ATWT: Bye-bye, Daddie (and this time, don't come back)!

Summary and analysis for November 20, 2007.

Luke doesn’t think he felt anything but Noah disagrees and says giving up is pathetic. He also says that he doesn’t want a terminally depressed boyfriend. Note the word, “boyfriend.” The mood becomes so much better with that word. Luke didn’t know where things stood, but it’s obvious that things are better than originally thought. Noah gets a call from Dallas at Oakdale P.D. Noah is informed that his father’s being transferred to prison and that he might want to stop by and say goodbye. Noah wants nothing to do with him but Luke thinks otherwise. Noah mentions that anything would have been better than growing up with him. Luke tells him to go there, look him in the eye, and say to him that he can’t hurt him anymore.

Noah arrives on the interrogation room with Winston, who is handcuffed to the table in an orange jump suit. Winston is STILL implying about Luke being the deviant who’s trying to make Noah as sick as he is. Back at Fairwinds, Holden and Lily get a call from Luke who says he needs help. Holden is on his way and Lily leaves with him. And in comes Luke as Winston‘s continuing. “Don’t waste your life on some perverted trash like this,” yadda, yadda, yadda, blazé blah. “What he does is a sin!” Luke points out whether or not sin was thought out when he tried to kill him. “THAT IS ENOUGH! NOAH AND I ARE TOGETHER AND YOU HAVE TO ACCEPT THAT!” Winston then says that he won’t have a pervert like him lecture him on morality. Noah tells him to stop calling Luke names. Then we have Daddie replying with “He has you under some kind of spell.” (Okay, so, what, Luke’s a warlock now?) Now enraged and in tears, Luke stands up in his chair and says “I LOVE YOUR SON! AND WE’RE NOT AFRAID TO LET THE WORLD SEE THAT! THIS IS RIGHT, ME AND NOAH TOGETHER, AND YOU, LOCKED UP IN A PRISON WHERE YOU BELONG!” Winston reaches for Luke and Noah pushes him back and in walks Dallas to restrain him, and Holden and Lily walk in.

Luke realizes that he was so angry while confronting the Colonel, he didn’t realize that he was standing up. Holden offers to take Luke back home, but Noah says he wants to do it. On the way out of the interrogation room, they run into an old friend of the Mayer family, Major Gerard McLane. Noah introduces Luke, but nervously, not as his boyfriend. McLane knew Noah and Winston long ago and heard the news about Winston, and Noah wonders why anyone from the military would show up after everything that‘s happened in the past several months. After all, Col. Winston Mayer is a murderer, and his son is gay. So he wouldn’t think anyone there related there would show up. Maj. McLane says that his father served with great courage and that he was a hero, but not anymore. He also mentions that what he did to Noah and Luke was unforgivable and that there’s nothing wrong with Noah being who he is, and he wanted to Noah to understand that. The army is there to help… (insert by Luke) as long as he doesn’t want to join up. McLane mentions that we never know, things could change. Noah has never felt less alone in his life.

As Winston Mayer is finally being hauled away from Oakdale P.D. and over to the big house, Noah‘s got some more things to say. Oh, Noah’s not done yet. Daddie’s shut him up for too long and he’s going to hear him now. He blamed himself for all the horrible things the Colonel did because he thought he was just covering for his mistakes. But then he realized that he and his mother were just being human. And we have Winston cutting in saying “Human, is that what they call it these days?” (Cue the eye roll). Noah feels sorry for Winston because he’ll never know what love is. Noah’s informs his father that he’ll be making his own decisions and doing what he wants to do, and there’s not a damn thing Daddie can do about it. You go, boy!

Now let’s see. We have Noah, who’s with someone who truly loves him for who he is, and he‘s got supportive people on his side. He’s finally leading the life he wants to lead and he’s going to pursue his own goals as well. And we have Winston, who’s in an orange jump suit ready to be hauled away for a LONG time, and while he’s talking to Luke and Noah he’s freakin’ handcuffed to a table. Who’s leading a worse life? I’ll leave it up to you to see who’s going down the right and wrong paths. It’s just too much of a gimme. And yay, hand holding when Luke comes in the room. And more hand holding and later on. Wow! And of course, I was cheering Noah and Luke on loudly as they both told Daddie Dearest off. Noah has really changed for the better. He’s got such a backbone now. He would have never stood up to Daddie three months ago.

I was really impressed and surprised with the part with Maj. McLane. While I was definitely sure that he’d be more humane than Winston, I really wasn’t expecting him to also say there’s nothing wrong with Noah being gay and having a boyfriend as well. The military may have their Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy, but this is another instance that shows that not everyone who works there is behind it and agrees with it. While Col. Mayer may have done astounding work during his service, the crimes he committed and the lives he wrecked in the process pretty much erase any positive thing he‘s ever done. I know some people were upset that Winston’s character would give the army a horrible name. But it seems they made sure that that would not wind up happening in the end. The writers get major kudos from me on that.

This is what I was talking about before that was lacking previously. The emotion and the feelings were all there, one hundred percent of the time. Both acting AND dialogue wise. Van and Jake did an outstanding job. They can act out The Yellow Pages and make it work. Like I’ve mentioned before, even if the writing for a certain scene or day isn’t great, I feel they still do a good job delivering. And Daniel-Hugh Kelly, wow, you’re still making me hate Winston Mayer and making me wanting to throw things at the TV, so I know you did your job, too. And I just love that I complained so much about lack of affection the last week, and here we are now with hand holding like crazy. Today was a good day for me, at least as far as this storyline went.