show even remembers that Luke once wanted to be a writer since it hasn't been alluded to in a very long time.
At any rate, Luke handed Noah a script that he said he wrote last year in a burst of creative energy. Maybe he had the time while Noah was married to Ameera? Or perhaps like many a great writer, he found inspiration in the bottle after the election fiasco.
Noah, like any good director, apparently only needed to glance at the title page of the script to declare that it was just what he needed. I mean, seriously, he didn't even pretend to read some of it! I guess you could say he just has that much faith in Luke's abilities as a writer, since they have worked together in the past, but it still seemed kind of silly.
The guys were full of plans about making the movie together, but Noah had to go meet with his film advisor first to have it approved. The guys parted with a kiss (still nice to see! Are you paying attention Y&R?) and Noah headed to Java (where else?) to meet with Professor Jarvis, who we see right away is artistic because he's wearing a scarf in July, and who quickly told Noah to call him Mason.
Mason was full of praise for the film Noah had been making, loving the idea of Noah exploring his relationship with his father and the military. Noah explained that he would no longer be making that film, for personal reasons, but that he had a screenplay for another film ready for his approval.
Unlike Noah, Mason actually took the time to read Luke's script and when he was finished he told him that he couldn't approve it. When Noah asked why, Mason explained that it was too complex for a short film and then said some stuff about lack of arcs and muddy transitions before saying Noah could do much better and asking if he owed this Luke Snyder guy money or a favor?
Noah explained that Luke was his boyfriend, which left Mason looking a little surprised and brought out the hint of a smile on his face. Noah added that he was a good writer and Mason backtracked and said the script did show some promise. He told Noah that the choice between art and love was a lot older than the two of them and that when such a choice arose, Noah should choose art. Love would hopefully be forgiving.
They're totally setting this up as a triangle already, I love it!
Anyway, Noah wasn't sure how to break the news to Luke and Mason told him to make his advisor the bad guy in the situation. Noah wondered what he'd do for his senior project instead and Mason asked if he had any other ideas at all. Noah admitted that he had one, but that it was too sketchy, he could only write a paragraph about it, not a script.
Mason asked to read the paragraph and thought it was the seed of a good film. He even offered to help Noah personally in developing it from a paragraph into a screenplay.
Meanwhile, Luke was letting his parents know that he was officially all moved out of the house and also raving about the film project he and Noah were going to be spending a lot of time working on.
Holden wondered when exactly Luke was going to have time to go back to school, what with working on this film and the foundation, and Luke told his parents that he doesn't have any plans to go back to college right now. Holden thought this was a bad idea, but Lily, she who hands out $500 to her unemployed son like it's nothing, declared that working on the film might be good for Luke, that he might end up becoming a filmmaker.
Noah returned around that time and broke the news that Mason had vetoed Luke's script. Luke offered to do rewrites but Noah told him that Mason had liked his own idea and that the two of them were going to develop it.
Luke was disappointed, of course, but admitted that it was mostly because Holden had been on his 'back to college kick' again and Luke had told him he was doing the film instead. Noah suggested that Luke might think about going back to school and said that he wanted his boyfriend to find something that grabbed him the way film making grabs our Mr. Mayer.
Luke was less than thrilled with Noah for sounding so much like Holden, but Noah asked him to at least think about it.
Later, Holden & Lily found a rather glum Luke sitting on the sofa and instead of reminding him gently that he no longer actually lives there, they asked what was wrong. Luke told them that he and Noah weren't going to be making the film together after all and that he'd been doing some thinking and had decided that it was time to go back to school.
Holden was pleased and went off to call Lucinda to get things rolling (Grandmother will no doubt be donating a new building to get Mr. Election Stealer back into school). Lily asked what caused this change of heart and Luke shrugged it off as his summer opening up. Lily asked if he was okay with not doing the film with Noah and Luke told her that Noah had to do what was right for his project. Luke wasn't exactly convincing, though, and was clearly upset at the change of plans.
So far, so good! It really seems like they're setting up a love triangle here, no matter what they were saying to the soap press about it. Luke & Mason haven't even met yet and we've already had Mason bashing Luke's script and Luke being unnerved that Noah is calling Mason by his first name. Wait until Noah & Mason are spending all their time together and Luke is peering in windows at them full of angst and jealousy!
As long as they don't turn Mason into yet another psycho, this could be a decent story. Famous last words, I know.
At the start of the episode, Luke & Noah were packing up the final box of their stuff for the move into the new apartment. Noah was rather down in the dumps and Luke quickly got the reason out of him: having burned the film about his father, he was worried about his Senior project. He told Luke that he couldn't seem to come up with any good ideas for a film.
Luke offered the perfect solution: a script by Luke Snyder himself! Personally, I'm pleasantly surprised that anyone on the writing staff of the show even remembers that Luke once wanted to be a writer since it hasn't been alluded to in a very long time.
At any rate, Luke handed Noah a script that he said he wrote last year in a burst of creative energy. Maybe he had the time while Noah was married to Ameera? Or perhaps like many a great writer, he found inspiration in the bottle after the election fiasco.
Noah, like any good director, apparently only needed to glance at the title page of the script to declare that it was just what he needed. I mean, seriously, he didn't even pretend to read some of it! I guess you could say he just has that much faith in Luke's abilities as a writer, since they have worked together in the past, but it still seemed kind of silly.
The guys were full of plans about making the movie together, but Noah had to go meet with his film advisor first to have it approved. The guys parted with a kiss (still nice to see! Are you paying attention Y&R?) and Noah headed to Java (where else?) to meet with Professor Jarvis, who we see right away is artistic because he's wearing a scarf in July, and who quickly told Noah to call him Mason.
Mason was full of praise for the film Noah had been making, loving the idea of Noah exploring his relationship with his father and the military. Noah explained that he would no longer be making that film, for personal reasons, but that he had a screenplay for another film ready for his approval.
Unlike Noah, Mason actually took the time to read Luke's script and when he was finished he told him that he couldn't approve it. When Noah asked why, Mason explained that it was too complex for a short film and then said some stuff about lack of arcs and muddy transitions before saying Noah could do much better and asking if he owed this Luke Snyder guy money or a favor?
Noah explained that Luke was his boyfriend, which left Mason looking a little surprised and brought out the hint of a smile on his face. Noah added that he was a good writer and Mason backtracked and said the script did show some promise. He told Noah that the choice between art and love was a lot older than the two of them and that when such a choice arose, Noah should choose art. Love would hopefully be forgiving.
They're totally setting this up as a triangle already, I love it!
Anyway, Noah wasn't sure how to break the news to Luke and Mason told him to make his advisor the bad guy in the situation. Noah wondered what he'd do for his senior project instead and Mason asked if he had any other ideas at all. Noah admitted that he had one, but that it was too sketchy, he could only write a paragraph about it, not a script.
Mason asked to read the paragraph and thought it was the seed of a good film. He even offered to help Noah personally in developing it from a paragraph into a screenplay.
Meanwhile, Luke was letting his parents know that he was officially all moved out of the house and also raving about the film project he and Noah were going to be spending a lot of time working on.
Holden wondered when exactly Luke was going to have time to go back to school, what with working on this film and the foundation, and Luke told his parents that he doesn't have any plans to go back to college right now. Holden thought this was a bad idea, but Lily, she who hands out $500 to her unemployed son like it's nothing, declared that working on the film might be good for Luke, that he might end up becoming a filmmaker.
Noah returned around that time and broke the news that Mason had vetoed Luke's script. Luke offered to do rewrites but Noah told him that Mason had liked his own idea and that the two of them were going to develop it.
Luke was disappointed, of course, but admitted that it was mostly because Holden had been on his 'back to college kick' again and Luke had told him he was doing the film instead. Noah suggested that Luke might think about going back to school and said that he wanted his boyfriend to find something that grabbed him the way film making grabs our Mr. Mayer.
Luke was less than thrilled with Noah for sounding so much like Holden, but Noah asked him to at least think about it.
Later, Holden & Lily found a rather glum Luke sitting on the sofa and instead of reminding him gently that he no longer actually lives there, they asked what was wrong. Luke told them that he and Noah weren't going to be making the film together after all and that he'd been doing some thinking and had decided that it was time to go back to school.
Holden was pleased and went off to call Lucinda to get things rolling (Grandmother will no doubt be donating a new building to get Mr. Election Stealer back into school). Lily asked what caused this change of heart and Luke shrugged it off as his summer opening up. Lily asked if he was okay with not doing the film with Noah and Luke told her that Noah had to do what was right for his project. Luke wasn't exactly convincing, though, and was clearly upset at the change of plans.
So far, so good! It really seems like they're setting up a love triangle here, no matter what they were saying to the soap press about it. Luke & Mason haven't even met yet and we've already had Mason bashing Luke's script and Luke being unnerved that Noah is calling Mason by his first name. Wait until Noah & Mason are spending all their time together and Luke is peering in windows at them full of angst and jealousy!
As long as they don't turn Mason into yet another psycho, this could be a decent story. Famous last words, I know.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Y&R: I Guess a Threesome is Out of the Question?
Rafe showed up in Adam's room this afternoon on The Young and the Restless, but if he was expecting another quickie his hopes were quickly dashed when he found Heather waiting for Adam as well. Awkward!
Heather voiced her surprise at running into Adam's former lawyer in his bedroom, but Rafe covered by saying he'd had a meeting with Adam's nephew Noah and thought he'd drop in and say hi to Adam. Heather remarked that she knew Adam appreciated his friendship and our guy Rafe got a touch catty, saying that Adam had just been saying the same thing to him about Heather.
Heather replied that she hoped Adam hadn't referred to her as a friend and Rafe pointed out that she had been one, standing by him no matter what. Heather told Rafe that Adam was worth it, but that she wished she could get Adam himself to believe that.
Rafe asked if Adam was avoiding committing to a future with Heather and Heather said that he was, blaming the fact that he didn't want to let her down, as he felt he'd let everyone else down by not living up to what was expected of Victor Newman's son.
Rafe, who of course has a completely different take on the situation they were discussing, said that Adam needs to make peace with himself, to just be who he is and let that be enough.
Adam walked in around that time and looked like his heart skipped a beat when he realized that his two most recent sexual partners were having a cozy chat in his bedroom. Poor Rafe tried to make a quick exit after he had to watch Adam kiss Heather hello, but Adam asked her to excuse the two of them for a minute so that he could pass on some information to Rafe from Noah.
As soon as they were alone, Adam asked if Rafe had told Heather about them (as if Heather wouldn't have mentioned that herself if she knew!) and Rafe quickly assured Adam that he wasn't going to out him, but that he had more self respect than to continue on in a relationship where he had to lie.
Adam apologized and said the he just didn't know how to break the news to Heather, who has really been there for him. Rafe was sympathetic and noted that Adam was under a lot of pressure as he tried to rebuild his life and redefine his identity. But the longer he waited to tell Heather, the harder it would get.
Adam used the old "Nobody gets me like you do" line while caressing Rafe's face and asked him to be patient for a few more days. Rafe, once again looking lost in Adam's eyes, agreed and moved in for what clearly should have been a kiss but turned out to be an out of place hug instead. I'm very familiar with this move from the days of the Nuke kissing ban on As the World Turns, but it never get less irritating!
After leaving the Newman ranch, Rafe met up with his friend Colleen Carlton for a few drinks and the topic soon turned from her lack of a love life to his own. Rafe confessed that he'd broken the 'first rule of man dating': never fall for a guy who is still in the closet.
Rafe told Colleen that the guy he's seeing is going through a rough time in general, even aside from dealing with his sexuality, but that when he looks at Rafe with those puppy dog eyes, Rafe just forgets about all the alarm bells going off in his head.
Colleen asked if Mr. Puppy Dog Eyes had a name and Rafe told her that he had to respect the mystery man's confidence because he wasn't out yet. Colleen wondered if he'd ever be out and Rafe seemed less than certain of that himself.
I like that Rafe has a friend to confide in. I haven't seen him with Colleen since he first told her he was gay awhile back, but I'm all for him having a friend in his corner. Strong friendships have always been important on soaps.
I have to say, I like Yani Gellman as Rafe more and more each time I see him onscreen. He has played all of his romantic scenes with Adam exactly as he described to Colleen, conveying Rafe's reaction to Adam's puppy dog eyes without speaking a word, and taking the audience right along with him.
Michael Muhney is also great as Adam, of course, and I can't wait to see what happens next with this character. He seemed less freaked out after his last encounter with Rafe, and you have to wonder what exactly he's feeling towards his former lawyer, beyond just the need to keep him from digging for the truth.
Most of all, though, I want to see Rafe in a relationship that is real for both of the men involved. I'm really looking forward to that.
Heather voiced her surprise at running into Adam's former lawyer in his bedroom, but Rafe covered by saying he'd had a meeting with Adam's nephew Noah and thought he'd drop in and say hi to Adam. Heather remarked that she knew Adam appreciated his friendship and our guy Rafe got a touch catty, saying that Adam had just been saying the same thing to him about Heather.
Heather replied that she hoped Adam hadn't referred to her as a friend and Rafe pointed out that she had been one, standing by him no matter what. Heather told Rafe that Adam was worth it, but that she wished she could get Adam himself to believe that.
Rafe asked if Adam was avoiding committing to a future with Heather and Heather said that he was, blaming the fact that he didn't want to let her down, as he felt he'd let everyone else down by not living up to what was expected of Victor Newman's son.
Rafe, who of course has a completely different take on the situation they were discussing, said that Adam needs to make peace with himself, to just be who he is and let that be enough.
Adam walked in around that time and looked like his heart skipped a beat when he realized that his two most recent sexual partners were having a cozy chat in his bedroom. Poor Rafe tried to make a quick exit after he had to watch Adam kiss Heather hello, but Adam asked her to excuse the two of them for a minute so that he could pass on some information to Rafe from Noah.
As soon as they were alone, Adam asked if Rafe had told Heather about them (as if Heather wouldn't have mentioned that herself if she knew!) and Rafe quickly assured Adam that he wasn't going to out him, but that he had more self respect than to continue on in a relationship where he had to lie.
Adam apologized and said the he just didn't know how to break the news to Heather, who has really been there for him. Rafe was sympathetic and noted that Adam was under a lot of pressure as he tried to rebuild his life and redefine his identity. But the longer he waited to tell Heather, the harder it would get.
Adam used the old "Nobody gets me like you do" line while caressing Rafe's face and asked him to be patient for a few more days. Rafe, once again looking lost in Adam's eyes, agreed and moved in for what clearly should have been a kiss but turned out to be an out of place hug instead. I'm very familiar with this move from the days of the Nuke kissing ban on As the World Turns, but it never get less irritating!
After leaving the Newman ranch, Rafe met up with his friend Colleen Carlton for a few drinks and the topic soon turned from her lack of a love life to his own. Rafe confessed that he'd broken the 'first rule of man dating': never fall for a guy who is still in the closet.
Rafe told Colleen that the guy he's seeing is going through a rough time in general, even aside from dealing with his sexuality, but that when he looks at Rafe with those puppy dog eyes, Rafe just forgets about all the alarm bells going off in his head.
Colleen asked if Mr. Puppy Dog Eyes had a name and Rafe told her that he had to respect the mystery man's confidence because he wasn't out yet. Colleen wondered if he'd ever be out and Rafe seemed less than certain of that himself.
I like that Rafe has a friend to confide in. I haven't seen him with Colleen since he first told her he was gay awhile back, but I'm all for him having a friend in his corner. Strong friendships have always been important on soaps.
I have to say, I like Yani Gellman as Rafe more and more each time I see him onscreen. He has played all of his romantic scenes with Adam exactly as he described to Colleen, conveying Rafe's reaction to Adam's puppy dog eyes without speaking a word, and taking the audience right along with him.
Michael Muhney is also great as Adam, of course, and I can't wait to see what happens next with this character. He seemed less freaked out after his last encounter with Rafe, and you have to wonder what exactly he's feeling towards his former lawyer, beyond just the need to keep him from digging for the truth.
Most of all, though, I want to see Rafe in a relationship that is real for both of the men involved. I'm really looking forward to that.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Y&R: Coming Out Party
The coming out process for Philip Chancellor III continued on today's The Young and the Restless. Last week, he came out to his 'widow' Nina and I was looking forward to seeing her reaction, beyond the initial moment of shock. Sadly, though, we picked up with the story after the fact and Nina already seems to be more or less okay with things. In today's episode, she stood by Philip like a supportive friend and I have to admit, I feel a bit cheated out of a good scene or two!
At any rate, on today's show Nina let slip to Philip's mother Jill and his... well, Katherine is his late father's widow and a sort of secondary mother figure to him, I guess you could say. Anyway, Nina let slip that there were circumstances that the two of them didn't know yet about him faking his death, but wouldn't elaborate further, saying it was Philip's story to tell.
Katherine, who'd had a mini stroke when Philip showed up alive after twenty years, was being released from the hospital, so Nina headed to the Chancellor mansion ahead of her and Jill and told Philip that he had to tell them the truth.
Philip didn't think the truth would help all that much and sarcastically asked Nina if knowing had brought her any peace. Nina said it had helped her to understand that things were more complicated than she'd thought.
Jill and Katherine returned at that point and Nina left Philip no choice in the matter when she asked them if they'd like to sit down and hear the full story of why Philip spiraled out of control twenty years ago.
Jill asked her son to please explain whatever it was that would help them accept what he'd done and Philip wondered if they could possibly imagine anything that would really make it okay. Jill said she just wanted to hear what he had to say and Philip wryly told her that she wouldn't want to hear this.
At any rate, on today's show Nina let slip to Philip's mother Jill and his... well, Katherine is his late father's widow and a sort of secondary mother figure to him, I guess you could say. Anyway, Nina let slip that there were circumstances that the two of them didn't know yet about him faking his death, but wouldn't elaborate further, saying it was Philip's story to tell.
Katherine, who'd had a mini stroke when Philip showed up alive after twenty years, was being released from the hospital, so Nina headed to the Chancellor mansion ahead of her and Jill and told Philip that he had to tell them the truth.
Philip didn't think the truth would help all that much and sarcastically asked Nina if knowing had brought her any peace. Nina said it had helped her to understand that things were more complicated than she'd thought.
Jill and Katherine returned at that point and Nina left Philip no choice in the matter when she asked them if they'd like to sit down and hear the full story of why Philip spiraled out of control twenty years ago.
Jill asked her son to please explain whatever it was that would help them accept what he'd done and Philip wondered if they could possibly imagine anything that would really make it okay. Jill said she just wanted to hear what he had to say and Philip wryly told her that she wouldn't want to hear this.
Nina: Philip, will you just stop this? All right, it's no big deal. Just tell them. You owe them that much.
Katherine: Nina, it's more of the same. Now, he went away and left us to believe that he was dead. And now he's taunting us with some sort of secret. You know, I've had enough of your games young man-
Philip: I was never gonna be the man that you wanted me to be! I would never make you happy. I wasn't going to be the son or the heir that you wanted because Philip Chancellor III couldn't possibly be gay!
Katherine looked shocked, but it was the look on Jill's face that was truly priceless, as was the inflection she used when she responded with the single word "Gay?"
Philip explained that his sexuality was a big part of the reason that he'd left and then sarcastically asked if he was magically forgiven now that they knew he was gay.
Katherine pointed out that he'd had a child with Nina and Philip explained that they'd had sex on a night in which he was drunk enough to believe that he could be who he was expected to be. Katherine realized that his drinking had been to cover up all his deceit and Jill quickly corrected her, saying it was confusion, not deceit.
Katherine: Nina, it's more of the same. Now, he went away and left us to believe that he was dead. And now he's taunting us with some sort of secret. You know, I've had enough of your games young man-
Philip: I was never gonna be the man that you wanted me to be! I would never make you happy. I wasn't going to be the son or the heir that you wanted because Philip Chancellor III couldn't possibly be gay!
Katherine looked shocked, but it was the look on Jill's face that was truly priceless, as was the inflection she used when she responded with the single word "Gay?"
Philip explained that his sexuality was a big part of the reason that he'd left and then sarcastically asked if he was magically forgiven now that they knew he was gay.
Jill: I just don't understand how this could be. I mean, how could you have hidden this from us? Why would you want to?
Philip: It was the late 80's and I was young. I was trapped in who I was supposed to be, who I was pretending to be...
Philip: It was the late 80's and I was young. I was trapped in who I was supposed to be, who I was pretending to be...
Katherine pointed out that he'd had a child with Nina and Philip explained that they'd had sex on a night in which he was drunk enough to believe that he could be who he was expected to be. Katherine realized that his drinking had been to cover up all his deceit and Jill quickly corrected her, saying it was confusion, not deceit.
Philip: I wasn't confused about being gay. I knew who I was. And I knew that I had to hide it, being a Chancellor.
Katherine: For Heaven's sake, we're not bumpkins Philip! I mean, you could have trusted us!
Philip: You want to believe that you would have been fine with it, I know you do. But you wouldn't have been. It was a different time. Genoa City is conservative. No, no, you would not have been okay with it. If I'd stayed here, it wouldn't have worked.
Katherine: For Heaven's sake, we're not bumpkins Philip! I mean, you could have trusted us!
Philip: You want to believe that you would have been fine with it, I know you do. But you wouldn't have been. It was a different time. Genoa City is conservative. No, no, you would not have been okay with it. If I'd stayed here, it wouldn't have worked.
At that point, Nina brought up Christine, the woman that Philip had supposedly been in love with when Nina trapped him into marriage. Philip explained that loving Christine had been his last attempt to prove that he could be who he was expected to be, but there had come a point when he couldn't ignore that he wanted to be with a man.
Jill: Honey, did you have... was there ever anyone in your life?
Philip: A lover? No. No one. Every day I ached with loneliness. I couldn't have survived it. As long as I stayed here, I had no life.
Katherine asked why Philip hadn't just moved away. Interestingly, that question was left unanswered as the topic shifted to why Philip had sent Cane in his place all these years later. Moving away, of course, is the option that many LGBT people in Philip's situation end up taking and I would have been interested to hear them explain why Philip didn't just do that himself. The real reason, of course, is that this is a soap and when he left twenty years ago, the character was meant to actually be dead! Still, I'd have liked to see what reason Philip had for not just heading to New York or San Francisco or, with his money, any city in the world!
Philip: A lover? No. No one. Every day I ached with loneliness. I couldn't have survived it. As long as I stayed here, I had no life.
Katherine asked why Philip hadn't just moved away. Interestingly, that question was left unanswered as the topic shifted to why Philip had sent Cane in his place all these years later. Moving away, of course, is the option that many LGBT people in Philip's situation end up taking and I would have been interested to hear them explain why Philip didn't just do that himself. The real reason, of course, is that this is a soap and when he left twenty years ago, the character was meant to actually be dead! Still, I'd have liked to see what reason Philip had for not just heading to New York or San Francisco or, with his money, any city in the world!
Jill: Katherine is right. You were punishing us, and not for anything we did. You just assumed we would reject you.
Philip: Some things never change! You know, I'm telling you how I felt and you're telling me that this is wrong. It's all about you!... I didn't leave because I wanted to leave, I left because I was forced to leave, because I couldn't be what you guys wanted. I knew that I didn't fit in here. I wasn't the son, I wasn't the father, I wasn't the husband that you guys wanted. I was just too unsure, I was no good to this family.
Katherine: You shut us out, not the other way around.
Jill: You didn't even give us a chance!
Katherine: Now come on, be honest. Why can't you be honest? If you'd have told us, you could have helped us learn to accept who you were. You could have! You took the coward's way out young man, that's what you did.
Jill: You didn't even give us a chance!
Katherine: Now come on, be honest. Why can't you be honest? If you'd have told us, you could have helped us learn to accept who you were. You could have! You took the coward's way out young man, that's what you did.
That really gets to the heart of the matter. So many young LGBT people face this decision (minus the faking of their deaths, of course!). What Philip has described is a situation that many closeted people over the years have faced and are still facing today. Being caught between the expectations of your family and community and wanting to be the person you really are, the one who is so different from what's expected.
Many LGBT people choose a Philip like option, of starting over somewhere else, somewhere more accepting. Others stay trapped in a life that isn't really what they want. More and more these days, though, the third option is coming out to your family and changing their expectations, as Katherine pointed out that Philip himself could have done.
That's far easier said than done in many cases, of course. I really hope this story is making some of the show's viewers think about their own expectations towards their children and how their assumptions may be causing them pain.
As far as Philip goes, it's hard to feel the sympathy for him that we're supposed to feel, mostly because what he did was so extreme, but also because he's not coming across as genuinely feeling all that sorry about it. True, his sarcasm about the truth making him magically forgiven shows us that he probably does know how wrong he was, but actions speak louder than words and nothing I'm seeing is making it seem like he's all that sorry. He's still blaming his family for forcing him to fake his death.
It would be a lot easier if we could get a better sense of just how tortured he was back then, and how haunted he's been ever since by what he did to his family. I'm hoping we're heading for a scene when Philip realizes that he should have at least given his family a chance. I wish he'd come back feeling that way, after twenty years to think it over, because right now he's coming across more like a selfish jerk than anything else.
Still, this is a very interesting story so far and there should be a lot of good stuff to come, what with Philip still having a son to come out to at some point.
Many LGBT people choose a Philip like option, of starting over somewhere else, somewhere more accepting. Others stay trapped in a life that isn't really what they want. More and more these days, though, the third option is coming out to your family and changing their expectations, as Katherine pointed out that Philip himself could have done.
That's far easier said than done in many cases, of course. I really hope this story is making some of the show's viewers think about their own expectations towards their children and how their assumptions may be causing them pain.
As far as Philip goes, it's hard to feel the sympathy for him that we're supposed to feel, mostly because what he did was so extreme, but also because he's not coming across as genuinely feeling all that sorry about it. True, his sarcasm about the truth making him magically forgiven shows us that he probably does know how wrong he was, but actions speak louder than words and nothing I'm seeing is making it seem like he's all that sorry. He's still blaming his family for forcing him to fake his death.
It would be a lot easier if we could get a better sense of just how tortured he was back then, and how haunted he's been ever since by what he did to his family. I'm hoping we're heading for a scene when Philip realizes that he should have at least given his family a chance. I wish he'd come back feeling that way, after twenty years to think it over, because right now he's coming across more like a selfish jerk than anything else.
Still, this is a very interesting story so far and there should be a lot of good stuff to come, what with Philip still having a son to come out to at some point.
Kish: Picture of the Past
Today's Kish scenes on One Life to Live picked up right where last Friday's left off, with Cristian pressing Kyle for information about Fish: how exactly was Fish using Layla? Kyle would only say that Fish wasn't the guy that he appeared to be and that he's not always honest. Cristian asked what exactly Fish lied about, does he have ten women on the side?
Kyle assured Cristian that he didn't have to worry about that and said that everything he knew about Fish was from when they were undergrads. Whatever Oliver was into now was his own business. Cristian asked Kyle what he'd tell Layla if she was a friend of his and Kyle admitted that he'd tell any woman he cared about not to get involved with Fish.
After Cristian left, Kyle took an old picture of himself and Fish together in their college days out of his wallet and stared at it in true lovesick fashion, which I found to be completely endearing.
That's how Roxy found him and, after she'd accused him of stealing some blood for Stacy and he'd told her he was innocent (which he is, for a change), she noted his morose demeanor and decided he was mooning over a girl. Until, that is, she snatched the picture and caught a glimpse of Fish. Not that she particularly cared, shouting after Kyle as he made for the door that whatever floated his boat was fine.
Meanwhile, Fish and Layla had returned from their date and thought they'd have the place to themselves since Cristian was supposed to close down Capricorn at 2 a.m. They started making out in the kitchen, but Fish pulled back and said that he couldn't go through with it. He hemmed and hawed a bit but ended up saying, more or less, that he cared too much for Layla to hook up with her on the first date.
Layla thought that was sweet, but told him it didn't matter and they resumed their foreplay. When Cristian returned home early, having gotten someone else to cover for him at Capricorn, he found the two of them getting hot and heavy on the couch. Honestly, no sex on the couch should be the first ground rule when sharing an apartment!
Anyway, Layla quickly headed for her room and Cristian wasted no time in telling Fish that he'd run into Kyle Lewis and that Kyle had told him that Oliver was using Layla, and that he wasn't the guy he seemed to be. Fish assured Cristian that Kyle hadn't been his friend since college and that he wasn't a trustworthy person, that he'd recently tried to blackmail Natalie Buchanan and her husband. As for him not being the guy he seemed, Fish lamely tried to play that off by saying that everyone in college had seen him as a computer geek who didn't know how to have a good time.
Maybe, Fish suggested, Kyle wanted Cristian to warn Layla away from Fish so that Kyle could try and get Layla himself. Cristian didn't seem to really buy that idea, but left it alone when Layla returned to the living room.
Once Cristian had gone to bed, Layla asked Fish if they should continue in her room or his, but Fish said that it was late and reminded her that she had to get up early for her first day at the station. Layla asked for a rain check and Fish agreed, offering a handshake in his own adorkable fashion, but Layla moved in for a kiss instead, just in time for Cristian to walk back in and catch them once again.
Another pretty good episode, all in all.
Seeing Fish scramble to explain Kyle's warnings was a bit unsettling, just because Fish has always been written as a pretty honest character. Then again, the person he's truly lying to the most is himself and living in the closet forces a person to be a liar, whether they are one by nature or not.
I think it's completely sweet that Kyle has been carrying around a picture of himself with Fish for all these years and it says a lot about him as a character. He's clearly been carrying a big torch for his former frat brother all this time and that just makes him all the more appealing to me.
I can't wait to see what happens next with these two!
Kyle assured Cristian that he didn't have to worry about that and said that everything he knew about Fish was from when they were undergrads. Whatever Oliver was into now was his own business. Cristian asked Kyle what he'd tell Layla if she was a friend of his and Kyle admitted that he'd tell any woman he cared about not to get involved with Fish.
After Cristian left, Kyle took an old picture of himself and Fish together in their college days out of his wallet and stared at it in true lovesick fashion, which I found to be completely endearing.
That's how Roxy found him and, after she'd accused him of stealing some blood for Stacy and he'd told her he was innocent (which he is, for a change), she noted his morose demeanor and decided he was mooning over a girl. Until, that is, she snatched the picture and caught a glimpse of Fish. Not that she particularly cared, shouting after Kyle as he made for the door that whatever floated his boat was fine.
Meanwhile, Fish and Layla had returned from their date and thought they'd have the place to themselves since Cristian was supposed to close down Capricorn at 2 a.m. They started making out in the kitchen, but Fish pulled back and said that he couldn't go through with it. He hemmed and hawed a bit but ended up saying, more or less, that he cared too much for Layla to hook up with her on the first date.
Layla thought that was sweet, but told him it didn't matter and they resumed their foreplay. When Cristian returned home early, having gotten someone else to cover for him at Capricorn, he found the two of them getting hot and heavy on the couch. Honestly, no sex on the couch should be the first ground rule when sharing an apartment!
Anyway, Layla quickly headed for her room and Cristian wasted no time in telling Fish that he'd run into Kyle Lewis and that Kyle had told him that Oliver was using Layla, and that he wasn't the guy he seemed to be. Fish assured Cristian that Kyle hadn't been his friend since college and that he wasn't a trustworthy person, that he'd recently tried to blackmail Natalie Buchanan and her husband. As for him not being the guy he seemed, Fish lamely tried to play that off by saying that everyone in college had seen him as a computer geek who didn't know how to have a good time.
Maybe, Fish suggested, Kyle wanted Cristian to warn Layla away from Fish so that Kyle could try and get Layla himself. Cristian didn't seem to really buy that idea, but left it alone when Layla returned to the living room.
Once Cristian had gone to bed, Layla asked Fish if they should continue in her room or his, but Fish said that it was late and reminded her that she had to get up early for her first day at the station. Layla asked for a rain check and Fish agreed, offering a handshake in his own adorkable fashion, but Layla moved in for a kiss instead, just in time for Cristian to walk back in and catch them once again.
Another pretty good episode, all in all.
Seeing Fish scramble to explain Kyle's warnings was a bit unsettling, just because Fish has always been written as a pretty honest character. Then again, the person he's truly lying to the most is himself and living in the closet forces a person to be a liar, whether they are one by nature or not.
I think it's completely sweet that Kyle has been carrying around a picture of himself with Fish for all these years and it says a lot about him as a character. He's clearly been carrying a big torch for his former frat brother all this time and that just makes him all the more appealing to me.
I can't wait to see what happens next with these two!
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