GOOL Theater: Brendan and Ste Reunite! Or Do They? On "Hollyoaks"

People of the Valley

After weeks and weeks of nothing happening, POTV does what it often does: offering up a major plot twist when you least expect it. I didn’t see the reveal of Macs’ rape coming, so I was genuinely shocked when it came out-- not only when it did, but in the in the way that it did.

The scenes between Macs and Sion that followed were terrific in both writing and acting. Sion has sometimes been very judgmental and even harsh with his children, especially with Macs given their rocky history. But he also loves them deeply and wants to protect them, which we saw from the moment Sion learned what had hppened to his son. These scenes of total support and unconditional love were a long time in coming. I can’t say they were worth waiting for, but they were a pleasure to watch.

I’m also very glad they brought Iolo in and finally had his suspicions confirmed about what happened between Macs and Scott. But I still have a problem with Iolo knowing what occurred for weeks and not confronting Macs with it. That seemed more a plot device than how someone would actually behave in such a situation. Especially someone as loving and compassionate as Iolo.

And while the show probably didn’t intend it, I couldn’t help but laugh when Iolo, after finding out about the rape, headed for the door, swearing to kill Scott. Sion stopped him, but I wondered exactly where did Iolo think he was going? He doesn’t know where Scott is! Ah well. Does this mean the story is finally going to move forward a bit faster? If I know POTV, probably not.

Hollyoaks

A lot happened this past week on Hollyoaks, as it usually does when Ste and Brendan are featured. To make a long story short, Brendan schemed to break up Noah and Ste by getting Noah a job out of town. However, the plan backfired when Ste decided to go with Noah. Never one to give up, Brendan then hired a guy who looked alarmingly like Ste (only with an Irish accent) to seduce Noah.

Of course Noah couldn’t resist jumping into the nearest hot tub with the doppelganger, which conveniently happened to be in open view of most of the village. Ste dumped Noah, who left town alone. Cue the cheers of the Noah haters. Brendan quickly moved to get Ste back in his bed. And it nearly worked, until Ste found out all about Brendan’s latest shenanigans. Ste then told Brendan it was over for good. But is it? What do you think?

At one point this past week, Brendan taunted Ste with how weak he is. This is true. Ste isn't just weak, he's kind of pathetic, in my mind. That’s the one thing that has always bothered me about this dysfunctional relationship between Ste and Brendan: Ste has to be written as spineless in order for it to work.

Sure, Ste and Noah weren’t meant to be and Noah was a rebound relationship, but does that mean that Ste should rush back to Brendan, even after learning what he had done to manipulate him this time? I know fans love Brendan and they love this coupling, but do they really love that one of the characters has to be constantly denigrated and foolish in the process? Ste has ceased to be a character in his own right. Now he simply exists to react, positive or negative, to whatever Brendan’s latest actions are.

And I hated the way the show wrote Noah out. Don’t get me wrong, I was no fan of the character and I think the actor who played him, Law Thompson, was pretty weak on his best days. But would Noah seriously run off with another guy when he’s on a date with Ste? They were leaving town the next day to start a new life! No one is that stupid. That’s just some bad writing.

Then again, the show always handled Noah. He was never more than a plot device when he should have been an actual, viable love interest for Ste. Then again, if he were a viable love interest, Ste would never go back to Brendan. And where would we be then?

But with all that, I found myself enjoying this past week. There was some sharp writing and some really delicious scenes. I even think the dramatic and emotional moments between Ste and Brendan were smartly written and acted. But the overall characterization is seriously flawed, which takes away some of my enjoyment.

Days of Our Lives

Days is probably the most old school soap that’s out there. I don’t follow any other soap that has quite so much melodramatic dialogue punctuated by booming background music. It can make sitting through an episode somewhat difficult. I know the show is doing a valiant effort with the gay storyline, and I have to commend the show for that. But the writing for it is just awful.

The scripts are hammy and over the top, and the story itself is just full of clichés. Except for the fact that Sonny is already out and proud, which is about the only thing in this story’s favor, everything else is something we’ve seen a million times, including Will as the closeted gay teen with a girlfriend.

And for me, all the bad dialogue really affects the actor’s performances. They seem to be struggling with the words, and I know these actors are better than the material they have been given. I just keep reminding myself that it won’t be long before the new writer's material kicks in. Hopefully, then we'll see some improvements.

That said, I do like that Will and Gabi refuse to put up with T’s homophobia. So many times people look the other way in situations like this or make excuses for the bigot, and I think it’s great that they have drawn a line in the sand where this is concerned. And I enjoyed the scene where Kinsey, who is one of my favorites, admitted she doesn’t know how to act around a guy who’s not into her sexually. That was a nice bit of characterization.

I admit though that I’m not thrilled that they made T. the bad guy here. I realize they needed some conflict and I can understand using a supporting player for that since they clearly want to avoid making any of the regulars homophobic or have difficulties dealing with gays. But I liked T.. Now, unless the character goes through some major changes, I suspect his Days are numbered.