Thanks, Anthony, as always for a wonderful report. I so look forward to it every week!
Regarding that writer from Gossip Girl, I had written a long rant about these self-agrandizing gay "creators" and their delusions of courageous work, but franky they are just not worth the time and enery to fret or post about. Their "accomplishments" are too pathetic to merit lengthy discourse.
I felt there was a serious disconnect between what the producer said and what we are seeing (or not seeing) on the show. I kind of just shook him head in amusement when I read his comments. I really don't think they have all that much to congradulate themselves for.
Now now now, i do see one hot professor underneath it all. All Mason gotta do is call 1-800-SHEARGENIUS to cut those locks (and hopefully them scarfs), burn that damn jacket and add some long-sleeved, tight white shirts. and they'll chase him down for some after school activities. LOL
I'm seriously hoping that TPTB are watching the soaps from overseas and taking some notes. and hopefully the first thing they learn is that cutting screen time and rushing through a storyline ain't helping matters. but since they did hired some staff from the now cancelled "Guidling Light", it likely they're not taking our advice.
Whenever I watch the sexual shinnanegans at Steinkamps on AWZ I am reminded of an episode of Will & Grace where Will grumpily yelled at Grace: "Why can't you have sex at the gym like normal people?"
Ah, New Yorkers...
Even so, major kudos continue to go to the Germans. It was always clear that Olli had a sex life even before he and Christian got together on Vebotene Liebe. Alles Was Zaehlt pushes the boundaries even further. Both Deniz and Roman have had cute Ricky wrapped all over them within the last few days, and their own sexual history together has been hot to put it mildly. Clearly Germans are not afraid of gay male characters that actually experience sexual passion, onscreen. This is a sharp contrast to the almost Victorian purity of what we see on our U.S. soaps.
The irony of your comment about the "Victorian purity" on U.S. soaps is what we see during this very week's Doctors clip from grand ol' England, with Simon and Todd (Sodd? lol) making time for some mid-afternoon nookie. Only the pre-sex kiss and post-sex cuddling were shown (with one participant still in undershirt and boxers) but still way more than we've seen on any American soap.
.... that's okay with me. And it fits into the style of the show. I don't expect every show to be sexually graphic, nor would I want that. But seeing the characters, like Simon and Todd get the same romantic treatment as the other stories on that show is fine with me... and really all I'm asking for. I'm just curious as to why this BBC show that airs during the day shows guys in bed, but the BBC soaps that air at night, like EastEnders, won't and doesn't even have their lovers kiss on screen.
I totally agree that it is strange that the BBC doesn't show anything like this in EE. But i seem to remember Christian shared a kiss with someone a while ago and all the conservative housewives threw a wobbly and complained to the BBC that it was corrupting their children or some nonscence like that. Its a shame that a few people have to ruin it for the rest.
Christian was shown kissing Lee in the bedroom, getting undressed to have sex with Lee, getting dressed in the morning and getting out of bed with Lee. They kissed in a resturant (across a table) and in the park and they had their arms around each other while walking all around the square.
So it seems to me that EE isn't afraid of gay men being affectionate on screen so much as they are treating this particular story differently do to religious org pressure or out of religious sensitivity.
The issues with Christian and Syed are about the fact that Syed is a Muslim. He is supposed to be chaste before marriage and he is definitely not supposed to be gay. They had one passionate kiss and lots of intense touching and inferring of sex but nothing on screen.
They have barely showed Syed and Amira kissing byt the way and they are engaged (Syed and Amira have never had sex)
Isn't it obvious that the BBC is trying to make sure the audience is aware that Syed and Christian are having sex (by showing that they slept together with Syed in bed and Christian watching him sleep the night before Ramadan started and having them talking about sleeping together in a lot of episodes before that.
I'm not saying I wouldn't want to see them having intimate moments that involved sexual contact on screen. I'm just saying that it's not like we don't know WHY it's not happening. It's not a mystery.
Whether I like it or not, it seems clear that this isn't about showing a gay couple in general being intimate or gay men kissing in general (even if EE is a relatively conservative show).
This is about wanting to show acknowledge those in the Muslim communities in the UK who might be offended by having images of Christian and Syed in bed together even making out.
I don't know if it is a legitimate concern or not since I don't live in the UK and can't speak to what kind of pressures are being put on the BBC.
But If we want to complain we should at least complain about the actually thing that's going on. I mean we can see that Christian has in fact had moments of onscreen intimacy that were equivalent to the other couples on the show (I watch the full episodes and I can't even remember ever seeing some of the other couples in bed and some of them are married. Only Minty and Manda and that was to make a "point" about their relationship. Everything else is mostly implied with other couples as well.
SHIRTS
Also, I recall reading somewhere that this is an actual rule about 2 men being in bed together where at least one of them has to be wearing a shirt (for BBC shows or possible UK shows in general since Hollyoaks is not BBC I think)
Someone can correct me if I'm wrong about the shirt thing but I think there is a rule.
I don't think Lucas is mean-spirited at all. Was the way he came out to his mother the best way to do it? Probably not. But it's a result of the strained relationship between him and his mother. Apparently Janine never once asked him about his love life. Everytime Nina asked Lucas why he still hadn't told their mother he was gay, he said that she never asked. The drama is character-driven and based on show history. That's never a bad thing IMO. I'm so glad we didn't get the typical angsty teen "I hate that I'm gay, my parents will hate me too" storyline.
And I don't really see Lucas insisting to everybody that Dex is gay. It was really only one episode where he was sure that Dex was gay. Last week he asked Nina about Dex and Nina was the one who joked about Lucas having to keep his hands to himself. And with Ronja all he said was that Dex got a little confused around him. Which is the truth. If anyone it's Ronja and Sair who are insisting that Dex is gay. But again, this is not mean-spirited IMO. It's all in good fun for Lucas.
Well, nobody is suggesting the show go the cliched route with Lucas and I don't think I suggested that. As I said, I like that Lucas is a bit of a bad boy. But, and I guess we'll have to disagree, as I found nothing cute or endearing or fun about the way he let his mother know that he was gay. He did it to make a point and to me that was mean because he knew it would shock her and that's why he did it. And as I also said, I hope its borne of their distant relationship and not because he enjoys being a jerk. And I hope the show delves into that. But it's really all about perception. And that was mine. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I love hearing what people have to say about my opinions in GOOL Theatre, whether they are pro or con.
...The show is already delving into the strained relationship between them. Friday's scenes were about that. And I didn't mean that Lucas thinks it's fun to shock his mother like that. I was talking about him teasing Dex a little. I'm pretty sure Lucas doesn't hate his mother or enjoys being mean to her. It's not black or white. There's a lot of grey. Just the way I like it. :-)
BTW, tonight Lucas and Dex will have their first scenes of the season together. I'm not 100% sure, but I think it's possible Lucas will ask Dex to talk to Nina who just heard that her right hand will never be the way it was before. That would show that he's not a complete jerk.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that even if Lucas is a jerk towards his mother, as long as it's character-driven, I don't see what's wrong about that. But you're right. It's about perception. It would be weird if we all had the same opinion.
The scene with his overnight guest was great. It was sweet and funny and not mean. It's not like he was having sex on the kitchen table or the living room sofa for all the family to walk in on.
The only person in the scene who was "shocked" was Lucas' mother and NOT by the fact that Lucas had an overnight guest (which I think is a cultural thing that some American viewers over look. Americans just are weird about sex for the most part and there's a lot of weird secrecy and shame and "oh, you mother shouldn't know you had sex last night with a date" crap). Not all Americans for sure but loads are very old-fashioned in my experience. I love that everyone was like "Oh, you had a guest, will you have breakfast here or upstairs?" ANYWAY.
The issue is that Lucas' mother never asks him about his life. It wasn't about the "gay" thing specifically. Had she ever asked him about his love life, she would have known he wasn't dating girls. That was the point. There is nothing shocking about being gay in 2009 and there is nothing "mean" about not talking to your mother about your love life if she has never asked. I think he made is point WITHOUT being mean. His father knew, his sister knew even his mother's best friend figured it out when he got there without him telling her. His mother was just oblivious.
Lucas' point (which his mother totally got and her best friend also go) was that if you send your kid away to live, you might have to put a bit more effort into learning what's going on in their life than if they lived with you. You can't just assume they will prepare a checklist of topics for you every time you call and you can't assume that you "know" them because they are growing and changing all the time.
I thought it was wonderfully portrayed. Subtle with just the right tone.
There was no meanness and no one perceived Lucas as being mean. Which is what I love, no drama, no angst, no recriminations, no moralizing.
Lucas is very well adjusted and happy and he wants to be with his family and while he's annoyed his mother never asked, I don't think he's hugely bitter about it. I do wonder what suddenly made him want to come home (do we know? will we learn?)
As for Dex, Lucas made a couple of comments during the first 24 hours he met Dex (which Dex responded to hysterically which is why everyone thought he might be gay).
It's not like Lucas went around telling people Dex was gay, he hasn't nothing like that at all.
The issue with Dex was how HE responded and then his family's response to his response. It had nothing to do with Lucas.
I will never be convinced that not telling his mother that he was gay and having her find out in the way that she did was not a mean thing to do. Lucas had a point to make with his mother and he made it. It doesn't make him a bad person, just a bascially decent guy capable of doing bad things, which makes for an interesting character, IMO.
BTW, there are no misperceptions, only differences of opinion. No one is 'right' or 'wrong'.
I don't really want to piss in anyone's Wheaties, but I did want to throw in my $0.02.
I gave up on Lucas after the first couple of clips. He just reminds me too much of some of the more annoying kids I worked with when I was working in schools. Yes, it's realistic, and yes, it's something we haven't seen before. It's probably also targetting a largely overlooked group. But that doesn't mean I have to like him. I just wanted to jerk that baseball cap off his head and make him sit down and be quiet. And it wasn't a mood I particularly want to revisit on a regular basis.
I don't think that particular scene was meant to be endearing or funny. He exhibited a few tender gestures toward his mom during the clip but overall, there seemed to be some emotional disconnect between the two of them. Because he's been so comfortable in his sexual identity for years, Lucas doesn't seem to realize how important it is for his mother. To her, she missed a key developmental milestone in his life. Lucas probably wouldn't understand the significance till he got a bit older or became a parent himself.
Given that Syed and Christian are about as sexual as Minty and Heather, no wonder there haven't been any complaints. The show has gone to great pains to make sure there is nothing to be upset about. And I still don't buy that Syed has any feelings for Christian. This story is so rushed and the only part I can care about is the moments with Syed's parents.
If this is one of their more popular stories, it's probably because they have botched every other story. I'm still amazed at how terrible the writing for Sam Mitchell's return was. This show is a mess.
i saw the mean spirited-ness n loved it. i think he's come back from new york coz; he needs something, is running away or can't go back.
my fave soap characters have always been villians, the more twisted the better. how his mum found out made me laugh out loud, it was awesome n could always have been worse. (could have walked in on them)
ps it would be cool if you could show all the gays/bi's soaps storylines/scenes even if you don't like em - coronation st, hollyoaks, eastenders, etc. thanks
I seem to remember Craig and John-Paul on the U.K. soap Hollyoaks (who were high school students at the start of their romance...and teens the whole duration) in bed together ...in their underwear. I think it was the only place they ever had sex. In fact, if I recall correctly they were busted about to have sex in Craig's bed, blowing their secret sky high.
That was one of the best, well-written, gay storylines, in my opinion in the history of soap opera on either side of the pond and it was very real--even reminded me of one of my experiences (I being more comfortable with myself, the other person in a longer period of self-discovery).
The story was told over time, in a well-plotted fashion and they didn't skimp on details or go for the salacious (Craig and John-Paul were not having sex in the school locker room). Lots of characters were brought in to support that story (instead of the other way around) while both chracters remained ingrained in other stories and they were genuinely a tortured super-couple...that were shown in bed.
:-)
Sure, there were weak spots - the on-again off-again was repetitious, the 'one t-shirt minimum' made for some weird bedroom scenes, no-one seemed to notice that Sarah routinely got dressed in the dark, and - well, it was still Hollyoaks.
But when Craig sobbed his way to kissing John Paul for the first time, the careful attention given to this storyline in episodes for the preceding six months paid off, as we forgot about the show's usual laughable B-plots and patchy writing, and gasped and teared up along with the boys. That's good soap.
As Joss Whedon said of NPH playing straight, 'Love looks like love on a human face.' Even when it's covered in snot.
The whole Mason/Noah plot is becoming a bit tired. In the beginning the Luke/Noah storyline was interesting, now it feels like the writers are just throwing a bone, or honestly don't know what to do with them. It looks like they need to transfer some talent from AWZ.
FISH is rocking and rolling again, thank goodness!
Anthony, you might want to also check out the Max and Iago storyline from El Cor de la Cuitat. It's started back up again this year, this time with a love triangle. The YT channel is here, with subs: http://www.youtube.com/user/Alejandro0720
There's a big big diference between the love triangle of El cor and ATWT, Gonzalo the third part of the love triangle is a lovable guy, in fact Max (who was the main gay character of the show) was very selfish when he left Iago, so in this triangle, there are three likeable characters, and you can root for any of the possible couples.
In ATWT that's not posible, there are only two types of people who wants Noah and Mason together right now, ones are Noah fans who can't stand Luke, and the others are Luke fans who can't stand Noah (and both are a minority). Mason has no screen time, and he is very far right now to be an option for Noah (there are a power relationship, and this couple will make Noah break some rules, and we know he don't like to break rules). I really hope that the writers end with this nonsense triangle. They can do something interesting with Mason, making him a villain, but not a cartoon villain like Col Mayer, just a manipulative and schemming, just the kind of villiain that people love to hate.
And if they want to make a love triangle some day, they better introduce a gay character, and make him friend to both guys, and after a time (and after testing his chemistry with both) start the love triangle. Reg could be a far better option as third than Mason (but they killed him in that absurd storyline)
The love triangle example you set forth for Luke and Noah makes more sense than what's going on now. However, haven't the guys already had too many interruptions and not enough intimate moments together? :-) There's more to explore with both of these characters.
What was all that stuff written by the soap writer for TV Guide (the one with all the supposed scoops?) who said that Forbes/Mason was going to be the "big star" of the fall? Or was that just hype from the ATWT bigshots? Or was that notion something I dreamed? (I thought I read about it here, since I don't read about soaps anywhere else!)
I don’t get the ATWT backlash, let alone the OLTL praise. I don’t know if a love triangle was promised but affairs are never clever n usually mind numbing, I read the scenes as going towards an unrequited love/attraction story arc, which sounds 100x as xlever n completely uncliche story. Seems everyone’s judging on irrelevant expectations. There was nothing wrong with the clips or story so far - if it was rushed their would be complaints galore when they finally take their time it goes completely unappreciated.
As far as I don’t mind angst OLTL arks me a lot; I feel all the major plot point I’ve been talked thru instead of just left to watch, the likely hood of Leila talking to the one guy who could make her join the dots happens to do so within 5mins of them ever meeting - no suspense, the raw less emotion - we’ve all been in the closet n I for one more than terrified anyone would know, felt non of that from him. I don’t actually mind OLTL but obvious unbalance of critique is unfair n inconsistent.
I've tried to like Max and Iago, but their hair gets in the way. Why is it that all the young guys have shaggy do's that make them look like lesbians? Is it because they appeal to teen girls?
I tried to help out Alejandro0720 with translations, but he wouledn't substitute my efforts as he didn't want to offend his regular non-native friends. So it comes out like Google Translator. I threw in a few "as if"s and "douche bag"s. He also runs the English subtitles over the Catalan ones, so they're hard to read. I have to stop the clip often to read it.
And there's no action a la US soaps, and much too much of Beni, a clown character.
I find the layering of the translations a bit annoying myself, but it's the most up to date with the episodes for the storyline so... I don't actually mind Beni, he's kind of endearing in a way.
With all these gay storylines on daytime, it would be nice if there were also some transgender related plots as well. The most recent one I remember was Erica's daughters' friend (or lover was it?), on All My Children a while back. Whatever happened with that, anyone know?
his/her name. I can't remember his real show name. All i remember was that he was some kind of David Bowie-type rock star.(i wanna say Jeff but i don't think that's right) Anywho he and Bianca,with whom he had fallen in love with,went to Europe to,presumably,get his sex change.
After that,i guess they parted ways and she hooked up with Reese. They got married,had a baby,broke up,reunited and are living in Paris.
Thanks! I always wondered what happened to her. Kind of a let down with the end though. It would've been interesting if Bianca and Zorf had stayed together.
First off,Anthony....another awesome column! AWZ & OLTL are must see shows for me with AWZ @ 12:30pm pt(in German via the RTL Now website plus english translated scenes on YouTube)& OLTL @ 1pm pt. These shows are what the others strive to be.(something i've already known about OLTL since '91) Now,if only we could get full episodes of VL online outside of YT edits.
I'm excited that Raw is coming back! Up until a few years ago, RTE has had a really bad (and deservedly so) reputation for original programming, but recently they've had a few series that showed some real improvement. The others haven't been renewed, or took a few years to be, so I'm glad Raw is back so quickly.
If you ask me, the main problem with the Nuke Storyline partially lies with the writers ,but mostly with the completely wooden, non-charismatic Jake Silberman as Noah. Rarely have I ever seen an actor with such a limited range and lack of even the most basic acting skills.
I think Pinocchio would be an ideal role for him....
Au contraire, mon frere. Je pense que Van is the gloomy grouper, and having been on the soap all his known life, I expect more. SEE Alles Was Zahlt for the definition of good soap acting. For that matter, almost any soap across the sea. Jake is my type, so I prefer his acting since I "get" him. Or non-acting, if you will. The same goes for Scott Evans on OLTL. I can wait until they learn acting. Meanwhile I can ogle.
OMG. It's not yet translated, but there really is no need. Who knew Olivia could sing? Watch until the end. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbPUvmzNqfA&feature=player_embedded
by 
Thanks, Anthony, as always
Thanks, Anthony, as always for a wonderful report. I so look forward to it every week!
Regarding that writer from Gossip Girl, I had written a long rant about these self-agrandizing gay "creators" and their delusions of courageous work, but franky they are just not worth the time and enery to fret or post about. Their "accomplishments" are too pathetic to merit lengthy discourse.
Well....
Hottie Professor....YES
Now now now, i do see one hot professor underneath it all. All Mason gotta do is call 1-800-SHEARGENIUS to cut those locks (and hopefully them scarfs), burn that damn jacket and add some long-sleeved, tight white shirts. and they'll chase him down for some after school activities. LOL
I'm seriously hoping that TPTB are watching the soaps from overseas and taking some notes. and hopefully the first thing they learn is that cutting screen time and rushing through a storyline ain't helping matters. but since they did hired some staff from the now cancelled "Guidling Light", it likely they're not taking our advice.
Wisdom from Will & Grace
Whenever I watch the sexual shinnanegans at Steinkamps on AWZ I am reminded of an episode of Will & Grace where Will grumpily yelled at Grace: "Why can't you have sex at the gym like normal people?"
Ah, New Yorkers...
Even so, major kudos continue to go to the Germans. It was always clear that Olli had a sex life even before he and Christian got together on Vebotene Liebe. Alles Was Zaehlt pushes the boundaries even further. Both Deniz and Roman have had cute Ricky wrapped all over them within the last few days, and their own sexual history together has been hot to put it mildly. Clearly Germans are not afraid of gay male characters that actually experience sexual passion, onscreen. This is a sharp contrast to the almost Victorian purity of what we see on our U.S. soaps.
Anyway, another great GooL Anthony! Thanks!
Victorian purity
That's all you can ever
But...
I totally agree
East Enders Gay Sex
Christian was shown kissing Lee in the bedroom, getting undressed to have sex with Lee, getting dressed in the morning and getting out of bed with Lee. They kissed in a resturant (across a table) and in the park and they had their arms around each other while walking all around the square.
So it seems to me that EE isn't afraid of gay men being affectionate on screen so much as they are treating this particular story differently do to religious org pressure or out of religious sensitivity.
The issues with Christian and Syed are about the fact that Syed is a Muslim. He is supposed to be chaste before marriage and he is definitely not supposed to be gay. They had one passionate kiss and lots of intense touching and inferring of sex but nothing on screen.
They have barely showed Syed and Amira kissing byt the way and they are engaged (Syed and Amira have never had sex)
Isn't it obvious that the BBC is trying to make sure the audience is aware that Syed and Christian are having sex (by showing that they slept together with Syed in bed and Christian watching him sleep the night before Ramadan started and having them talking about sleeping together in a lot of episodes before that.
I'm not saying I wouldn't want to see them having intimate moments that involved sexual contact on screen. I'm just saying that it's not like we don't know WHY it's not happening. It's not a mystery.
Whether I like it or not, it seems clear that this isn't about showing a gay couple in general being intimate or gay men kissing in general (even if EE is a relatively conservative show).
This is about wanting to show acknowledge those in the Muslim communities in the UK who might be offended by having images of Christian and Syed in bed together even making out.
I don't know if it is a legitimate concern or not since I don't live in the UK and can't speak to what kind of pressures are being put on the BBC.
But If we want to complain we should at least complain about the actually thing that's going on. I mean we can see that Christian has in fact had moments of onscreen intimacy that were equivalent to the other couples on the show (I watch the full episodes and I can't even remember ever seeing some of the other couples in bed and some of them are married. Only Minty and Manda and that was to make a "point" about their relationship. Everything else is mostly implied with other couples as well.
SHIRTS
Also, I recall reading somewhere that this is an actual rule about 2 men being in bed together where at least one of them has to be wearing a shirt (for BBC shows or possible UK shows in general since Hollyoaks is not BBC I think)
Someone can correct me if I'm wrong about the shirt thing but I think there is a rule.
Sex Locations
I'm one of the people who watch AWZ (ATM) daily on youtube (and sometimes I watch it in german at the official site if the subtitles clips are late)
Most regular viewers and commentators have listed places the (both gay and straight) characters have sex in regularly
- The red couch at Marian's house
- Marian's pub (behind the bar or on one of the tables)
- The Steinkamp Center:
- Locker room floor or bench
- Shower stall
- Elevator
- Pool
All I can say is I'd like a subscription to that gym :D
Niños Ricos Pobres Padres update
Thanks for another great column, Anthony!
Well, to be honest.. There's not much to update, SanDiego weren't seen last week AT ALL.. ;(
I am looking forward to FoQ, hope it starts soon! And also, I am loving OLTL these days.
Harvey Milk: You gotta give 'em hope.
I know! What gives? Thanks
GTBT
I don't think Lucas is mean-spirited at all. Was the way he came out to his mother the best way to do it? Probably not. But it's a result of the strained relationship between him and his mother. Apparently Janine never once asked him about his love life. Everytime Nina asked Lucas why he still hadn't told their mother he was gay, he said that she never asked. The drama is character-driven and based on show history. That's never a bad thing IMO. I'm so glad we didn't get the typical angsty teen "I hate that I'm gay, my parents will hate me too" storyline.
And I don't really see Lucas insisting to everybody that Dex is gay. It was really only one episode where he was sure that Dex was gay. Last week he asked Nina about Dex and Nina was the one who joked about Lucas having to keep his hands to himself. And with Ronja all he said was that Dex got a little confused around him. Which is the truth. If anyone it's Ronja and Sair who are insisting that Dex is gay. But again, this is not mean-spirited IMO. It's all in good fun for Lucas.
On One Hand....
In my opinion...
...The show is already delving into the strained relationship between them. Friday's scenes were about that. And I didn't mean that Lucas thinks it's fun to shock his mother like that. I was talking about him teasing Dex a little. I'm pretty sure Lucas doesn't hate his mother or enjoys being mean to her. It's not black or white. There's a lot of grey. Just the way I like it. :-)
BTW, tonight Lucas and Dex will have their first scenes of the season together. I'm not 100% sure, but I think it's possible Lucas will ask Dex to talk to Nina who just heard that her right hand will never be the way it was before. That would show that he's not a complete jerk.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that even if Lucas is a jerk towards his mother, as long as it's character-driven, I don't see what's wrong about that. But you're right. It's about perception. It would be weird if we all had the same opinion.
Too Right
I completely agree with you about Lucas
The scene with his overnight guest was great. It was sweet and funny and not mean. It's not like he was having sex on the kitchen table or the living room sofa for all the family to walk in on.
The only person in the scene who was "shocked" was Lucas' mother and NOT by the fact that Lucas had an overnight guest (which I think is a cultural thing that some American viewers over look. Americans just are weird about sex for the most part and there's a lot of weird secrecy and shame and "oh, you mother shouldn't know you had sex last night with a date" crap). Not all Americans for sure but loads are very old-fashioned in my experience. I love that everyone was like "Oh, you had a guest, will you have breakfast here or upstairs?" ANYWAY.
The issue is that Lucas' mother never asks him about his life. It wasn't about the "gay" thing specifically. Had she ever asked him about his love life, she would have known he wasn't dating girls. That was the point. There is nothing shocking about being gay in 2009 and there is nothing "mean" about not talking to your mother about your love life if she has never asked. I think he made is point WITHOUT being mean. His father knew, his sister knew even his mother's best friend figured it out when he got there without him telling her. His mother was just oblivious.
Lucas' point (which his mother totally got and her best friend also go) was that if you send your kid away to live, you might have to put a bit more effort into learning what's going on in their life than if they lived with you. You can't just assume they will prepare a checklist of topics for you every time you call and you can't assume that you "know" them because they are growing and changing all the time.
I thought it was wonderfully portrayed. Subtle with just the right tone.
There was no meanness and no one perceived Lucas as being mean. Which is what I love, no drama, no angst, no recriminations, no moralizing.
Lucas is very well adjusted and happy and he wants to be with his family and while he's annoyed his mother never asked, I don't think he's hugely bitter about it. I do wonder what suddenly made him want to come home (do we know? will we learn?)
As for Dex, Lucas made a couple of comments during the first 24 hours he met Dex (which Dex responded to hysterically which is why everyone thought he might be gay).
It's not like Lucas went around telling people Dex was gay, he hasn't nothing like that at all.
The issue with Dex was how HE responded and then his family's response to his response. It had nothing to do with Lucas.
I think there's a misperception there.
Please....
I will never be convinced that not telling his mother that he was gay and having her find out in the way that she did was not a mean thing to do. Lucas had a point to make with his mother and he made it. It doesn't make him a bad person, just a bascially decent guy capable of doing bad things, which makes for an interesting character, IMO.
BTW, there are no misperceptions, only differences of opinion. No one is 'right' or 'wrong'.
Lucas
I don't really want to piss in anyone's Wheaties, but I did want to throw in my $0.02.
I gave up on Lucas after the first couple of clips. He just reminds me too much of some of the more annoying kids I worked with when I was working in schools. Yes, it's realistic, and yes, it's something we haven't seen before. It's probably also targetting a largely overlooked group. But that doesn't mean I have to like him. I just wanted to jerk that baseball cap off his head and make him sit down and be quiet. And it wasn't a mood I particularly want to revisit on a regular basis.
mother-son disconnect
I don't think that particular scene was meant to be endearing or funny. He exhibited a few tender gestures toward his mom during the clip but overall, there seemed to be some emotional disconnect between the two of them. Because he's been so comfortable in his sexual identity for years, Lucas doesn't seem to realize how important it is for his mother. To her, she missed a key developmental milestone in his life. Lucas probably wouldn't understand the significance till he got a bit older or became a parent himself.
As usual, thanks for a terrific GOOL column!
Neutralized story = no negative feedback for EE
i hope lucas is a long term
i hope lucas is a long term villian.
i saw the mean spirited-ness n loved it. i think he's come back from new york coz; he needs something, is running away or can't go back.
my fave soap characters have always been villians, the more twisted the better. how his mum found out made me laugh out loud, it was awesome n could always have been worse. (could have walked in on them)
ps it would be cool if you could show all the gays/bi's soaps storylines/scenes even if you don't like em - coronation st, hollyoaks, eastenders, etc. thanks
UK lovers in bed
I seem to remember Craig and John-Paul on the U.K. soap Hollyoaks (who were high school students at the start of their romance...and teens the whole duration) in bed together ...in their underwear. I think it was the only place they ever had sex. In fact, if I recall correctly they were busted about to have sex in Craig's bed, blowing their secret sky high.
That was one of the best, well-written, gay storylines, in my opinion in the history of soap opera on either side of the pond and it was very real--even reminded me of one of my experiences (I being more comfortable with myself, the other person in a longer period of self-discovery).
The story was told over time, in a well-plotted fashion and they didn't skimp on details or go for the salacious (Craig and John-Paul were not having sex in the school locker room). Lots of characters were brought in to support that story (instead of the other way around) while both chracters remained ingrained in other stories and they were genuinely a tortured super-couple...that were shown in bed. :-)
Retro style...
C + JP 4EVA!
Sure, there were weak spots - the on-again off-again was repetitious, the 'one t-shirt minimum' made for some weird bedroom scenes, no-one seemed to notice that Sarah routinely got dressed in the dark, and - well, it was still Hollyoaks.
But when Craig sobbed his way to kissing John Paul for the first time, the careful attention given to this storyline in episodes for the preceding six months paid off, as we forgot about the show's usual laughable B-plots and patchy writing, and gasped and teared up along with the boys. That's good soap.
As Joss Whedon said of NPH playing straight, 'Love looks like love on a human face.' Even when it's covered in snot.
Loved the McDean storyline!
Missed something
OLTL
Oh my!!! Halloween will be great this year cause I'm dying already to see the K-Nish triangle dressed up :)
Thanks for all the news, your column is now a weekly steady appointment.
ATWT: Mason, please exit stage left...
The whole Mason/Noah plot is becoming a bit tired. In the beginning the Luke/Noah storyline was interesting, now it feels like the writers are just throwing a bone, or honestly don't know what to do with them. It looks like they need to transfer some talent from AWZ.
FISH is rocking and rolling again, thank goodness!
Anthony, you might want to also check out the Max and Iago storyline from El Cor de la Cuitat. It's started back up again this year, this time with a love triangle. The YT channel is here, with subs: http://www.youtube.com/user/Alejandro0720
Diferences
There's a big big diference between the love triangle of El cor and ATWT, Gonzalo the third part of the love triangle is a lovable guy, in fact Max (who was the main gay character of the show) was very selfish when he left Iago, so in this triangle, there are three likeable characters, and you can root for any of the possible couples.
In ATWT that's not posible, there are only two types of people who wants Noah and Mason together right now, ones are Noah fans who can't stand Luke, and the others are Luke fans who can't stand Noah (and both are a minority). Mason has no screen time, and he is very far right now to be an option for Noah (there are a power relationship, and this couple will make Noah break some rules, and we know he don't like to break rules). I really hope that the writers end with this nonsense triangle. They can do something interesting with Mason, making him a villain, but not a cartoon villain like Col Mayer, just a manipulative and schemming, just the kind of villiain that people love to hate.
And if they want to make a love triangle some day, they better introduce a gay character, and make him friend to both guys, and after a time (and after testing his chemistry with both) start the love triangle. Reg could be a far better option as third than Mason (but they killed him in that absurd storyline)
I agree
What was all that stuff
I don’t get the ATWT
I don’t get the ATWT backlash, let alone the OLTL praise. I don’t know if a love triangle was promised but affairs are never clever n usually mind numbing, I read the scenes as going towards an unrequited love/attraction story arc, which sounds 100x as xlever n completely uncliche story. Seems everyone’s judging on irrelevant expectations. There was nothing wrong with the clips or story so far - if it was rushed their would be complaints galore when they finally take their time it goes completely unappreciated.
As far as I don’t mind angst OLTL arks me a lot; I feel all the major plot point I’ve been talked thru instead of just left to watch, the likely hood of Leila talking to the one guy who could make her join the dots happens to do so within 5mins of them ever meeting - no suspense, the raw less emotion - we’ve all been in the closet n I for one more than terrified anyone would know, felt non of that from him. I don’t actually mind OLTL but obvious unbalance of critique is unfair n inconsistent.
ECdlC
I've tried to like Max and Iago, but their hair gets in the way. Why is it that all the young guys have shaggy do's that make them look like lesbians? Is it because they appeal to teen girls?
I tried to help out Alejandro0720 with translations, but he wouledn't substitute my efforts as he didn't want to offend his regular non-native friends. So it comes out like Google Translator. I threw in a few "as if"s and "douche bag"s. He also runs the English subtitles over the Catalan ones, so they're hard to read. I have to stop the clip often to read it.
And there's no action a la US soaps, and much too much of Beni, a clown character.
Muy frustrado.
Aime-mois moins, mais aime-moi longtemps
I find the layering of the
Just have to say...
Zarf was..
his/her name. I can't remember his real show name. All i remember was that he was some kind of David Bowie-type rock star.(i wanna say Jeff but i don't think that's right) Anywho he and Bianca,with whom he had fallen in love with,went to Europe to,presumably,get his sex change.
After that,i guess they parted ways and she hooked up with Reese. They got married,had a baby,broke up,reunited and are living in Paris.
Thanks! I always wondered
AWZ/OLTL
I'm excited that Raw is
The Problem with Nuke on ATWT
If you ask me, the main problem with the Nuke Storyline partially lies with the writers ,but mostly with the completely wooden, non-charismatic Jake Silberman as Noah. Rarely have I ever seen an actor with such a limited range and lack of even the most basic acting skills.
I think Pinocchio would be an ideal role for him....
Jake can Char my isma
Aime-mois moins, mais aime-moi longtemps
**Forbidden Love Bobmshell**
That was awesome!
OMG...classic.
I love the face fuzz on Oliver
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Read this book, it's excellent! Angels of the Deep