LuRe/Nuke: The End (In So Many Ways)

Almost two months have passed since the venerable soap opera As the World Turns aired its final episode, bringing to a close over 54 years of television history. That history included the groundbreaking character of Luke Snyder, whose story I have covered here in detail over the past several years.

The last time I wrote about Luke's story was back in May. After that point, I became too busy in my personal life to keep up with the show. I did save all of the Luke related episodes on my Tivo, though, and last month when I'd taken a week off of work I managed to catch up with the final four months of the LuRe/Nuke storyline.

It's rather sad that I stuck with the show through some really terrible stories (The Z Twins? Ameera? I could go on for a few paragraphs, but let's leave it at that) and then, just when I was delighted with the electric chemistry between Van Hansis and Eric Sheffer Stevens as Luke and Reid, I had to step away.

I've been wondering since I finished watching the show just how much I should write about the way it ended. Too much time had passed for me to try and do any sort of thorough recap of the story. In the end, I decided to just do a brief summary of the action and then talk about what, exactly, this story meant and the impact it had.

There was much talk among fans about how the show would end: would Luke end up with Noah or with Reid? Both couples had their die hard fans who believed that the wrong choice would be a betrayal of their favored pair. I myself was firmly in the LuRe camp.

In the end, the show opted for door number three in an attempt to try and satisfy everyone involved.

Luke chose Reid over Noah, who decided to leave for school in Los Angeles. Luke and Reid were briefly happy, though they never actually got to make love. Luke wanted to hold off, since he'd only ever been with Noah, and Reid agreed to wait until Luke was ready.

This being a soap opera, things didn't go as planned. Reid's rival at the hospital, Chris Hughes, needed a new heart quickly, or he was going to die. Reid learned of a heart that was a match in nearby Bay City and rushed off to bypass the bureaucratic red tape and get the heart. His car stalled on a train track on his way there and he was hit before he could escape.

He lived long enough to be taken back to the hospital in Oakdale and say good bye to Luke, to whom he gave his power of attorney and instructions to make sure that Chris Hughes got Reid's heart if it was a match (which, of course, it was).

It goes without saying that Van Hansis was heartbreaking in these scenes. Watching Luke grieve Reid was incredibly hard.

So, the show gave the LuRe fans what it wanted, sort of: Luke and Reid remained in love and would have lived happily ever after except that Reid died a noble, heroic death.

They also gave the Nuke fans what they wanted, sort of: Noah and Luke didn't end up together, but the possibility of Luke eventually joining Noah in L.A. after he'd grieved Reid was very much hinted at.

Instead of making both sides happy, I suspect that it actually left everyone unsatisfied. Still, I greatly appreciated that the very last scene we ever had of Luke Snyder was of him placing his head on Chris Hughes' chest to listen to Reid's heart beating.

I bemoaned the awful writing on this show many times but in the end there is no denying that Luke's story broke a lot of ground. Like many pioneering stories, it won't be as good as what comes after it, the stories (like the much superior Kish storyline on One Life to Live) that don't have to break down the same taboos themselves.

Those stories, though, would never be able to exist if Luke's story hadn't lead the way. Let's recap here:

Luke was the first out gay male character from a core family on a daytime soap. This means that the character wasn't a disposable one, easy to remove when his purpose had been served.

Luke was the first gay male character who remained a leading character on a daytime soap once his coming out storyline was finished.

Luke and Noah shared the first romantic kiss between two male characters on a daytime soap. In fact, they shared the first several.

Luke and Noah were the first two male characters to make love on a daytime soap, though of course we didn't get a scene of them in bed together before or after (that ground was broken by Kish).

Luke, Noah, and Reid were the first true all male love triangle on a daytime soap (one in which both sides of the triangle had fans rooting for them).

Luke and Noah were, in fact, the first gay supercouple on daytime TV.

In the end, these milestones will be what truly matters, not the awful plot twists that cluttered things up along the way.

None of this would have happened, of course, without Van Hansis. His talent was what made people care about Luke. Van quickly developed a legion of fans that championed Luke and then the Nuke pairing, bringing the show the sort of attention in hadn't had in years.

If the writing had been up to the level of Van's talent, this attention could have been parlayed into ratings and the show might still be going strong today.

With the end of As the World Turns, there are no longer any out gay characters on daytime television. A truly sad state of affairs given that just a year ago we had Luke & Noah, Oliver & Kyle, Nick, Mason, Philip, and Rafe spread out over three different soap operas.

With all the talk of ground being broken, it's a bitter irony that we're suddenly back to where we were before Luke ever came out of the closet.

LuRe Day: Don't Ask, Don't Tell

Today's As the World Turns was a LuRe day, though not an overly eventful one. It began with Luke arriving to visit Noah at the hospital with some lunch and his ipod. Luke asked Noah if there had been any changes with his eyesight, and Noah said that he could still see light and dark, and colors, but that shapes were still mostly blurry.

To give an example, Noah explained that he'd heard Luke and Dr. Oliver arguing in in the hall the other day and had tried to focus on them but that they'd been too blurry. What, Noah wondered, had they been arguing about?

Luke claimed that he couldn't remember, exactly, but said that they'd probably been arguing about Noah since they did that a lot. Noah took Luke's hand and told him that if Luke wanted to worry about him, that was okay with him. Luke was surprised by this, since that had been the last thing Noah wanted before the surgery. Noah explained that he'd realized that this was just who Luke was and part of why he loved him so much.

Luke told Noah that he loved him, too, and Noah asked him to try and stay away from Reid since, as difficult as he could be, he was the reason that Noah was going to be able to see again. Luke agreed to try and at that moment Reid came in the room to examine Noah.

Luke pulled his hand away from Noah's and stood up pretty quickly, but the clasped hands hadn't been missed by Dr. Oliver. Reid gave Noah's eyes a cursory look before saying that he'd come back later to do a more thorough exam. There was definitely an intense vibe between Luke and Reid which Noah picked up on but completely misread. He asked Luke to go after Dr. Oliver and apologize to him for their argument, for Noah's sake.

The contrast between Nuke and LuRe is pretty telling when they all share a scene together like this. Luke and Noah have a very warm vibe between them, they clearly care for each other, but you'd have to be as blind as Noah was not to notice the off the charts chemistry between Luke and Reid the minute they're in the same room together. You can almost literally feel them wanting to be together the second they're in each other's presence.

Luke wasted no time in following Reid out of the room and telling him that he couldn't do this anymore, that he hated lying to Noah. Reid suggested he not lie to him, then, but Luke said that he already had and explained that Noah had seen them in the hallway the other day.

Luke: If his vision had been any clearer, he would have seen that we're-

Reid: That we're really hot for each other?

Luke: That's not funny.

Reid: You'll know when I'm trying to be funny.

Luke said that he had to tell Noah about the two of them, but Reid wondered what, exactly, Luke was going to tell him? Luke himself wasn't even sure, but said that he and Noah didn't keep secrets from each other.

Reid suggested that Luke think about someone other than himself and sarcastically pointed out that telling Noah that they'd kissed a couple of times and almost had sex the very day of Noah's surgery was really going to make him feel better. That way, Noah could push both Luke and the doctor helping him get his sight back away, but then what did Noah's vision matter compared to Luke's 'confused little feelings'?

Reid is clearly quite frustrated with the fact that Luke is sitting on the fence about all of this. Then again, when does Reid need a reason to be sarcastic and snarky?

Luke said that he had to be honest with Noah, and Reid demanded to know what it was about illness that made people feel like it was the time when they had to confess their secrets to that person? What Luke needed to do was to be there for Noah and help him deal, Reid said, even if that meant lying his butt off.

Noah, meanwhile, was having a chat with Ali about his relationship with Luke and acknowledging that it was all his fault for pushing Luke away. While Luke may understand why he did it, that's not the same as forgiving him for it, Noah explained. Ali made a comparison to her failed relationship with Casey and said that they were trying to be friends again now, which left Noah declaring that he didn't want to be 'just friends' with Luke.

Later, Reid returned to finish his exam of Noah and when he was done Luke came in and asked if Noah was well enough to go outside. Reid said he didn't think so, but Luke promised that it would be just for a few minutes and that he wouldn't leave Noah's side.

Reid returned home to brood over the situation, looking incredibly sexy while doing so, and Katy tried to take his mind off things by asking him to come with her to the park to get some fresh air. Reid refused, saying that he wasn't fond of air, and Katy left him alone with his thoughts.

Meanwhile, at the park, Noah was raving about being able to see colors again and finally having something positive in his life. Luke was distracted by his own thoughts, and Noah noted that this was a perfect time for him and Luke to really talk to each other. Noah told Luke that he could tell him anything and Luke looked incredibly torn.

As I said, there wasn't a great deal going on in the story today. Luke is still not fully facing up to the way his feelings have changed and what that means for him and Noah, while Reid has fallen pretty hard for Luke but is growing frustrated over the mixed messages he's getting from him.

I really like that they're taking some time to show what each of these three characters are feeling. I just hope that they don't drag this whole "We can't tell Noah until his eyes are better" angle out too long.

LuRe: Five in One

For the past two weeks, fate seemed to be conspiring to keep me from getting my LuRe fix, but I've finally managed to catch up with five episodes worth of Luke & Reid scenes on As the World Turns.

The first episode found the big day finally arriving- it was time for Noah's surgery. Luke showed up at the hospital for moral support and brought along Noah's video camera to document the momentous occasion. The two guys had a kind of sweet moment together on Noah's hospital bed before Reid walked in.When the nurse and Reid were taking Noah off for the operation, Luke asked Reid to take care of his ex and Dr. Oliver, clearly nonplussed by the closeness between Luke & Noah, snapped that this was what Luke had dragged him here for, wasn't it?

Luke & Katie chatted in the waiting room and Katie said that she thought that Reid liked living in Oakdale- and liked Luke- more than he'd let on. Luke mentioned Reid being rude to him again earlier and said that he thought the doctor had just been grateful for his help but that it had passed. Katie pointed out the obvious connection between Reid's rudeness and him having just seen Luke with Noah and said that she thought her roommate had become a bit more human lately and they both knew why that was.

Luke claimed to believe that living with Katie and baby Jacob had been what humanized Reid, and also suggested that working with Bob Hughes had probably helped, too. Katie thought that it would take more than friends and a cute baby to change someone like Reid, but Luke asked her to stop with the matchmaking while Noah was in surgery, saying that even though they weren't together he still loved Noah and wanted him to get his sight back.

In the operating room, Noah's blood pressure was high, but Reid got him to relax by telling him to think of all the things he'd see when he woke up. Noah noted that he'd finally get to see what Reid looked like and Reid joked about having a comb over, buck teeth and a potbelly.

Once Noah was under, he started dreaming about directing a film starring Luke and was zooming in for a close up on Luke's smiling face while he started to flat line.

Reid sought Luke out in the waiting room and broke the news that there had been some damage that hadn't shown up on the CAT scans or MRI, and that there had been complications. Luke asked if Noah was going to be all right, and Reid told him that there could be some brain damage and that they wouldn't know the extent of it until Noah woke up. Luke didn't take the news very well, and when Reid started talking about there always having been risks involved with the operation, Luke went off on him about his earlier arrogance about being the only one who could perform the surgery.

Reid countered that both Noah and 'Mr. Snyder' had been fully aware of the risks and Luke did not react well to Reid reverting to the old form of address between them.

Luke: Mr. Snyder. Really? After all of this, I want you to talk to me like a human being and I want you to talk to me like someone who gives a crap about what happens to Noah you selfish son of a bitch! What have you done?

Seeing such a passionate outburst from Luke was strangely hot, but it was tempered by seeing Reid's reaction. Eric Sheffer Stevens did a great job of using body language to convey the fact that Reid was very upset by what had happened and was falling back on his arrogance to cover it up. Reid was throwing the wall back up between him and Luke because he felt like he'd let Luke and Noah down.

Bob Hughes found Reid going over Noah's MRI results again, wondering how he'd missed something so important. Bob told Reid that he'd taken his responsibility to Noah seriously and that what had happened wasn't his fault. Reid continued to obsess over Noah's case, so Bob ordered him to leave the hospital and get some rest since Noah wouldn't be conscious for awhile.

Luke, meanwhile, sent Holden and Lily home, promising that he'd call them as soon as he knew anything. He then went to see Bob Hughes, who suggested he go home and get some rest and mentioned that he'd ordered Reid to do the same.

Bob reminded Luke that the surgery was what both he and Noah had wanted and that he shouldn't question that decision now. Luke rather bitterly noted that he'd trusted Dr. Oliver and his judgement and then stormed out of Bob's office and headed straight for Reid's place, where the good doctor answered the door shirtless (pics borrowed from Superherofan).
Luke demanded to know how Reid could have left Noah, asking if he even cared if his patient died. Reid told Luke that he'd been ordered out by his Chief of Staff and Luke wanted to know when Reid had started obeying anyone else's orders.

After all, he was the Great Doctor Oliver, and he never failed, unless he wanted to.

Reid: Excuse me?

Luke: Just tell me the truth. Did you do this to Noah on purpose?

The look of hurt on Reid's face was pretty intense. I thought Eric Sheffer Stevens really did a great job here.

Reid: Did I.. you're asking if..

Luke: Just answer the question!

Reid: Answer what? You want to know if I deliberately tried to harm your boyfriend while I was operating on him?

Luke: That's just it. Even though Noah and I are broken up and have been for awhile, you can't stand the fact that I still have feelings for him. You were so angry wen you saw him with his arm around me before the surgery.

Reid: What are you talking about?

Luke: You can't stand the fact that I haven't fallen at your feet. You don't understand it because you get whatever you want, whenever you want, and the fact that you haven't gotten me is driving you insane!

Reid: The only person insane in this room is you.

Luke tearfully accused Reid of having feelings for him that he'd let affect the outcome of the surgery.

Reid: After all the time that you've spent with me, the care that I've given to the man that you told me you loved, whether you're with him or not, you really think I have an investment in seeing him harmed? Or dead? That's who you think I am?

Luke (quietly, almost brokenly): I have no idea what I think about you. I have no idea who you are.

Reid: Yes you do. You can't look at me and tell me that you don't know who I am.

Luke: How did this happen?

Reid: I wish... I don't know.

Luke: You told me that you'd fix him. You promised. Noah couldn't handle being blind, so I gave him the one chance in the world he thought he had by bringing you here. And now this. If he's never the same again, if he doesn't make it through this, then I just...

Reid: You what?

Luke: I can't...

Reid: You can't what? You can't what, Luke?

(Luke kisses Reid)

What amazing scenes. Seeing Van Hansis take Luke from lashing out in anger to being on the brink of breaking down in tears and guilt for his part in Noah having the surgery, to finally facing up to his feelings for Reid, reminded me all over again of what an incredible actor he is. I think that working with Eric Sheffer Stevens just pushes him to be even greater. These are two truly talented guys, and these scenes would win them both Emmys if there was any justice in the world.

When the scenes picked up where they'd left off the next day, Reid began unbuttoning Luke's shirt while they kissed. Luke pulled back, wondering what the hell they were doing and reminding Reid that Noah was in a hospital bed. Luke though that they shouldn't have done any of this.

Reid: So, what, you kissed me out of anger? Out of fear?

Luke: Look, I don't know. Both, yeah.

Reid: I don't buy that and neither do you.

Luke: I've got to go.

Reid: Go ahead, run away.

Luke: I'm not running away!

Reid: You can't get out of the room fast enough.

Luke: Well I never should have come here! I never should have left Noah!

Reid: You can blame what just happened on your fear about Noah if that's what makes you feel better.

Luke: This is not about me feeling better.

Reid: Okay, then let's be honest.

Luke: How am I not honest?

Reid: Something has been brewing between us for a long time, and deep down you wanted it to happen just as much as I did.

Reid asked Luke to at least admit that this was true, but Luke said even if it was, Noah had to be a priority now for both of them. Reid pointed out that they'd been about to have sex, not move out of the state. If there was a change in Noah's condition, they'd both be there.

Luke said they couldn't be there for Noah if something happened that they couldn't take back. Reid reminded Luke that Noah had pushed him away and been unwilling to give him what he needed. He told Luke not to beat himself up for wanting to move on, but Luke replied that he couldn't do this and walked out the door.

Later, at the hospital, Luke sat with Noah and told him that he just wanted him to wake up so that he could do everything he wanted to do with his life. Reid came in to examine Noah and Luke tried to talk to him about what had happened between them earlier. Reid said they didn't have to talk about it, but Luke had to apologize for what he'd said about Reid wanting to hurt Noah.

Luke: I know that you'd never do anything to hurt Noah, no matter what your feelings were.

Reid: You're not all that, Mr. Snyder.

Luke: No, I guess I'm not. He was the first person I was ever in love with.

Reid: One's not such a low number.

Luke: I never thought I'd be with anyone except him.

Reid: That explains a lot.

Luke: So, yeah, about earlier-

Reid: You don't have to say anything about it. I get it Luke.

Reid told Luke that Noah's vitals were strong, but that they still wouldn't know anything for sure until he woke up. Luke asked if he should stay with Noah and Reid said that since there was a lot they still didn't know about states of unconsciousness, that sitting with Noah and letting him know he was there could help.

I really liked this scene because of the way it highlighted that Luke & Reid are relating to each other on a more mature level, and also the way that Luke spoke about Noah being his first love and never thinking that he'd be with anyone else demonstrated that he has started thinking that way now.

A day or two later, Reid woke Luke up in the hospital waiting room and told him that Noah was showing some signs of coming around and that they were going to run some tests. Luke started freaking out a bit about what they were going to do if Noah did have brain damage and Reid touched the side of his face, telling him to calm down.

Lily walked up in time to see the close moment between the two men and after Reid left she asked her son if there was something going on between the two of them. Luke admitted that Reid had told him he had feelings for him, and Lily was outraged that Noah's doctor would take advantage of Luke while he was worried about his ex.

Luke told his mother than Reid wasn't taking advantage of him and that he'd been completely honest with him the entire time.

Lily: So you're encouraging him? What about Noah?

Luke: Mom, we broke up. You know that. He said he needed his space, he couldn't have that with me there, so we ended things.

Lily: You said that Dr. Oliver has feelings for you. What about you? Do you have feelings for him?

Luke: Yeah, but I'm not really sure what they are right now. Reid's sure, though. (Lily makes a face) What?

Lily: I just can't imagine you with anyone other than Noah.

Luke: Yeah, I used to think that, too.

Lily: He doesn't seem like a very nice man.

Luke (an adorable grin spreading across his face): Dr. Oliver? He's not. He's rude and he's cold, and he's rude.

Lily: And you find that attractive?

Luke: No, it's just, he's in your face. He's like, 'Okay, here I am, and this is what I'm feeling, deal with that', and to have a guy like that, a guy who says exactly what he feels at all times, to have somebody like that say that the likes you, feels nice for a change.

Lily looked like someone had run over her puppy, indicating that she's clearly in the Nuke camp and not feeling the LuRe.

Luke asked why she was so sad and Lily told him that she wanted things to work out for him and Noah, and then the whole conversation became about how Lily and Holden were supposed to last forever, too, and didn't.

Lily asked if Luke wanted forever with Reid and he side stepped the question by saying he wanted Noah to wake up.

Luke went back in to sit with Noah, who of course has come out of brain surgery with a full head of hair like all people do in the real world. Noah promptly opened his eyes and Luke asked if he could see him.

Noah slowly focused in on his ex and then told Luke that he could see his eyes and that they were the most amazing thing he'd ever seen in his life.

Reid came along shortly afterward and asked Luke to step out so that he could examine his patient. Noah's vision was still blurry, but Reid assured him that it would improve with time. I have to say, Jake Silbermann was looking particularly hot in this scene, laying in bed with a tight gray t-shirt on. I think he's been working out even more than usual.

Noah went on about how Luke had made all of this happen by bringing Reid to Oakdale and how he'd been pushing Luke away and needed to make it up to him. Reid left the room, telling Luke that Noah was all his.

Noah asked Luke to sneak him outside so that he could see the world, so Luke took him up to the roof. Don't worry, folks, as long as you come out of brain surgery with a full head of hair, it's totally okay to be mobile within a few days!

Noah apologized to Luke for how hard he'd been on him and said that a lot of people talk about love, but Luke really does it, and Noah was grateful for that.

Luke told Noah not to apologize for not wanting to be with him anymore, that it happens sometimes. Noah said that it hadn't had anything to do with Luke, that he'd just been so afraid that he'd never see again. Luke looked decidedly less than enthusiastic to hear this, especially after Noah said that he knew they had a lot to work through but that he hoped that their relationship was strong enough to survive.

I'm sorry, I suppose I should feel some sympathy for Noah, but he's so selfish! He pushes Luke away for months, and suddenly he's got his vision back and just expects that they can still be together after all he put Luke through! Yes, Luke got a token apology, but come on!

Luke tried to avoid the issue by telling Noah to focus on his health, not on their relationship.

Noah: Okay, I know I may not be able to see the expression on your face, but I can feel it, somethings changed. What is it?

Luke tried to talk about everything had changed since Noah could see again, but Noah shut that down, saying that he could tell that something had changed with Luke, that he was being different with Noah.

Noah: So I'm asking, has the way you feel about me changed?

Luke: Yeah. It has.

Noah: Wow. I know I asked, I just never expected you to say yes.

Luke reminded Noah of how he hadn't cared that Noah wasn't able to see, that he'd just wanted to be with him, but Noah hadn't felt the same way.

Luke: Noah, I was in this one hundred percent. And I asked you, remember, all or nothing? And you chose nothing.

Noah: I know what I said then, but-

Luke: You told me to go on with my life and now you're acting like that never happened. What happens if you change your mind tomorrow?

Noah: I didn't push you away because I stopped loving you, because I haven't, I couldn't!

Luke: Who cares? When things got rough, you were you. You weren't us. And I know you were hurting, Noah, I was hurting too. But the difference is that I didn't abandon you.

Yes! I'm so glad that Luke is finally calling Noah on all of this. I was worried that as soon as Noah had his sight back and expected Luke to fall into his arms again, Luke would act as if all the hurtful things Noah said and did weren't important, would just give him a free pass. I'm so glad that isn't happening and that Luke is finally growing up.

Noah told Luke that when he couldn't see, he'd felt cut off from the world, but now that he had his sight back, he felt connected to Luke again. Luke explained that while Noah had felt like he was somewhere else, Luke had been right there the whole time, begging him not to leave.

Luke: Noah, we haven't been happy for a long time. I can't go back to the way it was before the accident.

Noah: I don't expect you to. I mean, I can't either. But I still want to be with you. We can find a new way to be together if you want to.

Luke: A few months ago, I think I would have known what that meant. Now I'm not so sure.

Before they could talk any further, Reid stormed onto the roof, a little ticked off that his patient was out of bed and up on the roof. Reid called Luke an idiot and said that while Noah had a reason for not thinking clearly, Luke had no excuse.

Reid examined Noah and went on again about Luke's stupidity. Noah remarked that he'd thought Reid and Luke were getting along better since their trip to Texas and then Luke walked in just in time to hear Reid telling Noah that he'd wanted something from Luke and now that he'd got it, he didn't have to fake being nice any more.

Luke demanded to know if that's all it was, if Reid had been using him, and Reid sarcastically said that he was sorry he couldn't be Luke's new best friend, but that at least he had Noah. After Reid left, Noah remarked that Reid was a great doctor but a lousy person, and then noticed how upset Luke seemed. Before he could put two and two together, though, Casey and Allison arrived for a visit.

Luke took the opportunity to give Noah a copy of his film and asked him to be kind if he didn't like his final edit. Noah took Luke's hand and promised to be as kind to him as Luke had been to Noah. Reid, watching through the window, saw the gesture, and came in demanding to know what part of 'the patient needs rest' they didn't understand.

Casey and Allison made a hasty exit and Luke offered to go so Noah could get some rest, but Noah wanted him to stay. Luke set him up with a portable DVD player so he could watch his film and then went out in the hall, where he asked Reid why he was treating him this way.

Reid: I'm sorry you don't like the way I'm treating you.

Luke: Look, it's just that I thought-

Reid: I'm being a responsible neurosurgeon, protecting my patient from his own reckless behavior. What are you doing?

Luke: What do you mean? I'm trying to support Noah, that's what he needs. I'm trying to be there for him.

Reid: No you're not. You're trying to make up for the fact that you kissed me.

Luke: We kissed each other.

Reid: But I don't feel guilty about it. You do. That's why you're pretending that you and Noah are star crossed lovers all over again.

Luke: I never said that.

Reid: You didn't have to. You're playing the devoted boyfriend to the hilt, it's sickening.

Luke: Are you jealous?

Reid: I don't have time to be jealous, okay? But just so we're clear, you're not helping your boyfriend.

Luke: Look, he's not my boyfriend! He's just-

Reid: He's what?

Luke: He's feeling better. Isn't that all that matters?

Reid told Luke that Noah still had months of recovery ahead of him and that turning his room into party central wasn't going to help.

Luke apologized for jeapordizing Noah's recovery, but told Reid that he was wrong if he thought Luke was spending time with Noah out of guilt.

Reid: But now that Noah's whole you want to pretend that none of it happened, right, forget that the whole thing went down?

Luke: I haven't forgotten.

Reid: Good to know.

Luke: Look, this isn't about medicine. You can't stand seeing me and Noah together, and you don't want to admit it.

Reid: I have an idea, Mr. Snyder. I think it would be best for everyone involved if you and I went back to the way things were before Texas.

Luke: What do you mean?

Reid: You need me to draw you a picture? Leave me and my patient alone.

Luke: I'm all Noah's got!

Reid: No, I am! I've been doing everything I can to give Noah his life back, which means that right now Noah needs me more than he needs you. I don't want you hanging around here anymore, I want you to stay out of my way.

Luke (getting in Reid's face): You're lying. This is not about medicine. It's personal.

Reid: No, it's not. Noah is my patient, you're his cheating boyfriend.

Luke: We are not back together! You know that.

Reid: Does Noah realize that?

Luke: Well, we're trying to work things out.

Reid: Good luck with that, Mr. Snyder. (starts to leave)

Luke (stopping him): No, don't call me that.

Reid: What do you want from me? Tell me. You want me to pretend that nothing happened between us? That's not the way I work. We both know it's not true (touches Luke's face).

At that point, Noah walked by, looking for Luke. It appeared that he was able to see a blurry image of Reid and Luke in that intimate position, but who knows for sure?

These were some truly great episodes for LuRe fans. I loved that they're making it quite clear that while Luke still loves Noah, he doesn't know if he really wants to be with him after everything that happened, and that he isn't at all willing to dismiss what he feels for Reid.

I've complained about this storyline quite a bit, and with very good reason, but they're finally doing something very right! The Reid/Luke/Noah love triangle makes for some pretty damn good soap opera. I can't wait to see what happens next, as long as it involves Luke and Reid living happily ever after and having at least one very hot onscreen love scene before the show ends!

LuRe Day: H-O-T

Last Wednesday was a LuRe day on As the World Turns, one in which Luke & Reid managed to turn the sexual tension between them up a notch or two, something I wouldn't even have said was possible given how high it already was!

Things started with Luke and Reid arriving at the good doctor's place just after they'd returned from Texas. Reid found a note from his roommate, Katie, saying that she was spending the evening with Nancy Hughes, and Luke said that since he'd just come over to say hi to Katie (yeah, right!), he'd better go.

Reid asked if Luke had another gala awards banquet to get to for his foundation and when Luke said that he didn't, Reid asked him to stick around so that he could buy him some pizza and a beer as a thank you for all his help.

Luke said that he didn't drink, so Reid offered to sweeten the whole pizza deal with 'watching the game' instead. Luke turned him down, saying that Reid didn't owe him anything.

Reid: And if you leave now, we can go back to being Dr. Oliver and Mr. Snyder and we don't have to talk about that kiss, is that the idea?

Luke: Well, there's nothing to talk about. A kiss is just a kiss.

Reid: Don't worry, Luke. It won't happen again. Unless you want it to.

Luke responded by taking off his coat and agreeing that pizza sounded good. He also totally checked out Reid's ass as he headed for the kitchen, another of those little moments that Van Hansis always adds that lend such a sense of authenticity to Luke.

While waiting for the pizza to arrive, Luke and Reid stationed themselves as far apart on the sofa as it was possible to be and discovered that the cable was out. I loved how adorably nervous and yet flirtatious Luke was during this scene, at least until the subject of Noah came up.

Luke teased Reid about how not being able to watch the game meant he'd have to make small talk and be civil until the pizza arrived. When Reid pointed out that he hadn't insulted Luke in over forty eight hours, Luke wondered what had happened to bring about that change.

Reid explained in an off handed manner that Luke got enough of that sort of thing from Noah. Luke protested that he and Noah were okay, but Reid said that Noah was still punishing Luke for the accident and should learn some gratitude.

Luke said that the accident was his fault, that he was distracting Noah while he was working on the fireworks. Reid pointed out all that Luke had done for Noah since and said that it was rude of Noah to keep dumping on Luke after all of that.

Reid went on to tell Luke that accidents happen and that they're not always someones fault.

Reid: It's not okay for Noah to beat up on you, calling the shots while you put your life on hold, waiting for him to come around. Aren't you sick of that yet? You sure as hell should be.

Luke seemed lost in thought at this point, but I for one was cheering. Finally! It needed to be said, and I love Reid more and more with each episode he appears in. It's partly the writing, of course, but Eric Sheffer Stevens just brings this character to life so perfectly.

Luke stood up and put on his coat, saying that he didn't want to discuss his relationship with Noah. What followed may not sound like much, dialogue wise, but it was the sexiest scene I've seen on this show in a very, very long time. Their body language, tone of voice, and the almost palpable sexual tension between these two was downright HOT.

They also got closer and closer to each other as they talked, with Van doing that thing where he looks from his partner's lips to his eyes and then back at his lips, which just drives me crazy. Something so simple, yet so sexy!

Reid: Okay, fine, we don't have to talk about it. We can talk about something else. Your foundation. How the Cubs suck almost as much as the Astros. Our kiss.

(Luke makes an amused sound)

Reid: What?

Luke: Now I'm the one that doesn't want to talk.

Reid: That's because you liked it.

Luke: There could be a lot of reasons for that. Like, it's been a long time.

Reid: And?

Luke: And, um, being wanted by someone like you, it's a compliment.

Reid: Yes, it is. And?

At that point, it appeared that Luke was moving in for another kiss, but of course the doorbell had to ring. It was such an intense moment that the ringing of the bell had me practically howling with frustration and disappointment!

While Reid was paying for the pizza, Luke answered his cell phone for him. Now, I don't hate Noah, but I don't think I've ever wanted to see him less than I did in this particular episode! I was so caught up in the Luke and Reid story that Noah's appearance, on the other end of the phone, felt like it sucked all the energy right out of the story.

At any rate, Noah was calling to check in with Reid, since his surgery was scheduled for the next day. Luke was surprised to hear this, and Noah seemed equally surprised to discover that Luke and Reid were now on a first name basis.

After Noah hung up, Luke wanted to know why Reid hadn't told him about Noah's surgery, accusing him of keeping it quiet because he didn't want Luke to rush to Noah's side. Reid pointed out that doctor patient confidentiality was involved and reminded Luke that Noah hadn't bothered to tell him either.

Reid sarcastically asked Luke what exactly he thought the sinister plan was: keep Noah blind so he needed Luke, or restore his sight so he wanted Luke back?

Luke: Who knows what you think? Because one minute you're this pompous ass and then the next minute you're kissing me and making me feel like...

Reid: Feel like what?

Luke: I don't know.

Reid: Yeah, you do. (Moves in close) How do I make you feel?

They were once again so very, very close to kissing when Reid's pager went off, alerting him to an emergency at the hospital. As Reid headed out the door, he had one final thing to say:

Reid: I don't play games, Luke, I'm not that guy.

Such incredible scenes! I really am completely under LuRe's spell!

For those diehard Nuke fans (and to be fair, Van Hansis recently said in an interview that he thinks the show should end with Luke & Noah together), there were some scenes to relish at the end of Wednesday's show.

Once Reid had left for the hospital, Luke returned home to Lily's and found Noah waiting for him outside. Noah told Luke that he'd spent so much time thinking about when the surgery would be that he hadn't really thought much about the reality of, you know, actually having brain surgery.

Noah said that he was freaking out but had tried not to bother his ex with it, since Noah had been otherwise pushing Luke away. He'd called Dr. Oliver instead, but when Luke answered the phone it had all come together for Mr. Mayer: Noah is scared and Luke is the only person he wants to be with.

Noah acknowledged that he's hurt Luke a lot but that he knows that Luke has really 'gone to the mat' for him. Noah awkwardly tried to explain where he was coming from and Luke helpfully said that he got that Noah wasn't there to proclaim his undying love. Noah said he didn't mean it to sound like that, so Luke asked what it was that he wanted.

Noah said that with his dad in prison and his mother dead, he'd like for there to be someone who would be there waiting, caring what happens to him while he's having brain surgery. Luke told Noah that if he wanted him to be there, he would be.

Noah said that he hadn't been sure, with everything he'd put Luke through, that his ex would even want to be there. Luke assured him that he'd be there every step of the way, through surgery and recovery, for as long as Noah wanted.

The scene ended with Noah and Luke hugging and Luke assuring Noah that he was going to be okay.

For me, the Nuke scenes summed up perfectly where Luke & Noah are at. I think they love each other, but aren't really in love with each other anymore. They really seem like two people who care deeply for each other, who have a shared history but not a common future.

I'm sure the Nuke fans see it completely differently, of course. I've always said that a good love triangle should have people rooting strongly for both pairings. Maybe ATWT, after the debacle that was the Mason Jarvis storyline, is finally writing that for us.

LuRe Day: The Kiss

Today's episode of As the World Turns was a LuRe day, and it was definitely the best one yet for the hottest new gay couple on daytime.

The duo was still in Dallas, Texas awaiting the verdict of the medical board. Luke called Lily to let her know he wouldn't be back in Oakdale in time to attend an award ceremony for his foundation and after they'd hung up Reid chimed in with some snarky comments about calling mommy and about only pretentious people doing business in tuxedos. (Luke: "You must own several, then.")

Luke told Reid that he was giving him a free pass when it came to his cranky attitude because he knew that waiting for the news wasn't easy. Luke suggested that they go out to take their mind off of the wait and asked Reid what there was to do in the city where he'd lived for several years.

Reid, the consummate workaholic, was unable to supply the name of a single club, bar, restaurant, bowling alley or even of any friends of his that they could call up. Luke teased him about how incredibly sad he was and then, after a quick investigation, told Reid to come with him.

Reid thought Luke had found the location of the nearest gay bar, but instead Luke took him to a western bar, complete with a mechanical bull ring. Reid felt decidedly out of place among the patrons there, but Luke told him to relax, that they were just going to have a drink and listen to music, not make out!

After Reid belittled the intelligence of those who'd bother with riding a mechanical bull, Luke took it upon himself to show Reid that it could actually be fun. I have to say, as an aside, that watching Van Hansis ride a mechanical bull was surprisingly hot! Sadly, the scene was quite brief, and of course the bull was barely moving.

After Luke finished his ride he managed to use a bit of schoolyard psychology of the 'What are you, chicken?' variety to get Reid on the bull as well. Reid seemed to enjoy the experience, but when he'd finished Luke told him that he'd missed a call from the review board.

The guys went back to the hotel and Reid admitted that he was nervous to make the call, that it was everything: his career and his life. What would he do if he couldn't operate again? Luke told him that what they'd do was fight the decision, that Reid was too obnoxious to just lie down and die.

Reid: I've worked my whole life to become what I am. I need my work. I need to experience those highs and lows every day. Without that-

Luke: Without it, you're going to be fine. You're more than a doctor.

Reid: What else am I?

Luke: You're an urban cowboy! (they both laugh, breaking the tension)

Reid made the call, which was short and to the point. As soon as it was over, he turned around and, without saying a word, pulled Luke into a very hot kiss!

Luke was speechless and seemed a bit dazed (who wouldn't be, after such a passionate kiss?!) as Reid began to tell him that he'd been reinstated and that he couldn't wait to get back in the operating room and make the first incision. He told Luke that none of it would have happened without him.

Luke: Um, Doctor Oliver, you do realize that you kissed me, right? And I mean, that's okay, it's nothing to be embarrassed by. I mean, you're excited, you just got some really good news, but I think it would be kind of weird if we pretended that it didn't happen.

Reid: I know what I did. It had nothing to do with the phone call. I wanted to kiss you. I've been wanting to kiss you for a long time, Luke.

Oh, man! He finally used Luke's first name and it was somehow such a sexy moment, just hearing him say it! I also loved how direct and confident Reid was about the kiss. That just seems to be exactly how the egotistical doctor would pursue someone he wanted.

Fantastic scenes all around today. The lighthearted bar scenes were great, and the kiss itself (and the "Luke"!) were everything I'd hoped for. Best of all, though, is the banter back and forth between Luke and Reid. They're so great together, they just keep each other on their toes at all times, but I love that they can also get very serious with each other. Reid has opened up to Luke in ways that I doubt he ever has with anyone else.

I'm just left wondering how any fan could ever possibly want to see Luke back with Noah again. Who'd want to see him trapped in what had long since become a dull and very tortured relationship when the chemistry between Luke and Reid sizzles?

To me, it seems like Luke and Reid are already pretty close to being everything I always hoped Luke and Noah would become eventually, only Nuke never quite made it there.

LuRe/Nuke Day: Towel Boy

Last Thursday's episode of As the World Turns was a LuRe day (or a Nuke day, if you're so inclined, since Noah did have one scene) and even though there wasn't a lot going on for the guys, it was the first time we've seen Van Hansis showing some skin as Luke in a very long while.

Now, I don't mean to sound completely superficial here. You know by now, I hope, that I love soaps primarily for the storytelling (at least when it's good), but I'd be lying if I said that all the beautiful guys showing off their bodies wasn't some part of the appeal!

In fact, when the shows are as awful as almost all of the American soaps are right now, the hot guys can quickly become the primary reason for watching. There's a fine line to be tread, of course. Take, for instance, the late, not-so-great Passions, which was chock full of incredibly hot guys to distract from the worst plots ever seen on Daytime TV. The writing was so bad, in fact, that the guys hardly ever wore shirts at all and eventually you just became completely immune to how hot the actors were!

I think Van Hansis is an amazing actor, as I've said many times. I also happen to think he's incredibly sexy and the fact that he's only had a small number of shirtless scenes during his time on ATWT makes me appreciate them all the more!
Thursday's episode featured Luke and Reid sequestered in Luke's hotel room in Dallas, where they'd been rehearsing Dr. Oliver's testimony for the hearing before the medical board. Luke told Reid that while he had all the facts down perfectly, he needed to show a more human side as well, especially considering that this case revolved around the death of a child.

Reid argued a bit about not letting his feelings become involved in his work, but after Luke told him that he came across as cold Reid opened up about how the little girl had been the only one of his patients who, no matter how awful the treatment he'd had to put her through, always greeted him with a smile. He told Luke that he missed that smile.

I thought this was a great scene for Eric Sheffer Stevens. Luke was clearly moved by the way Reid opened up to him, but when he tried to reach out in return Dr. Oliver instantly became his snarky self again.

Luke pointed out that after all this time Reid still hadn't called him by his first name, always referring to him instead as 'Mr. Snyder', (I think that is awesome, by the way, because you know that first use of "Luke" is going to come at a pivotal moment for the couple and be a huge deal!) and noted that he called Noah by his given name.

Reid explained that this was because he and Noah had a clearly defined doctor/patient relationship. What, Luke wondered aloud, did that make him and Reid? An awkward silence followed before Reid thanked Luke for his help and excused himself for the night. Once they'd parted, each man paused for a moment of solitary thought, no doubt considering exactly what they wanted their relationship to the other to be.

The next morning, Reid knocked on Luke's door and Mr. Snyder, expecting room service, answered it wearing nothing but a towel. Oh, to be the bellboy he was expecting! (pics borrowed from Superherofan)
Reid played it remarkably calm and handed Luke some coffee with a comment about getting his butt in gear so they wouldn't be late for the hearing. As Luke headed towards the bathroom and dropped the towel (just as he was barely out of Reid's sight, of course) Dr. Oliver did look a bit hot under the collar.

When Luke was dressed and they were ready to head to the hearing, the two shared another nice moment when Reid mentioned that he appreciated Luke's help, even if he wasn't doing it because he cared about Dr. Oliver's career. Luke said that he did care, but before they could discuss it any further they were interrupted by a call from Noah, who was worried about where things stood with the hearing.

Reid assured him that it was just a formality and Noah said that he shouldn't have to go through the hearing alone. Dr. Oliver told him that he wouldn't be alone and promptly handed the phone to Luke. Noah expressed surprise that Luke & Reid hadn't killed each other on the flight and Luke, sounding more like he was trying to justify his reasons to himself than anything else, told Noah that if Reid lost his license, he wouldn't be able to perform Noah's surgery.

Noah thought that sounded just like Luke: putting aside his personal feelings about Dr. Oliver to help Noah. Yeah, because we'd all want to dump a guy like that, right Noah?

Luke told his ex that it wasn't as bad as he'd thought it would be and then got off the phone, saying that it was almost time for the hearing. After hanging up, Luke told Reid that he was going to be great and the two shared another smile packed with barely concealed longing.

I can't wait to see things progress between these two! The pairing of Luke and Reid has ignited in a way that I thought ATWT was no longer capable of.

I can understand why Noah fans are upset, of course. As a few of the people who left comments have pointed out, the writers have gone out of their way to truly create an interesting, dynamic character in Reid, whereas the character of Noah never got anywhere near that much effort.

I'm just going to sit back and enjoy the ride, though, and hope they'll go all out with the LuRe pairing and end on a high note in September.

LuRe/Nuke Day: Moving On

Yesterday's As the World Turns picked up where the previous episode left off, with Reid looking in through the window of Al's Diner as Luke and Noah held hands. Reid took a call from the hospital and fled the scene before he could see things take a turn for the worse in Nuke's little reunion.

Luke was thrilled that Noah was making progress towards getting his sight back and suggested that the two of them go out to celebrate. Noah told Luke that he couldn't because he already had dinner plans. Luke quickly ran through the list of Noah's friends before Mr. Mayer admitted that he was dining with a guy he'd met.

Poor Luke! Is there anything worse than finding out that the person you still love is moving on? Luke asked Noah what the guy's name was and how they'd met (Richard; at physical therapy) and Noah insisted that it wasn't a date, they were just having dinner together. Luke asked if Richard was gay, and Noah admitted that he was.

Luke asked Noah if he liked this guy, and Noah said that Richard was funny and nice and that he was easy to be with because there was no pressure from him to be 'the old Noah' from before his accident, and that since Richard doesn't love him, he didn't try to 'fix' him.

Noah seemed to think that Luke should just be okay with all of this, especially since it was Luke himself who'd wanted 'all or nothing' in regards to their relationship. Yes, because hearing your boyfriend say that he just wants to be friends for now until he's ready to be more again- if he ever is- doesn't count as breaking up, but saying you're not okay with that does.

I guess Luke should have just happily agreed to let Noah put their relationship on hold indefinitely. I really, really hate how they're writing Noah now.

Noah told Luke that he was meeting Richard 'soon', and Luke decided to leave, telling Noah that he wanted him to get what he needed, but that he wasn't going to sit there and watch it happen.

Meanwhile, at the hospital, Reid had been given the bad news that he was being put on suspension while his malpractice suit was under review by the medical licencing board. Reid was going off on Bob and Kim when Luke showed up and pulled him away just in time to stop things from going too far.

Luke took Reid into the on call room and tried to calm him down. Reid told Luke that if he lost his career they might as well just shoot him, that being in the operating room was everything to him, was all that he had.

Luke suggested that Reid get a lawyer and focus on making the lawsuit go away, but Reid said that he couldn't focus on anything if he wasn't working, that he had nothing else to hold on to. That, Reid said, was why he needed Luke.

Don't get too excited, now. Reid didn't mean that he wanted to hold Luke all night long or anything like that. Instead he explained that he needed Luke's name, his money, and his power. He asked Luke to do whatever it took- bribery, blackmail, whatever- to get him back into his operating room, if only for Noah's sake.

Luke apparently left for awhile, because the next scene saw him returning to the on call room to tell Reid that he wasn't going to do anything immoral or illegal, that when he'd done so in the past it had never worked out and it would just make him feel like he was Damian Grimaldi's son.

Reid said that he was out of luck, then, since a plea from a lovesick boyfriend to the medical board wasn't going to get him back in his operating room. Luke told Reid that his Grandmother might, though, and explained that Lucinda knew a lot of influential people. After a call from Luke, Lucinda had arranged to have the medical licensing review board in Texas schedule an emergency hearing on Reid's case.

Reid thanked Luke, but Mr. Snyder told him not to book any surgeries just yet, that they had a lot of work to do. When Reid questioned the use of 'we', Luke explained that he wasn't going to let Reid do this alone: he was going with him to Texas.

Later, in Old Town, Reid was back to his snarky self, wondering just how many private planes Luke's family owned as they headed to Al's to pick up some take out for the flight. Reid went to buy some magazines while Luke went in to grab their food.

Noah was still there, of course, and sharing a hearty laugh with Richard. Luke, who looked like he was attempting to shoot laser beams from his eye's in Richard's direction, got the food and made a hasty exit from Al's before Noah knew he was there.

He stopped outside to stare in the window just as Richard placed a hand on Noah's shoulder. Reid walked up in time to see the same thing and suggested that they go, and Luke was more than ready to get away.

Well, with Noah having made the first move towards life after Nuke, I think our Luciano is now free and clear to explore his feelings for Reid.

LuRe/Nuke Day: Lovesick

Today was a Luke, Reid, and Noah day on As the World Turns. I had to do a bit of research to find out if Luke & Reid had an official fandom nickname yet, and it turns out that they're being called LuRe.

Not surprisingly, many fans still seem to be focused on Nuke as the endgame for the show, but I myself am now officially all about the LuRe. I can't help it, I just love the chemistry between Luke and Reid and I hate what Luke & Noah ended up becoming.

Today's show started with Luke showing up at the hospital and asking Reid if he had a moment to talk. Dr Oliver, who must have been replaying their previous conversation over and over in his head, told Luke that there was nothing to talk about, that he knew that Luke had tried to make the lawsuit go away for Noah's sake, not Reid's.

Luke told Reid that he actually wanted to speak with him about the new wing and pulled out some blueprints to show Reid where he'd found the perfect spot for some overnight rooms for the loved ones of patients being operated on.

Reid started to be his sarcastic, snarky self, but then stopped and told Luke that it wasn't actually a bad idea that he'd had. Luke was playfully shocked and rather adorably said that this was the nicest thing that Dr. Oliver had ever said to him.

The two were sharing a laugh over this when Noah ambled up, cane in hand, and expressed amazement at hearing Luke and Reid actually getting along. The guys explained what was going on and then had a quiet moment where they were just staring at each other, smiling and generally looking like they wanted to jump each others bones, until Noah picked up on the silence and asked what was happening now.

Luke got a call from Lily and had to go, but he wished Noah good luck with his appointment. Reid seemed to be paying special attention to each touch and interaction between the guys. Once they were alone in the exam room, Noah expressed his amusement that Reid and Luke were able to work together, given Reid's oft stated dislike of Mr. Snyder and the fact that they both 'had control issues'.

Reid asked Noah if Luke's control issues were why he and Luke had broken up, and Noah explained that he'd wanted to learn to be independent after he lost his sight and Luke had just needed to be there, helping him too much.

Reid wondered aloud if that wasn't what a relationship was supposed to be about, but dropped the subject when Noah asked if he was trying to make him feel guilty.

The exam proceeded and Noah flinched when Reid used the penlight on his eyes, noting that while he didn't actually see the light, things hadn't been completely dark any more either. Reid told him that this was a very encouraging sign for moving forward with the surgery and asked if there was anyone he wanted to call with the good news. Noah picked up on the fact that Reid was hinting that he should call Luke, but told the doctor that he didn't think that was the right message to send his ex boyfriend at the moment.

After seeing Noah, Reid went home for a quick lunch with Katie and told her all about how perplexed he was by the fact that Noah seemed to have dumped Luke for loving him too much. Why, Reid wondered aloud, would someone choose to go through what Noah was going through alone when they had someone like Luke who loved them? Good question. Writers?

Katie, who has been playing matchmaker quite a bit lately, wondered why Reid, who prided himself on not caring about his patient's personal lives in the least, was suddenly interested in Luke & Noah's relationship.

Reid claimed that it was just because it was the first time he'd ever worked with both halves of a couple before, but Katie quickly realized the truth and confronted Reid about having 'a thing for Luke'. Reid went into denial mode, of course, and pointed out that Luke was someone who thought he could buy his way out of anything. Katie told Reid that it seemed like he found that more appealing than he was willing to admit.

Dr. Oliver told Katie that even if he did have feelings for Luke, it wouldn't matter. Luke and Noah would get back together as soon as Noah had his sight back. They belonged together, were in fact 'the gay Bob & Kim', as Reid put it. Ha! I love it. Only, I'd rather see Luke & Noah as the gay Bob & Lisa (Bob's first wife, with whom he remains friends) and Luke & Reid as the gay Bob & Kim.

After his conversation with Katie, Reid called Luke and told him that there had been good news during Noah's exam that afternoon and that he should ask Noah to tell him about it. Luke quickly found Noah at Al's and before long Reid was walking by, staring in the window and nodding his head in sad resignation as he spotted Luke & Noah inside, holding hands.

Maybe longing for someone from afar just appeals to the romantic in me, but today's episode just made me root for LuRe even more. I especially loved that Reid wasn't trying to keep Luke & Noah apart at all. It's as if Luke's happiness means more to him than his own! Imagine that.

Catching up with Luke

Well, I've at long last caught up with my backlog of As the World Turns episodes. I have to admit that I came away not only pleasantly surprised, but actually looking forward to watching future (Luke related) episodes! I can't even remember how long it has been since I felt that way about ATWT.

The last time I'd tuned in to the show, I was annoyed that they were sending Dr. Reid Oliver, with whom Luke had such great chemistry, into Katie's orbit. Katie is pretty much the Bermuda Triangle when it comes to straight, single men who aren't related to her. If they get anywhere near her storyline, they won't escape again until they've been married to her.

Since the show seemed to be throwing away the incredible chemistry between Van Hansis and Eric Sheffer Stevens, I tuned out and let the episodes pile up on my Tivo.

I'm sure you can imagine, then, how happy I was to discover that Reid is in fact a gay character and that the show does seem to be proceeding with a pairing between him and Luke. Luke himself discovered that Dr. Oliver was gay after he'd accused him of homophobia for not treating him, as Noah's boyfriend, the same way he'd treat a straight patient's loved one.

As you'll recall, Reid was ordered to stick around Oakdale and work at the hospital while awaiting a court case for taking Luke's car and getting into a fender bender with Kim Hughes. He took on Noah's case to while away the time.

Eventually, Reid had his day in court (and Luke even spoke on his behalf, after Reid had helped him by proving to the police that Holden couldn't have murdered Damian, but let's not bother with all that!) and was free to leave town. He was taking Noah back to Dallas with him, to do the surgery there.

Thanks to his new roommate Katie's connections, Memorial got a hefty donation to build a state of the art Neurosurgery wing that would make them the go to place for brain surgery, and Reid agreed to stay on and run it.

Luke was thrilled that Noah wasn't leaving town, but Noah made it clear that even though he was staying in Oakdale, he still needed to be independent and wanted to be 'just friends' with Luke for now. When Noah couldn't give him any guarantees about their future, Luke ended things between them.

Luke and Noah, thanks to endlessly awful writing, had become so unrecognizable as the couple they once were that it was almost hard to remember why I had ever rooted for them, especially when compared to the way that every scene between Luke & Reid crackles with sexual tension. Those are just the normal scenes, by the way. Don't even get me started on how hot the scenes were where Luke got a bit physical with the egotistical doctor after losing his patience!

Still, watching Luke & Noah actually break up did bring a tear to my eye, mostly because of the way Van Hansis played the scene. I could feel Luke's heart breaking!

After Reid had agreed to stay on and run the new wing, Dr. Bob Hughes informed him of several cuts that would have to be made from Dr. Oliver's list of requirements, for budgetary reasons. The egotistical Reid tried to humble himself (which was very funny to watch!) and ask the richest person he knew for a grant to further fund the wing. That, of course, was our very own Luciano, who couldn't resist pointing out how Reid had snarked at him from day one for being a poor little rich boy, until he needed some money himself!

In the end, Luke had his foundation supply the necessary funds, in exchange for a seat on the board. He & Reid are now working on the planning of the new wing together, which lead to that pivotal moment in their relationship where they were stuck in an elevator together and Luke finally saw another, more vulnerable, side of Reid.

That brings us up to today's show, where Luke ran into the man who is suing Dr. Oliver for malpractice over his daughter's death, and tried to use his fortune to make the lawsuit disappear. Luke expected Reid to be angry with him when he happened upon the scene, but instead Dr. Oliver was actually impressed (and, I would say, moved, not that he wanted to show it!) that Luke would go to bat for him like that.

Reid seemed pretty disappointed when Luke told him that he'd actually done it for Noah, so that Reid could focus on his surgery instead of a lawsuit. But how honest is Luke being with himself about that, I wonder?

That's where things stand at the moment, and as I said, I'm actually looking forward to tomorrow's scenes. Part of me wonders why, of course, since Luke & Noah never got, in years of dating, the sort of love scene they deserved (the sort that Oliver & Kyle did get on One Life to Live), so what chances are there of Luke & Reid getting one between now and September, when the show ends?

Even knowing that there isn't much chance for a big payoff, I find myself feeling foolishly hopeful, yet again! I blame Van Hansis for this, since watching him as Luke somehow manages to get me invested in a way that the writing rarely deserves!

(Belated) Nuke Day: I Give Up!

Yesterday's episode of As the World Turns was a Nuke day, one that picked up right where Friday's episode left off, with Noah having just told Luke that they couldn't be around each other.

Luke told Noah that Dr. Oliver couldn't dictate who was in his life, but Noah said that he wouldn't perform the surgery unless Noah stayed away from Luke. Again, WHAT? That's not what Dr. Oliver said. He told Noah to keep Luke out of his (Reid's) orbit. He never said anything about Noah being with Luke.

Either Noah is lying to Luke, or he heard what he wanted to hear when Reid was talking to him. Either way, Noah sucks.

Noah said he had to go through with this and Luke pointed out that they were supposed to be partners. Noah claimed that it would only be for a few months and Luke told him that he was picking Dr. Oliver over his boyfriend but that Noah wasn't the only person in their relationship. Didn't Luke himself have a choice in all of this?

Luke insisted that Dr. Oliver, whom they'd just met, didn't know what Noah needed. Mayer said that he'd get by, but Luke reminded Noah that it wasn't just about him, that Luke needed Noah, too.

Meanwhile, Reid was checking out his new digs at Katie's place. Katie's ex husband/best friend Henry was not happy with this new development (join the club, Henry), and Reid didn't make it much better by commenting "You didn't say anything about a threesome!" before Katie explained that Henry didn't live there.

When Henry started in on some over protective questions, Reid smirked and told Henry that if he frisked him, Reid would expect Henry to take him to dinner afterward. Hmmm. They're still keeping Dr. Oliver's sexuality up in the air, which could be good sign.

Back at the hospital, Luke filled Noah in on Damian's sudden goodbye and how permanent it had all sounded. Luke still didn't know why Damian was on the run. Noah had the good sense to apologize and say that he'd been so obsessed with himself that he'd been completely ignoring Luke. Noah said that Luke should have just told him to shut up and listen and the two had a nice moment where they were holding hands.

Reid walked up at that point and said "Mr. Mayer, I thought we had an agreement?" Which could either mean "Why is Luke at the hospital with you when you said you'd keep him out of my orbit" or that the writers have decided that in spite of what they wrote for Reid to say in the actual scene we saw onscreen, he really did mean that Noah had to shut Luke out of his life.

Noah, again to his credit, told Reid that he couldn't cut Luke out of his life and that if that meant that Dr. Oliver wouldn't perform the surgery-

Luke interrupted, saying that he was okay with it and that the most important thing was that Noah see again.

Luke told Reid that he knew the rules and would abide by them, but that didn't mean he wouldn't hate Reid for keeping him out of Noah's life when he needed him the most.

Instead of saying that he'd never said Luke couldn't see Noah, Reid said that it was just sound medicine. I guess Noah isn't to blame for mis-interpreting (wilfully or otherwise) Reid's statement, then. It was just bad writing on the part of the show. What a surprise! I give up. I will no longer attempt to make sense of this show. Space aliens could land and proclaim Lucinda their leader and I won't bat an eye.

The wonderful Agnes Nixon (creator of One Life to Live and All My Children, and a true soap legend) recently said, in reference to the cancellation of Guiding Light, "Too many people think they’re writers and they’re not. There’s so many people who think it’s easy. The people I work with are so into character, into character building. I didn’t have time to watch Guiding Light. I knew some of the people there, who were very nice. I just thought it wasn’t necessary. If someone had a little more intelligence or understanding of the craft and the medium, it could have been saved." She noted that she felt the same in regards to As the World Turns, and truer words have never been spoken.

Anyway, before he left Luke warned Reid that if he didn't live up to his own hype, he'd have to answer to Luke.

After this confrontation, Luke went to see Lily and filled her in on his odd goodbye with Damian. Lily had Luke take her home, where she filled him in on what Damian had done. Luke couldn't believe how Damian made him believe he'd changed and Lily told her son that his father had always had demons that came out when his back was against the wall, but that she'd always be grateful to him for giving her Luke and that it was okay if Luke still loved him in spite of everything.

Holden, by the way, may or may not have killed Damian.

Back at the hospital, Henry showed up to see Reid and to apologize. Henry filled Reid in on Katie's recent history, losing her husband the day their son was born, and told Dr. Oliver that being alone wasn't good for Katie, who was a little lost right now.

Reid: What do you mean by lost?

Henry: Well, how would you feel if the man that you loved was shot and killed before he had the chance to see his kid?

Reid: I'm not quite sure how to answer that.

Again, they could be hinting at something here, but the writers apparently can't have characters say what they mean even when they're stating it explicitly, so they're probably incapable of hints.

At any rate, Henry tried to scare Reid away by telling him about the wild mood swings Katie had been having since Brad died, but Reid didn't buy it. Reid told Henry that he didn't blame him for trying to keep a beautiful woman like Katie to himself and that even world famous brain surgeons have needs, and with a hottie like Katie on the other side of the wall....

I think Reid was just messing with Henry's head, which is clearly something he likes to do, but I'm still not sure one way or another.

Later, Katie met Reid back at Java with a lease for him to sign and the flirting was definitely on in full force this time. Damn it! I think I'm giving up hope.

Luke ran into Noah on the bench in Old Town, where he was waiting for Maddie to come out of the bookstore. Noah asked how Lily was and how Luke was doing. Luke told Noah that he couldn't get into it, because if he did he'd break down, and then Noah would comfort him, and they'd be breaking Dr. Oliver's rules.

Noah said that he didn't care (he's really done a 180 since the start of the episode!) but Luke said that he did care, that he wanted Noah to see again more than anything. They exchanged an awkward goodbye and then Noah tried to stop Luke from going, saying that this was stupid (yes it is) but Luke just said he had to go and walked away.

Oh, how I wish I could walk away, too.

(Belated) Nuke Day: Unholy Pairings and Fleeing Biodads

This is the first of two Nuke episodes of As the World Turns that I'm late in blogging about. It's last Friday's episode.

The show started with Luke showing up at the hospital to talk with Dr. Oliver, who immediately started in about all of the whiny hypochondriacs that populate Oakdale. Luke reminded him that there was one case in town that was 'worthy of his genius'. Reid sneered that he doesn't do charity cases but Luke offered to put in a good word with Bob Hughes if he'd take Noah's case, maybe get him out of Oakdale early and cover his legal fees.

Luke also pointed out that Noah's surgery wouldn't bore him (Reid: "You bore me") and would fill the time in which he was basically under house arrest.

Dr. Oliver told Luke that while Noah may be the only blind guy in a hundred mile radius, there were other patients he needed to see. Luke sarcastically replied that he was sure the guy with a wicked case of Athlete's foot would enjoy having a world class neurosurgeon helping him relieve that burning itch. Ha!

Reid let Luke know that he'd been doing his research online about Luke's family and that Luke himself was certainly living up to the reputation, what with all the bribery and blackmail. Luke said that he didn't want to do those things, he just wanted Reid to operate on Noah, that's all. In other words, Luke isn't bad, he's just (badly) written that way!

Reid, who has already earned my undying love several times over, was mock surprised, saying "That's it? Why didn't you say so? Here, call my office in Dallas, schedule yourself an appointment, I should have an opening this time next year if you're lucky. You can wait in line like everyone else. No? Okay."

He then told Luke that he couldn't be bought or pushed around, so Luke all out of luck.

Meanwhile, the latest episode of The Blind and the Rageful was starting. Oh, no, sorry. That's just Noah. He was sitting in Lily's living room, listening to the DVD of the ceremony in which Luke's version of his film was winning an award. After throwing the DVD across the room, Noah called his ex girlfriend Maddie and asked her to come over.

This was good news for me, since Noah is far more watchable when he's in scenes with someone besides Luke these days. Plus, I just flat out love Maddie. Any scene with Alexandra Chando is enjoyable and I love the way that Maddie just refuses to feel sorry for Noah or let him feel sorry for himself.

Noah asked Maddie to take him to the hospital so that he could talk to Dr. Oliver without Luke around. He filled his ex in on how Luke was responsible for the doctor refusing to take his case and Maddie said that if Luke did give Reid 'the hard sell', it was because he loved Noah. Noah said that this was one time where Luke loving him had chased away what he needed and now he had to help himself.

Before they could leave, Luke returned. When Noah told him where they were going, Luke said he'd just been there and that Reid was impossible. Noah said that he had to try for himself, since he was the patient. He did soften enough to thank Luke for getting Dr. Oliver to Oakdale in the first place.

Reid, meanwhile, was at Java, where he ran into Katie and her crying infant. Katie was asking baby Jacob (who is Luke's cousin, by the way) if he had a fever and Reid told her that unless the baby was the next Mozart, he wouldn't be answering her. When Katie asked "You're a doctor?" to this stranger in hospital scrubs, Reid said "Clearly you're not the next Mozart either."

Katie asked Reid to look at her sick child, saying that he was bound by an oath to do so, and he pointed out that they were in a coffee shop, not the hospital. After Katie made some snide comments of her own and told her baby that she'd find him a real doctor, Reid relented and checked out the baby, saying it looked like an ear infection.

As much as I loved seeing Reid be snarky to Katie, I'm seriously worried. Are they going to make Reid straight?! Why else do they have him in a scene with Katie, who has had just about every other straight man in town that she isn't related to and who lost her most recent husband just a short time ago?

This isn't the type of well written soap where characters just run into each other and talk. If you have a scene with someone and it's not a Holiday episode, they're in your storyline bubble for the foreseeable future.

Their whole vibe, after Reid examined the baby, was a bit flirty. After Reid talked about how much he hated staying in hotels (a.k.a Germ Farms), Katie offered him a chance to be her new roommate, which he accepted. Damn it!

While all this was going on, Luke got a desperate call from Damian, who had just strangled Luke's crazy Aunt Meg nearly to death, held Luke's dad Holden at gunpoint, and accidentally hurt his mom, Lily. He told Luke that he had to see him at the office right away.

When Luke got there, Damian told Luke that he was leaving the country on a freighter and that he couldn't do so without saying goodbye to Luke. He then asked Luke to take over Grimaldi International, saying that it was always his plan for Luke to take over one day. You know, because it makes sense to turn over a huge international company to a young college drop out who has worked for the company for less than a year and who is hardly ever in the office.

Luke at least had the intelligence to point out how insane this was and then asked Damian just what he'd done, since he was running away without his wife and his son.

Damian told him that he loved him and that he had to know that everything he'd done was out of love for Luke and for Lily, and to remember that when he heard what people said about him.

Luke said that it sounded like they were never going to see each other again, but Damian said that they would one day, when the time was right.

Van Hansis totally broke my heart in this scene when he tearfully called out "Dad! Be careful." Luke never calls Damian 'Dad' so it was a big moment, one where Damian turned around and came back long enough to hug Luke.

Of course, I really haven't liked the way they've written Luke since he went to work for Damian, so I'm kind of glad to see Grimaldi go. Still, it made for a really great moment and Van knocked it out of the park.

At the hospital, Noah told Maddie that it was as if Luke had two sides: the grounded guy with solid parents, and the Grimaldi side that cut corners and took risks. Maddie spotted Dr. Oliver and made herself scarce.

Reid tried to blow Noah off, but Noah told him that Luke didn't speak for him. Reid realized that Noah didn't like the way Luke had blackmailed him (except, of course, that Noah hadn't really minded when he thought it was going to work in his favor!) and asked if that was the problem between him and Luke.

Noah told Reid about how the accident might not have happened if Luke had just listened to him and said that Luke was acting the way he was out of guilt. Reid seemed surprisingly understanding about that. Noah asked what Dr. Oliver wanted more: to get back at Luke, or to add Noah to his list of success stories? Reid said he hadn't decided yet.

Shortly thereafter, Reid was examining Noah and told him that he'd decided to go forward with the surgery as long as Noah responded well to the therapy and on the condition that Noah kept Luke out of Reid's orbit. Noah agreed and shook on it.

Luke, who'd called Holden to tell him what had just happened with Damian, showed up at the hospital to see his mother. He spotted Noah, who was by himself waiting for Maddie, and was overjoyed when Noah told him that Reid had agreed to take his case.

Luke wanted to drive Noah home, but Noah said that he'd wait for Maddie and that since Dr. Oliver didn't want Luke around him at all, it meant that Luke and Noah had to stay away from each other, starting now.

Um, what? Noah can't keep Luke out of Reid's orbit without cutting Luke out of his own life? What, is Noah moving in with Reid and Katie? Way to jump at any excuse to ditch your boyfriend, Mayer. My dislike of Noah (or, of the way Noah is currently being written) continues to grow every time he's in an episode!

I'm fine with Luke and Noah taking a break, as long as it means the chemistry between Luke and Reid is explored (and Noah could certainly date someone else, too), but if they're pairing Dr. Oliver with Katie and just leaving Luke and Noah broken up and single, I'm going to be very upset with myself for believing, yet again, that this story was about to become enjoyable.

Nuke Day: Ironically, Justice is Blind

We started off in the hospital parking garage, where Reid and Kim had just had their little accident. Bob and Luke both rushed to Kim's side, while Reid began to pointlessly honk the horn of his (or rather, Luke's) car as if that would make them all get out of his way.

Luke called the police while Bob wanted to take Kim in for tests and she insisted she was fine. Reid had apparently decided to walk to the airport, or maybe hitch a ride, but Luke stopped him, telling him that he'd caused an accident and wasn't going anywhere.

Reid insisted that all of this was Luke's fault, not his, because of the whole kidnapping, private jet, surgery that most people wait a year for thing. Kim told Luke to just let Reid go, but Luke informed a newly arrived cop that Reid had just caused an accident and was trying to flee the scene.

Reid, referring to the cop as Officer Fife and condescendingly explaining to him what a neurosurgeon was, told him that he had patients who needed him waiting in Dallas and had to go. When the cop asked for his license and registration, Luke explained that the car was his and that Dr. Oliver had snatched the keys and taken it without his permission.

The cop handed Reid a summons and then, after he tossed it aside, told him he was taking him in to the station. Luke watched the whole thing with a huge grin of his face, clearly enjoying every minute of the show. After Dr. Oliver was gone, Luke picked up the summons and read the charges to Bob & Kim: driving with an expired license, operating a stolen vehicle, attempting to leave the scene of an accident, and resisting arrest.

Meanwhile, Noah was asking a nurse to get him his discharge forms. When she said she'd give them to his boyfriend, Noah told her that he wasn't waiting for Luke, he just wanted the forms and then a cab to get himself out of there. Great boyfriend, huh? I'm starting to really dislike Noah most of the time.

Luke returned before Noah could make his getaway, though, and found him trying to button his shirt. Luke tried to help, but Noah knocked his hands away, telling him that he could do it himself. Noah also told his boyfriend that he'd called a cab and needed to get away from Luke.

Ouch! But Luke was surprisingly calm and told Noah that he knew this was frustrating but that it might help if Noah didn't take everything out on him. Finally! I've been waiting for Luke to stop being Noah's emotional punching bag ever since the senseless lashing out began.

Noah claimed that he was just being honest and that Dr. Oliver had been his one shot at getting his sight back. Luke told Noah that Reid was an arrogant jerk and that Luke didn't believe that he was the only doctor who could help Noah.

When Luke reminded Noah that he was just trying to help, his boyfriend railed at him, saying that his idea of helping was taking him back to his Mommy's house and making sure his socks matched for the rest of his life. He added that he'd lost his one shot because Dr. Oliver hadn't been able to stand being around Luke.

Luke demanded to know how Noah could turn this around on him, and Noah said that this was what he was stuck with. Luke said that he himself didn't feel stuck, in spite of what Noah thought, but Noah said that he wasn't the same person that Luke fell in love with and that things had changed.

Luke took Noah's hand and said that he was right that things would never be the same, but that Noah was still the man he'd fallen in love with. Noah said that he wished he could believe Luke as much as Luke believed himself.

I'm sorry, but at the moment the Luke and Noah scenes are either painfully repetitive and boring, or they're making me hate one or both of the guys and leaving me wondering why they're even together in the first place.

I'd like to see them apart for awhile. Noah was much more watchable in his scenes with Maddie and Hunter last week, and Luke's scenes with Reid are burning up with potential and with chemistry. When they're together, though, Luke and Noah are starting to feel like scenes I'd fast forward through if they were any other characters.

Meanwhile, Reid was already before a judge (the legal system works fast in Oakdale, unless they're dealing with a crime that matters, like a serial killer stalking the teens of the town or when someone has been kidnapped by their wacko Grimaldi cousin and her gay twin brother/boyfriend) and was holding nothing back as he informed the judge that the doctors in the town had gone to clown college and that the cops were dumber than rocks.

Reid asked for his cell phone back so that he could book the next flight out of 'this town that time forgot' and the Judge informed him that he'd just revealed himself to be a flight risk. He ordered that Reid be held in custody until his trial, which was scheduled for the next month.

At that point, Dr. Bob Hughes showed up in court and asked to approach the bench. Addressing the Judge by his first name (which caused the usual snide comment from Reid), Bob told him that Kim had been in the car that Dr. Oliver hit.

While Bob tried to get a word in edgewise, Dr. Oliver kept interrupting with accusations of cronyism and of Bob trying to make the accident sound worse that it had been, until Dr. Hughes finally told him to do himself a favor and keep his mouth shut.

Bob told the Judge that Reid's skill as a surgeon was in direct proportion to his ego and that people could use his help. Dr. Hughes suggested that the Judge release Dr. Oliver to Bob's recognisance so that he could practice at the hospital in Oakdale under Bob's guidance while awaiting his trial.

Wait, an arrogant big city doctor sentenced to practice in a small town for damages caused in a minor auto accident? Isn't this an old Michael J. Fox movie called Doc Hollywood? Maybe next month, when Noah's eyes are all better, they can do a plot where our Mr. Mayer gets a job in the mail room of WorldWide and then sets himself up as an Executive on the sly! (Secret of My Success? Anyone?)

Back at the hospital, Luke and Noah were finishing up the paperwork to get Noah discharged. Noah said that he wasn't going to spend the rest of his life at Lily's place and Luke said that he wasn't, either, and that while they'd had to give up their mythical apartment, they'd get another one, equally mythical, when they were ready.

At that point, Reid stormed in, asking Luke if he was proud of himself and saying that he was stuck in 'OakHell' for a month because of him. Luke rather smugly told him that if he needed to get a surgery fix in during that time, Noah's case was still available. Dr. Oliver started to say that he wasn't taking Noah's case, but Luke chirped out that they'd call him for a consultation and then wheeled Noah away before another word could be said.

I like that Luke is starting to give as good as he gets when it comes to Reid. I love watching these two go round for round.