Will Luke and Noah Ever Go All The Way?

I tell her that, for gay viewers, that dry spell seemed really purposeful, like there was some directive to avoid public displays of affection so as not to offend the Kansas grandmothers who might be watching the show.

The infamous mistletoe scene

Passanante is not particularly forthcoming on this line of questioning. She again points out that she wasn’t around to shepherd the storyline during the writers’ strike, but she does concede that fear of riling more conservative viewers “might have been a consideration.”

Has the Luke and Noah storyline been a net positive in terms of viewership? On this point, Passanante is emphatic. “Oh yes. Definitely!”

She even suggests that the decision to bring on Noah as a love interest was audience-driven: Fans didn’t want to see Luke lonely. She recalls that after Luke’s big coming out to friends and family storyline, there was a fallow period where he had no boyfriend and was all alone.

Says Passanante, “I think I heard a focus group or something that said, ‘When is Luke going to find a boyfriend?’ It was so clear the audience really cared about Luke. They wanted him to be happy, and so it’s been really interesting. It hasn’t been polarizing. Of course you don’t really know whether someone is gay or straight when they tell you they love the story, but I can only assume the positive response has far outweighed any negative feedback we’ve gotten. I mean, the audience loves this couple!”

Noah and Luke (a.k.a. "Nuke")

So why haven't Luke and Noah consummated their relationship? Their chastity seems glaring considering even Luke’s significantly younger cousins Parker and Liberty have hit the sack.

“Yeah but then everybody yelled at us for that!” she says laughing before turning serious. “We’ll take the time we think we need to tell the story. Part of what you’re experiencing as a delay is the fact that [Luke and Noah] just haven’t been on the air very much.”

Given that their storyline is supposed to be heating up this month, I ask if we can finally expect Luke and Noah to take their relationship to the next level. Not surprisingly, Passanante will neither confirm nor deny on that point. She repeats the mantra that “the show is committed to these characters” and will “take the time we need to tell the story.”

As it's obvious I’m not going to get anything out of Passanante about whether and in what time frame Luke and Noah will have sex, I ask her if she can share any details at all about what's in store for the characters. She seems excited by the storytelling possibilities afforded by the return of Kevin Davis, Luke’s old drinking buddy and first crush. (Longtime fans of the show will recall that Luke came out to Kevin back in September 2006, and it didn’t go well. )

Actor Karl Girolamo returns as "Kevin Davis"

Photo credit: George DeSota/jpistudios.com

Timed to mirror the U.S. Presidential election, Luke and Kevin will run against each other for Oakdale U.’s student council president. Passanante says the election storyline will run a few weeks, but that Kevin could be around longer depending on fan reaction.