Langford on Soaps: Luke and Noah’s "Lost" Kiss

LANGFORD’S PICKS AND PANS

Neighbours

Well, I’m glad Chris saw sense and went back to work, though I still think Lucas had nothing to apologize for. Yes, he should be sorry that Chris got his feelings hurt and that the customer was a homophobe, but Lucas himself didn’t do anything wrong. At least Lucas had the good sense to say that while he was sorry, he couldn’t promise not to screw up again or that something else like what went down might happen again.

At the end of the day though, I still think Chris overreacted by quitting. I understand that the show is sending the message that bigotry shouldn’t be tolerated. Obviously, it shouldn’t. However, life is gray, not black and white, and the answers just aren’t always so simple. In the real world you can't leave a job every time someone says something you don't like. Though as I said before, the show should be commended for shedding light on situations that gay people deal with all the time.

Now can we please bring back Aiden? It's time for Chris to get some lovin'. Thanks.

All That Matters

It’s no secret that I wasn’t happy with the show’s decision to kill Roman off. Too many times soaps kill off characters rather than simply writing them out by having them leave town or craft another reasonable exit for them. But if a soap has to kill a character off, I can’t think of the last time it was done so well. I’ve found this storyline to be quite wonderful, emotional and moving. The last hours of Roman’s life and the aftermath as his friends learned of his death might be some of the most powerful scenes I’ve watched in all my years of reviewing soaps as a professional gig.

The music choices were excellent and the clips used for the montages said so much about Roman’s world and his role in the lives of his family and friends.

I’ve often found this show’s writing and stories to be shallow, but they plumbed the depths for this storyline and came up with golden moment after golden moment. As much as I’ve enjoyed Dennis Grabosch as Roman in this story, I really think that Michael N. Kuehl and Igor Dolsgatschew as Florian and Deniz respectively have really shined and shown they are far more than just a couple of pretty faces.

They have brought a lot of heartbreaking scenes to this storyline, and I suspect we’ll see a lot more as the plot arc plays out. Roman and Deniz were one of the first couples I began to follow as part of this job as this site's soap guru, and they were always one of my favorites, even though over time the show did a lot to cause my interest to wane.

I’m going to miss them as a couple and Roman Wild as a character. It’s sadly, the end of yet another era in gay storytelling.

Good Times, Bad Times

I’m going to say something that Lucas/Edwin fans aren't going to like: I think that while Lucas is in his coma, Edwin needs to meet another guy. I’m not saying he should fall in love or sleep with someone else, but I think the temptation and attraction should be there and set the stage for a juicy triangle once Lucas revives.