WGA Awards

The Writers Guild of America Awards were given out yesterday. My favorite show, Glee, was nominated for both Best Comedy and Best New Show, but sadly it didn't end up taking home either award.

Instead, 30 Rock won best comedy (again? really?) and Modern Family won Best New Series. If Glee had to lose in the latter category, I'm glad it was at least to a show that I've heard so many good things about. I probably won't see it until they release the first season on DVD, but I do plan on catching it at that point.

Far more shocking, to me anyway, is that One Life to Live didn't win for best writing in a daytime serial. There is seriously no justice when the one show that is consistently well written keeps losing awards to far less deserving shows.

They lost to The Young and The Restless, which gave us such winning stories as the Adam and Rafe mess and having Philip return from the dead, come out as gay, and then disappear again.

Is it too soon to demand a recount?

Still, that's better than having One Life to Live lose to fellow nominees As the World Turns or All My Children, which would have been a real slap in the face given the state of things in Oakdale and Pine Valley these days.

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.

John Driscoll Interview

Michael Fairman has a new interview up at Advocate.com with The Young and the Restless star John Driscoll, who plays Chance. Among other things, Driscoll talks about the early rumors that his character was going to be a love interest for Rafe:

Your debut on Y&R was so highly anticipated. There were online rumors and reports about if your character was going to be gay or straight. Were you aware of this?
Yes. I was trying to do some homework before I started, and one of the websites said there might be a budding relationship between Mac, Chloe, and Rafe. And I said, "Rafe? What? That does not sound like a female’s name. This character has been gone such a long time they don’t know what his affiliation is. Is he gay? Is he straight? What’s the deal?" I thought, You know what? If it’s going to play that way, that’s OK. As an actor, you are always looking for the next challenge. I don’t find anything taboo behind it. I have played a gay character before on a short-lived show called The Book of Daniel with Aidan Quinn and Ellen Burstyn on NBC. I actually worked opposite Christian Campbell, formerly of All My Children, where he played Bobby Warner. We had this romance on the show, and if the show had not been canceled, you would have seen the budding relationship between our two characters. It was really funny doing double duty while I was doing Guiding Light. So during the day I was having bedroom sexual scenes with a female, and then at night on set in bed with a man. It was crazy. I needed a couple of drinks! [Laughs]

As an actor in this day and age, do you still find a stigma attached to a straight actor taking on a gay role, and that it could ruin your career? It certainly didn’t for Sean Penn.
If you look back at the classics, you had a lot of gay actors playing straight men, and a lot of times they kept it very secret. You had women swooning over these guys, and they just kept it a secret. But nowadays it’s cool, and who cares? If you can pull it off as an actor and make it work, more power to you.

Can we at this point say that Chance is straight?
At this point, yes.

It's nice to hear him talk about The Book of Daniel. I really thought that show had potential, especially with his and Christian Campbell's characters, but it was another show that was gone before its time.

I also find the subject of Chance's sexuality interesting, since the character is a virgin. I doubt that Y&R would actually go there and add a third gay character, but it would be interesting to see Chance question his sexuality. It would at least provide him with something in common with his father!

Y&R: Family Matters

On today's The Young and the Restless, Philip and his son Chance finally met for that cup of coffee that they'd arranged to have at the start of the week. It began as awkwardly as you'd expect, with Philip clearly nervous and Chance still referring to his father rather coldly as 'Sir'.

Chance suggested they start with Philip telling him why he'd left. His father explained that it had come down to a choice between going off to find his truth or staying and living a lie. Chance asked why he couldn't have found his truth in Genoa City and Philip told him that he was gay.

If Philip expected an explosive reaction to his revelation, he didn't get one. Chance didn't seem bothered at all about finding out his father was gay, but he was perplexed as to how Philip being gay explained making his family think he was dead for twenty years. I can see where he'd be confused by that, since it's not part of your typical coming out process! I still haven't heard a reasonable explanation for why he didn't just leave and move to New York or San Francisco or anywhere else in the world.

Philip told his son that it was difficult for younger people to understand the way the world was back then, that there was a lot less acceptance and gay pride (definitely true, but we're still talking about 1989, not 1959!), and on top of all of that, he had all the expectations of his position in the Chancellor family weighing him down and was just trying to play a role, one that he could only play with the help of a lot of alcohol.

Chance said it sounded like Philip was going through a lot back then, but nothing could explain the fact that he'd had a wife and a child that he'd abandoned, that he'd run from his responsibilities. Chance wouldn't be able to live with himself if he ever did the same.

Philip said he hoped Chance was never faced with such an impossible choice himself and Chance pointed out that Philip had obviously come out to the family since his return and no one was trying to drive him out of it. How impossible a choice could it have been?

Philip agreed that they may have accepted him twenty years ago, but at the time his fear had told him they wouldn't. He'd known he could never be the husband or father his family needed, but when Chance protested that he'd never even tried, Philip said he had, in the beginning, telling Chance that he'd fed him, changed him, and held him when he cried.

Chance dismissed this by saying they'll never know how things might have turned out if Philip had stayed, and Philip FINALLY apologized to someone for his actions, telling Chance he was sorry that he'd left him, but then he quickly tried to shift blame again, saying that maybe if he'd had a mother like Chance did in Nina, things might have been different.

Chance did thank Philip for being brave enough to come back and be tested for Huntington's Disease, especially knowing all that he'd be facing by doing so. Philip said he hadn't been brave, he'd just been trying to be a father.

They wrapped up the conversation with Philip telling Chance that he didn't have to leave Genoa City if Chance wanted him to stick around. Chance didn't really respond to that, though, so Philip shook his hand and told him to let him know.

After meeting with his son, Philip went to see his mother, Jill. They talked about the meeting with Chance and Philip said that he couldn't tell if his son was burying his rage or just didn't care at all about him. Jill recalled how she used to tell herself that Philip's anger at her at least proved he'd cared.

Philip then brought up his abandoning of his son and claimed it was part of a family pattern of putting his own needs before his child's. Jill went on the defensive, pointing out that she'd sent him to boarding school for a few years, yes, but she hadn't left his life completely or let him think she was dead!

Philip said that he wasn't trying to lay blame (yeah, right), but instead wanted to begin healing their dysfunctional family, starting with forgiving her for the past and letting her know that he knew she'd been the best mother she'd been able to be. It ended up being the first real mother/son scene the two have had since Philip's return.

Meanwhile, Chance was meeting with his own mother. Nina asked how things had gone with Philip and Chance told her he'd found out the guy was gay. Nina asked how he was feeling about that and Chance said it didn't make any difference to him. Nina pointed out that Philip was still his father and Chance admitted that the only reason he'd even agreed to meet with the guy was because he thought Nina was still in love with him. Now that that wasn't the case.... The look on Nina's face, though, brought Chance up short and he asked her to confirm that she wasn't still in love with Philip.

Nina confessed that Philip had been the love of her life and even with all that she'd found out recently, he still was. Chance was clearly not pleased to hear this.

Well, I've wanted to see a scene where a parent comes out to their child on a soap for some time now, and we finally got one. Of course, the way I imagined it, the parent wouldn't have been a stranger to the child to begin with. That added a whole different dynamic to the story and still leaves another sort of parent coming out to child story to be told by some other soap.

Chance's non-reaction may mean he really isn't bothered by Philip's sexuality or it may just be a part of his overall attitude towards Philip, which is cold at best. Time will tell how okay he actually is with this piece of news.

Slow Week So Far; Kish Interview

So far, this has been a pretty quiet week in the world of LGBT soap characters. The only real action was on The Young and the Restless on Monday, when Philip decided it was time for him to get back to his life in Australia.

Nina tried to convince him to stay in Genoa City so their son Chance could have the opportunity to get to know him. Philip felt that Chance could look him up in Sydney when he was ready to find out more, but Nina warned that if he walked out of Chance's life again, that would be the end of it.

They discussed how well their son had turned out and Philip said he'd had very little to do with that, but Nina said that she often saw Philip in a look or a gesture of Chance's. After a bit of flirting with a waiter, Philip asked if Nina had told Chance he was gay yet and she told him not to worry about that, saying again that he'd be fine with it.

Later, Nina asked Chance to consider taking the opportunity to get to know his father, saying that she didn't necessarily expect him to form a life long bond, but that for all his faults Philip was warm, funny, and kind hearted. Chance said it sounded like Nina had forgiven Philip and she explained that she's trying not to judge him too harshly and she just hopes her son will do the same.

Shortly afterward, Chance called to ask Philip if they could get together the next day and Philip happily agreed and cancelled his plane reservation. Chance, meanwhile, told Chloe that he'd called Philip for his mom's sake: she was still in love with the guy.

That's been about it as far as onscreen action this week. Offscreen, One Life to Live's Brett Claywell (who plays Kyle) and Scott Evans (who plays Fish) gave an interview to Out.Com about Kish:

Brett, you’re from Greensboro, North Carolina, which isn’t necessarily the most gay-friendly of states. I know that’s a generalization but --
BC: It is a generalization but it’s absolutely the truth. Like I said before, when I began this storyline, I had to go through all the emotions of this story including calling my father to let him know who and what I was playing on One Life. So in reality, it was like I was coming out to my parents. There have been a lot of real emotions that have tied my reality and [the show’s locale] Llanview together.

Hopefully, your casting and talent will help change people’s perceptions down south.
BC: That’s the entire purpose of this storyline. When I spoke to our executive producer, Frank Valentini, about this character, I said my intent was to make Kyle the homosexual next door -- who doesn’t fit any stereotype, who just happens to have a different sexual preference.

It’s ironic that Scott, who is out in real life, is playing the character in the closet and Brett, who is straight in real life, is playing the out-and-proud gay character --
SE: I think it’s ironic but some of the dialogue and scenes I’m playing out have happened to real-life people I know, so it’s easy in a way. I’ve seen the struggle up close and personal.
BC: I think the fact that Scott is an out gay man makes the dynamic between us more effective because it’s almost like I’m putting myself in Scott’s shoes, so it allows us to understand each other better.

Check out the whole interview. Everything I read about Scott Evans makes me love the guy even more. It's ridiculous, by the way, that One Life to Live still has not signed him to a contract! Recurring was one thing when he was just the sweet, bumbling cop who didn't really have a story of his own, but now that he's one half of Kish, they'd be foolish not to show him the dotted line.

Y&R: Like a Virgin

I was hoping for some more Rafe & Adam on today's The Young and the Restless, but no such luck. We did have a few scenes with Philip and Chance, though.

Chance showed up at Crimson Lights, the local coffee place, with Katherine and Chloe. He'd just finished telling them that being in Iraq had made him realize that he had to cherish all the time he could get with the people he loved when Philip showed up and asked to speak with his son privately. Philip felt that Chance must have a lot of questions to ask him.

Chance, still addressing his father as "Sir", said he didn't have any questions and that if he did, he'd just ask his mother. Philip said he'd like his son to hear his side of the story from him, but Katherine pulled him aside to advise him to back off and give Chance time. The only father he'd ever known was another husband of Nina's, Ryan (who is dead now) and Philip couldn't expect him to just welcome him with open arms after all he'd done.

After Katherine left, Philip attempted to talk to Chance again, but his son told him that since he'd 'died' when he was a baby, Chance never knew him, never missed him, and that Philip just has no bearing on his life at all now.

Philip left, leaving Chance alone with Chloe. During their conversation, Chance revealed that he'd never had a girlfriend. Chloe made a comment about meaningless hook ups and Chance told her that he wasn't into those, either: he's a virgin!

Chloe couldn't believe that he'd go off to war without ever having had sex and asked if it was a religious thing, or if he was gay. Chance said no to both (and didn't seem to be at all bothered that someone might think him gay, which could be a good sign for when he finds out about Philip) and explained that it had just never happened and he wasn't going to pay for it or do it with someone who means nothing to him just so he can say he's done it.

Chloe, impressed with meeting her first hot male virgin, wasted no time in kissing Chance, saying that he'd never been kissed right if he hadn't wanted to take things further.

That was really all that happened today and it was more about Chance than it was Philip. It doesn't look like they'll be bonding any time soon, but Nina may have been right that Philip's sexuality won't be an issue with his son.

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.

Brief Y&R Scenes and a Forbes March Interview

There wasn't a lot of development in either of the gay stories on The Young and the Restless today, but there was one important turn of events: Nikki Newman outed Adam to his half brother Nick.

You'll recall that Nikki saw Adam and his lawyer Rafe kissing and wasted no time in telling her daughter Victoria all about it. She almost told her ex husband Victor (Adam's father, who'd presumably be less than supportive), but they were interrupted and in the time since she's been going back and forth on whether or not to spill the beans.

Today, though, Nikki and her son Nick were talking and Nick mentioned that he'd seen Adam carrying women's clothes the other day (they were part of his attempt to gaslight Ashley). Nikki asked if they were his girlfriend Heather's and Nick said that Adam had told him that they were Ashley's dry cleaning and he was just taking them out to her car for her. Nick found the whole thing odd, though, and joked to his Mom that maybe they were Adam's clothes.

Nikki said that she couldn't say what his fashion tastes were, but she did catch Adam in a very compromising position with his lawyer. Nick asked if she meant Heather and Nikki said no, Heather was his girlfriend. His lawyer is his boyfriend.

Nick's mouth dropped open and he asked if she was serious. When she said she was, Nick immediately said he thought Victor should know. In fact, he even volunteered to tell his dad the news himself, saying that he had a feeling that a boyfriend wasn't all that Adam was hiding.

Nikki said she didn't want Nick to say anything, but with more and more people finding out, it shouldn't be long before Adam's secret is completely out.

On another note, AfterElton's weekly Gays of Our Lives column had an interview this week with Forbes March about his role as Mason on As the World Turns:

FM: I didn't realize how sensitive the whole gay issue is still in America. I was brought up very liberally. My parents were academics. I was brought up in a town full of liberal arts universities. I've been in entertainment my entire adult life. It just wasn't a big deal to me. I've always had friends who were gay.

When I was younger, I had friends coming out of the closet. One of the things I realized this morning when I was thinking about it on my porch, thinking about one of my friends in high school when he came out of the closet, it wasn't a big deal to me. I was like, "Alright. We're still friends, right? Then let's move on." For him, it was a really big deal, and I didn't really pay that the credit of the weight that it was for him. I couldn't understand how complicated it was for him.

AE: Knowing that, how does it help you play the character?

FM: It adds a dimension to it. That's why I was looking forward to playing this character, finding out what that is. What it is is it's almost like having a secret all the time. As an actor, you're always looking for your character's secret, and you're either telling the secret or keeping it. It shouldn't be that way. It's like, you have to keep all the disclaimers in or else you'll be a homophobe. It is that way. Either a man or a woman who is gay is out or they're in at any given moment. That's really interesting.

As a character, I'll pick moments to make a little inside joke to Noah. You know, we're both gay, we know this guy is and he doesn't know it, we can make an inside joke here. It adds a whole dimension. Do I touch him? Do I not touch him? How do I feel when he touches me? It's a totally different relationship. Are you in private; are you in public? There's a whole added dimension to it, which is a revelation to me.

Check out the whole thing. I found what Forbes had to say about his character's feelings for Noah and about upcoming scenes where the tension begins to build between Luke & Mason really interesting.

Y&R: Two In One

First up, last Friday's episode of The Young and the Restless, which picked up where Thursday's show left off, with the surprise return of Philip Chancellor IV from his tour of duty in Iraq. On Friday, once he'd received the effusive greeting from the women in his life and told them he now goes by the nickname Chance (which will spare us from having to say III or IV to differentiate between Philips, at least), he spotted his not so dead father across the room.

At first, I assumed that his mother, Nina, had already filled him in, since he didn't show the slightest bit of shock, but instead just called out an almost angry sounding "You!" As we soon found out, though, Chance had no clue that his father was still alive until he saw him standing there, yet he remained completely unemotional about it, to the point of shaking Philip's hand and telling him that it was nice to meet him.

Chance noted that he'd seen a lot of people die but never seen someone come back: what was Philip's secret? Katherine quickly changed the subject, saying that they could talk about that later. Chance did make a few more mild inquiries, like how long Philip had been in town, did anyone else in the family know he was alive before this, and who was Cane, really?, but he remained oddly detached.

In the middle of all of this, Philip got the call letting him know that he was not a carrier of Huntington's Disease, which meant that Chance couldn't have it, either.

Later, after Chance had left the room, Nina, Jill and Katherine discussed the soldier's calm attitude and attributed it his military training. They also talked about telling him the truth and Philip interrupted to tell them to back off:

"Don't rush him, don't fix him. Let the kid be. I mean it, I don't want you driving him away, like you drove me away."

Oh, man. Get over yourself!

That was all that happened on Friday, but it was a bit surprising, to say the least, to see Chance have basically no reaction at all to finding out his father was very much alive.

On to today's show. Philip showed up at the Chancellor mansion to see Nina and his son, only to find himself crashing his half brother Billy's birthday party. Since they hadn't had a chance to talk since Philip's resurrection, Billy took the opportunity to tell his brother that he understood the pressures he'd been facing and had escaped them himself, just in a different way. At this point, of course, Billy doesn't know that his brother left because he's gay.

Nina suggested that she, Philip, and Chance have lunch together, but Chance quickly bowed out, telling them that he was still tired and had some unpacking to do. After Nina and Philip left, Chance got to know his Uncle Billy's ex, Chloe, who asked him what he thought of his Dad and if he had any memories of him from before he 'died'.

Chance told her that having just met the guy, he doesn't have an opinion one way or the other about him.

Over lunch, Philip told Nina that since Chance would barely look at him he was either hiding a deep anger towards him or just had no interest in getting to know his father at all. Nina asked Philip to give Chance time, saying that he'd come around. Philip wondered how Chance would react to finding out that, on top of everything else, his father was gay. Nina assured him that their son would be okay with it, but Philip seemed unconvinced.

That was all, two pretty low key episodes as far as this story goes. It will be interesting to see where they go from here with Chance. His detachment is a twist I didn't expect, so I'm curious to see what it's leading up to. I'm also hoping to see Chance dealing with having just returned from war, since no one comes back from combat and blithely resumes their former life without any issues.

Y&R: What a Jerk!

At the start of today's episode of The Young and the Restless, Jill, Nina, and Katherine were discussing the Philip situation again. Jill was more willing to be understanding after some time to think if over: how often did someone get a second chance like this? Katherine was still bitter about Philip taking the coward's way out and leaving them to suffer with guilt and grief for twenty years. Nina, meanwhile, was just sort of playing referee between the two.

Philip soon showed up to let them know that he'd been tested for Huntington's disease and would have the results later in the day. His son may have the disease, but had left to serve in the military without being tested, not wanting to face it. The main reason that Nina wanted to exhume Philip's body in the first place was to test it to see if he's a carrier for the genetic disease; if he's not, then their son doesn't have it.

Katherine congratulated Philip on standing up for his son and asked when he was going to do so for the rest of the family. After some more arguing, Philip admitted that Katherine was right: he hadn't had faith in his family. However, he said he wouldn't apologize because if he had it to do over again, he'd probably do the same thing.

What?! Okay, I officially don't like Philip very much at this point. He's pretty much a selfish jerk right now. Hopefully we'll start to see something more develop with the character soon.

Katherine felt much the same way I did at his remark, telling him it was a 'vicious slap in the face' to all of them. Even Nina couldn't let his words pass, finding the fact that he'd choose to abandon his son all over again if he had the choice unforgivable.

There was some more talk of what he'd done to them all and some more protests from Philip that he hadn't had any other choice because he hadn't fell safe coming out to them. Again, I feel for his motivations, but not his decision or the fact that he's still completely unrepentant twenty years later.

At that point, Cane showed up to say goodbye to Jill, the woman who'd thought she was his mother for the last couple of years, and to Katherine, who'd thought for awhile that she was his grandmother. Philip tried to get Jill and Katherine to see that Cane wasn't a bad guy and that they shouldn't let him just leave, but Cane was literally forgotten by them all when a hunky soldier in army fatigues walked in the door.

Yes, Philip Chancellor IV made his debut at last, swarmed with hugs and greetings from his mother, grandmother and Katherine while the father he's never know watched from across the room. I can't really say what emotion Philip III was feeling, since his face wore the same expression it always seems to, but presumably we'll see some drama between the two tomorrow.

I do have to say that one look at Philip IV in his uniform made me wish that the rumors of a Philip IV/Rafe pairing had proven true! Then again, daytime has done stories where fathers and sons romance the same woman, so why not a Philip III/Rafe/Philip IV love triangle? Now that would be groundbreaking!

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: Coming Out Party

The coming out process for Philip Chancellor III continued on today's The Young and the Restless. Last week, he came out to his 'widow' Nina and I was looking forward to seeing her reaction, beyond the initial moment of shock. Sadly, though, we picked up with the story after the fact and Nina already seems to be more or less okay with things. In today's episode, she stood by Philip like a supportive friend and I have to admit, I feel a bit cheated out of a good scene or two!

At any rate, on today's show Nina let slip to Philip's mother Jill and his... well, Katherine is his late father's widow and a sort of secondary mother figure to him, I guess you could say. Anyway, Nina let slip that there were circumstances that the two of them didn't know yet about him faking his death, but wouldn't elaborate further, saying it was Philip's story to tell.

Katherine, who'd had a mini stroke when Philip showed up alive after twenty years, was being released from the hospital, so Nina headed to the Chancellor mansion ahead of her and Jill and told Philip that he had to tell them the truth.

Philip didn't think the truth would help all that much and sarcastically asked Nina if knowing had brought her any peace. Nina said it had helped her to understand that things were more complicated than she'd thought.

Jill and Katherine returned at that point and Nina left Philip no choice in the matter when she asked them if they'd like to sit down and hear the full story of why Philip spiraled out of control twenty years ago.

Jill asked her son to please explain whatever it was that would help them accept what he'd done and Philip wondered if they could possibly imagine anything that would really make it okay. Jill said she just wanted to hear what he had to say and Philip wryly told her that she wouldn't want to hear this.

Nina: Philip, will you just stop this? All right, it's no big deal. Just tell them. You owe them that much.

Katherine: Nina, it's more of the same. Now, he went away and left us to believe that he was dead. And now he's taunting us with some sort of secret. You know, I've had enough of your games young man-

Philip: I was never gonna be the man that you wanted me to be! I would never make you happy. I wasn't going to be the son or the heir that you wanted because Philip Chancellor III couldn't possibly be gay!

Katherine looked shocked, but it was the look on Jill's face that was truly priceless, as was the inflection she used when she responded with the single word "Gay?"

Philip explained that his sexuality was a big part of the reason that he'd left and then sarcastically asked if he was magically forgiven now that they knew he was gay.

Jill: I just don't understand how this could be. I mean, how could you have hidden this from us? Why would you want to?

Philip: It was the late 80's and I was young. I was trapped in who I was supposed to be, who I was pretending to be...

Katherine pointed out that he'd had a child with Nina and Philip explained that they'd had sex on a night in which he was drunk enough to believe that he could be who he was expected to be. Katherine realized that his drinking had been to cover up all his deceit and Jill quickly corrected her, saying it was confusion, not deceit.

Philip: I wasn't confused about being gay. I knew who I was. And I knew that I had to hide it, being a Chancellor.

Katherine: For Heaven's sake, we're not bumpkins Philip! I mean, you could have trusted us!

Philip: You want to believe that you would have been fine with it, I know you do. But you wouldn't have been. It was a different time. Genoa City is conservative. No, no, you would not have been okay with it. If I'd stayed here, it wouldn't have worked.

At that point, Nina brought up Christine, the woman that Philip had supposedly been in love with when Nina trapped him into marriage. Philip explained that loving Christine had been his last attempt to prove that he could be who he was expected to be, but there had come a point when he couldn't ignore that he wanted to be with a man.

Jill: Honey, did you have... was there ever anyone in your life?

Philip: A lover? No. No one. Every day I ached with loneliness. I couldn't have survived it. As long as I stayed here, I had no life.

Katherine asked why Philip hadn't just moved away. Interestingly, that question was left unanswered as the topic shifted to why Philip had sent Cane in his place all these years later. Moving away, of course, is the option that many LGBT people in Philip's situation end up taking and I would have been interested to hear them explain why Philip didn't just do that himself. The real reason, of course, is that this is a soap and when he left twenty years ago, the character was meant to actually be dead! Still, I'd have liked to see what reason Philip had for not just heading to New York or San Francisco or, with his money, any city in the world!

Jill: Katherine is right. You were punishing us, and not for anything we did. You just assumed we would reject you.

Philip: Some things never change! You know, I'm telling you how I felt and you're telling me that this is wrong. It's all about you!... I didn't leave because I wanted to leave, I left because I was forced to leave, because I couldn't be what you guys wanted. I knew that I didn't fit in here. I wasn't the son, I wasn't the father, I wasn't the husband that you guys wanted. I was just too unsure, I was no good to this family.

Katherine: You shut us out, not the other way around.

Jill: You didn't even give us a chance!

Katherine: Now come on, be honest. Why can't you be honest? If you'd have told us, you could have helped us learn to accept who you were. You could have! You took the coward's way out young man, that's what you did.

That really gets to the heart of the matter. So many young LGBT people face this decision (minus the faking of their deaths, of course!). What Philip has described is a situation that many closeted people over the years have faced and are still facing today. Being caught between the expectations of your family and community and wanting to be the person you really are, the one who is so different from what's expected.

Many LGBT people choose a Philip like option, of starting over somewhere else, somewhere more accepting. Others stay trapped in a life that isn't really what they want. More and more these days, though, the third option is coming out to your family and changing their expectations, as Katherine pointed out that Philip himself could have done.

That's far easier said than done in many cases, of course. I really hope this story is making some of the show's viewers think about their own expectations towards their children and how their assumptions may be causing them pain.

As far as Philip goes, it's hard to feel the sympathy for him that we're supposed to feel, mostly because what he did was so extreme, but also because he's not coming across as genuinely feeling all that sorry about it. True, his sarcasm about the truth making him magically forgiven shows us that he probably does know how wrong he was, but actions speak louder than words and nothing I'm seeing is making it seem like he's all that sorry. He's still blaming his family for forcing him to fake his death.

It would be a lot easier if we could get a better sense of just how tortured he was back then, and how haunted he's been ever since by what he did to his family. I'm hoping we're heading for a scene when Philip realizes that he should have at least given his family a chance. I wish he'd come back feeling that way, after twenty years to think it over, because right now he's coming across more like a selfish jerk than anything else.

Still, this is a very interesting story so far and there should be a lot of good stuff to come, what with Philip still having a son to come out to at some point.

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.

Coming Out on Y&R

I thought all of Tuesday's soaps had been pre-empted by the coverage of the Michael Jackson memorial service, but I just discovered that my local CBS station did air The Young and the Restless. Luckily for me, they aired it during As The World Turns' regular time slot, so my Tivo recorded it.

Tuesday was a pretty big day on the show: another character came out of the closet as gay, bringing the grand total of current LGBT roles on daytime soaps to an all time high of eight characters spread out over four soaps. This doesn't include Y&R's Adam, who may or may not be bisexual, even if he is sleeping with Rafe. When Forbes March debuts on ATWT, the number will go up to nine, though of course we'll be losing Guiding Light's Olivia and Natalia in September.

The latest gay character is none other than Philip Chancellor III, played by openly gay actor Thom Bierdz, and on Tuesday's show he came out to his 'widow', Nina.

First, some background. Back in the late 80's, Philip was a wealthy young alcoholic who'd been more or less trapped into marriage by Nina, whom he'd gotten pregnant while he was drunk. He was also facing all the pressures of being an heir to the Chancellor fortune while dealing with his personal demons.

Then, twenty years ago, Philip lost his life in a drunk driving accident, leaving behind a grieving family that included his wife and his young son, Philip Chancellor IV.

Flash forward to a few years ago, when Philip's family learned that there had been a baby switch. The Philip they'd known, loved and lost hadn't been the real Philip Chancellor III. It turned out that a man named Cane, who'd been raised in Australia, was the real Philip. In the years since, he's been living in Genoa City with his long lost family.

Recently, though, Philip's widow Nina returned to town and began asking questions and digging into Cane's story. Before long, Nina was having Philip's grave exhumed and it turned out that his coffin was filled with sandbags. Testing soon proved that there had never even been a body in the coffin to begin with.

Cane ended up taking another DNA test to prove that he was the real Philip, but he switched his fresh vial of blood with one he'd taken from a freezer. The test proved that the blood was from the son of Philip's mother Jill, but further testing revealed that the blood had been frozen.

In true soap fashion, this all lead to a confrontation on last Friday's episode. Nina got Cane to finally admit in front of everyone that he wasn't Jill's son and when Katherine Chancellor demanded to know how he could do this to people who'd shown him nothing but kindness, a voice from off camera called out that Cane hadn't done it- "I did." It was, of course, Philip Chancellor III speaking, in one of those over the top but delicious Friday cliffhanger moments.

On Monday, Philip explained to his family how the 'accident' he'd been in twenty years ago was no accident at all: he'd tried to kill himself. When it hadn't worked, he'd used his fortune to fake his death so that he could escape the life he felt so trapped in and had started over again in Australia.

Feeling guilty years later, he'd tried to heal the family he left behind by concocting the baby switch story and sending them Cane, a good man who could be the Philip Chancellor he himself was never able to be.

Tuesday's show saw Nina and Philip having it out, with Nina demanding to know how Philip could just leave her and their son behind to suffer, to go on believing he was dead. Philip told Nina that if he'd loved her and their child less, he could have stayed, but as it was he just couldn't bear to stay and see them be so let down by him.

Nina: ... What was so awful that you couldn't talk to us about it?

Philip: Back then, I couldn't have been honest with you.

Nina: Why?

Philip: I felt ashamed.

Nina: And you thought that I wouldn't understand shame?

Philip: Not mine.

Nina: Because of the drinking?

Philip: No, the drinking, that was just a symptom. That wasn't the cause of it.

Nina: Well then what? You said that you felt like you were letting us down, but you weren't.

Philip: Oh, I knew what was expected of me. I did what was expected, but I was acting a part.

Nina: You felt trapped?

Philip: Yeah.

Nina: In the marriage?

Philip: In my own skin. That's what you guys have to understand. Before anything else, this is not about you, it's not about Mom, it's not about Katherine, this is about me. It's about the truth that I've been hiding all this time.

Nina: What truth?

Philip: I'm gay. I've always been gay.

That's where we left things, with Nina's mouth hanging open in shock. I can't wait to see how she deals with the news, and how the rest of Philip's family deals with this revelation on top of having him turn up alive after twenty years.

It will also be very interesting to see how the son he doesn't really know, Philip IV (soon to be played by John Driscoll), takes the news. Philip IV is currently in the military and it will be fascinating to see a parent come out to their child on daytime TV for a change! I've wished for such a story before, with an older gay character instead of a teen or twenty something. It makes it even more interesting to have it be a character that the audience knew twenty years ago.

Where will things go for Philip from here? Will he stick around, find a love interest? The rumor that he'll be paired with Rafe certainly seems more likely now than it did before he came out.

Most of all, I love this sudden explosion of gay characters on the soaps! I think we owe it all to the popularity of Luke & Noah with fans. I think it really showed the powers that be that daytime audiences would be very open to LGBT stories and romances.

Of course, it didn't fully start with Luke and Noah, either. There would have been no Luke without All My Children's Bianca paving the way, and there were several minor gay characters on the soaps over the years leading up to her, the first major LGBT character from a core family. It has been a long process, but we're finally seeing it start to pay off in a big way.

I just wish Days of Our Lives and The Bold and the Beautiful would get with it! They remain the only two soaps that have never had a major gay character, while General Hospital and All My Children have but are currently LGBT free.

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!