Kish: Such Sweet Sorrow

Space issues on my Tivo finally forced me to watch the final Kish episodes of One Life to Live during this past week. I hadn't watched a single episode since just before they announced that Scott Evans and Brett Claywell had been let go, so nearly 30 shows had piled up.

Catching up with that many episodes would have been incredibly daunting in the past, since OLTL was the only American soap that I refrained from fast forwarding. I watched every story on the show. How could I not when they were so perfectly interconnected? It wasn't like the other soaps, with their isolated storyline bubbles.

I'd already decided that I wouldn't be watching the show anymore after I'd seen the end of Kish, though, so I just skipped everything that wasn't connected to them or to their story.

When I'd last written about the guys Kyle had done a sneaky DNA test on Fish and baby Sierra Rose and Oliver had blown his top and stormed out. At the end of that episode, though, he'd returned and stopped Kyle from destroying the unopened results.

As it turned out, Fish still wasn't ready to know the truth, but he asked Kyle to keep the results until he was. Meanwhile, a custody battle raged between Gigi and Schuyler over the baby. Kim and new husband Clint were contenders, too, for awhile, but that didn't really go anywhere. In fact, it seems like the show decided to drop several characters in this story at once- Kim, Kyle, Fish, and Schuyler- so everything wrapped up a bit quicker that I'd expected.

The catalyst for bringing about the conclusion of this whole story turned out to be Mitch Lawrence's number one disciple and all around lunatic, Allison Perkins. Perkins has come and gone over the years, most recently showing up a few years back to stir up trouble before she wound up in a coma.

Allison woke up just in time to try and help The Messenger get out of prison. Her plan involved kidnapping baby Sierra Rose from Schuyler and then holding her and Roxy hostage, first at the hair salon Roxy owns and then in Kyle's room at the Angel Square Hotel.

Allison ordered Schuyler to volunteer for medical duty at the prison so he could break Mitch out in exchange for Sierra Rose's safe return. Kyle happened to be the volunteer on duty that Schuyler replaced, though, so he ended up returning home early and walking in on a bound and gagged Roxy and loony Allison, who tied him up as well.

In the end, Schuyler turned the tables on Mitch and Allison by giving The Messenger a drug that would kill him unless Allison brought Sierra Rose to him in the prison in exchange for Mitch getting the antidote he needed.

After Allison left with Sierra Rose, Fish showed up and saved Roxy and Kyle, who told him that Allison had the baby. I loved the way that Scott Evans played Fish's reaction to this news, it just seemed very believable, the way he stopped trying to untie Kyle and moved to the window (through which Allison had departed), in a sort of quiet panic.

Before leaving for the prison to try and save Sierra, Oliver stopped to open the envelope containing the DNA results and learned that he was, in fact, Sierra Rose's father. At the prison, he told Bo and Brody that he wanted to lead the team that was going in to get Sierra and that he was her father. Bo congratulated him on his fatherhood but had him step aside so that someone emotionally uninvolved could do the job.

Meanwhile, Schuyler's world had fallen apart as Allison revealed that he, and not Rex, was Mitch and Roxy's son. Allison, who has made baby switching her specialty, had switched Roxy's sickly baby (Schuyler) with a healthy, abandoned baby (Rex) the night of his birth, and had then given Schuyler to her sister to raise.

Schuyler still refused to save his newly found father until Allison had handed over his daughter. Once he had Sierra Rose he tried to head home with her, but Oliver stopped him and showed him the DNA results. Schuyler realized that he'd lost everything, which naturally lead to him holding Gigi at gunpoint and trying to shoot Rex, but we won't go into that.

Oliver was finally reunited with his child, and the look on his face was something like awe, love, and hint of fear, just like any new parent would have. Fish and Kyle took Sierra to the hospital to be checked out (her heart surgery had gone well, by the way) and then took her back to Fish's apartment and shared the happy news with Layla and Cristian.

The guys were so cute as they realized how much stuff they needed to buy. Just seeing the two of them interact with the baby made me completely love where the story had taken them and and also really made me sad that we wouldn't get to see them actually raising Sierra together.

Once Gigi had been rescued from Schuyler she headed for Fish's apartment to see the baby. After a visit with the new little family, Gigi was clearly torn about whether or not to continue her custody suit, but in the end she decided to move forward with it.

The final Kish scenes all took place in and around the courtroom the next day. Oliver had a great scene where he stood up and declared himself Sierra's biological father and told the judge that he was ready to raise her but that he hadn't been able to hire a lawyer yet because he'd been too busy buying all the stuff they needed for her.

The Judge asked if Oliver was married and he told her that he was gay but that he that he was committed to his partner, Kyle, and that they were ready to be the baby's parents. The Judge had a few more questions and raised the point that Kyle was a med student and Oliver a full time cop, which wasn't going to make raising a baby easy, but the guys said that they were going to make it work. I thought Scott Evans, especially, did a great job in these scenes. I'd have given Oliver and Kyle my own child to raise, if I had one!

Gigi's lawyer tried to use the fact that they both had busy work schedules to discredit the guys' ability to parent Sierra, and pointed out that his client was already successfully raising a child, but Gigi interrupted with a speech about how her own child hadn't been planned (she was a teenage mother) and that she'd had to work full time while being a single parent, and she was ending her fight for custody because Oliver and Kyle were going to be loving parents to her niece.

It would have been a great little scene, I think, except that Farah Fath (who plays Gigi) was just phoning it in. It was like Gigi was announcing that she'd decided to have pizza for dinner, there was no emotional weight to the scene at all.

At any rate, the Judge then declared that Oliver and Kyle had full custody of Sierra Rose. Gigi asked if she could hold her niece to say goodbye but Oliver told her that there was no need because he wanted his daughter to have her Aunt Gigi, Uncle Rex, and her cousin Shane in her life.

That was pretty much it for the guys. I was hoping we'd get a final scene where they returned to Kyle's place with the baby and had a really nice final moment together onscreen, but the last we saw of Kish was the two of them walking out of the courtroom hallway while Gig and Rex yammered on about their own storyline. Kyle did pop up one final time a few days later to have a few scenes at the hospital with Gigi and Rex, but we've now seen the last of both guys.

There's so much I'm going to miss, even beyond just the amazing Kish pairing itself. For instance, Kyle and Roxy's friendship! I loved that so much and thanks to the whole Rex/Schuyler thing Roxy is in a place where she needs a friend now more than ever. There's also Fish's working relationships with John McBain and Bo, his sort of hero worship of the two of them, which I always enjoyed seeing, not to mention my dashed hopes at seeing him and Brody as partners on the force!

I won't even go into the now forever unresolved relationship between Fish and his parents or the chance to ever see Nick Chavez again.

I'm so sad about the missed opportunity to feature two gay men raising a child together on daytime TV! There would have been so much important story to tell there!

Still, however it ended, One Life to Live did deliver the most incredible love scene between two men ever show on network TV, and that's certainly something. They also just told an incredibly well written and acted gay love story. I wouldn't trade that for anything, no matter how abruptly it ended.

I'll always look back on the past few years of One Life to Live, the Ron Carlivati era, as a final golden age in daytime soaps. That's not to say that the show was perfect (no show ever has been!), but this was truly soap writing at its best: interconnected, well told, socially relevant, character based stories.

With Kish gone and Passanante on her way in to sound the death knell for the whole show, that era has come to an end. I'm glad that daytime soaps got to have one final period of greatness before the inevitable conclusion of the genre (at least as it currently exists on network TV) arrives.

I'm now a lifelong fan of Scott Evans and Brett Claywell. I can't wait to see what they do next! Whatever it is, I'll be tuning in.

I'm in Shock

I'm completely reeling from the news that One Life to Live is writing off Oliver and Kyle. Scott Evans and Brett Claywell will be off the air by mid April, according to Michael Fairman.

It makes no sense to me at all. I'm just completely stunned. If the show had been treating the characters like second class citizens, I wouldn't be as floored as I am. If ATWT wrote off Nuke, for instance, I could say "Well, they didn't know how to write for them anyway."

Kish has been so well written, though, that I'm left wondering where this decision is even coming from? The couple is popular and there is so much story still to be told with the characters.

Here's what Fairman's article says, though:

"According to the report, even though KISH has been a big success with the media and gay-advocacy groups have shown favor to One Life to Live’s efforts, the ABC Television Network says the duo failed to resonate with the mainstream audience, referencing Fish’s coming out story as one reason for tanking the ratings."

This just feels like such a slap in the face. So, blame the gays. Nice, ABC. Homophobic much?

I loved One Life to Live before Kish, but right now I'm honestly feeling like when they go, I go.

Kish Catch Up #2: With Special Guest Star, The Envelope

Today's show picked up with a brief bit of exposition for those just joining us: Kyle told Fish that the results in The Envelope he was holding would tell them once and for all if he was the father of Stacy's baby.

Fish said that he didn't understand. How had Kyle run a DNA test? He'd never asked for one. Kyle looked guilty and said that he knew that, but he'd done it anyway. Is it wrong that I'm kind of glad they're about to fight? They're both just so hot when they get angry!

Oliver was understandably furious that Kyle had stolen his DNA and run the test without his permission. I had to laugh when Kyle said "It's not like I cut you when you were sleeping!" but Fish himself wasn't amused and asked if Kyle had heard him when he'd said he didn't want to know.

Kyle: Yeah, I heard you loud and clear, Oliver. I also heard that you were so nervous and scared about being a gay parent. I know you haven't fully accepted yourself yet, so there's no way that you could accept raising this child with me. I know you, Oliver. I know that you would not be able to live with yourself if you didn't know whether or not Sierra was your daughter.

Fish claimed that he'd be perfectly fine without ever knowing, but Kyle didn't believe that and said that he didn't think Fish believed it, either.

Fish: So what? You know what, even if she is mine, I wouldn't saddle that kid with gay parents.

Kyle: What, now I'm not fit to be a father, either?

Fish: Wait a minute. Is that why you're so anxious to know? You want this baby to be mine so badly that... Do you know already? Do you know already if I'm that baby's father?

Kyle: I ran the tests, but I didn't look at the results. I figured we could do that together.

Wow, there's that internalized homophobia from Oliver again. Even when he's claiming that it's not about his sexuality, Fish can't help blurting out the hateful beliefs that are his parents' legacy to him. I really, really hope the show has Fish actually work these issues out by seeing Marty.

Kyle said that he'd thought that, whatever the truth was, they could find out together. Oliver rather brokenly said that he really wished that Kyle hadn't done this. Kyle said that it was done, so they might as well open The Envelope.

Fish changed tactics, asking if Kyle was trying to get kicked out of medical school again. He threw the whole doctor patient confidentiality thing in his face again and reminded him that Kim was going to go to the hospital board if they said anything.

Kyle said that he could live with that, that Sierra deserved to know the truth and that Oliver did as well.

Fish: So now you know what's best for me?

Kyle: Yeah, in this case I do! And I don't care if it pisses you off, I'd do it again in a heartbeat! Oliver, this is right thing to do. And underneath all of this, you know that.

Fish stuck to his guns, asking if Kyle had permission to test the baby's DNA. Kyle pointed out that he worked at the hospital and Oliver asked if he hadn't been fired from the lab last year for running an unauthorized test for Jared and Natalie. Kyle corrected him, saying that he'd been fired for blackmailing them with the test results, not for running the test. Oliver reminded him that he'd almost gone to prison.

Oliver really is terrified out of his mind! Poor Kyle's shady past certainly has given Fish enough ammunition to throw his way as a distraction.

Kyle admitted to breaking the rules, but Fish told him that he'd broken the law and that, as a cop, Oliver couldn't have knowledge of crime and do nothing. He could arrest Kyle for this.

Kyle said that Oliver could be a father, and to him that was more important than any little rules he may have broken.

Fish told Kyle that he'd gone against his wishes and made him an accessory (Kyle: "To grand theft water bottle!" Love it!). Why? Oliver asked.

Kyle: 'Cause I love you. 'Cause I know that sooner or later, you'd regret this. 'Cause I know that it would kill you to stand back and let someone else raise a baby that's your own flesh and blood. A baby that's part of you, a baby that can make you feel like you have a right to be a father. You have that right, Oliver.

The way Kyle's voice broke during the first sentence and the way the entire piece of dialogue was filled with such heartfelt emotion had me feeling just a bit misty eyed myself. Brett Claywell and Scott Evans have both been knocking it out of the park these past two episodes!

Fish told Kyle that if he wanted to know the truth, he was on his own. He grabbed his coat and left Kyle alone, a devastated look on his face.

Oliver headed for the hospital, where he arrived just in time to break up a near fist fight between Schuyler and Rex. Fish asked Rex what it had been about and Rex filled him in on Gigi deciding to get custody of the baby and how Schuyler claimed to love the baby he'd known was his but denied for months.

The next scene was a heart wrenching one of Oliver staring in the nursery window at baby Sierra. The look on his face... damn. How could you not want to just wrap your arms around Oliver and tell him everything was going to be all right?! Scott Evans put a lot into that non-verbal moment, and I think it was a big turning point for Fish.

After looking in on Sierra, Oliver returned to Kyle's motel room, where his boyfriend was sitting on the floor, The Envelope still unopened.

Kyle (speaking in a very subdued voice): I'm sorry, Oliver. I never should have interfered. This is your decision to make and yours alone. I'm gonna respect that.

Oliver: Thanks.

Kyle: You got here just in time. I was just about to tear this up, but why don't we do one better? Let's burn it.

Kyle was just about to apply the lit match to The Envelope when Fish stopped him, as we all knew he would since clearly no Envelopes were harmed during the filming of this episode.

These were fantastic scenes. The tension between the guys was very well done. Now, let's open that damn Envelope already!

Kish Catch Up #1: The Results Are In....

I got a bit behind on the soaps, but as of tonight I'm all caught up on One Life to Live. Last Friday and today were both Kish episodes. This post is about Friday's show.

It started with Kim showing up at Kyle's motel room with a houseplant, noting that you don't go visiting empty handed. Beware of strippers bearing gifts, Kyle! FYI, earlier in the week, Kim had decided to honor Stacy by fighting for custody of Sierra Rose.

Since no judge in their right mind would award custody to a broke former stripper who was no blood relation to the baby, she enlisted her billionaire boss/potential Sugar Daddy Clint Buchanan in her plans, proposing marriage to him. Clint accepted the proposal and agreed to help her get custody. At the same time, Gigi has decided that Schuyler would be an unfit father and is going to be pursuing custody of her niece herself.

Kyle and Fish, who was just covering up that yummy hairy chest with a shirt (boo!) when Kim arrived, were no doubt surprised not only by the visit, but by Kim's subsequent thank you to Oliver for everything he did up on the mountain.

Ms. Andrews also assured them that Sierra Rose was going to be just fine. When Kyle asked what she meant, Kim told them that she was about to become Mrs. Clint Buchanan and that she and Clint were going to raise Sierra together.

Kyle asked Kim why she would want the baby in the first place and she told him that Stacy had wanted her to raise Sierra. Fish pointed out that Stacy had named Schuyler as guardian in her will, but Kim brushed that aside with a half truth, saying that Stacy had only done that to get Schuyler off her back. Kim declared that she and Clint would make sure that Sierra had everything, and Kyle responded with "Not if we have anything to say about it!"

Kim told the guys that where the baby lived had nothing to do with them, but Kyle reminded her that Fish could be the child's father.

Kim: Again with that! Schuyler is the dad!

Fish: I know! (shoots Kyle a 'cut it out!' look)

Kim: Well, would you tell your boyfriend then?

Kyle: Then why don't you prove it?

Kim: Excuse me?

Kyle: It's just a simple blood test.

Kim: How does this have anything to do with you?

Kyle: Because Oliver is the real father and you know it! That's why you're here, Kim.

Kim claimed that she'd come over just to be nice, but Kyle wasn't buying it and said that she was trying to shut them up because once it came out that Oliver was the father, she'd have no rights to Sierra.

Kim headed for the door, saying she didn't have to listen to Kyle.

Kyle: Do you really think Oliver is going to give up his own child?!

Kim: I think if you want to finish med school, you'll keep your mouth shut. And any information you think you have came from violating a doctor patient confidentiality. You come after me and Sierra and I will crush you like a cockroach.

Kim's parting shot was that Kish was off the guest list for the wedding. You know what that means, no catching of the bouquet for our guys.

I love Kim. Sure, she's playing the bad guy here, but she's at least got good intentions towards Stacy's baby. Plus, it's just really fun to watch her be such a total bitch!

I also love that Kyle is so fierce about all of this. Once again, it was Kyle who was fighting for Sierra while Oliver stood by, barely saying a word. He's clearly still completely terrified at the thought of being a father. After Kim left, he was literally standing there with his mouth open, looking dazed.

Once she was gone, Kyle asked Fish if he could believe what they'd just heard. Oliver thought that Kim was just trying to do right by her friend and that one way or the other, Sierra would win. How was that? Kyle asked. Fish explained that she'd either be raised by Schuyler and Gigi, or by Clint and Kim.

Kyle asked if Fish could really picture Kim raising a baby, and Oliver said that she'd have plenty of help and that Sierra would be a Buchanan and have everything she'd need.

Kyle: Yeah, except for two parents who love her.

Fish: You don't know that. Kim might surprise you.

Kyle: Yeah, and you're really willing to take that chance?

Fish: Yeah, well, it's not my decision

Kyle: Unless it is. Oliver you could be a great father! Being gay-

Fish: -Isn't the issue! Really, Kyle, this is not a gay thing.

Kyle: Oh, then it's a coward thing.

Wow, Kyle really went there. Fish looked so stunned and hurt. While it kind of needed to be said, especially since Oliver is trying so hard to convince himself that his feelings aren't related to his sexuality, it was still pretty harsh.

Fish started to leave, saying that he had to go to work. Kyle said he didn't have to go and Oliver said he couldn't stay there.

Kyle: Oliver-

Fish: Listen, if I need someone to tell me I'm half a man, I can call my Dad!

Kyle: I'm sorry! Okay, I'm sorry. It was a cheap shot. You're the bravest person I know.

Fish: Later.

Kyle: You know the definition of a hero? Somebody who is terrified but moves forward anyway.

Fish: I'm not a hero.

Kyle: Yes you are! You save lives, Oliver! And I get it, it's terrifying, you're going to have a kid-

Fish: No, I'm not even scared!

Kyle: I can only imagine.

Fish: And Sierra isn't my daughter.

Kyle: Maybe, but Kim obviously thinks it's true, and I got a feeling you think it's true, too.

Kyle picked up an official looking envelope from the coffee table and suggested that they find out for sure, once and for all.

Fish asked what the envelope was, and Kyle told him that it was something he wasn't going to be happy about. Fish told Kyle to tell him what it was and Kyle explained that he'd had a DNA test done and the answer was right there in the envelope.

I liked that Kyle didn't open the envelope himself. The sneaking around to arrange the test was part of that whole shades of gray thing he has going on, but it would have been too much of a betrayal for him to have found out the truth without letting Oliver in on what he'd done first.

Talk about a Friday cliffhanger, though! I'm glad I was behind and didn't have to wait all weekend to see what happened next.

Kish: Nearly 'Normal'

Oliver and Kyle had some pretty strong scenes on today's One Life to Live. It all started where last Friday left off, with Schuyler revealing to Gigi that he was Sierra's father while Kyle shot lasers out of his eyes at Fish, who kept silent.

Schuyler signed that consent form for Sierra's surgery and then Kyle and Fish made their exit, no doubt wanting to avoid seeing Gigi's head explode as her brain sloooowly computed this latest piece of information.

Before they left, Fish told Schuyler that he was going to file some incident reports and may need a statement from Joplin. Schuyler promised that he'd be at the hospital if Oliver needed him and then thanked Fish for saving his child's life. Fish claimed that he was just doing his job and Kyle looked like he was reaching the limit of his patience in the background.

The next scene with the guys found them arriving in Kyle's brand new digs, a much bigger room at Roxy's motel. In fact, I think it's Schuyler's old room.

Kyle suggested that Oliver relax and let his boyfriend take care of him after everything that had happened. Fish said that he was still pretty keyed up and Kyle felt that was understandable, given the day Oliver had.

Fish ran through all the events of said day for us: chasing Mitch, killing Nurse Charles, calling help in for Jessica, searching for John and Natalie after an explosion, pulling Rex and Schuyler off each other, saving Gigi from the lake, and not saving Stacy. He said that it just might have been the longest day of his life, which is pretty understandable considering it lasted several weeks.

Kyle, sounding disappointed in his boyfriend, said that Fish had managed to leave Sierra's birth off that list. He also pointed out that Fish hadn't been able to get away from the hospital fast enough.

Fish said that his job had been done, as if that was all there was to it, and Kyle reminded him that it wasn't done if he was Sierra's father. Fish started in on the whole "Schuyler says he's the father!" bit of non-logic again, and asked Kyle to give it up, saying that there was no way he was Sierra's daddy.

Kyle dryly noted that the unprotected sex Fish had with Sierra's mother meant that he could be, and Oliver, acting rather cornered, said that he couldn't be, didn't Kyle get that? Kyle asked Fish to explain it to him, but Oliver went back to the usual song & dance: Stacy put Schuyler's name in her will as guardian and everyone was sure of the baby's paternity except Kyle.

Kyle told Fish that they couldn't be positive without a DNA test and reminded him again of how simple it would be for Fish's former lab tech/current med student boyfriend to quietly have the test done once Sierra was through with her surgery and in stable condition.

Fish said no to this again and Kyle pointed out that even if Oliver didn't want to be Sierra's father, he had a responsibility to her. Oliver said that Gigi loved Sierra and hadn't left her side, and since Gigi was with Schuyler, they'd raise the baby together.

Kyle stuck to his guns, though, and started to tell Oliver that with the baby's mother dead, if Fish was the father he was legally responsible for her. Oliver interrupted, telling Kyle that he didn't care about what was legal, he wanted what was right: Sierra should be with normal parents!

Wow. I honestly didn't see that coming, though it is completely in character given the way Fish was raised. I thought Fish was troubled by the idea of being a parent out of the blue, but it didn't occur to me (not having had parents like George & Barbara Fish myself) that he'd actually be worried about Sierra herself growing up with gay parents!

I do have to say that Scott Evans played this scene very well. What should have felt like a complete slap in the face actually kind of tore at my heart because of the way Oliver's voice broke on the word 'parents'. Fish is clearly in a lot of turmoil over this and his eagerness to believe the baby isn't his now becomes far more understandable.

It makes perfect sense that Fish, in spite of being happy with Kyle, still hasn't been able to let go completely of all the narrow minded and hateful beliefs that his parents raised him with.

Kyle said on Friday, in reference to Stacy, that homophobia could have played a part in her naming Schuyler as the father, that raising kids was where people often drew the line. Kyle was right on the money, it seems, but it wasn't Stacy's feelings coming into play, it was the homophobia George & Barbara instilled in their son.

Brett Claywell was fantastic in this scene too, by the way. The look of sadness on Kyle's face after Fish finally blurted out the true nature of his worries spoke volumes.

Kyle: Normal parents, you mean straight parents, right?

Fish: I'm going to shower.

Kyle: No. Not now you're not.

Fish: Would you forget it, Kyle?

Kyle: No, you said it!

Fish: Please, can we not do this right now?

Kyle: So you think you can't be a dad because you're gay?

Fish: No! Of course I can. We have the right to do and be whatever we want.

Kyle: But you don't believe a word of that.

Fish: Yeah, Kyle, because I live in the real world.

Kyle: The real world? The real world where only straight couples can raise kids? How does that normally work out, anyway? What's the divorce rate now? And what about the kids that start out with only one real parent? Oliver, you are a good, caring, honorable man with a partner who loves you. Isn't that what a child needs?

Fantastic moment for Kyle, I have to say! And bravo to One Life to Live, yet again, for tackling a serious issue through great storytelling! This is everything good soaps should be: entertaining and socially relevant, all at once!

Fish claimed that Sierra would have that with sort of life with Schuyler and Gigi and Kyle let him have it , pointing out that Gigi clearly hadn't know the 'truth' about Schuyler being the father and asking who knew if they'd even be together by tomorrow.

On a shallow note, I do love when Kyle gets angry!

Fish felt that Gigi and Schuyler would keep things together for the sake of the baby and Kyle said that Gigi would always be Sierra's aunt but that Schuyler couldn't be counted on and the two of them wouldn't always be together. He told Oliver that his idea of this perfect couple was fantasy, but Fish just said that it was 'still better'.

Better, Kyle asked, for who? For Sierra, or for Oliver? He told Fish that just because he was gay didn't mean he had to give up his child. Fish snapped that Sierra wasn't his and then asked Kyle to drop all of this if he loved him. Nothing like a little emotional blackmail to end a really long day!

Kyle: I'm not going to give up on you.

Fish: You know that it's not giving up on me if you just let this go.

Kyle: Oliver, you can't walk away from this baby without knowing for real whether or not she's yours. Okay? The man I love couldn't live with that.

Fish: Don't I get to decide what I can and can't live with?

Kyle: Yeah, sure, but-

Fish didn't let Kyle finish, cutting him off to say that he was going to go take a shower and 'wash this day' off of him.

After Fish left the room, Kyle picked up his empty water bottle and sealed it in a plastic bag to keep it nice and fresh for DNA testing. You know what they say, you can take the blackmailer out of the lab, but...

Fantastic scenes today. I know other shows would have just swept Fish's struggle with internal homophobia under the rug the minute he and Kyle finally got together, as if that solved everything, but you don't grow up trying to be what George and Barbara Fish expect you to be without it having a lasting impact. I'd love to see Fish get some counseling from Marty to eventually work through these feelings!

I also loved that they're showing that 'shades of gray' side of Kyle again. I know that he's genuinely sorry for what he did in the past, but it seems only natural that when faced with a situation like this, his reaction would be to take matters into his own hands.

I love that these two characters are still very human and fallible. I want to see them give in to their flaws, then face up to and try and overcome them. That makes for good storytelling.

Kish: Those Boots Were Made For Walkin'!

Today brought another fantastic episode of One Life to Live, complete with one of the best pure soap opera moments I've seen in a long while.

Since I don't really write about the non-Kish stories (which are usually pretty great as well), I'd just like to note the fantastic scenes today between Bo (played by the very talented Robert S. Woods) and Gigi and Rex's son Shane (played by Austin Williams).

Long story short, Bo & Nora had spirited Jessica's daughter Bree and Shane off to safety at the Buchanan ranch in Texas until their biological Grandpsycho Mitch was no longer a threat, and today found them all en route back to Llanview on the Buchanan jet.

Bo broke the news to Shane about his Aunt Stacy's death and the two had this incredibly realistic conversation about Shane's feelings that was not only well written but perfectly played. Truly great scenes.

With that said, let's talk Kish! As the hunky doctor (is there any other kind on a soap?) informed Gigi and Schuyler that Sierra Rose had a congenital heat defect that would require surgery if she was to survive, Kyle filled Oliver in about the nature of the condition out in the hall as they looked through the nursery window.

Oliver broke my heart when he asked Kyle if they could wait until Sierra was bigger, his voice breaking as he noted that she was not even a day old yet and so tiny. Kyle explained that they had special tools for operating on infants and that to wait would be fatal.

Kyle told Fish that they'd need permission to do the surgery and since Stacy was dead it would have to be from the father. Oliver said that it was up to Schuyler, then, and Kyle said that it was if Joplin was the father, but what if he wasn't?

Kyle told Fish that it would be easy to find out for sure if Sierra was his, since so many tests had already been run on her. All Kyle would need was a swab of Oliver's cheek and they could know for sure.

Fish insisted that he didn't want any tests, that it didn't matter since the baby might not make it. I was surprised by this, but only momentarily. After all, this is Fish we're talking about, the guy who can be incredibly heroic when it comes to saving others but who has a history of hiding from his own feelings. He's clearly terrified of finding out that Sierra is his daughter and then losing her.

I'm sure he's also still scared about the prospect of being a father at all. Remember how quickly he accepted Stacy's assurances that the baby really was Schuyler's? He referenced that again today, asking Kyle why Stacy would have lied about that all the way up to the point of naming Schuyler the guardian in her will if it wasn't the truth.

Kyle suggested that Stacy may have been homophobic, at least when it came to the idea of her child being raised by its gay father, but Fish didn't believe that was the case and pointed out how Schuyler had been there for the baby the whole time.

Kyle: And you haven't? You've been standing guard the whole time!

Fish: Rex paid me for that.

Kyle: Yeah, and he didn't pay you to run up a mountain and risk your life in a blizzard!

Fish asked Kyle to let it go, saying that he didn't want to add to everything Gigi was going through already and noting that she'd stepped up for the baby, in spite of her feelings towards her sister.

We didn't see Kyle answer Oliver's request to let the subject go, but the look in his eyes didn't make it seem like he was willing to do so. I think they're playing this whole thing in a way that's very true to these characters. Kyle has always known who he is and what he wants, while Oliver spent so many years blocking out his true feelings that even now it must seem like a natural response to him.

Meanwhile, Rex and Kim were still mid-confrontation at the lake. Kim side stepped Rex's question about who the father was if it wasn't him or Schuyler, saying that the baby was Stacy's and that's all that mattered.

Kim then laid into Rex about Stacy's death being his fault, that she wouldn't have been pregnant or kidnapped at all if it wasn't for him. She also told him that Stacy had loved him so much that she'd given up everything for him and asked if anyone else had ever loved him that much!

I appreciate that Kim is still in Stacy's corner, no matter what, but I think that in her less grief stricken moments, even she must recognize that Stacy's obsession with Rex wasn't really love. I think that's part of why I finally started liking Stacy when Kim showed up. We finally saw that there was someone she genuinely cared for, and then after she got pregnant it became clear the she loved her baby. It made her more human.

After a few more rounds about whether or not Stacy had loved him more than Gigi did, Rex decided it was time for him to go and offered to give Kim a ride back to town. Kim refused, saying that she wasn't leaving Stacy.

When Rex was gone, Kim began to tearfully talk to her friend as if she were still there. She 'showed' Stacy her new boots, the ones that Clint had just bought for her, and noted that they'd cost more than the motel room Stacy and Kim had lived in back in Vegas.

Kim broke down, noting that everything would have been fine if Stacy hadn't left the cabin. Why, Kim cried, did she leave her? They were supposed to be a team! Kim yelled at Stacy that she was talking to her, as if she were expecting an answer.

Again, Amanda Setton did a fantastic job in these scenes. Crying on camera is one of the hardest things to do, or so I've heard, and I should note that I never saw any actual tears from Kim. Still, there are some actresses (one in particular on this very show) who fake cry so badly that it's downright painful to watch, but Amanda Setton managed to make crying without real tears very believable.

Watching Kim go through all the stages of grief was pretty powerful stuff. She finally got to acceptance and promised Stacy that she'd make sure that her daughter never wanted for anything.

Rex, meanwhile, had made it to the hospital at last and Gigi filled him in on what was going on with Sierra and how they needed his consent to operate. (Gigi momentarily discovered that Rex wasn't the father when she thought Stacy had faked going into labor, but once Stacy went into labor for real, Gigi thought she'd been wrong about that and no one had told her the truth yet)

While Kyle and Fish looked on, with Kyle shooting Oliver all these looks that clearly said "Step up and claim your child!" Rex explained to Gigi that he couldn't give the consent. When Gigi demanded to know why, Schuyler finally admitted that he was the baby's real father.

Back at the lake, Kim decided it was time to go and check on Sierra. She said her own special good bye to Stacy, leaving her expensive new boots behind as a tribute and saying that she loved Stacy. It seemed an odd thing to do, I admit, especially since Kim now has to walk around barefoot in the snow, but at the same time it totally seemed like something Kim would do. What better sort of tribute from someone so materialistic?

The final scene of today's show was a shot of the icy lake, now completely silent. The camera cut over to the snow covered dock, where Kim had left the boots, but they were no longer there. Then, the camera panned slowly over some bootprints in the snow!

Now that was truly a classic soap moment! The kind that makes you sit up and yell "What?!" I thought the no body thing meant that they were leaving a door open just in case, but today's ending would indicate that they've already got something big planned. I love it!

All in all, a great show today. Kyle isn't going to let up on the issue of Sierra's paternity, and Oliver is clearly terrified about the whole thing. This is probably going to cause some tension between them, but I think they can take it.

As always, I can't wait to see what's going to happen next.

Kish: Breaking the News

Today's One Life to Live was pretty fantastic, and not just because Oliver and Kyle were together again onscreen. Amanda Setton's performance alone would have made today's episode noteworthy, but the entire episode was fantastic, a perfect way to wrap up the Llantano Mountain story and begin the aftermath.

As the episode started, it was finally morning on the mountain, and Rex and Oliver were still next to the frozen lake, waiting for the rescue crew to find Stacy's body under the ice. Fish told Rex that he'd been able to call the hospital and that Gigi and Schuyler had made it there with the baby, but he didn't know much more than that.

Rex was angry when the rescue team told him that they were calling off the search and that they'd probably not be able to find Stacy's body until the Spring, when the ice melted. I wasn't very pleased with this, either, since I'd like a bit of closure with this story and the lack of a body means they're leaving the door open for a possible return from the dead at some point.

The main rescue guy was kind of an ass, though, and seemed to take a little too much pleasure in bluntly announcing into his walkie talkie that he was making it official: Stacy Morasco is dead. I can only assume that the actor was a fan of the show who'd been eagerly anticipating Stacy's demise for months, like so many others.

At any rate, the reality of Stacy's death finally seemed to hit Rex and he talked to Fish about how much Stacy had cared for her little girl, no matter what lies she'd told. Oliver agreed and sadly noted that little Sierra was not only motherless, but fighting for her own life.

Fish told Rex he was heading back into town to file a report on Stacy's death and to see how the baby was. He offered Rex a ride back to town, but Rex wanted to be alone for awhile. Before Fish left, Rex asked him to break the news to Gigi about her sister's death.

Back at the hospital, Gigi and Schuyler were in with the baby, who was in an incubator, and awaiting the test results to find out what was wrong with her. At the same time, Kyle (who was on in a few scenes yesterday, but just to treat Natalie's sprained ankle) was outside the nursery window, looking in at baby Sierra with this almost indescribable look on his face, a mixture of worry for the baby and something like awe, as if he were thinking "Wow, this little girl is a part of Oliver!"

I hope they don't rush things, but I think it's clear that Kyle is going to love baby Sierra a lot and be a pretty amazing parent!

When Schuyler came out of the nursery, Kyle filled him in on how he'd told Roxy the truth about the baby and said that if Joplin needed to turn him in for breaching patient confidentiality, he could. Schuyler told Kyle that he'd already told Rex the truth himself.

Schuyler wanted to know if Kyle had heard from Oliver and told him about Stacy going through the ice and how they'd left Fish and Rex there to try and save her. They had a little talk about the baby's health and Kyle got the cutest smile on his face when he found out that her name was Sierra Rose. I think Kyle is already officially in love with this child.

After Schuyler left, Kyle looked in on the baby again and wondered aloud if she was Oliver's. Fish chose that moment to show up and the two of them shared a big hug, as if they hadn't seen in each other in weeks.

Fish apologized for not being able to call, but Kyle was just glad he was all right. Oliver asked how the baby was and Kyle told him they were still waiting for test results. Fish broke the news about Stacy, which Schuyler showed up in time to overhear.

Oliver and Kyle watched through the nursery window as Schuyler broke the news to Gigi. Kyle pointed out that all Sierra had now was a father, and that her father could be Fish. The gravity of the situation seemed to hit Oliver as he turned away, looking both sad and pretty scared.

At that point, a doctor showed up and announced to the guys that he was taking over Sierra's case and that he had bad news.

After Fish left Rex alone a frantic Kim showed up, looking for Stacy. Rex explained to her that Stacy had fallen through the ice and a panicked Kimmie wanted to get to the hospital and see her right away. Rex broke the news that they hadn't been able to save Stacy, and that's when Amanda Setton, whom I already loved, took things to a whole new level.

Kim broke down, first with denial, insisting that Stacy was a fighter and that they had to keep looking for her. At one point, she said "She's there, she's right there!", gesturing towards the hole in the ice as if she could actually see her there, and I had tears in my eyes!

Rex told her that they just hadn't been able to save her and that they wouldn't be able to find the body until Spring, and Kim sank to her knees, crying for Stacy. It was really pretty powerful. We don't know a whole lot about Kim's background yet, but from what we do know, Stacy is the one person she truly seemed to care about and who loved her back, and in light of that I think Setton's performance struck exactly the right note.

Rex, who'd seemed almost sympathetic at first, started to glare at Kim and then confronted her about the baby. In fairness to Rex, there was still some lingering question in his mind about the paternity, and he wanted confirmation from Kim, but I really wanted to punch him as he yelled at the sobbing woman who'd just lost her best friend.

Kim admitted that it was true and that just kicked Rex's rage up into a higher gear as he went on and on about Kim & Stacy making a fool of him and Schuyler being the father, until in the end Kim told Rex that Schuyler was no more the father than he was!

Are we really on the verge of the truth coming out so quickly? I thought it would take awhile before the paternity was officially confirmed, but maybe it won't. Things are definitely going to be interesting either way.

Today's show certainly saw some fantastic performances. In addition to Amanda Setton, I though Brett Claywell was really great as Kyle worried about the baby and then got the news about Stacy.

I can't wait to see what happens next. I love this show!

Kish: That's a Wrap

The week is off to a very eventful start on One Life to Live. I didn't write up yesterday's Fish scenes because he really didn't have a great deal to do overall, so this will be about the last two episodes.

If you'll recall, we left Oliver, Schuyler, and Rex looking on in horror as Gigi and baby Sierra Rose were stranded on the cracking ice in the middle of a frozen lake. Yesterday's show picked up in the same spot and found Rex and Schuyler being more or less useless, though Rex did try and find a tree branch long enough to reach Gigi.

Schuyler, the supposedly smart med student, had been staring at Gigi and the baby for at least two scenes but it took Gigi yelling that the baby needed medical help before he finally realized that "Oh, my God, Stacy had the baby!" If I were Fish, I think I might have been tempted to push Schuyler out onto the ice then and there. Survival of the fittest and all, you know.

At any rate, it was Oliver who managed to find a rope to anchor to a tree, tied one end in a loop, and threw it out to Gigi so that she could step into it and pull it up around her body. Our hero to the rescue again!

Of course, it wasn't that simple. When Gigi tried to move towards the rope, the ice gave way under her. She managed to keep her upper body and arms (complete with baby Sierra) above water long enough for Oliver and Schuyler to tie a coat to the end of the rope so that she could put the baby on it and they could pull Sierra to safety. Once that had been accomplished, Gigi sank beneath the water.

Schuyler and Rex worked together to pull Gigi from the lake while Oliver held his baby girl for the first time, kissed her, and promised her that it was going to be all right. I've never really understood the whole thing about guys with babies being more attractive. I figured it was something that must just appeal to straight women, because it doesn't do anything for me. Still, Oliver holding baby Sierra completely made me melt, so maybe there's something to it after all!

That's how yesterday's show ended, with Schuyler performing CPR on Gigi while Rex tried to talk her around and Oliver held his daughter.

Today, they managed to revive Gigi just in time for Stacy to come along. At the end of yesterday's show, Kim had discovered that Stacy (who'd been talking about going to the hospital to be with her daughter) had slipped out of Viki's cabin while Kim was upstairs getting her another blanket.

Unlike the first days of this story, when there were several people wandering the mountain not finding each other, they all seem to now be able to zero in on each other with little problem. Stacy, like Rex before her, went straight from the cabin to the lake.

As Gigi, Rex, Schuyler, and Oliver yelled for her to stop and tried to warn her about the danger, Stacy only seemed to see her baby daughter and charged forward across the ice, which quickly gave out underneath her.

She surfaced, calling her daughter's name and asking if she was okay. Schuyler told Gigi that they had to get the baby medical attention immediately and when Gigi didn't want to leave until her sister was safe, Stacy yelled for her to get Sierra to the hospital. Gigi promised Stacy that she'd make sure nothing happened to the baby and she, Schuyler, and Sierra departed, leaving Oliver and Rex to save Stacy.

Rex tried throwing Stacy the rope, but she wasn't able to reach it before submerging again. She surfaced, though, begging Rex not to let her die. I'm still trying to decide if the complete lack of any emotion on Rex's face during all of this was intentional, a direction that actor John Paul Lavoisier was given, or if he just couldn't be bothered to emote.

Whatever the reasons behind Rex's reaction, Scott Evans did a fantastic job as Oliver during all this, looking terrified as Rex tried again to throw Stacy the rope and she wasn't able to reach it. When Rex went out onto the ice himself in an attempt to reach her, it began to crack underneath him and he had to back away.

Stacy asked Rex to take care of the baby, saying she needed her father (which probably wasn't further manipulation on Stacy's part; in her post-delivery haze, she'd managed to convince herself that because the baby had arrived early, it must actually be Rex's child, the one she'd miscarried. She even shared this belief with Kim), and then told him that there was something she had to tell him about Sierra. Rex cut her off, saying the baby needed her mother, and the last thing that Stacy said before going under for the final time was that she was sorry.

Rex dove in after her, despite Fish urging him to think about his son Shane and not risk his life. Fish was looking pretty terrified as he waited, no doubt convinced that Rex and Stacy were both dead. When Rex finally surfaced without Stacy and wanted to go back under and look for her again, Fish grabbed Rex, telling him that doing so would be certain death and that if he fought Oliver on that, they'd both end up dead.

Fish pulled Rex out of the water and shortly thereafter the emergency personnel finally arrived. Oliver and Rex stared at the hole in the ice that marked Stacy's watery grave and Fish tried to assure Rex that he'd done everything he could, but that it had just been impossible. Oliver said that he couldn't believe Stacy was gone and asked if Rex knew what she'd been trying to tell him about the baby.

Now, Rex and Oliver both think that Schuyler is the father and that should be the logical assumption on both their parts about what Stacy might have been trying to confess, so having Fish ask Rex that seemed really out of place and not very believable.

At any rate, Rex replied that the only thing he knew was that the little girl no longer had a mother. Which of course means that, sooner or later, Oliver will be the one raising his daughter! I wished, not that long ago, that this exact situation would happen: Stacy dead and Oliver (with Kyle, eventually) raising the baby.

I'm sure I'll be very glad in the long run but since they managed, against all odds, to make me like Stacy somewhat at the end, today was actually rather sad. Still, it's going to make for some great story for Oliver and Kyle, not to mention Kim, Schuyler, Gigi, and Rex.

Gigi and Schuyler did manage to get baby Sierra safely down the mountain and to the hospital, by the way, and no doubt the story will continue there as the week progresses.

For the record, our Oliver has now saved (or helped to save) the lives of Brody, Gigi, baby Sierra, and Rex. He's been very heroic, but I find myself really hoping that we get a scene where he just kind of falls apart in Kyle's arms for a little while. Fish has had a very traumatic time up on Llantano mountain and for all his heroism, he's very human. Even the strongest person needs someone they can be vulnerable with. It would be great to see Kyle comfort him and help him through what he's feeling!

Kish: Ice Capades

The action continued today up on Llantano mountain, even though Fish didn't have a great deal to do. Oliver was still with Rex and Schuyler when the episode started, and Rex was refusing to help them look for the pregnant woman lost in the snow. Why? Well, Rex wanted to get to Gigi and tell her about all the naughty things Schuyler had done, you see, and also because Stacy and the baby were 'Schuyler's problem now'.

Never mind that the baby is Rex's son Shane's cousin, it also happens to just be an innocent child! It certainly wasn't Rex's finest moment. In fact, it made me kind of hate him.

After Balsom had run off to find his Morasco, Schuyler told Fish that they had to find Stacy. Oliver assured him that he wanted to find her just as badly and Schuyler wondered why Fish was so invested in the search. Joplin didn't seem to buy Oliver's declaration that he was a cop and it was his job, and was about to press for more of an explanation when the two were interrupted by the arrival of Kim and Marty. The women had come up the mountain together to find Stacy and John, respectively.

While Oliver showed Marty where John's vehicle had gone through the guardrail and assured her that he hadn't found any bodies inside, Schuyler told Kim that Rex knew the truth about the baby.

Kim and Marty wanted to help search, especially after Marty realized that the guys were giving priority to the search for Stacy, but Oliver refused to let two civilians put themselves in danger (I see his point, but what are Schuyler and Rex, then, trained professionals?) and ordered the two women to head back down the mountain, promising to call as soon as he knew anything.

After Schuyler and Fish left, Marty and Kim each decided to pay no attention to Oliver's orders, which Kim saw as sexist. Kim headed for the cabin, while Marty immediately spotted something no one else had, including the trained cop who'd been standing in the same spot for quite some time: smoke, which was coming from the chimney of John and Natalie's abandoned cabin.

While all that was happening, Gigi and Stacy had realized that something wasn't right with Oliver's new daughter, Sierra. The baby had become pale and was looking a bit blue around the lips. Gigi decided to bundle her new niece up and walk her down to the main road, so that they could get some help in getting her to the hospital.

Rather moronically, Gigi wrapped the baby up in a warm coat but left her otherwise naked. Now, I know Viki's cabin isn't going to be stocked up with baby clothes, but at least put the child in a couple of your own shirts or something before taking it out in the middle of a blizzard! Would you go out in a snowstorm wearing nothing but a coat, Gigi? This character is supposed to be a really good mother, too. Yikes.

Rex arrived at the cabin after Gigi had left and found Stacy, who told him about giving birth and about her sister trying to get the baby some help. After Rex went out to look for Gigi, Kim showed up and she and Stacy had a nice reunion. I really do love their friendship! I hated Stacy before Kim showed up, but Amanda Setton's awesome performance has me loving Kim, and has actually made me start to like Stacy Morasco, somehow, which I would have said was impossible.

Gigi, meanwhile, was walking through the snow, frequently stopping to unbundle and look at baby Sierra, which meant exposing her naked torso to the elements. Gigi was a bit turned around in all the whiteness and, after slipping on some ice under the snow, came to the horrifying realization that she'd ended up in the middle of the frozen lake.

Instead of very carefully making her way back to the banks of the lake, which weren't really that far, Gigi decided to carry on walking across the middle of the ice, telling the baby about a book she'd read as a kid about the pioneers crossing frozen lakes in their wagons.

Oh, Gigi. Remember when she was a strong, smart single mother? Where did that Gigi go? I really liked her. How is it possible that I now like Stacy more than Gigi?!

At any rate, the ice began to crack beneath her feet and she froze in terror as Rex showed up on one side of her and Fish and Schuyler on the other.

That was all for this week, but what a week it was for Oliver! He saved Brody's life, survived an avalache, and became a father! Sadly, he lost his very cute hat in the process, but then that's life, isn't it? I wonder if Oliver will save the day again on Monday? He'll probably have to, since Schuyler and Rex will most likely stop to fight over who should get to jump in and save Gigi! Someone should really tell those two to get a room already.

Kish: A Little Fish

There isn't much to write in regard to Kish from the last few days. They weren't on yesterday, and though Oliver was onscreen today, it was really just to break up the fight between Rex and Schuyler, fill them in on Stacy being missing, and then to try and signal a search helicopter for help.

He of course looked incredibly cute while doing all of this, but it didn't leave me much to comment on story wise. To be fair, I did lose one Fish scene to a Special Report about President Clinton, but it didn't seem like much had happened when they got back to the show.

FYI, though, my favorite line today was one of Schuyler's, after Fish had told them about Mitch throwing Stacy out into the storm: "Stacy got thrown out of her own kidnapping?" Ha!

I should also add that Oliver did become a father today, not that he knows it yet. He and Stacy now have a baby daughter named Sierra Rose. I cannot wait to see Oliver adjusting to being a father! You know he's going to be an awesome one. It will also be interesting to see the effect it has on his relationship with Kyle. Yes, they're in love, but they've really just started dating. They don't even live together yet, are they really ready to raise a baby together?

There's always Oliver's parents to consider, too. One wonders what sort of a role, if any, they might take in their grandchild's life since they haven't shown any interest in their son post-coming out.

Whatever happens, it's definitely going to be a daytime milestone. Oliver Fish is now the first gay male parent in daytime history and that's groundbreaking!

Kish: Avalanches and Heroics

Today's One Life to Live was another action packed hour of great soap! Both Fish and Kyle were featured, although not together, of course, since Oliver is up on Llantano Mountain in a blizzard and Kyle is safe and warm at the hospital in Llanview.

Let's start with the Kyle scenes, which further strengthened the bond between him and his BFF Roxy. Kyle, who you'll recall told Roxy that Stacy's baby wasn't her grandchild at the end of last week, found Roxy still sitting in the hospital waiting room, lost in thought.

When he asked what she was thinking about, she told him that there were bad things about raising babies that you never think you'll miss- dirty diapers, crying in the middle of the night- but that there are a lot of good things that come along with that. She'd really been looking forward to being the baby's Grandmother.

Roxy said that at least Rex wouldn't have to deal with 'that slut' any more, but that she did feel sorry for the baby's real father and she wished she knew who it was so she could tell him to head for the hills.

Kyle told Roxy that he knew she'd have to tell Rex the truth and that if anyone found out it had come from Kyle he'd be kicked out of medical school. He knew, though, that Roxy wouldn't let that happen. Roxy asked how he knew that, and he told her that he trusted her and that she was his best bud.

Roxy: I never had one of those before.

Kyle: Well, maybe it's about time. I just worry that I made a mistake, because I hate seeing you suffer like this.

Sweet scene. I seriously love these two as friends! Anyway, Roxy told Kyle she'd be suffering either way and that she'd love to wring Stacy's neck. Kyle told her that she'd have to stand in line but Roxy realized that there was someone else she could confront immediately.

Roxy went to see Kim and let her know that she knew the truth. Kim, after trying to pretend that she didn't know what Roxy was talking about, threatened to destroy Kyle's future as a doctor if Roxy told anyone. She also told Roxy that she could take her and that she's been 'known to cut a bitch.' Ha! I seriously love Kim. She's vicious, but she's not a one note character. Her loyalty to and love for Stacy has been obvious since day one, and more so now than ever sine she's terrified for Stacy's safety.

Once she was alone, though, Roxy called Rex's cell phone. The scene with Roxy calling Rex was cut together with one of Kyle calling Fish's cell phone, and leaving a message to let him know that he'd told Roxy about the baby not being Rex's, but hadn't said anything about who the real father was.

That was all for Kyle today. Oliver's scenes, meanwhile, started with him wandering in the snow, calling out for Rex, Schuyler, or anybody within earshot. When no one answered him, Fish said "I think I'm in trouble, Kyle." I absolutely loved that moment, when Fish talked to Kyle as if he were there with him. It was very sweet and it really spoke to how connected the two of them are, as if Fish feels that Kyle is such a part of him that they're always together, even when they're miles apart. Yes, I know that's completely sappy, but I don't care! I'm a romantic.

Fish tried to get cell service again but wasn't successful this time, so he started heading farther up the mountain in the general direction that the others had all taken. Rex, meanwhile, had found and revived the unconscious Schuyler, while Gigi had stumbled upon Stacy buried under a blanket of snow and saved her.

The two pairs each heard a strange noise, as did Oliver, who was trudging through the snow on his own. Rex & Schuyler quickly realized that it was an avalanche (and Rex, God love him, expressed that realization for us viewers as only he could!). What they didn't see was that it seemed to be coming down directly on top of our guy Fish!

The next image we had was of Oliver's knit hat, in which he'd looked so cute, lying all by itself on top of the snow. Had he been buried alive?!

Meanwhile, as Gigi got Stacy back to the cabin (and managed to figure out that Stacy was lying about the baby's due date and thus its paternity), and Rex and Schuyler were forced by the avalanche blocking the path up the mountain to head back to the road (where Schuyler finally admitted to Rex that the baby was his), big things were happening at the old Geological Observatory.

Mitch, you'll recall, had been told by his God that he had to impregnate his own daughter, Jessica, with The Chosen One. Jessica, still in her zombie like state, didn't care for that idea, so Mitch drugged her into unconsciousness.

Brody burst in with his gun drawn before (I hope) Mitch was able to do much more than lay Jessica out on the bed. Mitch grabbed a syringe and threatened to kill Jessica if Brody didn't lower his gun, but Brody took the more sensible option and shot Mitch instead.

Not so sensibly, he shot him in the arm rather than in the head, but that still enabled him to get Mitch tied to a chair. As Brody was trying to wake Jessica up, Nurse Charles slipped a cord around his neck and began choking him to death from behind as Mitch gleefully screamed at her to "Ride him to hell!" Mitch is seriously the creepiest soap villain EVER.

Jessica came to, sort of, and saw her boyfriend being killed before her eyes. She started to reach for his gun, which was beside her on the bed, but was moving very slowly, as befit her drugged state. I, meanwhile, was yelling "Shoot the bitch!" Not my proudest moment, but then it's easy to get caught up in good storytelling!

Finally, just as Brody looked like he was close to losing the fight, a shot did ring out, but it wasn't Jessica who pulled the trigger. It was Oliver! He was alive and well, though missing his cute hat. Unlike Brody Fish shot to kill, so we'll be seeing no more of Nurse Charles.

It was a great moment, though. I was worried about Fish being buried alive and they diverted all attention to Jessica slowly reaching for Brody's gun, so when Fish turned up and saved the day, I truly hadn't seen it coming.

Now that Fish has saved Brody's life, aren't they bonded forever? I'd settle for seeing them as partners on the force!

Fish, ever the cop, informed Mitch that he was under arrest, but Laurence just sneered that he'd have Oliver's badge. Brody wanted to get Jessica (who, it seems, wasn't faking the zombie like state after all) out of there, but Fish told him that they were snowed in.

Fish filled Brody in on the explosion and that there hadn't been any sign of John or Natalie. He asked about Stacy and Brody said he hadn't seen her. Oliver demanded to know what Mitch had done with her and The Messenger informed him that she was in God's hands.

Oliver got angry (and he's just as hot as Kyle when he gets mad!) and demanded to know where she was. Mitch rambled on about her and her bastard child being turned out to the mercy of the mountain and Fish threatened Mitch if anything had happened to them. Mitch wondered aloud what a 'degenerate slattern' and her child mattered to Officer Fish.

Oliver told Brody that he had to go and look for Stacy. Brody thought he was crazy to go back out in the storm, but gave him a flashlight and urged him to be careful. As Oliver left, Mitch shouted that he'd pray for him.

That was all for today, but what a day it was! Oliver is truly the most heroic gay character featured in daytime soaps thus far. What I love is that he isn't a hero in the John McBain sense, where you never really see him express any emotion. Today we saw that Oliver didn't hesitate to kill Nurse Charles to save Brody, but the look on his face after he'd done so was definitely full of emotion. Scott Evans is playing this character perfectly.

Kish: Fish on the Mountain

Today's One Life to Live didn't feature Kyle, but we picked up right where we left off with Fish, up on Llantano Mountain with Rex in the middle of a blizzard.

After the action packed final days of last week, today was actually much more uneventful. The stories were furthered a bit, of course, but they're clearly saving the big moments for later in the week. Today was more about a few individual characters wrestling with their consciences, which took the form of imagined conversations with dead loved ones. Or Heavenly visits from said loved ones, depending on your point of view.

But back to our guy Oliver. We started right where we'd left off, with Rex wondering aloud why Stacy would have listed Schuyler as guardian of 'their' child in her will. Oliver nervously asked how he should know and Rex, with an annoyed roll of his eyes, told Fish that it was a rhetorical question.

Once he'd taken a good look at Oliver's guilty face, though, Rex realized that it might not have been so rhetorical a question after all and asked if Fish knew anything about it.

Oliver tried to sidestep the question, saying that Stacy and Schuyler must be close since they'd dated back when they lived in Las Vegas. Rex reminded Fish that Schuyler had helped expose Stacy's whole stem cell scheme and that she hated the guy now. Fish, who looked so cute in his knit hat that I had a hard time paying attention to the dialogue for a few seconds, said that Stacy may have found a way to forgive Schuyler.

Rex wasn't buying that, either, and I liked that they didn't have Oliver flat out lie to him, which would have been wildly against character for Fish, but rather stick to non-denials like "What would I know?"

That still didn't stop Rex from telling Fish that he was a lousy liar and demanding that Oliver 'give it to him straight'. Hmmm. I won't touch that one, it's just too easy.

Fish seemed to be on the verge of admitting that he knew something when he caught scent of the smoke from the nearby explosion that they'd both failed to notice. Fish realized a car must have gone through the guardrail and decided to climb down and see what had happened. Rex insisted on going with him, worried that it may have been the car that Stacy was in.

The guys found the 'burned to a crisp' remains of the vehicle Natalie, John, and Brody had been in, but no signs of bodies. Fish found a tracking device that he'd rigged the vehicle with when he set it up for John's prison break (the new police commissioner is in Mitch's pocket, remember), so they knew that it wasn't the car Stacy had been in.

Fish, ever the good cop, told Rex that his job was to sweep the area and look for survivors, since they knew that John, Brody, Dorian, and Schuyler were all out there somewhere. Rex told Fish to do what he had to do, but Rex himself had to find Stacy.

And so, the two men parted ways, without a situation requiring the need for sharing body heat having arisen. Maybe tomorrow? I'm picturing something with an abandoned cabin (they seem to be plentiful on soaps, and John and Natalie have already found one) and a bear skin rug in front of a fire...

Rex joined the legion of people wandering around that mountain in the snow, while Fish managed to find a spot where he had cell service. Instead of calling Kyle, as I'd hoped he was about to do, Fish responsibly called Marty and asked if she'd heard from John. Dr. Saybrooke hadn't, and Fish filled her in about the accident before hanging up.

I think my second favorite moment of the episode was when Fish had just hung up the phone with Marty and asked aloud "Where the hell is everyone?" He just looked so worried and adorable, but the sentiment itself made me laugh, since there are now twelve characters wandering around that mountain, all managing to miss each other somehow.

My favorite moment from today's show had nothing to do with Fish. It was the moment when Schuyler, who'd been wandering around in the snow, seemingly delirious as he talked about being the father of Stacy's baby, suddenly saw lights up ahead and realized he was close to the cabin. A split second later, a tree branch fell on his head, knocking him out.

Was I the only one who watched that moment five or six times? It was hilarious!

Well, that was all we saw of Oliver today, but I'm sure the action and excitement are going to be building up all week. Hopefully Kyle will be onscreen soon, too. There's got to be room up on that mountain for him and Roxy still, right?

Kish: Now That's Great Soap!

Have I mentioned lately how incredible the writing on One Life to Live is? Okay, I know that I have, but it's worth repeating. All you'd have to do is watch this week's episodes to see how a well written soap opera should work: several different stories coming together perfectly all at once for an action packed series of February sweeps episodes.

Seriously, this is what good soaps are all about, stories that are well written and character driven. Other shows do Sweeps stunts that are all about a lot of otherwise pointless action, where plot comes before anything else. OLTL builds up to Sweeps with months of great storytelling culminating in exciting conclusions. Can we clone Ron Carlivati and send one of him to each of the other remaining soaps as Head Writer?

With that said, let's get started. Fish was on yesterday's episode of the show, but he didn't have a great deal to do, so I didn't blog about it. Basically, he got word that Mitch's henchwoman, Nurse Charles, had managed to kidnap Stacy, and he showed up at the hospital for a brief confab with Rex and Kim before going in search of Stacy up Llantano Mountain in the middle of a blizzard, with Rex at his side.

That brings us to today. Now, several other characters have headed up the Mountain as well: Natalie, Brody, and John were looking for Mitch's hideout; Charlie and Dorian were following Stacy and Nurse Charles so that Charlie could kill Mitch and save Jessica; and Schuyler was on his way up to meet Gigi at Viki's cabin and finally tell her the truth (or what he believes is the truth) about the paternity of Stacy's baby. Mitch, of course, was already up there in an abandoned Geological Observatory, holding Jessica captive and treating her to a little electro shock therapy to keep her docile and make her forget all he'd taken her away from.

The cars driven by Nurse Charles and Charlie had a little three way car accident with Natalie, Brody and John on the icy mountain roads. Nurse Charles' car made it through just fine, but Natalie & co went through the guardrail and over the side of the mountain and Dorian and Charlie had to abandon their car and proceed on foot.

Before you knew it, Schuyler came along and crashed into Dorian's abandoned car and then, after some time spent unconscious, stumbled out on foot, bleeding from the head and from the leg.

Got all that? As much as I love stories that blend together so perfectly, it does make it hard when you're trying to write about just one of the stories!

Back at the hospital, Kyle ran into Kim and she told him about Stacy's abduction and about how Fish and Rex were in cold pursuit. Kyle called Fish to make sure he was okay and advised him that he had to tell Rex the truth about the baby. Oliver was worried about Kyle's medical career, but Kyle told him to just do the right thing, like he always does. Fish didn't think the time was right, though.

Before they could say much more to each other, Oliver lost cell phone service, like everyone else on the mountain has. He and Rex soon came upon Dorian and Schuyler's crashed cars and checked them out, never noticing the hole in guard rail leading down to where Rex's sister Natalie may or may not have blown up a few minutes before. (Seriously, the explosion was what woke Schuyler up, but Rex and Fish see no sign of it just a brief time later? Okay, I'm nitpicking. When the show is this well written, you can suspend disbelief on the little things)

Rex and Fish realized that they couldn't go any farther in the car, what with the road blocked by the wrecks. Fish was adorably bundled up for winter (Scott Evans looks good in anything!), but Rex wasn't, so he started looking through Schuyler's car for gloves and found Stacy's will, in which Schuyler had forced her, in exchange for the promise to give her the Oxcytocin to induce labor, to name him as legal guardian of 'their' baby if anything happened to her and Rex.

As Rex wondered aloud why the hell Stacy would name Schuyler Joplin as the guardian of 'their' baby, Oliver looked guilty (and adorable) in the background. If I didn't love Kyle so much, I'd be hoping for Rex and Fish to get lost together and be forced to find a way to stay warm! Maybe they could run into a freezing Brody, who is out there somewhere in need of warmth, too!

Meanwhile, back in Llanview, Roxy showed up at the hospital with balloons and big cigar, looking for her new grandchild, since Stacy had faked going in to labor just before Nurse Charles nabbed her.

Kyle broke the news about Mitch having Stacy and Roxy immediately blamed herself and told Kyle that if anything happened to that baby, to Rex, or to Fish, it was going to be Roxy's fault. She reminded Kyle that he'd asked her how she'd ever ended up having a child with someone like Mitch and now, because all her lies had lead to this, she had to tell him the truth.

Finally! I've been waiting ages to find out the rest of this particular story. I'll have to wait even longer, though, because Kyle picked that moment to delay the telling of Roxy's secret by spilling his own: Rex wasn't the father of Stacy's baby. Thanks a lot, Kyle! Seriously, when someone says they're about to tell you the truth about what happened between them and a psychotic cult leader, just zip it and listen!

Still, it says a lot about how much Kyle really cares for Roxy that he put his career on the line to tell her the truth.

Roxy was devastated and told Kyle that she loved that baby, that it was supposed to be her grandchild, and that she was going to do all the things with it that she missed out on doing with Rex's son Shane. Her emotions quickly swung around to anger at Stacy, though, and she declared "That bitch is dead!"

Speaking of which, Mitch finally had Stacy and 'The Chosen One' right where he wanted them, but Nurse Charles did a little exam and told The Messenger that it looked like Stacy still had three or four weeks before she delivered.

Stacy tearfully repeated what she'd been trying to tell them since they attempted to kidnap her the first time: the baby wasn't Mitch's grandchild. This time, Mitch listened to her whole story (as did a zombie like, post electro-shock Jessica, whom I suspect is only faking her docility) and believed it.

The truth sent him over the edge and he declared Stacy 'The Whore of Babylon' and quoted some scary sounding scripture about bathing his feet in the blood of the wicked. He started to choke her to death, but Zombie Jessica (her latest personality?) stopped him, calmly pointing out that an innocent child shouldn't be forced to pay for its mother's sins.

Mitch decided to turn Stacy out in the storm and leave it up to his vengeful God as to whether or not Stacy and the baby lived or died. The Messenger asked his God (who'd taken the form of a flickering florescent light, it seemed) about the true identity of The Chosen One, and apparently God told him that he had to make the baby then and there, with his own daughter. Gross! Just when I thought Mitch couldn't get any more creepy.

After stumbling around in the snow for awhile, calling Rex's name, Stacy went into labor. Not to fear, I'm sure she'll run into one of the nine other people who are lost in the blizzard. It looks like Fish will probably be a daddy by this time next week!

Kish: Something Wicked This Way Comes

Today's Kish scenes started with Oliver standing guard outside Stacy's door and Kyle showing up with some breakfast for him. After Fish told Kyle that he was sweet for surprising him like that, Kyle replied that he hoped Oliver still thought so after he got in Stacy's face again about the baby's paternity.

Fish told Kyle that they'd been over this already- why would Stacy tell Schuyler the baby was his if she wasn't sure? Kyle astutely pointed out that Stacy had something on Schuyler, that he'd lose Gigi if she found out the truth. Didn't Fish want to know if he was about to become a father?

Oliver said that he'd never even thought about being a dad before and Kyle told him that maybe he should start. Fish told his boyfriend that it wasn't the time or the place to be discussing whether or not he wanted to have kids, and Kyle asked when the right time would be, when Stacy's child graduated high school?

Fish told him to stop, that everything was just hypothetical so far. They were interrupted by Stacy and Rex at that point, and Kyle made a hasty exit, directly followed by Rex. Once they were alone, Stacy asked Oliver what the lover's quarrel she and Rex had just walked in on was all about and he told her that Kyle wasn't convinced that the baby was Schuyler's.

Stacy reiterated that she was completely sure Schuyler was the father, but Fish reminded her that she'd had sex with him just a few days after she'd been with Schuyler. How could she be sure? Stacy claimed that a woman just knows, that she'd felt something that night with Schuyler, and then she proceeded to claim that medical technology is so advanced these days that they can practically pinpoint conception down to the minute, and her doctor had confirmed the day she'd been with Joplin was indeed the big day.

Stacy told Fish to relax and do his happy dance, he wasn't going to be a father. The only baby daddy her child was going to know was Rex. Fish bought all of this a little too eagerly, I have to say, but I can't really blame him. The alternative is pretty scary, after all.

Oliver admitted to being relieved, saying that after so many years of being in the closet he was finally with Kyle and having an unplanned child could really put pressure on a relationship.

Meanwhile, at the hospital, Kyle unwittingly witnessed Schuyler's reluctant theft of a prescription pad so that he could get Stacy the meds she'd need to induce labor a month early. Kyle wanted to know if Schuyler was sure that he was really the father of Stacy's child.

Without reveling Oliver's involvement, Kyle asked Schuyler how he could be so certain when he knew that Stacy had also tried to sleep with Kyle himself. Who was to say she didn't sleep with someone else to increase her odds of getting pregnant? Before they could discuss it any further, Kyle was paged and had to leave. It seemed for a moment like Schuyler might actually be considering the possibility Kyle had raised, but then he filled in the prescription pad for Oxytocin.

Later, Kyle called Fish and told him that he'd just assisted in an appendectomy in which they were complications. Though they didn't lose the patient, the experience made Kyle realize that he wouldn't know what to do if he ever lost Oliver. Fish assured his boyfriend that he wasn't going to be losing him, and Kyle apologized for their argument. Fish apologized, too, and told Kyle that he'd talked to Stacy again and she was sure the baby wasn't his.

On his end of the phone, Kyle's facial expression indicated exactly what he thought of Stacy's statement, but he told Oliver that he was glad he'd talked to her again. Fish said that he was, too, and that he just wanted their lives to be about the two of them for awhile.

Uh oh, that was very ominous. I always get nervous when a character on a soap tells a loved one that they don't know what they'd do if they ever lost them. It usually means that something bad is about to happen to said loved one!

There's plenty of reason to worry about Oliver's safety. Mitch Laurence and his henchwoman Nurse Charles have kidnapped his biological daughter Jessica Buchanan and have a crib all prepared in his lair for Stacy's baby, a.k.a. The Chosen One or The Prince of Peace, if you will. Mitch informed Jessica today that she'd be the child's mother. Oliver could be the only thing standing between Mitch and the baby when he comes for it. Gulp!

Kish: Stripper Showdown

Today's Kish scenes picked up at the moment where yesterday's ended, with Fish asking Kyle if he was saying that the baby could be his. It shouldn't come as any surprise that Oliver was freaking out just a little bit at this point.

Kyle suggested that Fish treat this like a police case: what would he do if he had a bunch of evidence that could mean different things? Fish said that he'd track down every lead to try and figure out the truth. Kyle, being strong for Oliver's sake, said that they'd do exactly that and figure out the truth together.

Fish wondered aloud how this could have happened, noting that he'd slept with Stacy once (I guess he meant once that night, since we all know that he slept with her early last year, too) and Kyle pointed out that it could have been a lot worse.

When Fish wondered how things could possibly be worse, his boyfriend pointed out that he'd slept with someone without protection. Oliver protested that he'd been wasted and Kyle asked if that was supposed to make it okay. Fish rather lamely added that Stacy had told him it was all taken care of. How, he asked rhetorically, could he have been such an idiot?

Kyle and Fish went over the details again and confirmed that the timing was exactly right for the baby to be Oliver's, but Fish hopefully pointed out that Stacy had also slept with Schuyler and who knew how many others, since she was 'trolling for baby daddy'.

Fish thought the baby had to be Schuyler's since it didn't make any sense for Stacy to have told him it was if that wasn't true. Kyle reminded Fish that Stacy only does what's good for Stacy and wondered why Schuyler would cover for her with Rex.

Fish: Kyle, I don't know what to believe. All I keep thinking is that I could have a baby.

Kyle: I know.

Fish: What am I going to do?

Kyle: I know what we're not going to do is panic.

Fish: I think it might be too late for that.

Kyle: Listen to me. We're going to deal with this together. Okay? No matter what we find out.

Fish: Okay.

I loved this scene! I thought it was fantastic how Kyle just calmly let Fish know that he's there by his side, no matter what, and that Oliver is not going to have to deal with all of this alone. You could see Fish just calm down a little as he looked into Kyle's eyes. These two are so amazing together.

Kyle asked Oliver what their first step should be, how they should deal with a 'lying, scheming bimbo' and Fish said they had to do it head-on.

They did so by showing up at the Buchanan mansion, where Stacy and her partner in crime Kim (who is currently living with her boss/potential sugar daddy Clint Buchanan) were in the middle of talking about who would get custody of the baby if something happened to Stacy and Rex thanks to Mitch.

Stacy told Fish that she didn't need any protection while she was at the mansion and Kyle chimed in, saying that what she needed was an 'ass whuppin'. Stacy and Kim were outraged and Stacy demanded to know for what, exactly, her ass needed to be whipped.

Fish: For telling me that's not my baby inside you when you know damn well it could be!

Fish asked Stacy if the baby was Schuyler's or his, but Stacy reminded him that he'd been wasted the night they spent together and claimed that they'd never actually had sex. Fish pointed out that she'd told him they had the next morning.

Stacy: Oh, come on Oliver! You've known me long enough to know that just because I say something doesn't mean it's the truth!

Fish said that he knows when he's had sex with a woman and Kim piped up, telling him that he wouldn't know his way around a woman with a GPS. Ha! I love Kim. She's the only good thing to come out of this Stacy Morasco mess. Although to be honest, Stacy herself hasn't irritated me nearly as much lately as she used to.

Stacy said that it didn't matter what had happened that night because the baby was Schuyler's. Kyle asked how she could know that when there was nothing on her chart about a CVS. After receiving three rather blank stares, Kyle explained that it was a fetal paternity test.

Kim ordered the guys out, saying that the stress wasn't good for Stacy or the baby, but Kyle told her that if they left without proof of paternity, they were going straight to Rex and Schuyler.

Kim: You'd better go see your friend Roxy, Kyle. Your roots are showing.

Kyle: What's that supposed to mean?

Kim: Once a blackmailer, always a blackmailer. You really give gays a bad name.

Kyle: You and Stacy ain't exactly doing strippers and sluts any favors, either.

Love it! It's awesome how Kyle is the one who is taking the lead on this, fiercely protecting his man. Plus, he's really hot when he gets all worked up!

When the women weren't forthcoming with any more info, our guys started to leave, heading for Rex and Schuyler as promised. Kim stopped them by saying that Kyle would be the one who suffered if they said anything.

She told them that her boss, Clint, had hospital board members in and out of his office all the time and she'd make sure they found out exactly how Kyle got his information. Stacy offered Kyle a reminder that using patient information for blackmail was against the Hippocratic oath.

Fish and Kyle were speechless, leaving a triumphant Stacy to utter the immortal words "Check and mate, bitches."

Kyle started in about all the people Stacy was hurting, like Rex and Roxy, who thought the baby was their family, and then told Stacy that she was putting herself and the baby in danger by letting Mitch Laurence believe it was his grandchild.

Kim decided that it was time to call security to have the guys thrown out, but Oliver said that wouldn't be necessary. After the guys went outside, Kyle said that he was still going to go to Rex and Schuyler, that they couldn't let Stacy get away with this.

Fish didn't want Kyle to risk his career, but Kyle said that Stacy possibly being pregnant with Oliver's child was more important than anything else. Fish refused to let Kyle throw away his future for something they weren't one hundred percent sure about and said that they'd have to wait until the baby was born, at which point they could get a paternity test.

Kyle asked if Fish could wait that long and Oliver said he could, but that they'd have to keep quiet in the meantime while he protected Stacy and what could be his child.

Pretty awesome scenes today! I loved the Stacy, Kim, Kyle, and Oliver confrontation and I love how there for each other Kyle and Fish are. Most shows would have used the baby as a road block for the new relationship, but it really seems like it's bringing Kyle and Fish even closer together.