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.

Soap Scene of the Week: Kendall Hart's Toast At Bianca and Reese's Wedding on All My Children

The bitch is back!

All My Children's Kendall Hart has been sleeping in a coma for a very long time, and it appears her awakening also brought her long-dormant mean side to the surface. Granted, she has alot to be mad about; her husband Zach allowed her sister Bianca to use his sperm to conceive a child with confused fiancee Reese.

In typical Kendall fashion, she took out her anger on the happy couple in her impromptu toast, the night before their wedding. Seemingly innocent at first, Kendall's claws quickly came out, delivering a deliciously cool verbal slap to her future sister-in-law. Without breaking a sweat, a fingernail, or her glass, Kendall essentially called Reese a manipulative witch and Bianca a unrecognizable traitor. The killer line? "Weddings are so supposed to be about beginnings...however, for the rest of us, its about endings, mainly that we won't be seeing you around any longer. So, here's to a safe and swift journey home". The treacherous toast had Reese running, alcohol in hand, into the arms and lips of Zach.

So, yes, Kendall's toast may have been a tad rude, inappropriate, mean-spirited, bitchy, and self-destructive. Then again, isn't that what we love about Kendall?

Again, she's back!

Soap Scene of the Week: Patrick's Proposal to Robin on General Hospital

The pairing of Patrick Drake (played by Jason Thompson) and Robin Scorpio (played by vet Kimberly McCollough) is the only good thing on that mobfest called General Hospital. Yesterday and today, the two took a major step when Patrick proposed in front of the entire staff (and her mom and uncle). The former commitment-phobe basically poured his soul out to Robin in front of everyone. The moment was pretty perfect, even with the annoying cynicism of Mac Scorpio and the jerky Matt Hunter.

The situation took an ugly turn when Robin, ever the stubborn mule, left Patrick there in the middle of the hospital floor, on bended knee. Watching Patrick fall to the floor and the look of sadness and humiliation on his face was very hard. Still, he finds Robin in the park and tries to convince her that he really wants to marry her. The words fall on deaf ears, as Robin officially turns down his proposal, leaving Patrick crying on the park bench.

Jason and Kimberly are magic on screen and they continue to prove why they deserve their immense fanbase. Jason proves why he is the king of the monologue; everything Patrick is feeling is splayed across his face. The cracking voice, the tears (he's one of the best male cryers, hands down), it all comes together in one of his best performances since joining on 2005. He needs to submit this for the '09 Emmys. His partner, Kimberly (who has been on and off with GH since she was a little kid) is also fantastic. She, who is no stranger to the Emmys, showed how devastated Robin was turning down the proposal, as well as the joy she felt receiving it amazingly. Together, the two are a force that, if TPTB have any brains about, should not be screwed with, ever. It's unfortunate that the other parts of the show paled in comparison to "Scrubs". I would rather watch them then the annoying "Bonnie and Clyde" wannabes Johnny and Lulu any day of the week.

Here are the two parts: