Olivia and Natalia or 'My Two Mommies'

'Guiding Light' decided to have what are now 'frenemies' Olivia and Natalia live together and jointly raise Olivia's daughter Emma. They also work together (with Natalia being Olivia's personal assistant-a job she's been doing for a while anyway without pay or recognition). What first turned out to be a sick and weird connection between these two (Olivia tried to take Natalia's late husband away from her and ended up with his donated heart, which she did not want. Natalia thwarted Olivia's attempts at suicide and self neglect)., has somehow blossomed into a real friendship.

I watched an episode of the "all-new Olivia and Natalia roadshow" and I wondered why no one thought of romanticallt pairing these two before. To be sure, women can be friends without being lovers, just like men and women, but maybe it's me-I saw some romantic chemistry there and the potential for some interesting explorations of character. Neither have to be latent lesbians (both can be bisexual-meaning that writers would not have to fret about how Olivia and Natalia, whose sexual history speaks of heterosexual choices would all of a sudden 'turn' gay because they could be latent bisexuals who didn't find the right gal yet.)

Emma's presentation on the episode that aired January 16th, seems to open the door to yet another storyline where the town 'misunderstands' their relationship and the morals of both women, particularly Olivia's are called into question. After all, Natalia's son is in the joint and Olivia...well the townfolk could roast her for many sins as it is. What's more rather than take a real and honest look at how a relationship between two same-sex people happens and evolves, they'll bung it up and what would have been cool will be reviled in soap mags across the country.

I mean, I get it. Soaps are basically heterosexual women's fantasies. I would even, given the dearth of main characters of color, even say they are white heterosexual women's fanstasies. White heterosexual women are not fantasizing (or at least admitted they are if they do) about two women falling in love and having a loving and sexual relationship. The writers just are acknowledging that healthy same-sex anything exists. I voted for creating a drinking game that had everyone doing a shot everytime the camera cutaway when ATWT's Luke and Noah were just about to kiss (had we done the game, would have been very drunk indeed).

I want Guiding Light to be that-a 'guiding light' in terms of introducing new stories and new ways of looking at life. I love the fact that they changed the way that the stories were shot and certain outcomes of storylines. Unfortunately, I think they still cling onto plots and devices that are woefully dated and that don't serve the show at all (this can be said of many soaps). True, certain stories are soap staples and you need to have them. I only ask for a diversity of viewpoint a rescue from plotlines that use the same characters in plotlines that they did 20 years ago and that apparently they never learned lessons from.


And to respond to those who feel that Emma does not need to 'see two women being loving towards each other in that way'...well, consider that Emma has been exposed to insane kidnapping father, formerly insane older sister (who tried to kill her in utero), scheming mother who used sex to manipulate along with money, more infidelity than normal, crazy other older sister who faked pregnancy to keep a man while tormenting another women to keep her and another man apart and crazy selfish grandfather who has blackmailed her mother, I think she'd survive seeing her mother in a loving relationship with another woman.

I also would remind the naysayers about how soap characters who have various children manage to have lots of sex, sexcapades and shenanigans and no one seems bothered this.

So...here's to the hope that Olivia and Natalia hook up and have a loving and romantic and adult relationship, which oddly enough I think Gus would have been okay with.