"Hollyoaks" video clip update: Afterglow

An absolutely lovely episode for the couple.

I'm still on Cloud Nine (just like John-Paul and Kieron) from watching yesterday's clip. Both of them are so freaking happy. I love it. I love it. I love it.  

Love me less, but love me a long time - Les Chansons D'Amour

AHHH Cant wait till Niall offs the priest, cant stand him wish JP was staying though and maybe we could have some stories that werent completely contrived rubbish from the start

It's never good to be too happy in Soap land, but at least these guys get to have sex, talk about sex, be seen before and after sex and well act like guys.

I don't care what anyone thinks, they are the cutest couple and them getting married is the icing on the cake.

I have a feeling that JP will be around for sometime. Although James Sutton is leaving what is keeping TPTB from replacing him with someone else. They do this on American soaps all the time.

I would love to hear Lolaruns opinion on that since he (she?) has intimate knowledge of German soaps and if they do the same thing over there. Replacing people to play the same character is a standard on American soaps, daytime or nighttime, just look at ATWT and some years ago, Dynasty where they replaced two characters (Emma Sams replaced Pamela Sue Martin as Fallon and Jack Coleman replaced Al Corley as Steven) and of course poor Martha Byrne got replaced by Gilded Lilly, Meg lookalike.

Hopefully JP won't disappear completely only change physically.

 

Live Long and Prosper

Randy,

Awaiting Lolaruns' reply - on European soaps, the practice of replacing actors to play the same character is less common than it is on American ones. Especially a character like Lily on ATWT, where the actor/actress really IS the role, would not be replaced on a European soap. A good example is Max on Hollyoaks - that could never be played by someone else and so when the actor leaves, so does the character. Rare replacements (usually of the child actors - by actors somewhat older)would also only happen after the character was away for a while.

Seeing that James Sutton really made the character of John Paul what it was and considering that the popularity of John Paul's storylines had everything to do with his amazing talent and the chemistry between him and his co-stars - it is highly unlikely that John Paul will remain in Hollyoaks played by someone else. Moreover, James Sutton has not excluded a return ("Never say never" is what he said). 

Snicks,

I love your recaps! These and Michael Jensen's about ATWT are absolute treats! Thanks.  

I forgot to add my .02 cents about John Paul and Kieron being a great couple.  As has been said before, Hendricks and Sutton deserve a lot of credit for giving these two characters so much depth, and playing them with so much honesty.  U.S. soap writers can learn a lot from studying how the characters of John Paul, Kieron, Craig, and even Kris were portrayed.  Maybe All My Children has taken a step in the right direction by hiring Hollyoaks former head writer as a consultant.

 

Seriuosly...JPK storyline is like WTF?? Ex-pervy priest + 19 years old are getting merried...oh boy...how romantic is that?? And Myra is not bothered about Kieron anymore?? Wow. Myra, please, adopt me!! My mom can´t stand the fact that I´m also into women.

Nobody seems to care about JPK in HO, so why should I bother? At least Craig is coming back and so the drama begins.

Btw...hilarious backstage video with Guy Burnet (Craig Dean): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ui08u0NA3SI

 

 

How is Kieron pervy?  Both JP and Kieron are adults.   Kieron didn't force himself on John Paul, or lie to him to get in his pants.  Kieron surely didn't use a line like "You'll be back you can't help yourself."  Or "I can have you and somone else on the side", like one of JP's former lovers did.  Kieron hasn't shown anything but love and respect for John Paul.  And unlike before with Craig, John Paul hasn't been a door mat.  He has been just as active as Kieron in carrying on this relationship.

I have a problem with playing to the insulting stereotype that same sex relationships are somehow perveted.  What does your mother's feelings about your sexuality have to do with this situation.  Myra's problem with Kieron is that he is a male, it is that she trusted him with her secrets and she feels he betrayed her. 

 

Oh yeah...I remember Craig saying: “All the same...next time I come knocking you´ll be there – I know it and you know it”. Well, he was telling the TRUTH!! John Paul couldn´t resist him!! Haha.

I know Craig made mistakes but he had his head completely messed up, he was confused about his sexuality and not everybody is strong enough to come out of the closet jumping with joy.

In the end, he redeemed himself: he chose JP. He rejected his girlfriend twice pos reveal and was brave enough to face his homophobic family to be with John Paul.

I tried to be open minded about Kieron but I really don´t care about him now, mostly because I know nothing about him ( he has almost zero backstory )

Someone posted elsewhere that Kieron “was creepy in his relentless persuit of JP and took advantage of Myra´s faith” (couldn´t agree more). He also broke his vows of chastity rather easily. His lines: “I didn´t say you can´t have me”, “don´t think about it” and “it´s just a job”…wow…these lines completely turned me off.

Oh…and JP was Kieron´s dirty little secret too. For someone who is praised for being more mature than Craig he should have acted like an adult, he should have left the church or ended the affair – but he chose to do neither ( he was outed by Myra )

Plus JP and Kieron don´t have nothing in common. Like JP said once: “I don´t even know you!” He still doesn´t know Kieron, but he´s going to merry him. WTF?? Soaps!!

It´s so sad that only Niall can see how ridiculous JPK affair is.

The first love thing w/craig was appealing because it was all fraught and full of tension "forbidden" passion. But that doesn't make it more Real or Better. JP and Craig had an AFFAIR, not a Relationship. Craig was monster to Sarah and a monster to JP. He was a year older than JP and he acted like a 12 year old. Craig was never, ever nice to JP (even in private). Cheating husbands are nicer to their mistresses than Craig was to JP.

Even if he didn't want to come out, he could have broken up with Sarah once he had doubts about his sexuality. He didn't (even though his hypocritical ass repeatedly told JP he had to break up with Hannah because he was gay) He treated JP like he was some drug he couldn't kick. Being closeted doesn't mean you get to be a bastard to your lover. Yes it's fricking hard to come out of the closet (even in 2007 when the story was unfolding) but it's still your choice and you don't get to blame your decision to come out or stay in on anybody else. Craig tried to foce himself on Sarah, told her she disgusted him, called JP a faggot seconds after they slept together FOR THE FIRST TIME! He repeatedly lied about breaking up with Sarah for months and months, coerced JP into breaking up with Spike then took Sarah on a vacation THE NEXT DAY and PROPOSED when they got back. Then he tried to have SEX with JP AT THE ENGAGEMENT PARTY! Yes, JP set him up with the phone thing but Craig could have said, um, No, not now.

Since when does being confused about your sexuality excuse all of that? What exactly is loving about any of that behavior? Obsessive and controlling maybe. But love? He crossed a line into abusive long time ago. Then, after "choosing" JP (like that's some prize) he still couldn't admit he's gay or show affection with JP in public (in front of strangers in an airport?) PLEASE!!! "I'm not gay, I just love JP". Well if you love JP and the man you love asked you to kiss him in a fricking AIRPORT, KISS HIM!!!

Being sexually confused does not excuse all of that. Craig was a grown man. A young man but still not a child. Grown enough to be sexualy active. Grown enough to marry Sarah, Grown enough to own up to his feelings for JP and act like a man. As gay folks we should know better than to excuse someone's violent homophobic behavior on their "confusion" about their sexuality. That is so tired. Yes I know people behave that way and coming out is hard but we all have to be responsible for our choices. I'm glad the story was written the way it was because it's one side of coming out.

But Kieron was never ashamed of being gay. Which I applaud wholeheartely. His issue was that he was supposed to be celibate. He said he believed god loved everyone and the churches stance on sex was old fashioned. But, he was trying to respect his vow of chastity. When he realized he couldn't , he knew he had to leave the church. He told JP he loved him more than the church. Which I would imagine is a process that takes time (emotionally and logistically) He'd already decided to leave the church after Steph's wedding. He never wanted JP to be his dirty little secret but he never got a chance to decide how to handle leaving the church because of Myra's big , hysterical, self-absorbed mouth.

Kieron is not the first catholic priest (or character) to leave the church because he no longer wanted to be celibate or because he fell in love. He didn't give up the church FOR JP, he gave up the chruch for HIMSELF. Live a lie or try to be happy (that's what he said to Kris the night he and JP first slept together) He chose to try to be happy. JP recognizes that Kieron gave up the church for himself and Kieron doesn't fault JP for his decision to leave the church. There is absoluely nothing pervy about that. Pervy is a really dangerous word to be throwing around when you're dealing with stories about gay men. Those catholic priest who abused children did so because they were SICK, not because they were GAY. That has nothing to do with this story (though of course I get why it comes up). However, because there are so many Gay men in the priesthood, i think it was an interesting story to try to tell. If you go back through all the dialogue between Kieron and Kris, JP and Niall, I think it proves to have been well handled (even for a soap)

As for the age thing, lots of people meet the love of their life at 19 and have really lovely lives with them (gay and straight) for however long it lasts. Lots of gay folks have their first relationships with someone who's older and it's fabulous. 7 years is not that big of a deal. I'm 40 and been dating since I was 17. I've dated folks who were 7 years older and 7 years younger and it never made a lick of difference with regards to how mature they were or weren't. Everyone is different. John Paul is above age. No one (not even his mother) has the right to tell him who he can love or have sex with. I think the best decision he ever made was to move out of his mother's house.

In the end, what really matters, is that Kieron's all, "let's go outside", "let's face myra" I'm not ashamed! Even after everybody knew about JP and Craig, Craig was never proud of being with JP or being gay. He was apologetic about it. Like he couldn't help it. Granted Craig may have needed time to adjust but that was his own path.

Once Kieron made the decision to leave the church for real, he embraced making a life for himself in the town. Standing proud and being willing to deal with whatever fallout. No shame in his game. That's an honorable man in my book and a good gay role model for a soap opera to depict (not that he's got to be a role model). Who knows what they have in common. They both love music and dancing and sports but we don't really know because we rarely see them talk about it.

People move on from their first loves (no matter how powerful and siginficant those first loves were) JP and Craig's love was all tangled up in their both coming out and having so much shame and lies and betrayal and pain. JP and Kieron made a decision to be together and seem to genuinely love each other how could anyone not think that was lovely.

They should get to end the show moving forward with their lives, not going backward. JP should forgive Craig and go off into the sunset with Kieron and see where life takes them outside of Hollyoaks (domestically partnered or not). That would be a positive storyline. Then Spike can come back and he and Kris and hold down the fort for queers in Hollyoaks.

I KNOW WE ALL KNOW THAT'S NOT HOW IT WILL END BUT I CAN STILL HOPE! CLEARLY I CARE TOO MUCH ABOUT THIS SHOW ; - )

I am sorry to have to burst some of your dreams, but Brian Kirkwood planned for Kieron to go away when he was hired.  In the last interview with Jake, Jake said he was told you have the job and now you will be gone within the year.  James and Brian both were for the SE from the very beginning and had hope Guy would come back to do it, because they knew then James would be leaving.  As far as someone else being JP, never will it happen, they don't do it in soaps in UK and Germany, which in my opinion, is one of the reasons why their soaps are so much better.  

I also know that right after JP and Kieron hooked up JP admitted to Hannah that he still loved Craig and that he messed it up by not going with him.  So obviously JP still cares about Craig, first love is strong and when he sees Craig, all of the old feelings will resurface, good and bad.  Every one says that Craig was horrible, if he was so horrible why did JP fall in love with him, why did JP continue to forgive and be with him.  I tell you why they are soulmates, something that JP and Kieron are not, because the writers never let it happen.  It isn't all about Kieron going away the current spoilers are even hinting that JP starts to have doubts about the relationship.  Of course he would, when things were left so unfinished  between him and Craig.

 The bottom line is that it is JP's decision, or the writers for those who don't live in soap land, and if Jp loves Craig more that is the way it is.  

And as far as Kieron and the church.  The one thing I don't get is why everyone says Kieron was so comfortable being gay.  Explain that to me.  He joins a organization that he knows is against gays, oh excuse me I mean if you don't practice being gay then you are ok (whatever that means) and then he gets in the pulpit and pretends to agree with it, all the while shagging the teenager of the women who so graciously agreed for him to stay in her house.  And when they become an item he knew the church would disagree, so did he do the honest thing and stop, or quit, no they just kept on until Myra outed him.  He would still be living a lie if Myra had not outed him.

  Even JP was not innocent.  He used Hannah as a beard, used Spike to get to Craig and then to keep Craig close to home, and had an affair with his best friends boyfriend, and then tried to pretend it was everyone elses fault but his. 

All three, JP, Craig, and Kieron are men who made mistakes, lots of them, but who try their best to be the best they can be each day.  At the end of the day it comes down to who does Craig want and who does JP want, and will Kieron even be around for his opinion to matter.  

Until September we wait, and all hope for our guys to win, whoever that is.