Soap Scene of the Week: Fish and Kyle Fight, Kiss on One Life To Live

Amidst the controversies of Prop 8, Carrie Prejean, and the White House's apparent ignorance of their gay rights promises, soap operas have begun to feature gay and lesbian storylines more than ever before. Launching with the mega-popular pairing of Luke Snyder and Noah Mayer on As The World Turns, nearly every soap has featured some kind of LGBT relationship, in an effort to accurately portray the spectrum of human relationships. So far, some have been successful (Olivia and Natalia on Guiding Light), while others have been dreadful (Adam and Rafe on Young and the Restless). What can be said for all of them, though, is that new ground is continually being broken, making soaps arguably the most socially-conscious programming on television.

Sensitivity is important, but at the end of the day, it means nothing if the storyline is weak and the acting is sub-par. Thankfully, that can't be said about One Life to Live, which has launched its first gay storyline in 16 years (a bit of history: Ryan Phillippe played Billy Douglas, the first-ever gay teenager on a soap opera, in 1993). The story revolves around medical student Kyle Lewis and officer Oliver Fish. The two characters were friends in college and have crossed paths once again, sharing a mutual secret: they were lovers. While Kyle is open about his love for Fish, Fish is determined to deny being gay, dating Layla Williamson to either convince himself he's straight or hide the truth from everyone else.

After two months of rising tension between the two, the dam finally burst in a passionate, angry, gripping, and emotional fight in the alley behind the diner. After learning that Roxy knew about their past, Fish pulled Kyle to the back to confront him. Kyle finally lays all the cards out on the table, announcing aloud their past relationship, and that he still loves him. They then proceed to fight about their past and present: Fish tries to make Kyle see that their relationship was a "bad experiment" and that he was with Layla, while Kyle accused Fish of using Layla as his "beard" and lying to everyone, especially himself. With the fight reaching a fevered pitch, Kyle kisses Fish, and Fish clearly reciprocates.

While the kiss may be the headline for most (I believe it's the first for the show), what truly caught my attention was the scene leading up to it. For someone who barely had a clue about this storyline (I was watching ATWT instead) I found myself easily engrossed in this scene. The energy was palpable and coming from so many different sides. Whether it was Fish's fear, Kyle's desperation, or even the passion from both, you could feel everything those characters were offering up. The dialogue was raw and realistic, refusing to tiptoe over the implications of hiding oneself. The acting was brilliant from both actors, but who blew me away particularly was Brett Claywell as Kyle. Formerly Tim on One Tree Hill,  he delivered every word in that scene with a captivating mix of emotions; pain, fury, desperation, and love. Originally portrayed as a bad guy, you could help but feel for Kyle as he finally blew the lid off their secret romance and revealed his lingering feelings for his closeted ex-lover. Scott Evans (Fish) was excellent at portraying a man in deep denial, and the moment where he slipped, revealing that he would lose everything if he came out, was pure soap magic.

If you take the social and political implications embedded in this scene, what you have left is a pure soap opera scene. Without all of the gimmicks, you have two people dealing with deep and powerful emotions that aren't necessarily exclusive to one sexual orientation. What soaps used to be were tools to examine the interactions between human beings in various social settings in a way that was relatable, yet revelatory. That concept was lost amongst baby swaps, murder mysteries, brain chips, and other foolishness. Kudos to OLTL for reviving it, in a way that is relevant to today's times.