I hope that all loving couples will hold each other in a kind of tender reverence, will honor love in all its forms, because love will not be denied just because someone thinks you don’t have a right to it, and those who have the courage to risk their love never lose. Even when they feel betrayed and lost, even when it feels futile, love has a way of reigniting and reanimating our lives, of surfacing at a time when we least expect it, especially in people who only needed a chance to show you you could shine. Love is our pulse, our breath, and no matter who you find yourselves in love with, it’s always a gift, so cherish and celebrate your love as couples and as partners for life.
The Nov. 2 episode of OLTL had its ups and downs, just like any other, but it also had a really beautiful message at the core. I love that Andrew gave voice to that message: that true partnership is about love and is a right no one should be denied. It was one of those speeches that made me want to declare my love to the scriptwriter, and I love when that happens. I love when someone writes something so resonant that it wraps around my heart, squeezes, and makes me want to bake them cookies or send them a gift basket.
“Love is our pulse, our breath.” Nowhere was that more obvious than in Dorian’s wide, dark eyes, so filled with nervous desperation and the hope that David would show up. And in Kyle and Fish’s faces, when Kyle broke away from Nick and asked Fish if they still had a chance. The show got it right. The joy, the heartbreak, it’s all universal. Gay people don’t do it any differently than straight people, and more often than not, everyone makes the same exact mistakes.
I’m not saying that OLTL’s understanding of the concept is consistent or perfect — lord knows, the fact that a sociopathic rapist has an equal right to love is a major head-scratcher for me — but in handling both David and Dorian and Kyle and Fish’s matters of the heart, I feel they cut to the soul of the issue: the sanctity of marriage comes from entering into it with real love. Nothing more, nothing less.
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I thought Andrew’s speech was great, but I thought the show REALLY botched it with Kyle. His callous, cruel dismissal of poor Nick — in front of his friends and alliance constituents, no less, and wearing the freakin’ tuxedo and holding the ring that Nick bought for him! — was outrageous. I understand Nick is just a plot point ultimately, but the show has spent months now bringing us to care about him, and to just toss him aside so egregiously yesterday, all for the sake of Roxy mugging like the world’s greatest fag hag and a Kish kiss we couldn’t even probably enjoy thanks to the bizarro camera angle, was beyond the pale.
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See, and I didn’t see Kyle as callously dismissing Nick so much as he was wholly embracing Oliver. It was a make-or-break moment. If he had hesitated and not gone with his gut just like Fish had when he yelled at the protesters, then it wouldn’t have worked. That moment was not about Nick and stopping to have Kyle say, “I’m sorry it didn’t work out,” but rather about Kyle going, “This is my last chance to see if Oliver and I can make a go of it.” And they wouldn’t have shown us Nick bolting out of the wedding heartbroken if they weren’t acknowledging that his reaction was important.
Not to mention that Nick is hardly “poor Nick” in this equation. I firmly believe he cares about Kyle, but he also roped Kyle into his and Amelia’s political maneuvering with no real thought as to how Kyle ready was for it. Every “out” he gave Kyle to back out of the process was, much like Amelia’s with Dorian, just another passive-aggressive push to actually go forward with it.
And in another difference of opinion, I loved the camera angle for the kiss. The aerial shot, overlooking all these happy people and unifying them in the moment, spoke volumes to me.
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I was torn in that I really like Nick. Yes, I know he was slightly manipulative and pushy in regards to Kyle, but Kyle is a grown man and he is just as responsible for what happened between he and Nick as Nick is. Kyle should have been more honest with Nick and well, with himself. So as much as I was glad to see Kyle and Oliver together and I just loved Kyle’s weepy speech to his fella, I hated seeing Nick hurt.
And the show is acknowledging his pain in yesterday’s and today’s show. I think OLTL and we are supposed to see him as more than just a third wheel, but a human being with his own feelings and hurts as well. I know Nick is going to be around for awhile so I look forward to see where they go with him.
I admit I am puzzled by the various complaints about the kiss in the accusations that ABC is ‘cheating’ the viewer or ‘avoiding’ showing affection between the two men. Some folks are even comparing to the infamous mistletoe incident on ATWT. To me it was the show and the people in Kyle and Oliver’s lives celebrating and embracing their reunion and their relationship. It was another beautiful moment in an episode full of them.
And well, while I groaned while Rex and John traveled across the country at the speed of light while the rest of Llanview stood still (even though I’m loving the story and I can’t wait for the return at weeks end), I enjoyed those sweet, funny and warm moments on the roof of Kyle’s building where Kyle and Oliver talked about the future and their hopes and dreams and concerns.
Oliver said at one point that things were different and they are. You can feel the difference and the shift in their dynamic and their interaction and relationship. Can’t wait for that first date.
The only other thing that really struck me about today’s show is Gigi being torn between Sky and Rex and how I was distracted from the drama by that God awful hairstyle of Gigi’s.
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It’s just odd to me that someone would compare Kish’s aerial kiss to the Nuke cutaways and claim viewers were “cheated.” Especially when they kissed yesterday on the roof. The show, to me, seems invested in making story-driven, stylistic choices for these characters and including them in such a unifying group shot was beautifully symbolic.
It’s not like this is Dante’s Cove, you know? Where the whole point is to watch hot people make out and the plot and characterization are secondary (possibly even tertiary, LOL).
I, too, loved the stuff on the roof and seeing how sweet and tentative they are with each other, and how Kyle was just…lighter. As Oliver pointed out, he was actually smiling. Of course, I also hope he’ll get his edge back soon. ;-).
I have no idea what happened between Gigi and Sky, because I was just as distracted by her hair as you were. I was like, “Wait, is it still Halloween? Is she dressed up as a member of Flock of Seagulls?”
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I don’t know Mala, I think some folks are just reactionary. Some folks were upset that they weren’t all over each other or that they hadn’t had sex right away. But it’s obvious to me that they are still feeling their way through this relationship because it’s new to them. They’re actually getting to know one another all over again, even though they’re crazy in love.
But I was amazed by that scene on the rooftop. Oliver said that ‘things were different’ and they were. Just the way they talked to each other and the level of communication. We saw a whole new side of their relationship that we hadn’t seen before because, but the chemistry was still there just as strong.
As for Kyle’s dark side, it’s funny you should mention that. I just interviewed Ron C. for my column and asked him that very question because I don’t want Kyle to lose that edge either.
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I’m starting to wonder if I have a cultural disconnect or something, because, to me, kissing and sex aren’t necessarily the hallmarks of a solid relationship so I don’t call for those things as loudly as a lot of other viewers do. I mean, I want my favorite couples to engage in those things, but it’s never my focus.
In our daily lives, Indians aren’t always a demonstrative people, but that doesn’t make the love and affection we feel any less valid or true. Bollywood movies, too, have only recently started to show kissing and love scenes, but they have some of the most romantic movies of all time going back in their catalog over the decades. Some of my absolute favorite movies involve the hero and heroine barely even holding hands!
So, when I watch a soap, it’s mainly for the emotional connectivity, not for the lovin’. And that’s why the roof scene resonated so much: the communication, the layers, it was so well handled. It really set the tone for where they hope to go next. (It probably would’ve been a musical number in a Bollywood film. With them running through a field of mustard flowers together.)
And I suppose I’ll have to read your column to see what Ron C says about Kyle’s edge. ;)
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I did wince for Nick when Kyle left Nick to go to Oliver, but it is a soap convention for one party (usually the bride) to call off the wedding right before the “I Do” and this seemed to fall in line with it. And I agree that showing Nick’s pain as he left the wedding was an acknowledgment of his importance.
I thought the overhead shot was beautiful. It showed how the community recognized and embraced Kyle and Oliver and the other couples which is a key part of what marriage signifies. I thought it was a really smart and moving decision. And it’s what made cry.
And I’m just pretending the Viki/Todd Elijah/Tea scenes didn’t happen in the same episode because they make me stabby.
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It’s totally a soap convention for one party to call it off and I was really happy that while Dorian was clearly waiting for David to interrupt her wedding, it was Kyle and Nick’s that went south. It was a great choice on the writers’ part, to give them and Fish that oh-so-typical soap moment.
What Viki/Todd/Elijah/Téa scenes? There were no such scenes. LOL.
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