Gays of our Lives (November 24, 2008)

Things were going well for the couple, even though Scott’s best friend Ruth, who is extremely possessive of him, repeatedly tried to break them up. Things got worse after she became pregnant and her husband left her. Over time, she became a bigger and bigger disruption in Scott and Manu’s lives, eventually leaving the baby with Scott. Scott threw himself into fatherhood, but Manu wasn’t quite so thrilled. In fact, he wants the baby gone. What will Manu do to solve the problem? If you guessed buy Dr. Spock books or learn how to change diapers, you’d be wrong . . .

So what happens next? The answer’s in the spoiler section.

IN MY HUMBLE OPINION

Brothers & Sisters – Talk about bouncing back1 Brothers & Sisters has managed to win my heart again (for this week anyway; Robert is still on the show after all) with an episode spotlighting Scotty and Kevin. Scotty’s success as a chef and Kevin’s struggle with his own career slide resulted in a very real conflict dealing with a number of issues gay men often face in their relationships: money matters, fiscal equality and decision making done BOTH independently and as a couple, all of which were depicted in a series of rich and well written scenes.

Matthew Rhys (Kevin) and Luke MacFarlane (Scotty) shone together, showing off their engaging chemistry. I admit I’ve always been doubtful about this coupling, but they finally won me over, showing they do have a real and palpable bond.

However, the show continues to follow its well-worn track: Kevin screws up majorly and Scotty forgives too quickly. I realize in the context of the show it has to work that way, but it takes away from the realism of their relationship. However, the show gets special points for giving Saul a story of his own that featured a sparkling turn by Dave Foley as the blind date from hell. Kudos must also be given to Sally Field for another standout performance as Nora. I love Scotty, Kevin and most of the Walkers (except Tommy), but Ms. Field is truly the star of this show.

Física o Química – Fer’s life took a back seat to the problems of his enemy as the show cast a light on the life of Gorka, who has terrorized Fer since the series began. This week Fer tried to help Gorka as he battles with a drug addiction and deals with losing his girlfriend to another guy. To the show’s credit, they have taken the time to show that Gorka is not just some bratty homophobe, but a teenage boy with his own problems and issues about growing up.

Even better is that despite his wary feelings about Gorka, Fer is able to see that and shows Gorka kindness and support when no one else will. The growing relationship between the two boys lets us see that with time and maturity, even enemies can become friends ... or at least reach a level of understanding. But as much as I’m enjoying this, I’m ready for Fer to get his own story and a new boyfriend (Oh, Julio!).

River City –  The sign of a good soap to me is when I’ve never seen it before and know little about the players and the history of the show, yet I am pulled in enough to want to watch again next week. In the case of River City, I say… sort of.

While I like the overall plot of Scott becoming an instant daddy to an abandoned baby, I’m not feeling much chemistry between Scott and Manu. Now that may be unfair since most of their scenes were with a baby, but I was more interested in whether Scott would keep the kid than if his relationship with Manu would survive. Part of it is because Manu seems more like an annoyance than a lover you want to keep around. I’m not sure if that’s what the writers intended. The upshot is I’ll be back next week. That’s a good thing, I guess.