Something More on Y&R?

The gay characters and stories that were featured last summer on The Young and the Restless were more or less dropped by fall.

Here's a quick recap, if you've forgotten: Philip Chancellor III returned from the dead after twenty years and revealed to his family that he'd faked his death because he was gay and hadn't felt that he'd be accepted. At the same time, Victor Newman's scheming son Adam felt that his lawyer, the openly gay Rafe, was getting too close to uncovering Adam's crimes, so he pretended to have feelings for him, even going so far as to hook up with him to keep him from learning the truth.

There were rumors that a Philip and Rafe pairing was in the offing, but then the show wrote Philip out and Rafe went back to occasional appearances in his capacity as a lawyer, with no hint of a love life. Adam, meanwhile, moved on and is now married to his former sister in law, even though he also secretly took her child and let her think it was dead.

I was a bit bitter over the way that the stories were handled on Y&R, especially after co-head writer Scott Hammer made the following statement at the end of the summer:

"At this point, we are not doing a gay story, and we never actually were doing a gay story. What we were playing with Rafe was the lengths to which Adam will go to accomplish his goals. And what we were really seeing was that he would stop at nothing. And, at this point, I don't see a future for Rafe and Adam."

Still, I knew that the adorable Yani Gellman was still appearing as Rafe now and then, and after I read that Thom Bierdz would be returning to the role of Philip in early 2010, I wondered if there might be a pairing between the two after all and started keeping a closer eye on things.

On today's show, Rafe and Billy Abbott met for drinks. Billy was digging for dirt on Adam for a story he's writing and knew that something had gone on between Rafe and Adam. After telling Billy that, as a lawyer, he'd worked with lowlifes and sociopaths galore but had never met anyone as devious as Adam, Rafe said he'd like to see Billy bring Adam down.

Rafe mistakenly thought that Billy had already found out that he and Adam had been involved and proceeded to open up on the matter.

Billy: Look, I'm going to need the whole story if I'm going to nail this guy.

Rafe: I don't even know the whole story. I was getting close, though, and he knew it. That's the only reason it happened Billy.

Billy: Uh huh.

Rafe: He played it perfectly. Reluctant, unsure, the whole time just reeling me in.

Billy: So it was a con?

Rafe: See, nobody gets that! Heather thinks it was my idea, she still barely even talks to me.

Billy wasn't sure what Adam's ex girlfriend had to do with anything and Rafe explained that she'd been jealous over the time he was spending with Adam.

Billy: Yeah, but you were his lawyer.

Rafe: No, not by this point. You can't get involved with a client, you'd get disbarred.

Billy: (after a few speechless moments) You... you and Adam.. you were.. um.. you were.. you were... you were involved, involved? Like-

Rafe: You said you knew!

.......

Billy: You're telling me that Victor Newman's son is a bisexual?

Rafe: No.

Billy: He's gay?

Rafe: No. It was an act.

Rafe went on to explain that he'd been getting too close to uncovering the truth after his aunt was falsely accused of gaslighting Ashley, that Adam had proceeded to distract him until suspicion shifted to someone else, at which point Adam's feelings for him had suddenly vanished.

Billy wondered how big Adam's secrets must be if he'd be willing to go to such extreme measures to keep them quiet. Rafe was a bit offended, but Billy asked if Rafe would ever consider sleeping with a woman to save his 'own little ass' and Rafe agreed that he'd never do that.

It wasn't much, but now that Billy knows about the affair and plans to expose it, there could be more going on with this story in the near future. I'd certainly love to see more of Rafe, though I'm probably getting my hopes up for nothing given this show's track record with LGBT stories.

Interesting Quote from Y&R Writer

Now that I'm all caught up with Kish, both Nuke and the Y&R characters are on the horizon. However, it seems like I may not have to worry about catching up with the latter show at all. AfterElton has a new post wondering if the show is de-gaying itself after co-head writer Scott Hammer said the following:

“At this point, we are not doing a gay story, and we never actually were doing a gay story. What we were playing with Rafe was the lengths to which Adam will go to accomplish his goals. And what we were really seeing was that he would stop at nothing. And, at this point, I don't see a future for Rafe and Adam."

Well, it became clear to me fairly quickly that there was no long term future in Rafe & Adam, but I thought that there would still be a future for Rafe and someone else, whether it was the newly alive and out Philip or somebody completely new.

Does this mean that Rafe will just fade away, as so many gay characters not connected to core families (and at least one who was, General Hospital's Lucas) have in the past? Will the same happen to Philip?

I hope The Young and the Restless isn't backing away from groundbreaking story telling, but I honestly wouldn't be all that stunned if it turned out that they were. Then again, I was very surprised that they decided to introduce gay characters at all, so maybe they'll shock me again by giving Rafe and/or Philip a serious love interest.

Y&R: Busted!

We haven't had much on the Adam & Rafe front on The Young and the Restless since Adam ended things with Rafe and was outed to his father by Nikki. Today, though, Adam's lies and manipulations came back to haunt him, thanks once again to Nikki Newman.

You see, Nikki was engaged to be married to Paul, who is the father of Adam's girlfriend Heather. She decided to end things with Paul, since she's still in love with her ex husband Victor, and in her Dear John letter she took the time to out Adam one last time, telling Paul that she'd caught him with Rafe and thought Heather should know. I wonder if that softened the blow for Paul at all? I mean, hey, you're dumped, but at least you're not an unwitting beard like your daughter!

Like any good father, Paul wasted no time in breaking the news, and an irate and very hurt Heather headed straight for the Newman ranch.

Adam was home alone when she arrived and she blurted out "You're gay?" the second he opened the door. Adam tried to act outraged, demanding to know how she could ask such a thing after all that hot sex they've had.

Heather amended her statement, saying that he swings both ways then, which just means that he can cheat on her with anyone! Adam asked where all of this was coming from, and Heather told him about Nikki's note. Adam tried to play it off by saying that Nikki hated him, but Heather remembered the odd conversation she'd had with Nikki the other day and how, instead of defending Adam, Rafe had agreed with Nikki that she shouldn't trust him.

Adam insisted that Nikki must have misinterpreted something and Heather decided to call Rafe, since he's one of the most honest people she knows, and find out from him just what exactly had happened.

Adam stopped her, finally admitting that he'd experimented with Rafe 'just one time' but wasn't gay and had told Rafe that it would never be more than that, and that he loved Heather and wanted to marry her. Heather took no comfort in that, declaring that it was a good thing she and Adam weren't already married, since he's 'on the down low' and might decide later that he wants to be with a man.

Heather told him that what really mattered was that he'd cheated on her, one more lie on top of many earlier ones. Her parting shot was to tell Adam that she never wants to see his face again. Adam, left alone, muttered Nikki's name in true soap "I will have my revenge!" fashion.

So, thanks to Nikki, everyone in Adam's family and his girlfriend all know that he slept with Rafe. Heather was really the only person that Adam was at all close to, so it will be interesting to see where he goes from here now that he's more alone than ever.

This was a great episode overall, very classic soap in all of its elements.

Y&R: Outed

Today was a pretty big day in the Adam & Rafe storyline on The Young and the Restless. Adam had successfully found a way to shift the blame for his crimes against Ashley on to a crazy woman instead of Rafe's Aunt Estella and he felt like celebrating with Heather, in a very heterosexual way.

While Adam and Heather were upstairs, Nikki showed up and told Victor that she had something to tell him about Adam. Instead of beating around the bush, Nikki just blurted out the 'truth': Adam is gay. Nikki elaborated, telling Victor that she'd seen him with Rafe, and Victor asked if she could have misconstrued what she saw.

Nikki replied that she knew what a kiss looked like. Imagine what she could have said if she'd walked in ten minutes later!

Meanwhile, Adam and Heather had finished up and, after some pillow talk about the future Adam sees for the two of them, she had to get back to work. She ran into Rafe in the hallway on her way out and they had another tense conversation.

Rafe clearly has a reason to feel uptight when he runs into Heather in or near Adam's bedroom, but why does Heather act the same way? She's given no indication at all that she suspects anything is going on between Adam and Rafe, so maybe she's just responding to the 'back off my man' vibe Rafe is sending out? I'm not sure.

Rafe had a pretty good idea what had just happened when he walked in and found Adam shirtless on the rumpled bed and when Adam told him they needed to talk, Rafe knew it wasn't going to be good news.

Adam, having eliminated the danger that Rafe would continue snooping to clear his Aunt Estella if he didn't keep him pacified with all the hot sex, told Rafe that they couldn't be more than friends any longer.

Rafe: You're breaking up with me?

Adam: I was confused. I'm sorry if I lead you on.

Rafe: You're just- you're not comfortable with your sexuality! Believe me, this sort of thing takes time.

Adam: Listen, I realized I'm not gay Rafe.

Rafe: You're in denial and you think it's safer to hide in the closet.

Adam: I know my feelings, Rafe, and I am attracted to women.

Rafe: You've been playing me.

Adam: I mistook gratitude for attraction.

Rafe: Gratitude?

Adam: I was scared. I'm going blind. I'm trapped in this house like it's a prison.

Rafe: You used me!

Adam: I never meant to hurt you, Rafe, I swear that.

Rafe (sarcastically): Thanks a lot, that really helps. Thank you.

Adam: I will always care about you Rafe, just not in that way.

Rafe: God, I am such an idiot. You know, I knew not to get involved with you. I am so stupid!

I felt bad for Rafe, but I was glad that he quickly realized that Adam had just been using him all along. It's not like he didn't already have his suspicions about that, after all.

Meanwhile, Nikki ran into Heather at the local coffee shop and started to warn her about Adam, too, but Heather told her to back off before Nikki was actually able to out Adam to yet another person. After Nikki left, Heather spotted Rafe across the room and complained to him about Nikki's warning about 'evil Adam'. Rafe told her that Nikki was right, Adam is bad news, but Heather just told him to go to hell.

Adam thought he was free and clear at last, but Victor had seen Rafe leaving Adam's bedroom. Victor went in to talk to his son and said that it was over- he knew what he'd been hiding. Given that Adam is hiding multiple things, he played it cool and asked just what Victor thought he knew.

I doubt Adam expected to hear his father say that he knew he was gay, though! Adam tried to play it off, asking what would give Victor that idea, but when Victor told him that Nikki had seen him with Rafe, Adam started to stammer.

Victor cut him off, telling him he could stop pretending:

Victor: It's all right. I don't want you to worry about anything. You're my son no matter what, okay? You'll always be my son.

Wow! First off, what a shock that Victor would turn out to be a supportive father after all. It really doesn't fit what we (and the rest of his family) know about him. Is Victor pretending to be supportive for reasons of his own? Or is it genuine?

More importantly, Adam won't be able to admit that he was only pretending to be gay, not without exposing his other secrets. So, what now? Does he try and get back together with Rafe to cover up his earlier lies? How soon until Heather finds out that her man has cheated on her with another man?

I have to admit, I'm really enjoying this story. I wasn't completely sure I would, since Adam isn't actually gay, but it has turned out to be very watchable.

Y&R: I Guess a Threesome is Out of the Question?

Rafe showed up in Adam's room this afternoon on The Young and the Restless, but if he was expecting another quickie his hopes were quickly dashed when he found Heather waiting for Adam as well. Awkward!

Heather voiced her surprise at running into Adam's former lawyer in his bedroom, but Rafe covered by saying he'd had a meeting with Adam's nephew Noah and thought he'd drop in and say hi to Adam. Heather remarked that she knew Adam appreciated his friendship and our guy Rafe got a touch catty, saying that Adam had just been saying the same thing to him about Heather.

Heather replied that she hoped Adam hadn't referred to her as a friend and Rafe pointed out that she had been one, standing by him no matter what. Heather told Rafe that Adam was worth it, but that she wished she could get Adam himself to believe that.

Rafe asked if Adam was avoiding committing to a future with Heather and Heather said that he was, blaming the fact that he didn't want to let her down, as he felt he'd let everyone else down by not living up to what was expected of Victor Newman's son.

Rafe, who of course has a completely different take on the situation they were discussing, said that Adam needs to make peace with himself, to just be who he is and let that be enough.

Adam walked in around that time and looked like his heart skipped a beat when he realized that his two most recent sexual partners were having a cozy chat in his bedroom. Poor Rafe tried to make a quick exit after he had to watch Adam kiss Heather hello, but Adam asked her to excuse the two of them for a minute so that he could pass on some information to Rafe from Noah.

As soon as they were alone, Adam asked if Rafe had told Heather about them (as if Heather wouldn't have mentioned that herself if she knew!) and Rafe quickly assured Adam that he wasn't going to out him, but that he had more self respect than to continue on in a relationship where he had to lie.

Adam apologized and said the he just didn't know how to break the news to Heather, who has really been there for him. Rafe was sympathetic and noted that Adam was under a lot of pressure as he tried to rebuild his life and redefine his identity. But the longer he waited to tell Heather, the harder it would get.

Adam used the old "Nobody gets me like you do" line while caressing Rafe's face and asked him to be patient for a few more days. Rafe, once again looking lost in Adam's eyes, agreed and moved in for what clearly should have been a kiss but turned out to be an out of place hug instead. I'm very familiar with this move from the days of the Nuke kissing ban on As the World Turns, but it never get less irritating!

After leaving the Newman ranch, Rafe met up with his friend Colleen Carlton for a few drinks and the topic soon turned from her lack of a love life to his own. Rafe confessed that he'd broken the 'first rule of man dating': never fall for a guy who is still in the closet.

Rafe told Colleen that the guy he's seeing is going through a rough time in general, even aside from dealing with his sexuality, but that when he looks at Rafe with those puppy dog eyes, Rafe just forgets about all the alarm bells going off in his head.

Colleen asked if Mr. Puppy Dog Eyes had a name and Rafe told her that he had to respect the mystery man's confidence because he wasn't out yet. Colleen wondered if he'd ever be out and Rafe seemed less than certain of that himself.

I like that Rafe has a friend to confide in. I haven't seen him with Colleen since he first told her he was gay awhile back, but I'm all for him having a friend in his corner. Strong friendships have always been important on soaps.

I have to say, I like Yani Gellman as Rafe more and more each time I see him onscreen. He has played all of his romantic scenes with Adam exactly as he described to Colleen, conveying Rafe's reaction to Adam's puppy dog eyes without speaking a word, and taking the audience right along with him.

Michael Muhney is also great as Adam, of course, and I can't wait to see what happens next with this character. He seemed less freaked out after his last encounter with Rafe, and you have to wonder what exactly he's feeling towards his former lawyer, beyond just the need to keep him from digging for the truth.

Most of all, though, I want to see Rafe in a relationship that is real for both of the men involved. I'm really looking forward to that.

Y&R: Nikki Talks; Plus a Great Michael Muhney Interview

On today's episode of The Young and the Restless, Rafe was nowhere to be seen and Adam was engaged in plotting against Ashley, but Nikki Newman was still focused on the kiss she'd walked in on between the two in yesterday's episode. Who can blame her, really? The image would have been burned in my mind as well, had I actually seen it.

Nikki headed to the hospital, where the family is keeping vigil while Victor & Nikki's young granddaughter is in a coma, and promptly spilled the beans to her daughter, Victoria, though she did at least make her promise first that she wouldn't say anything to Victor or to her brother Nick.

Victoria was shocked to hear that her half brother had been seen making out with Rafe, but they quickly decided that it made sense that Adam was gay: maybe that's why he kept everyone at distance, emotionally speaking. The two women agreed that being the secretly gay son of Victor Newman must put an awful lot of pressure on Adam.

Nikki noted that while Victor is all for diversity elsewhere, it doesn't apply to his own family. Victoria agreed, saying that Victor expected his family members to be strong, successful, and married with at least two children, one of them preferably male. And God help the male Newman who isn't moulded in Victor's own image. Nikki said that even her straight son, Nick, has suffered terribly in trying to live up to Victor's expectations of him. What must it be like for secretly gay Adam, then?

Victoria wondered if Heather, who has been involved with Adam on and off for over a year, knows the truth. Nikki had another concern: Adam was one of the suspects in the gaslighting of Ashley. What if he was using Rafe and it ended up hurting Estella's case?

With that in mind, Nikki decided that she might have to tell Victor after all, for Estella's sake. When Nikki ran into Heather (who happens to be the district attorney) she asked her, hypothetically speaking, what someone should do if they knew that a lawyer was romantically involved with another suspect in the crime their client was accused of.

Heather told Nikki that telling the truth was usually the best policy and Nikki headed off to tell Victor that his son is into guys. Of course, they were interrupted by a phone call before she could actually out Adam, so I guess we'll have to wait and see what happens.

Meanwhile, AfterElton has a fantastic interview with Adam's portrayer, Michael Muhney. Until reading this interview, I knew very little about Muhney other than that I was really enjoying his performance as Adam. Now, having read this interview, I'd have to call myself a fan.

I really enjoyed his insights into the character of Adam and the whole situation with Rafe, including his thoughts about Adam questioning his own sexuality after sleeping with his lawyer:

AE: Now, I hadn't seen it this way, but you said something that made me wonder if you might see if differently: Is Adam sort of curious about this experience, or was this just something he did just because he needed to do it to further his schemes?
MM: I think primarily what makes him tick is self-preservation, so yes, first and foremost, the initial reasoning for doing anything is "How am I going to get out of this scot-free?" It's like act now, think about it later. He doesn't put his emotions first, he puts his motives first.

However, upon doing something like that, I feel as though wouldn't anybody question yourself? Even if the answer to yourself is, "No. No I'm not," aren't you going to at least question it?

Einstein said, "There's no such thing as a stupid question, only stupid answers." He can ask any question he wants, and question that moment as deeply as he might want, and wonder why he did that and why he followed through all the way. Depending on how he can come up with an answer, that's how he's going to be able to handle that situation and digest it and move forward.

I think it would be a natural process to question a situation like that, questioning your sexuality, questioning just how detestable and despicable of a person are you for trying to fool other people into thinking you're someone that you're not. I think if you're not a sociopath, you're gonna question things.

You really should read the whole interview. Michael talks about what's being shown onscreen and leaving things up to the viewer's imagination, he talks about working with Yani Gellman, and even mentions working with Cheyenne Jackson on a pilot, and how Cheyenne clued Michael in about his gay fan base from his role on Veronica Mars.

Honestly, I'd quote the whole interview if I could!

Rafe & Adam: Caught!

Rafe & Adam's story continued today on The Young and the Restless. The show started with Rafe being summoned by Adam's father, Victor. Rafe was more than a little surprised when Victor wanted to talk about 'what happened to Adam'. Rafe thought they were talking about all the hot sex that he'd had with Adam the other day (and flashed back to the very sexy thumb on lower lip moment), but Victor was actually talking about something completely different.

Adam recently told Victor that he was attacked by some men in prison who'd stuck a hypodermic needle in his eyes. This lie, of course, was to cover up the fact that Adam has been doing that to himself to induce temporary blindness. Victor wanted Rafe to find out exactly who'd attacked Adam so that he could make them pay.

Meanwhile, Adam was alone in his room, practicing his break up speech for Rafe. He was hitting all the right notes, too: what happened between them caught him off guard, and while he'd enjoyed it, he'd been thinking and it's just not who he is. He's sorry for misleading Rafe but it just can't happen again. He even threw in a 'I hope we can still be friends' for good measure.

Rafe showed up to talk, but before Adam could even begin his well rehearsed speech, his lawyer/lover asked him about the hypodermic needle attack. Rafe found it very odd that Adam hadn't been afraid to file reports when he was beaten and harassed in prison, and had even named his attackers, yet had never mentioned anything about a needle.

Adam claimed that he was afraid, that the guards had forced him to file the beating reports in the first place and he hadn't wanted to make it worse by reporting the men for having a hypodermic.

Rafe didn't buy the story. He told Adam he'd been around many prisons in his capacity as a lawyer and guards didn't force inmates to file reports. The story just didn't make any sense unless Adam was hiding something.

Adam tried to shift gears by asking that they not talk about this. He claimed that he didn't like to focus on this, especially not when he was so happy:

Adam: Listen Rafe, ever since the last time you were here I've been thinking about that non stop and when you called and said you were coming over, I got really excited.

At that point, Adam put his hands on Rafe's shoulders and moved in for a kiss, but Rafe pulled back and asked just how stupid Adam thought he was? Rafe called him on trying to sweet talk his way out of answering his questions.

Adam: God, I really am stupid. To think that I was hoping-

Rafe: What?

Adam: Forget it.

Rafe: Tell me.

Adam: What happened between us, Rafe, I thought I had found someone that I could be me with. To think that you're accusing me of using that is-

Rafe: No, I was just-

Adam: I was scared. Have you ever been scared? That's why I didn't put it in the report. These people could have killed me. Which is nothing compared to what you just did.

Rafe: Adam, I'm not trying to-

Adam: Rafe, what I did with you, I had never done with anyone before. I thought that what we shared- you know, you should probably just leave. I mean it, get out.

Rafe turned towards the door, but then stopped and said Adam's name in a much softer tone of voice. While staring into Adam's eyes, he placed his hand on Adam's and then slowly ran it up his arm until he reached his chest and grabbed a fistful of Adam's T-shirt to pull him into a kiss. Once again, HOT! Yani Gellman and Michael Muhney are managing to make this a very steamy affair, even though the show isn't letting them actually do all that much onscreen.

Now, this is where I get a bit upset. What do they think this is, As the World Turns circa Christmas 2007? Or Melrose Place circa 1993? They must, because they panned away from the kiss before Rafe and Adam's lips ever met.

Come on, Y&R, if you want to tell a gay story these days you cannot shy away from the kisses! That will only upset the fans and make the whole story more about your cowardice than good story telling.

Anyway, it was at that moment that Nikki Newman, ex-wife of Victor and one of Adam's biggest detractors, opened the door. While Nikki got to see the two hunks kissing, we as the audience only saw Adam's lower back with Rafe's arms wrapped around it. Nikki got a nice long eyeful and then closed the door without being noticed by the guys.

Well, Adam is definitely good. He knows exactly what to say to push Rafe's buttons. I was glad that Rafe called him on his obvious attempt to get out of answering his questions, but not surprised when he fell for Adam's next gambit. I mean, honestly, what guy wouldn't melt when hearing Adam say those words?

Now that Nikki has seen the kiss (I think it would have been even better if she'd walked in and caught them in bed, in the throes of passion), this little affair isn't going to stay quiet for long. It will be interesting to see how Adam deals with other people knowing. He can't tell the truth without exposing his other secrets, so will he have to pretend to be bisexual to everyone he knows?

It will also be interesting to see how Victor Newman deals with the news that his son has been with another man. Something tells me he won't exactly be understanding.

Rafe & Adam: The Hook Up

Today we picked up right where we left off on Friday's The Young and the Restless, with Rafe still not having responded to Adam's questions about 'having feelings'.

Adam told the silent Rafe to forget it, that he was 'just some client', and Rafe corrected him, saying that they were friends. Adam told Rafe that he should never have said anything about his feelings and Rafe asked why he did. Adam explained that everyone in town always looks at him with suspicion and he can take anyone looking at him that way except Rafe.

Adam said they should just forget he'd said anything, but Rafe moved in close and, as he caressed the side of Adam's neck, said that they couldn't. Adam looked decidedly nervous at that point, as they faded to commercial.

When we next saw the two of them, it was after the sex, with Adam buttoning up his shirt and Rafe already fully dressed and fixing his tie. I didn't really think we'd see them in bed together today (we haven't even seen Luke & Noah in bed together, remember!), but I had hoped for a kiss or, at the very least, some mutual shirtlessness!

Adam was looking decidedly freaked out by what had just happened between him and Rafe, and his new lover noted that he was quiet and offered to go- or to stay, if Adam wanted. Adam quickly said that Rafe should go, using the fact that Adam's father was in the house as an excuse.

Rafe told Adam that he knows that he's with Heather and that everyone sees him a certain way, so if he's confused at all... Adam interrupted to say that he was fine and Rafe departed with a rather awkward "Take it easy."

As soon as Rafe was out the door, Adam rather hilariously grabbed his cell phone and called up his girlfriend, Heather, telling her that he needed her. When Heather showed up, the fresh from the shower Adam practically launched himself at her, obviously in an attempt to re-establish his heterosexuality to himself.

I rather cynically thought the next scene would be the two of them in bed together, something we didn't get to see with Adam and Rafe, so I was pleasantly surprised to find that they treated the two scenes exactly alike. When we came back from the commercial, Adam and Heather were doing the post-sex dressing routine and Heather was noting that she had to get back to work.

The only real difference, then, was that Heather and Adam kissed onscreen and Adam and Rafe did not. Still, they should hopefully have more opportunities in the near future to remedy that!

After Heather left, Adam got a call from Rafe, who asked how he was. When Adam not very convincingly said he was fine, Rafe told him that what he'd said before he left was just an attempt to give Adam some space, but that it must have come across as detached. What he should have said, Rafe admitted, was that he had the same feelings that Adam had talked about.

That's where things were left today. So, it's obvious that this was Adam's first time with a guy. He could still be bisexual, of course. His reaction to the situation- immediately sleeping with Heather- seems more in tune with someone who is freaked out by having enjoyed what he'd just experienced, rather than with someone who'd coldly done what he had to do and felt nothing about it.

It will be really interesting to see where things go from here between these two. Clearly, Adam achieved his objective, since Rafe not only stopped his search but seemed to drop his suspicions about Adam altogether. But how much farther is Adam going to go to keep Rafe from causing him trouble? And, perhaps more importantly, what exactly is Adam going to end up feeling about Rafe and about what they're doing together?

Unlike with pretty much any story Luke & Noah have ever had since they became a couple, I'm excited to tune in next time and find out what happens!

Rafe & Adam: The Beginning

Last Friday marked the real beginning of Rafe's storyline on The Young and the Restless. I hesitate to say Rafe & Adam's story, since it's far from clear if there will be anything long lasting between the two of them. In fact, rumor has it that Philip Chancellor III, played by the recently returned and openly gay actor Thom Bierdz, will be the long term love interest for Rafe.

Of course, it wasn't that long ago that the talk was of Philip Chancellor IV, who will be played by John Driscoll, as Rafe's love interest, so only time will tell for sure.

At any rate, last Friday's episode saw the beginning of Adam & Rafe's affair, if indeed that's all it proves to be. Adam is now played by the very sexy Michael Muhney, who is shown below from his debut episode on Thursday (picture from Daytime Confidential):

Here's the basic run down on Adam's recent activities: he was released from prison into house arrest at his father's ranch because he'd begun losing his eyesight through a disease that his late mother also suffered from. As it turned out, though, Adam was secretly injecting his own eyes with something or other to induce the blindness and keep himself out of prison.

He also began to secretly terrorize his father's pregnant fiancee, Ashley, until he caused her to fall down the stairs and have a miscarriage. Most recently, he pinned the whole mess on his father's housekeeper Estella, who also happens to be Rafe's aunt.

On Friday's episode, Rafe showed up to confront Adam about his suspicion that Adam was really the one trying to gaslight Ashley. Adam brought up all the usual reasons why it couldn't be him: he's under house arrest and he can barely see his own hand if he holds it in front of his face. Rafe suggested that Adam could be paying someone to help him and then pointed out that if Adam really had nothing to hide, he wouldn't mind Rafe looking around his room.

Adam, of course, had plenty to hide, with evidence waiting just under the bed where he'd shoved it when Rafe knocked on the door.

As Rafe looked around and got ever closer to finding out the truth, Adam acted quickly, stopping Rafe from searching by saying the following, all while slowly beginning to touch him:

Adam: I can't believe you of all people would accuse me... listen! Rafe, listen to me, it hurts me to think that you would think these things about me. I thought we knew each other better than that. You know, that it's not just a lawyer client relationship, that there's something there that's deeper, that's special. Rafe, I have feelings, don't you?

The cliffhanging sentence was asked as Adam touched Rafe's bottom lip with his thumb, something that I personally found incredibly sexy. Rafe was left staring into Adam's eyes with a vulnerable look on his face and he'll answer the question on Monday's episode. Yani Gellman had nothing to do in the scene as Rafe except react and he did it beautifully!

Yes, Adam is a rather evil character who is clearly using Rafe. Is Adam gay? Not likely, given his sexual relationships on the show thus far. Is he bisexual? Quite possibly. He's certainly willing to have sex with Rafe to keep him from finding out the truth. If he is actually straight, that just makes him all the more fascinating in my view!

Some people were complaining about this story in advance, about a straight character using a gay character in this manner. Most of these complaints, of course, came before we knew that Adam was actually going to sleep with Rafe, when it just seemed likely that he would lead him on. That would have been troubling to me, but the sexual aspect of the whole thing makes it a very intriguing story.

As for Rafe being used, that's all part of being a character on a soap! I love that we're to the point where a gay character is treated just like a straight character! Using sex as a tool of manipulation is nothing new on a soap, but this is the first time that a gay character has been the one being taken advantage of. Honestly, I love it!

Rafe will be likely be hurt in the long run, but it sounds like a real romance may follow for the character after this thing with Adam. If this was the only relationship that Rafe ever had I would be less than thrilled, but I really think this is just the beginning for him.

I also think this all makes Adam one of the most fascinating characters in daytime right now, while Rafe's vulnerability (and eventual heartbreak) make him all the more lovable. I'm really enjoying this story so far!

Y&R's Gay Storyline About to Heat Up

Next week should be a big week for the gay storyline between Rafe and Adam on The Young and the Restless. It will also, thankfully, be the end of Chris Engen's run as Adam, when the gay themed scenes he just wasn't willing to perform hit the air.

Nelson Branco's latest Suds Report has this heads up:

• DVR ALERT: On June 24, fans are forced to say goodbye to Chris Engen as Adam. The next day, Michael Muhney replaces him as Genoa City’s biggest psycho — well, next to Mary Jane and myself! As for Engen, The Suds Report can now reveal, that according to our sources, the reported reason the actor bolted was because he refused to film a scene in which Rafe and Adam have sex, which airs later next week. We didn't want to ruin the story, so we kept the plot twist under wraps by saying it was just a kiss. Yep, that's right — Adam sleeps with Rafe to keep him quiet. And it's not the last time they "do it."

Rafe has had very, very little to do since he came out to Colleen awhile back, so I can't wait to see things finally start happening for him!

More on the Engen Affair

The Suds Report has a bit more on Chris Engen of The Young and the Restless walking out on his contract in the middle of a major storyline, reportedly because he didn't want to kiss another guy:

Meanwhile, the Y&R cast is understandably upset with Engen who is walking out in the middle of a front-burner storyline during its climax. One of Engen’s co-stars tells The Suds Report that various cast members tried to convince him not to leave this meaty role. “Forget the gay thing for a moment,” says one leading man. “He’ll never work in Hollywood again because he walked out in the middle of a contract. You don’t do that.”

I'm sorry, but I'm sure plenty of actors and actresses have to do love scenes with people they're not attracted to. Hell, gay actors and actresses have been making out with the opposite sex on stage and screen since forever, and I've yet to hear of one walking out on a role because of it.

If it's a moral issue, why did Engen (who is Catholic) not walk out over the many nefarious things his character has done before this? I guess being gay is worse in his mind than driving a pregnant woman mad?

Another former co-star is quoted as saying that Engen has been 'off' for some time and that they think he's having issues that go beyond not wanting to do this storyline. Maybe so, but the fact remains that having to kiss another man was what sent him walking off the set.

Fortunately, there are plenty of actors out there secure enough to play gay or bisexual roles, whatever their own sexuality, and I'm looking forward to seeing Michael Muhney (below) take on the role of Adam and seeing what develops between him and Yani Gellman's Rafe.

Actor Quits Y&R to Avoid Gay Storyline?

According to an article at Soap Central, actor Chris Engen, who played Victor Newman's son Adam on The Young and the Restless, has quit his role abruptly after learning from upcoming scripts that his character was going to become involved with gay attorney Rafe Torres, the first LGBT character in Y&R history.

It was hinted from the start that Rafe would become involved with a major character who would be revealed as bisexual, and many fans thought it would be Adam, given the friendship that already existed between the two.

The show is said to be considering legal action against Engen, who is breaking his contract by quitting. At the same time, TV Guide has reported that the show has already hired actor Michael Muhney to take over the role.

Did Chris Engen really walk away from a role on the number one rated soap in daytime (and straight into a potential lawsuit) just to avoid having to kiss another man? If so, that's beyond pathetic, not to mention completely unprofessional. Does Engen plan on having a career after this?

Given that Y&R is a show that now employs two of daytime's three out LGBT actors (Celementine Ford and the newly returned Thom Bierdz, who is back on the show after a twenty year absence), the rest of the cast may be glad to see the last of Engen and his kind of attitude. It would be especially interesting to hear from Bierdz, who just gave a great interview to The Advocate, and Ford, who recently voiced her opinion on the Miss California controversy, on this subject. I doubt they'd pull any punches.

If nothing else, at least we know that Rafe has a storyline coming up that involves kissing another man.

Y&R's Rafe Gets a Man! (?)

UPDATE 5/9: The source has now changed their story to say this may just be speculation. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

I just read some great soap news! The Young and the Restless is giving Rafe Torres, the latest LGBT character in daytime, a love interest. As if that wasn't good enough news, the new guy is a legacy character from a core family!

Better still, the show has cast a popular soap star who was recently let go from Guiding Light to play the role, which shows they're serious about this pairing!

I'm talking, of course, about John Driscoll, who until recently played Coop Cooper on GL before the character was killed off in a car crash. He's joining Y&R as Philip Chancellor IV.
This isn't Driscoll's first gay role, either. He played the love interest of Christian Campbell's character on the short lived prime time show The Book of Daniel a few years back.
I'm really looking forward to this story now. The Young and the Restless is certainly a lot better written than As the World Turns at the moment, so there is potential for a great story here.

Topic Round Up

I had a busy day on Tuesday, so I'm going to do a post that's sort of a jumble to cover what would otherwise have been individual posts.

First off, I saw this anti-hate YouTube collab on Towleroad and am now completely obsessed with Lily Allen's song Fuck You. I've never really listened to Lily Allen before, but I think I'll be buying her CD soon. The collab is great, too, and one of the guys in it is Michael from the 5 Awesome Gays, which is my own personal favorite collab channel on YouTube. All five of the guys on that channel are so hilarious.

All right, Tuesday was a Nuke day on As The World Turns and it provided a few of really sweet scenes for the guys as a couple.

The guys started out relaxing on Holden & Lily's patio, with Luke telling Noah that the shoe was now on the other foot and that he'd be taking care of him. The dialogue was playful and slightly suggestive and the guys are always adorable when they're being a bit naughty (or as naughty as you can be as a gay character on daytime TV!). The conversation turned to them getting their own place soon and how much they're looking forward to that.

Holden, meanwhile, wanted to take the two of them to a Cubs game in Chicago if Noah felt up to it, and there was some painfully awkward dialogue about how Holden is friends with the ticket agent and can get tickets to any Chicago based sporting event.

As it turned out, the Cubs were playing the Mets in New York, but Holden suggested they just borrow Lucinda's private jet and go to the game in New York. The guys loved the idea and off they went.

Lily ran into Damian at the Foundation office and he mentioned that he had a meeting with a friend in New York who runs a well know and respected philanthropic foundation that might be interested in partnering with Luke's foundation. Lily agreed to go along for the meeting.

All of which, of course, just set it up so Holden could run into Damian & Lily in New York together, in a ridiculous scene where Holden & Lily were talking on the phone with each other while sitting back to back in a restaurant in a typically clueless manner.

After the game (which must have been pretty short, since they were able to fly to NYC on a whim, see the game, and still have it be the middle of the day when it was all over) Luke & Noah went off on their own to explore the city a bit and Noah was very enthusiastic about how much he loved the place and could see himself living there. In fact, he suggested that he & Luke get a place there together and finish school in New York.

Luke couldn't see himself living so far away from his family (though, clearly, it's only ten minutes away by Lucinda's magic jet), but said maybe they could do it in ten years or so. Noah was rather giddy at the fact that Luke sees them as still being together in ten years and they laughed about their role reversal, how Noah is now Mr. Spontaneous and Luke is Captain Cautious.

They went to join Holden for lunch and Luke was up in arms when he saw Damian & Lily there as well, but once they'd explained the exciting new partnership they'd arranged for the foundation he was all smiles and Noah basically said "You've got the best two dads in the world, Luke!"

Holden invited Damian to come back on Lucinda's jet with the rest of them, but he said he wouldn't intrude on them any further. After they left, he place a shady phone call to someone saying that his part in their business must not come to light.

Maybe he's working with Jean Passanante and Chris Goutman, plotting to bring an end to Luke & Noah once and for all by killing As the World Turns?

Meanwhile, Rafe was present on The Young and The Restless on Tuesday for the first time since coming out, but he only had a few scenes in his capacity as Adam's lawyer. A slow build is one thing, but we're barely seeing the guy! I hope that changes soon.

Okay, on to American Idol. This was Rock Week, a week seemingly made for Adam Lambert, and he did not disappoint! I've loved him every week, as you know, but he was really in his element this time doing Led Zeppelin's Whole Lotta Love. The guy is a rock star, there is just no question about it!

On Tuesday, the four remaining contestants each did their usual solo songs and then they were paired up for duets, which I thought was a good chance to see something a bit different.

Adam & Allison closed the show with their duet of Foghat's Slow Ride, which I completely loved! My hope all along has been for an Adam/Allison finale (with Kris coming in third) and this song just exemplified why I want that. They're the best two singers on the show and they sound incredible together.

I also just love the vibe they have going on with each other. Adam said after the end of the song that Allison was like his little sister, and that totally comes across. I also loved when Simon said that Adam may have just made it possible for Allison to move on to the Top Three and Adam mouthed "I hope so!"

I only wish Adam could also have done a duet with Kris, who was stuck with the egotistical black hole that is Danny Gokey. I'm sorry, I've tried not to be negative about any of the contestants, but Gokey drives me crazy with his smug smirk each week and his clear belief that he's God's gift to music.

The thing is, Gokey does have a great voice. He just isn't a performer, he's boring and basically does karaoke with a lot of pointing. Yet, the judges seem to love him most of the time. I honestly don't get why, when they're telling Allison again and again that she doesn't have enough personality, they're letting him slide. Maybe they're confusing self importance with personality?

Kris was paired up with Danny for the most awkward duet I've ever seen. In spite of Kris's efforts to sing with Danny, it was clear that Danny doesn't really share well. As a result, it came across as two guys who happened to be singing next to each other, more than anything else. Poor Kris looked seriously miserable by the end.

It wasn't as bad as Danny's solo, though. As I said, the guy has a good voice, but his painful performance of Aerosmith's Dream On, complete with a god awful scream at the end that Simon rightly said was like someone in a horror film, was the worst thing I've seen on this show since I started watching.

Many feel, though, that the show has been pushing for a Danny/Adam finale since the beginning, and instead of Simon telling Danny that he could be in trouble (as he's told other contestants who've done badly), Simon told him he'd probably move on to another week. That may be less Simon trying to sway things, though, than just his simple recognition that Danny seems to have a strong fan base who are going to put him through no matter what.

I voted like crazy for Adam after last week's inexplicable Bottom Two showing and the line was busy quite a bit, so that's probably a good sign. My hope is that Allison and Kris will both move on with him into the top three.

Rafe Comes Out

Rafe Torres, the first LGBT character in the history of The Young and the Restless, officially came out today on the show. I really liked the casual way this was done, with no drama at all surrounding the character's sexuality.

It all started with Lily Winters listening to her friend Colleen Carlton's woes about her romantic life, or lack thereof. When Lily spotted Rafe, who was recently working on a custody case involving her family, across the room she quickly ascertained that Colleen found him attractive and then not so subtly arranged for the two to talk before she departed.

Rafe and Colleen shared a laugh over Lily's blatant matchmaking attempt and then Rafe casually said "Obviously she doesn't know I'm gay." Colleen barely batted an eye before saying that they should go out together sometime looking for guys.

Colleen ended up accompanying Rafe to his friend Adam Newman's birthday party, where I discovered that Rafe does indeed have family in town: his aunt is Victor Newman's housekeeper. After making small talk with the other guests for awhile, Colleen and Rafe invited Colleen's ex-stepmother and her husband (who is Colleen's ex boyfriend), Victoria & J.T., out to a bar with them.

Victoria promised to meet them there later, and while Rafe was at the bar getting a drink J.T. told Colleen that he seemed like a good guy and that it was nice to see her dating again. Colleen informed J.T. that she and Rafe were just friends and J.T. predicted that Rafe wouldn't be able to resist her once they got to know each other.

Colleen: Oh, I'm sure he will. You, on the other hand...

J.T.: What about me?

Colleen: Much more his type.

J.T.: Oh? (pauses to think) Oh!

J.T. was just as unfazed by Rafe's sexuality as Colleen had been, which was nice to see. Rafe departed shortly after that, but not before he & Colleen promised once again to go out looking for guys together sometime.

That was it for today. I'm hopeful that this is just the beginning of a decent story for Rafe and I'm completely fine with a slow build as long as it's going somewhere. One of my biggest problems with As the World Turns is that they move all the stories at warp speed. Soaps should be about crafting a story and telling it well over time.

Of course, at this point we have no idea what kind of story they're telling with Rafe. It would be all too easy for him to be nothing more than Colleen's gay best friend with no life of his own, and that would be pretty pointless.

I think there will be much more to the character than that, though. Rumors are flying that he'll end up involved with a main character who is secretly bisexual. That would be pretty awesome, since daytime usually seems to ignore bisexuality completely.

For now, it's great that the top rated soap in daytime has finally acknowledged that LGBT people exist and has done so in a way that makes Rafe's sexuality completely a non-issue for those around him.

A New Gay Character for Daytime

Soap reporter Nelson Branco recently broke the news that the top rated soap in daytime TV, The Young and the Restless, was finally going to be adding their very first LGBT character. There was a lot of speculation online as to who the character would be (many people seemed to suspect that Mac Browning, now played by out actress Clementine Ford, would be announcing that she was a lesbian after her recent return to town) or if Y&R would actually even go there at all.

Well, the news has finally been confirmed, along with the identity of Genoa City's first gay citizen: hunky lawyer Rafael Torres, played by Yani Gellman.

This is actually something of a throwback to the pre-Bianca era, when the few gay characters on daytime were written as stand alone individuals, not really connected to any of the show's core families, and could thus be easily written out of the show once they'd served their purpose (which usually just meant coming out and then fading away).

Since the groundbreaking character of Bianca on All My Children, LGBT characters on soaps have, for the most part, been members of core families: Luke on ATWT, the blink and you missed him Lucas on General Hospital, and even Olivia & Natalia on Guiding Light have their connections to the Spaulding family through marriages and a child. Non-connected LGBT characters these days are usually introduced to date the established gay characters: Noah on ATWT, Maggie & Reese on AMC.

Rafael, as far as I'm aware, is not connected to any of the other characters in Genoa City and isn't at this point expected to be dating anyone who is. This worries me a bit, since it would make him a very easy character to ignore or drop altogether.

While I'm very much in favor of LGBT characters in daytime being legacy characters (I'm still waiting impatiently for a gay Horton or Brady on Days of Our Lives), having this latest character unconnected to anyone doesn't necessarily have to be a bad thing. I have to wonder, though, how far they're intending to go with Rafael. There hasn't been any mention of a love interest yet, for instance, which could be a bad sign. There's no indication of what kind of story the show is intending to tell with the character, so I guess we'll just have to wait and see how much praise Y&R truly deserves.

Rafael will be coming out soon on the show and I'll write more about it as the story progresses.