Comparing individuals who are part of minority groups is usually a bit paternalistic and as a person of color I try to avoid it whenever possible. There are times, however, when comparisons are useful to illustrate a point. I remember watching Day of Our Lives, not long after learning about the cancellation of As The World Turns and watching Crystal Chappell at work in the reprised role of ‘Carly Manning Alamain’. I immediately started thinking about the reported deleted scene from the last episode of The Guiding Light, one in which Olivia gave Natalia a kiss on the cheek as Rafe boarded the bus on his way to basic training, and to begin his new life. It was cut – for some unknown reason… uh huh… As I thought about that deleted scene, I wondered if As The World Turns writers would follow The Guiding Light’s lead; specifically, are As The World Turns writers running out the clock on Nuke? Despite the numerous opportunities to make Otalia a full-fledged couple, like any other, Guiding Light writers waited until the last episodes to let fans know that the couple would, off screen, make it while building their new family. I suspect that Nuke is headed for the same fate.
Luke and Noah’s relationship started as a groundbreaking event in daytime – U.S. soaps first openly gay male couple. Unfortunately, there seems to have been more smoke for the couple on paper than anything that approximated fire onscreen. Onscreen, short of an occasional kiss and the implication that sex had occurred, it would have be pretty difficult for those who are sporadic viewers, or viewers flipping through channels, to not mistake Luke and Noah for siblings (right down to the scary proposition that Lily and Damian ‘adopt’ Noah, making Luke his lover’s legal brother). To think that Jerry Springer doesn’t even write for As the World Turns- at least not in his own name.
When I think about the difference between the way the One Life to Live writers approach the Kish (Kyle and Oliver Fish) relationship, I’m both in awe, and feel a bit of bitter disappointment about Nuke. The problems with the Kish storyline have nothing to do with character sexuality. The writers have potentially weakened the Kish dynamic by glossing over Kyle’s earlier blackmail of Natalie Buchanan and Jared Banks, and his willingness to torment a fragile Jessica Buchanan with the loss of yet another child. They’ve glossed over his involvement with Stacy in deceiving Rex and Gigi regarding Shane’s treatment and recovery. Of course, Stacy is still an evil bitch, and Kyle has been redeemed as a misguided and desperate pawn. The writers have glossed over the batshit crazy Kyle’s sister brought to screen and dropped any possible exploration of whether or not he’d been covering his involvement with her all this time. Right now it seems to be the case that he genuinely had nothing to do with her – but shouldn’t there be some lingering doubt?
It would have been quite an interesting dynamic to watch the above board, letter-of-the-law Oliver Fish reconcile his regard for law and his deep love for Kyle. (Yet another common thread with As The World Turns. I immediately began thinking of Carly Tenney and her “G Man” Jack Snyder.) I’d love to see a more nuanced relationship in which we’re rooting for Oliver’s happiness and wanting Kyle to be the right man for him, but never knowing if he should or would ever, be able to trust Kyle. Is Kyle with Oliver because he loves him, or is he with Oliver to fool everyone into thinking that he’s turned over a new leaf?
The role that should have gone to Kyle is now being played out by seemingly devious Nick – who listens at doorways and seems to always be involved in some underhanded plot. Oliver is still the good guy – trusting, hopeful, willing to believe in his love with Kyle and the bond he’s sure they share. I’ve been ambivalent about the rush job on Kish, for the reasons mentioned above, and yet still find myself rooting for them and wanting to kick Nick’s backside right out the door. If only there was some audience participation software that would have allowed me to give Roxy (and by extension One Life to Live writers) a high five when she observantly figured out that there’s something not quite right about Nick and that he could spell big trouble for Kish. The writers rarely allow our girl to be that observant!
What I appreciate most about the Kish/Nick storyline is that it’s a formula linked to a tried and true daytime staple. We’ve seen it a million times before, the lover on the outside wants in. An illness/injury/spat of amnesia leads the lover on the outside (Nick in this case) to use the condition to keep the unsuspecting target (Kyle) close. Only the target’s partner (Oliver) realizes what’s going on while the target repeatedly sides with the lover on the outside. Sooner or later Kyle and Oliver will end up fighting over Oliver’s not-so-insane jealously over Nick and mistrust of Nick and Kyle together. The distance between the young lovers will grow while Nick stands in the background smirking and plotting even further. Just when it seems that our young lovers will work their way back to one another, Nick will probably figure out that Stacy is pregnant with Oliver’s child and break the couple up ‘for good’, picking up the pieces and moving on with Kyle for as long as they last.
The writers have very quietly and cleverly done in months what years of pseudo-activism on As The World Turns has failed to do with Nuke. Carlivarti and crew have made it clear that Kish is just like everyone else, in all the ways that matter. When it was evident that As The World Turns writers would create a teen pregnancy storyline with Liberty, I’d hoped that Luke and Noah, with a little magical same-character-SORASing, would step in as the child’s adoptive parents. I wanted them to be a family, together, and to learn that it wasn’t as easy being in love as they’d thought, but fighting to remain committed to one another and growing stronger together.
Instead, it was one series of missteps after another for the couple. Nuke has yet to be integrated into the cast in a way that makes us identify with them as people. The writers have only allowed us to identify with them based on their sexuality. They are that – and so much more and it would be nice, before the show ends, for the writers to tell us who they are. Pessimistically, I hear the ticking of the clock, and suspect that the writers are more interested in running the clock down as we approach 2010. No family for Nuke, no lives related to their work or other accomplishments, not even a kiss on the cheek at the end, justa good bye, and what a pity that would be.
You betcha’ and it just SUCKS, doesn’t it? True or not, it certainly feels as if NBC and CBS have been leading the charge to dismantle daytime, one show at a time. Rather than invest in new blood in the writers’ room and retain beloved onscreen faves, TPTB have favored daytime writers and EPs with histories of utter failure and disregard for the fans – shifting them from one show to the next. “Cheaper” (and not necessarily better) on screen talent has been shifted from one show to the next as well, and fans are stuck with the consequences of a host of bad decisions. We’ll miss you ATWT.
I almost didn’t recognize the incredibly bad-ass goddess of great hair. No sirree! I didn’t recognize her because she was whining, crying, sniveling, and begging Todd to forgive her for not telling him about their daughter, Daniella. The soap world has officially turned on its axis. Isn’t this the same woman who has repeatedly taken hits to her reputation to save Todd from himself and defended him in court against the indefensible? Isn’t she the woman to whom he owes his freedom? Isn’t he the man she found in bed with another woman after swearing he loved her? Isn’t he the clod who accused her of only wanting his money even though she could have stolen his fortune a thousand times over? Isn’t this the same woman who was willing to risk going to prison by pretending that she killed Lee Halperin/Janet Ketring/Carol Harper Dennison so that the police wouldn’t think Todd did it and send him back to jail?
In the last blog entry, I noted that I fully expected the BnB to lose the ratings race to DAYS. Here are the ratings for the week in question (and many thanks to the folks at 
Hey, if I must continue in committing soap heresy (as I’m sure Terror/Ethan fans will accuse me of), I have to admit that I’m not terribly interested in Vivian Alamain’s return. L-O-V-I-N-G Louise Sorel, I’m disappointed that the writing for her has made the character of Vivian so quirky and annoying. This Vivian is a caricature of Vivian 1.0 – who was always clever, conniving, and dangerous. Vivian 1.0 would be thinking of ways to make a tough business move to establish herself as Salem’s lead power broker, instead of focusing on how to woo a cantankerous and verbally abusive curmudgeon like Victor. As currently portrayed, I fully expect Disney to write a theme song to be played every time Vivian enters view and to watch small puppies tremor in fear in her presence – hey, those coats won’t make themselves, people! Vivian 2.0 … 3.0? 4.0? is focused on gaining power by ‘merging’ with Victor Kirakis. I hardly recognize Viv!
If I was a DAYS writer/producer thinking about how to keep the ratings rock rolling up hill instead of down, there would be more focus on both quadrangles and even exploit the overlapping relationships between the two quads; I’d kick up the Brady and Nicole storyline until Zuker goes on maternity leave. Brady would actually be on the run with Nicole, trying to get her to return to Salem but all the while knowing that he is willing to betray his family to be with her; I’d realize how much more interesting Stefano is without EJ and yes, Virginia, if there really is a Santa Claus – EJ would be history; Rafe’s family would also be gone; I’d avoid making Maggie the collector of lost souls – her relationship with Melanie worked because it was unique. With Mia it’s just old hat and a little tired. Why not a role reversal with Maggie having relationship problems and Melanie serving as her sounding board?; and finally, I’d think about what it would need to happen to make Abe and Lexi and frontburner and interesting couple. The writers need to do more to challenge themselves on what to do with the Carvers to enhance the show’s diversity in a way that’s meaningful. Too much of what happens with the Carvers feels like an afterthought.
I think that BOLD’s Ashley Jones’ appeal is severely underestimated – mainly by the BOLD writers since prime time writers, directors, and casting agents ‘get it’, given Ms. Jones’ string of successes in prime time appearances. Between Ashley Jones and Sarah Brown, the baby surrogacy storyline, added to the Logan/Forrester takeover, has the potential to give fans a reason to become excited about the show. SB’s Sandy is clearly playing the Nicole Walker role, but are her intentions are as pure as Nicole’s? It’s doubtful given Sandy’s fixation on the happy couple, the fact that they have everything, according to her, and that she has nothing. Could she have been targeting Nick and Bridget all along? Maybe it wasn’t her plan to become a surrogate, but that she’d planned to take advantage of Nick’s reputation as an unfaithful man. The guy slept with Bridget’s mother and her dying aunt, after all. How hard could it be to have him fall into bed with her? That the happy couple needed a surrogate might have been a happy coincidence for her. It would give her a chance to get closer to Nick, without Bridget needing to be around, and it set the stage for her making Bridget feel inadequate – or to at least try to.
When the Bold and the Beautiful is on, it’s ON. When it’s not, it’s the most confusing show on daytime. The inconsistency and character/plot shifting isn’t serving the show well. I’m hoping there’s a time when the show will play to the strength of it’s actors and rich history, and do so consistently. If DAYS does surpass the BnB in the ratings, who knows it will last? DAYS has also had problems with past writing teams being inconsistent and confusing. It’s hard to know who will ultimately prevail in this battle, but given the richness of the BnB, it seems that the BnB has the edge. The writers just need to wake up and wake the rest of us up as well.
