Gays of our Lives (June 23, 2009)

EastEnders

Remember last week when I said I was concerned about how the show was going to handle the events that led up to Syed and Christian’s kiss? I think my concerns were valid.

In all honesty, I think Syed and Christian ending up in a lip lock, as hot as it may have been, doesn’t make much sense in terms of story. Don’t get me wrong, I think the actors have great chemistry and their final scene together terrific. I even continue to be surprised that John Partridge, as Christian, is such a good actor because he has been so ill-used. But where did this attraction between the two men come from?

The kiss was hot, but what led up to it? Not so much

Since Syed came to town, he and Christian have shared little screen time getting to know each other and are barely more than co-workers. So I find it hard to believe that they have been harboring this blazing attraction all this time, especially since Syed has been busy pursuing a number of different women in the past few weeks.

Suddenly he wants to make out with Christian? And Christian is now all about this man that he assumed was straight, not to mention encumbered with a girlfriend? Some beats were definitely missed here and it feels like the short shrift gay storylines frequently get. No matter how well the story may be told from this point forward, the writers have seriously stumbled out of the gate.

All That Matters

Hmmmm… after giving us such an engaging time with Roman last week, this week he is once again a backdrop to all the action. And for the most part, his scenes consist of him getting treated rather shabbily by people who use and abuse and dismiss him with alarming frequency. These are supposed to be his friends?

And what happened to all the story movement from last week? Roman and Axel were in the same room and yet there seemed to be no recognition of the intimate moments they shared in the elevator. Why does Roman seem to be unaware of the video tape that everyone else knows about?

Meanwhile, what happened to Bulle’s brother? Last time, he was accusing Roman of being responsible for his brother’s vanishing act. This week, nothing. And that’s disappointing.

Even though it should be more about Roman, unfortunately, it usually isn’t

I will admit I loved the screaming match between Jenny and Lars where he spewed all that venom at her. Lars is a boring jerk and he’s not worth the time of day, but his telling her off was spot on.

Finally, I don’t know much about professional figure skating, but can you really just "suddenly" develop a routine good enough to get you in the Olympics? Seems to me that would take months, if not years of training. But I write a soap opera column. What do I know?

*THANKS TO ESKIMO KISS PROJECT FOR THE CLIPS!