As the World Turns/Nuke Update: Truly, Maddie, Deeply

Things are really chugging along with everyone's favorite Hot Oakdale Teen Gay Love Triangle. Yesterday we saw a few significant developments in the story, which we'll discuss below ...

*-*-SPOILERS-*-*

Yesterday was the day that Maddie put together all the pieces and figured out that there is something going on between Luke and Noah that puts all that towel-dropping into context. Oddly, the person who helped her lay out all the clues was her brother Henry. Now, I'm not saying that Henry's wardrobe or affinity for pepparkaken points to anything more significant, but why is it that he has the best gaydar in town?

Henry lets Maddie know that Captain Pervy is on her like flypaper because he thinks Noah is gay and is fooling around with Luke, the Only Gay in the Village (aside from Roth, of course), behind her back. Rather quaintly, his sharing this is compared to when he told her, as children, that her hamster had died.

Maddie processes this info and you can almost hear the cogs and wheels and things snapping into place, but she still has the sense to point out that speculating about someone's sexuality based on their likes and habits is stupid. She immediately sets out to find Luke (since she's already in the town square, he must be in the only other place he's ever in, which is the studio) and ask him if there's something going on between him and Noah.

Luke balks, and she knows immediately that her brother is right.

Here's the thing I'm liking: Maddie's not an idiot. She's rational, and when she's presented with information she confronts things head-on. The fact of the matter is, Noah's been screwing with her royally, and her trusting him is nothing that she should be faulted for. It would have been easy for the show to have her fly into hysterics or jump off Oakdale's celebrated cliff or something (although that could come later), but she's being granted a lot of dignity thus far and not being painted as a cliched "overemotional woman spurned" (like, say, the Quaker Oats Lady and her daily mascara freakouts).

It's also interesting to note that yesterday saw major developments in the "gals-who-love-guys-who-love-guys" department both here and on Greek (which we'll get to later in a separate recap), and both involved teens.

One more thing: We've put together an As the World Turns page as a one-stop shop for all your Nuke needs (there are a few for other shows as well, and more to come, on the left-hand sidebar). Check it out!