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ATWT - Brian Wheatley's Secret Is...... (SPOILER)

SPOILER SPACE

 

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Brian's secret is revealed.... to Luke anyway.  Next week, Lucinda has a mastectomy.  Following the surgery, Brian proposes and Lucinda accepts.  The two are quickly married.  Later, Brian finds Luke, who has been drinking since he's upset over the situation with Noah and has a major hang over. Brian and Luke get close.... a little too close and Brian kisses young Mr. Snyder.  Luke is stunned and Brian insists Luke not tell anyone as to not ruin Lucinda's happiness.......

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brcksvg's picture

Holy S*&tbags!

I mean, we all kind of expected to a certain extent, but seriously?

Holy S%^TBAGS!

 

www.thebittersuite.blogspot.com

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Novinous's picture

They're really doing it then ?

Wooo yeah we all thought about it but honestly I didn't think they'd dare...

This storyline seriously needs some shaking, I'm already barely watching it anymore, but I'm pretty sure they're even gonna make this new stunt boring !  

smuchshypush's picture

holy damn!!

Is this next week?  Whoa.  Like Brock said above, not entirely unexpected... but WHOA.  Love, love, love the drama. 

Knickie's picture

Duh! Is that really

Duh! Is that really surprising? Mr. Three-in-a-Tent? Mr. Stay-in-the-Closet? But kissing Luke? It's so skivvy!
you_will's picture

SAY WHAAAAAT?

I obviously have to go back to the recaps, because I can’t remember who Brian is. i do assume he is MUCH older than Luke. damn.

 

 

Anthony D. Langford's picture

Brian Is...

Brian is the guy who Luke hired to run his foundation.   They are playing Brian (and he looks it) as if he were about Holden or Dusty or Paul's age.  But IRL the actor is much older than that.
rschlem's picture

Gotta hand it to P&G, again.

A creepy closet case villain, What a surprise? Reinforces every Republican, wing-nut, house wife's worst nightmare and worst stereotype about predatory gay men. He marries a wowan to hide his disgusting sin. Not only that, he marries her so he can be close to a virgin man boy who he can deflower. What are they planning for Luke's first sexual experience, a gay rape?

Thanks again, ATWT, for keeping the dream alive. Who knows, you may soon be the first show to win both a GLAAD award and what ever sick tribute that the AFA hands out, -and for the same story line!

How's that for drama?

 

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LoTr1985's picture

Laughing!

Okay, I'm totally late to the party here but this made me laugh out loud.  You're so right on!  It would be one thing if Luke weren't drunk and/or stupid and/or had a backbone and/or was a stronger person in general...but this just seems sorta low. 

But, I will say there's something sorta tingly about Brian and Luke kissing.  It's because I love the actor who plays Brian.  I remember when I was kid I was convinced I was going to marry him (he played Jamie on Another World--my all time favorite soap).  So to see him kissing another guy is sorta hot.  Does that make me skeevy?

Anthony D. Langford's picture

Oh, I See Your Point....

..... but I don't think the show is going to go very far with it.  To be honest, I thought they'd never go in this direction and I was shocked when I first heard about it.  I seriously doubt if it's going to be depicted in the dark manner you draw.

 

At least I hope not.

rschlem's picture

No matter how it's depicted

No matter how it's "depicted", this is the story that is going to play out in the fragile minds of the wing nuts that everybody tells me this story is suppose to be influencing. How about reinforcing stereotypes and prejudices? -nice influence when you can get it.

How else can it be depicted? The man woos Lucinda, then makes a play for her grandson! Let's see, it could be depicted like he is overcome by gay aliens who make him "choose" to be gay with their evil sex phasers? And then he snaps out of it? Perhaps he confesses that he's acting on the same feelings that every male in Oakdale are suppressing and Luke suddenly is confronted by 100s of suitors who can't resist him because he's some kind of gay Stupefyin' Jones? Maybe Brian's a closet Italian? And what about the fact that this is the man who has been predicting failure because of Luke's politics.

Simply put, Luke is now the uppity faggot who will do anything for his "so called' rights, including, lie, cheat or steal. And he deserves to be punished for it, (being uppity that is.) At the end of this I expect that Luke will come to his senses, unlike the faggots protesting in California as I write this, and he will abandon gay politics. Noah is the good gay, an Army brat who knows his gay place is to honor celibacy for ever. Sure they're a cute couple, if you're working for the inquisition and enjoy flogging people.

And the other gays on the show who aren't "wall paper", Who are they? Sex obsessed hot tubbers, political activists who cheat and lie, and now a sexual predator. Except for the obvious, lisping, hair stylist, are we missing any negative stereotypes?

And the list of good gays? Besides the eunuch Noah, there are none, now that poor Luke has fallen prey to the evils of the gay agenda.

The producers of this show either despise gays or they are more messed up than we could imagine.

.

 

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Janet's picture

Take a breath...

...Nukely. Lets wait and see how this plays out before getting a hernia. I said before that I thought this is what they were going to do with Brian. That is why he is so terrified of what people will think of the foundation having anything to do with gay activism. He probably has been bashed and/or closeted his whole life because of it. This is where the show is heading in terms of showing what happens when one is persecuted and therefore hidden. They probably won't tell the story well, or even barely decently, but I think that is where they are headed. Besides, the actor that plays Brian and Van have a lot of fans out there. I don't think the producers really want to trigger any riots.

 

 

 

I say we take the warning labels off everything and let nature take it's course.

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rschlem's picture

breath in and out

Janet, before when you Wrote: "I'm always wrong about predicting these plots," that sent a chill down my spine. People usually seem to say that when they are in fact right, even if they're unsure.

How come all of these muddled plots always make the gays look bad?

Is anyone going to feel sympathy for Brian's past regrets or trauma after he hits on Luke and disappoints Lucinda?

Okay, If Brian kisses Luke just to prove he isn't a homophobe and help Luke out by making Noah jealous?

 

I'll puke.

 

netogeno's picture

Get - out!

They really went with the most obvious choice. I could think of a 100 different ways this would go, but didnt think they would go that way.

Is he gay? Maybe hes european?

I dont have a problem with Wheatables making a play for Luke, Im more troubled about having him marry Lucinda and were that could go. I agree with Nukely that no matter how this is handled, people are going to interpret what is on their minds anyway.

Honestly, I dont mind this story to be told, hey it happens, as long as they dont go to scandalous. That may be too much to ask. Well see how that plays.

Magnvss's picture

I´m happy that at last...

I’m happy that at last Luke is gonna have sex! Ok, ok, not the ideal scenery, but hey, after a year of gathering lust over Noah I think Luke can easily take anything that moves and is not his family. So go, Brian, go, and make nutty little Luke a little happier, lol.

Well, seriously, I’ve seen that (gay Brian) as a possibility but not as a huge one.

¿Where will Noah be? Will see, will see.  
snicks's picture

DAMN!

So does this mean he's not Noah's dad with a new face?
karen's picture

Holy %&$&

I kind of suspected he might be, but never would have thought he would kiss Luke. Okay. I finally have a reason to watch ATWT again. I haven't watched in a few weeks, but I want to see the fall out. (Hey, isn't this just another coming out story. I guess its better than the Amira thing.)
jjose712's picture

Well

maybe because i only see the youtube clips (and don't pay too much attention) but i don't see this coming
jago87's picture

OH MY SH*TSTORMS!

This cannot be... there's GOTTA be some sort of catch to it. Logically it makes no sense and almost goes completely against... wait, nevermind, their storylines don't make sense and go completely against what you would expect to happen already. But this is REALLY pushing the envelope.

So, wait a minute, they're willing to piss off the crazy old grammas and AFA bigots who watch this show with a "gay X-Generation sex scandal" but they won't let two young adult males get it on behind closed doors? What the HELL is going on, I have never been more confused with this show (minus the time a smoking hot dead guy came back from the grave)!

springintoaction's picture

I've gone cold turkey and it feels so good. No more ATWT

I am with Nukely, on the uppity faggot treatment and that along with some other stuff that finally made me realize that I was much better off giving up this 20+ habit than ranting about it as there is no desire on the part of the show-runners to make Luke and Noah anything but card-boards.

If this was happening 10 years ago, I would argue that it was entirely due to homophobia as most of the characters were not card-boards. These days all the characters are card-boards and my biggest qualm with the show-runners is that they continue to use these popular characters as gay bait and really seem to buy their own PR about how noble they are being for letting these guys appear in their dying show once in a blue moon.

It seems like they've finally decided to model the characters without even the slightest veil as they do all their female/male pairings. Luke (uppity fag)is the "woman" of the relationship and "Noah" gets to be the "man." As such, Luke/Carly/Lily/even Juicy Janet are always doing "bad" things as Noah/Jack/Holden are "good" and love their women only when they act according to standards that these loser men never meet.

While I know that I'll miss Carly and Lucinda, not watching this mess (esp. Luke and Noah) has allowed me to ranting about the state of the entire show. The ratings last week are showing that this show is in serious trouble and part of me would like to see it gone as, unlike other shows, neither its runner or head writer have been shown the door.

Guillermo's Media Guillotine: Entertainment, journalism, politics, and popular culture.

http://springintoaction.typepad.com

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_alex's picture

We all understand Brian !!!

I don't really care about Brian wanted Luke (me too after all, and I'm sure i'm not alone...), but the fact that Luke has been drinking...

If you know the entier Luke'story, you should know, it's a bad idea... and maybe a great storyline. (I can dream...no?) 

 

RMN21879's picture

TV Guide is promoting this

TV Guide is promoting this "exciting" "event," which is due to take place Wednesday, Nov. 19.

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rschlem's picture

Stereotype? Not ATWT

He Lays a kiss on "Lucinda's drunken grand son", who is "way to blotto" to remember what happened. Doesn't sound particularly predatory when you put it that way.

 

Anthony D. Langford's picture

Interesting Take, Which Confuses Me

The soap mags give a different view of it.  They way they word it (and they talk to actor Laurence Lau about it) is that it's a moment that surprises Luke and Brian.  Apparently Brian (who supposedly does love Lucinda and wants to be with her) doesn't realize he's into men until just then.
rschlem's picture

Nee Jones

ADL wrote:
Apparently Brian ... doesn't realize he's into men until just then.
So does this mean that Luke has become the Stupifyin' Gay or that Brian chooses to be gay?

 

Anthony D. Langford's picture

The Way I Understand It Is...

... that until that moment, Brian didn't realize he was attracted to men.  The way it was presented to Laurence Lau when he took the part was that he would get involved with Lucinda, fall in love with her and want to marry her, but suddenly discover he was attracted to men.   The only thing he didn't know was that the man in question would be Luke.  So we're to believe that a man of Brian's age didn't know he was attracted to men until he had drunk Luke in his arms.
seanb's picture

Amazingly, that's not

Amazingly, that's not altogether rare.  Remember the Kinsey Scale.  It's not an either/or sort of thing, and conditioning, parenting, religion and other things can be so strong as to mask reality for a long time.
darcolover55's picture

Is It Always Predatory When An Older Person Makes A

pass at a younger person? Or do folks just think it's predatory because we're dealing with gay/possibly gay men?

I could see where the general straight audience of ATWT might not want to see Brian kissing Luke (for a whole host of reasons), but it's not like Brian is particularly threatening as a character. 

I don't remember anyone calling Gabby from DH predatory. Yes there is the whole cougar thing but it seems to be constructed as a "confident, sexy older woman" rather than a predator.

Obviously Brian shouldn't have kissed Luke for like a cajillion reasons (they both have partners, Luke is his BOSS, Brian is married to Luke's grandmother)

I don't think the fact that Brian doesn't or hasn't identified as "gay" makes any difference with regard to the kiss, per se.

People make passes at other people all the time, druken, sober, appropriate, inappropriate.

I don't think the kiss in and of itself is such a big deal (or rather, I don't think it SHOULD be such a big deal)

We'd alwasy assumed Brian might be gay given is Crazy Closeted Man behavior so that's not really such a big surprise.

Please Luke is adorable. He's particularly adorable when he's upset.

I'm a Dyke and even I might wanna kiss him if I saw him feeling all sad and unguarded.

What alarms me is THE DRINKING. It makes sense, his life is kinda falling apart at the moment, but I just hope it doesn't get prolonged or the drinking doesn't become the REASON why he and Noah make up.

They have really serious issues. Any couple (gay, straight, old married, teenager lovers) would need to seriously hash stuff out.

Perhaps a weekend spent hiding away and fighting it out at Lily's lovely hotel...

 

"Heterosexuality is not normal, it's just common." (Dorthy Parker)

rschlem's picture

preditors

I don't know if we are on the same page of what a sexual predator is or how one acts.

But first of all, let me comment on the stereotype of gay as predator, which means older men preying on younger. I want to acknowledge that that is a stereotype.

A predator will prey on vulnerable victims: children, the enfeebled and drunken young men, in this case.

A sexual predator will marry a woman in order to molest her children.

It is going to be interesting to see how ATWT explains this kiss as not being a gay kiss. or will they simply dismiss the whole thing because that how gays are.

One of the few character traits that they have preserved with Luke is that when his personality crashes, he turns to drinking. He did it before and it's no surprise he would relapse. Yes, Noah will probably save him and Dusty will probably push Noah to do it.

me from the above post wrote:
And the other gays on the show who aren't "wall paper", Who are they? Sex obsessed hot tubbers, political activists who cheat and lie, and now a sexual predator. Except for the obvious, lisping, hair stylist, are we missing any negative stereotypes?

And the list of good gays? Besides the eunuch Noah, there are none, now that poor Luke has fallen prey to the evils of the gay agenda.
What other horror of the gay lifestyle awaits or dear Gay Pauline? Is this the role model for gay youth people have been touting?

darcolover55's picture

Perhaps Brian Won't Be Depicted As Some Skeevy Slimester

Of course I'm aware that there are stereotypes about predatory gay men and predatory older men, etc.

But I still think sometimes a kiss can just be a kiss. It's 2008, we don't HAVE to participate into the stereotypical way of thinking.

I never read Reg as a "bad gay" he was a sexually active guy who's Boyfriend Tony was a partier (much like Cassie and Kevin and other college aged guys)

Reg is still friend with Luke, he just also happens to think Luke is sexy. Does that make him a predator? I'm not a dude so maybe I'm just not sensitive to that particular way of viewing the character.

I see Reg and Tony and Noah and Luke as 4 different gay guys who approach being gay differently but who are all out and comfortable (at this point) with being gay.

There is nothing inherently predatory about someone kissing someone unless there is some kind of molestation involved.

Since the scene hasn't actually happened (and the spoiler says Hung Over, not Drunk) I'm just hoping that it's a lot less skeevy than folks are assuming.

I've definitely been in a situation where a girl (and once a guy) jsut up and kissed me out of the blue (I'm sure many folks here have had this happen at some point) and it didn't feel like, OH MY GOD, I'VE BEEN ASSAULTED.

I didn't return the kiss and I made it clear that I wasn't into it. Done and Done.

Granted it may have been a bigger deal for her/him than me (if they were crushed or something) but it was still just a kiss.

So I'm hoping that maybe this situation with Brian and Luke will be handly well and gently and not be all "DON DON DON, CRAZY CLOSET CASE LUSTFUL BRIAN ATTACKS INNOCENT VIRGINAL LUKE! Film at 11.

Perhaps I'm being naive but it's just a spoiler and we really have no idea how it's going to play out and we've already decided that Brian is a monster preying on poor defenseless Luke and I could see the scene/storyline going in a whole lot of other different directions.

"Heterosexuality is not normal, it's just common." (Dorthy Parker)

rschlem's picture

Perhaps...

Kissing your new wife's drunk and passed out kid, male or female, is stepping over that line. And it cue's the predator stereotype. I'd find it more insulting if they made it casual rather than sinister.

You're saying you were drunk and vulnerable and your grandfather, or grand mother's boyfriend, just up and kissed you *like that*? And you thought that was okay? And you found a way to handle that well and gently?

I know that they release these spoilers to create interest. But, like I said before, from my story telling point of view, this is re-enforcing a negative stereotype. Nothing in the past year has shown me that ATWT can handle a scene like that with any kind of redemption, the only possibility I can think of is that Brian's just some weird straight dude with boundary issues who really doesn't see what he does as anything but innocent, and the only reason the writers put that in was so folks like me would write the things I do and get the fans all charged up. Are they that clever?

 

darcolover55's picture

The Spoiler just says Luke has a "major hang over"

It's doesn't say Luke is "drunk" "passed out" or "vulnerable" so I'm not sure where all that is coming from.

I know we differ on this. I think that Reg and Tony were perfectly normal young gay men. Tony was more into partying and dating around, Reg was more into having a boyfriend and gay activism. I hope the characters continue to pop in from time to time.

As for grandfathers...

I would hardly call Brian Luke's grandfather. He's been married to Lucinda for all of 5 minutes. But please, this is a soap, people willingly sleep with step siblings and step parents and cousins all the time. People swap partners between siblings and mothers and daughters like gum. It would hardly be shocking. Just because the are men and gay doesn't make them immune to the soap opera partner swap madness.

As far as soaps are concerned it's like" What, no actual blood relation? Well then, have at it!"

Since it hasn't happened yet, I have no way of judging whether or not Brian is going to be depicted as or received by viewers as a predator.

I also didn't say that Brian kissing Luke was OKAY, I just say it's not the same as some kind of predatory "assault" and Luke's response doesn't have to be all "Help, Help, Brian Kissed Me".

It could be more like how Noah responded to Ameer's kissing him "Um, wait a minute, hold up, what part of I'm not into you did you not get?!" or "Um, seriously Brian, you need to back that up and explain yourself did you just marry my Grandman Mr. Straight man, WTF?" or some such thing.

I could easily see a scene in my head where Brian kisses Luke, is shocked by his own actions, Luke is shocked by the whole thing but is also sad for Brian because he now understands why Brian has behaved like such a freak monster towards him about gay stuff (even if Brian didn't know himself why).

Whether or not he decides to tell Lucinda. Ahhh, there's the story.

I'm just saying there are many ways the scene could play out and we don't have to assume the story will be "See, middle-aged closeted gay men are just lying plotting evil looking for a place to happen"

I think it could be an interesting sort of story if it's done well.

 

"Heterosexuality is not normal, it's just common." (Dorthy Parker)

rschlem's picture

they said blotto

The TVGuide wrote:
...Brian comes upon Lucinda's drunken grandson, Luke... ...Luke is way too blotto to remember what happened...
Being married to Lucinda makes him Luke's grandfather, or step-grandfather. Making a play for Luke minutes after he marries Lucinda makes me think he only wooed and married Lucinda to get close to Luke, that's the stereotype, anyway.

 

LoTr1985's picture

darcolover55 wrote: I

I think it could be an interesting sort of story if it's done well.

Yes, because ATWT has shown us that they know how to craft interesting and compelling stories so well especially when it comes to Luke and/or Luke and Noah. 

Don't hold your breath.

Anthony D. Langford's picture

Yeah, TV Guide Says That....

.... but other spoilers say that Luke does remember what happened.  So there's some confusion about that.

 

 

NukeForever's picture

Every storyline in EVERY

Every storyline in EVERY SOAP OPERA enforces, and reinforces, negative stereotypes and negative messages. Whether they be of straight couples or Nuke. Nobody watches As the World Turns for its strong moral and ethical code, or for its work in breaking down stereotypes. Nobody watches any soap opera for the messages they put across. In all their plots, EVERYONE is made to look bad at one point or another. 

For Luke and Noah to NOT be involved in a storyline that sees them self-destruct, cheat, not listen to advice, AND/OR scheme is treating them differently to other couples on the show. And this is what the show promised to do: to treat them the same as every other couple on the show. This does not, and frankly CANNOT, mean that they are treated in a way akin to real life. Because real life and soap opera can never co-exist.

In my very humble opinion, I don't think the show has a duty to represent this couple in any light they don't desire, or in a light that would take them away from a really JUICY SOAP story. And I CERTAINLY don't think the writers sit down and try to think of ways to convey the gay community in all its glorious stereotypes. This is compelling SOAP storytelling where the lines of morality and ethics are blurred (and odds are the guy who committed the morally dubious act will come out on top). Still, as viewers, we're confronted with some pretty strong arguments for and against. It's just fun, far-fetched storytelling.

ALSO, one last thing. As the two gay men in the show, Noah and Luke are COMPLETELY different from each other. And NEITHER fits into any stereotype of the homosexual man. The same goes for Reg and Tony.

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rschlem's picture

full of it

The big humanizing drama that we have been waiting for with Luke makes him out to be a crazed gay radical. In fact, that is the cause of his downfall. We can't escape the moralizing on soaps. Rapists are sent to jail, not elected mayor.

The fact of the matter is that ATWT and many of Nukes fans have been dreaming of the day that they can smack down gay activists for their criticism of the show. Don't despair, Nukeforever, that day has come. Revel in it. Oh, wait, you are.

Never mind.

 

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NukeForever's picture

Please...

My point is that gay activism can be far more affective when scrutinizing a medium that actively seeks to demoralise homosexuals, as opposed to EVERYONE! It's a soap opera. It has no basis in reality. There can be no moralising on soaps. On the issue of rape: On 'Days', Sammi claimed to have been raped by EJ, and yet since then, they have had a child together and have been romantically linked. EJ has committed countless murders and yet he is roaming free. This is just one of MANY examples where the criminals have been rewarded, not reprimanded. 

The activists' argument is made weak when it is clear that ATWT has NOT portrayed straight couples as morally superior to the gay couple. In fact, in comparison, Luke and Noah would be the clear victors in that game. Neither has cheated on the other, abused the other, or schemed to cause the personal downfall of another human being. Instead, they have supported each other, and proven to be exceptional people who would go to unlikely lengths to save another human being from potential death. With this election storyline, no matter who you agree with, you can understand and empathise with both Luke and Noah. I haven't seen Luke as a "crazed gay radical", but a man who was rejected (heart-break and revenge are not reserved to the Luke character alone) and a man who believed in the message of diversity and anti-discrimination, and took that belief too far.

I would never be so arrogant as to suggest what you think I'm suggesting, BUT I do feel as though there is room to defend ATWT (or at least those of us who disagree with you about the negative light these characters have been placed in) and perhaps show that there is another side to the story that you may (or may not) have missed or interpreted differently. Isn't that the point of debate? 

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rschlem's picture

and thankyou...

Okay, one rapist gets off free, in one soap even though the crime is never poved, therefore no moralizing ever happens on any soap -least of all ATWT.

We all know that every soap character falls from grace on a soap. Your argument falls apart when the very reason that Luke gets taken down is BECAUSE he is gay NOT inspite of it.

 

LoTr1985's picture

Not the point

For Luke and Noah to NOT be involved in a storyline that sees them self-destruct, cheat, not listen to advice, AND/OR scheme is treating them differently to other couples on the show. And this is what the show promised to do: to treat them the same as every other couple on the show. This does not, and frankly CANNOT, mean that they are treated in a way akin to real life. Because real life and soap opera can never co-exist.

It's obvious you're a super fan (NukeForever?) so I'm not sure why I'm going to bother but I have insomnia again so here goes. 

Nobody is asking that Luke and/or Noah not be scheming, self-destructive, cheaters, liars, or anything of the sort.  Or any other character in their orbit.  I would welcome that.  I loathe wholesome Luke.  I would welcome a story arc that had him really getting in touch w/ his Damian and Lucinda roots.  I think Van's overacting and mugging would be perfect for that.  And Jake always plays Noah w/ such earnestness he'd be perfect as the wronged lover. 

So please get this through your head.  We don't want saints.  What we're asking for is that it not be related to them being gay in a negative and derogatory way.  And it always seems to be.  They can be evil and just happen to be gay.  As it goes right now, you're evil b/c you're gay and/or doing something that has to do w/ being gay.  His entire reason for entering the race to begin with was to be a representative of the gay community b/c he was pissed that they couldn't do a gay movie festival.  That was his reasoning.  And to win he had to stuff a ballot box.  So his intentions were noble (give the gays on campus some representation) but he was punished for going about it the wrong way.  As he should but it all went back to his original intent.  Rep the gays.  Can you not see where this might rub some ppl the wrong way?   

I said this somewhere else but Luke could've done a hundred different things that had nothing to do w/ him being gay whatsoever and, quite frankly, it would've made more sense and been more compelling.  How about he's spending so much time on his foundation he's pretty much forgot about school and now really needs to get his ass in gear or risk failing?  How about him hacking into a computer to steal an exam?  How about him blackmailing a professor who gave him a shitty grade?  Hell, if we wanted to incorporate the gay thing and still let him get into trouble why not hijack the movie festival and stage a gorilla gay cinema?  That would've been noble, stupid, and he'd probably got into trouble for it.  But it wouldn't have left such a bad taste in ppl's mouths. 

In all their plots, EVERYONE is made to look bad at one point or another. 

But they're made to look bad as it relates to their character traits, not their sexuality.  There is a difference.

In my very humble opinion, I don't think the show has a duty to represent this couple in any light they don't desire, or in a light that would take them away from a really JUICY SOAP story.

What about this is juicy?  Stuffing a ballot box is drama?  Really?  Wow.  Have we forgotten the truly glorious days of 80-90's soaps that were truly juicy?  I think we have.  There is nothing here that says "juicy" except for the fact that Noah works at a coffee house and they probably serve orange juice.

You can have compelling gay characters that deal w/ their sexuality but also get great s/l.  JP/Craig/Keiron on Hollyoaks.  Ollie/Christian on FL.  You can even have really fucked up ppl who happen to be gay who get into trouble constantly, i.e., Max/Iago (a career criminal whose mother was killed b/c she helped him commit a robbery so he could flee the country) on whatever the name of that Spanish soap is.  On and on. 

Quite frankly, when you grovel and shove your product into the gay community to get ppl to watch you have a duty to give them a reason to.  I don't think anyone would give a flying monkey's ass if they hadn't done so well in summer 07.  They set us up.  That's all there is to it.   

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NukeForever's picture

You know what? I pride

You know what? I pride myself on being and remaining respectful towards other people, especially when it's discussion over a soap opera. And I can recognise that not all people behave the same way. Fine.

I will say this, though. Because I am human. There is NOTHING "ABSOLUTE" about your POINT OF VIEW. You can't end on "That's all there is to it". How arrogant can you be? Because your post is exactly that: a point of view. For you to support your argument with jabs at my light-hearted chosen username and to compare an AMERICAN soap to that of EUROPEAN ones is not going to convince me of your stance. People are different, cultures are different and shows have to play to that. The fact that there is a "Nuke" (SUPERCOUPLE) on American daytime right now must be viewed as a step in the right direction. 

I'm actually sorry that you (and Nukely) are so jaded to see that the soap opera As the World Turns isn't actually out to get you. I would like to say "get over yourself", but that would be rude, wouldn't it? Oh wait, I'm still miles away from a bold and italicised command like "get this through your head". Wow. Just wow.

I'm actually done with After Elton. The amount of times I've witnessed (and experienced) the disgraceful attacks on differing OPINIONS happens far too often and goes unchecked far too often. For wanting to enjoy a SOAP OPERA, this turned out to be the biggest waste of time.

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rschlem's picture

snow day


I am so completely depressed over the current story line. Not as much over the story line but how quick and exhuberant that fans are to imbrace yet another plot that is demoralizing to gays.

I was beginning to wonder if I was born on another planet or at a different time and I might be the only one who see's this. But then there you are, LoTr1985, like a magnifyig glass. Thank Godess for insomnia.

 

LoTr1985's picture

Back to ya my friend

Nukely wrote:

I am so completely depressed over the current story line. Not as much over the story line but how quick and exhuberant that fans are to imbrace yet another plot that is demoralizing to gays.

I want to preface what I'm getting ready to say by reiterating that I'm not stating that everyone who likes this s/l (or parts thereof) and/or Luke and Noah are anti-gay.  I have a great friend who actually likes it right now but she sees my point of view and doesn't try and make excuses.  And occassionaly, I can see where she's coming from b/c she's logical and comes @ it from a logical place.  The same could be said of Anthony Langford.  I remember having some good discussions w/ him @ SoapFest (that's right haters I was @ SoapFest and I went b/c of Luke and Noah--the old Luke and Noah) and, although we disagreed, I think he's one of those ppl who can see where it might offend.  And I can see why he likes this s/l in terms of what's been on before.  And we can have a good debate b/c he's logical, he knows the history of soaps (which is very important), and he can see things I can't so I feel like even if I don't agree, I might learn something.  I would get into a discussion w/ him any day of the week b/c it's just that--a discussion.  And it just boils down to that we have a difference of opinion. 

I don't think it's even about super fans embracing the s/l really.  It's that they can't stand anything negative to be said about their darling Luke and Noah and, in turn, Van and Jake.  The truth is, I don't think a lot of them (most on vh.net for example) care about the s/l as long as it involves Luke and Noah in some capacity, which is truly horrible for the gay community.  It doesn't matter to them that it demoralizes gays.  It has Luke and Noah (and more specifically Van and Jake--squee!) and that's all that matters.  

Nukely wrote:

I was beginning to wonder if I was born on another planet or at a different time and I might be the only one who see's this. But then there you are, LoTr1985, like a magnifyig glass. Thank Godess for insomnia.

You are not the only one who sees it.  The ratings can attest to that.  It's just that Van/Jake--Luke/Noah fans (b/c of course they're the same thing) are incredibly vocal and they spend a lot of time on their obsession (as do I w/ my YouTube obsessions w/ other soaps).  And it sometimes feels like you're ramming your head into a tree when you try to lead them down a logic tree so why bother, i.e., but what about this?  OMG don't talk about Van/Jake Luke/Noah that way!!  They view it as a personal attack against them, which I've never understood, and then begin to make rules so that you can do nothing but praise them no matter what they're doing or how the characters are acting.  So the debate just stops.

I can't believe I'm getting ready to say this but Mike Huckabee (yes, that Mike Huckabee) actually said something the other day to Bill Mahr.  He said that he welcomes debate and discussion about his faith b/c if you aren't preparred to debate and discuss and logically defend, your faith wasn't that strong to begin with.  I think the same could be said of some super fans who just refuse to see anything from flowers and unicorns from these two.

I was just a kid when I started watching soaps in the mid-80's (I was actually named after a major character on Another World) but I remember doing all kinds of stupid shit so I could stay home to watch.  I remember faking a serious stomach ailment (complete w/ vomit) just so I could stay home to see if Josie won the modeling contest on Another World.  And kids have ridiculous attention spans so you know there was something that was holding my attention.  And as I've gotten older it's gotten worse in terms of s/l and character development and the fact that I can remember what it was like in the g