If I Wrote the Final LuRe Scene of ATWT
Let’s play a game: if you wrote the final Luke/Reid scene of ATWT, what would it be?
Post your final scene in the comments and let’s see all of the different ideas we come up with, all of which are guaranteed to be better than whatever the actual show comes up with, and that’s hardly a spoiler!
If I was writing the final scene of As the World Turns, it would go like this:
Some ridiculous Damian shenanigans have come to an end, and the family is gathered at the farm for some soapy reason.
Luke and Holden are out at the pond for some reason.
Luke (catches Holden’s eye and takes a deep breath): Dad, what? You’ve been biting your tongue all day. What do you want to say?
Holden (stares at the ground for a beat, carefully thinking through what he wants to say): Is this what it’s going to be like for you? Holidays, family celebrations, family emergencies--you, on your own, no support, Reid just showing up whenever he feels..
Luke (interrupting): Dad, Dad, wait. It’s not like that…
Holden (looking around as if to say it sure looks like it is): He should be here.
Luke: Reid isn’t a college student. He can’t just drop everything at a moment’s notice.
Holden: And you’re okay with that? Always coming after his patients and the hospital and his career? That’s not what your mother and I want for you.
Luke (eyes warm and sincere. He speaks gently to his father): I know exactly where I fit in Reid’s priorities.
Luke (shrugging to himself, sounding out his thoughts as he speaks): Reid and I… we’re probably always going to look… unconventional to people who don’t know us very well. But, Dad, I’m not ever going to be unsure of him or how he feels about me. I don’t want you and Mom to worry about me, okay? I promise, you don’t have to.
Holden (catches sight of something over Luke’s shoulder and smiles, snorting in chagrinned amusement): I’m your father, Luke.
Holden (kicks at some dirt on the ground and nods to himself. He motions with his chin to something behind Luke): I’m always going to worry, even when I don’t have to.
Holden claps Luke on the shoulder as he heads inside.
Luke turns to see what his father was pointing at and smiles.
Reid, wearing sun glasses, now changed into black slacks and black shirt, gets out of a car and lounges against the door, arms crossed over his chest.
Luke (saunters over, grinning, stopping a foot in front of Reid): I told you once that if being with you was going to be a parade of secrets and lies, I didn’t want any part of it.
Reid (looking confused): Huh?
Luke (mocking words Reid said earlier): I can’t drop everything just because your second cousin twice removed has a hang nail!
Reid (with a shrug): I guess I’ll make an exception for Bad Dads and takeover plots ripe with crazy henchmen and double crossing secret agents.
Luke (inching closer): Mm hmm. What changed your mind this time?
Reid (shrugging again): I don’t know. Doogie was blathering on about how if I play it right, eventually you’ll stop asking me to go to these insane family gatherings of yours and…
Luke (smiling): And what?
Reid (diffidently): I don’t want you to stop asking.
They kiss, then pause, foreheads pressed together.
Luke: Chris doesn’t know me at all if he thinks I’ll eventually stop asking.
Reid (smiling): That’s what I said.
They kiss again, lazily, until Reid pulls back.
Reid: So, what you said earlier, still true?
Luke (looking confused): That I love you? Of course it’s still true.
Reid (nodding quickly): Yeah, that’s good. Good to know. But, uh, I was actually talking about the other thing.
Luke (growing suspicious): What other thing?
Reid (motioning with his hand, prodding Luke to remember): You know, what you said… before.
Luke shrugs, clearing having no idea what Reid is talking about.
Reid (exasperated that Luke doesn’t know what he’s talking about): You promised Grandma Emma’s pot roast. Still true?
Luke (rolling his eyes, he shakes his head and pushes off Reid to head inside): Reid!
Reid (arms held out in front of him, pleading his case. He calls after Luke): What? I’m just asking! Luke? I need pot roast!
Reid catches up to Luke on the front porch, sliding his arm around Luke’s shoulder. They walk into the kitchen together where the rest of the family is already sitting around the table. There is much talk and laughter as Reid and Luke take their places at the last two empty seats.
Camera pulls back, and the picture slowly dissolves…
The end.
Post your final scene in the comments and let’s see all of the different ideas we come up with, all of which are guaranteed to be better than whatever the actual show comes up with, and that’s hardly a spoiler!
If I was writing the final scene of As the World Turns, it would go like this:
Some ridiculous Damian shenanigans have come to an end, and the family is gathered at the farm for some soapy reason.
Luke and Holden are out at the pond for some reason.
Luke (catches Holden’s eye and takes a deep breath): Dad, what? You’ve been biting your tongue all day. What do you want to say?
Holden (stares at the ground for a beat, carefully thinking through what he wants to say): Is this what it’s going to be like for you? Holidays, family celebrations, family emergencies--you, on your own, no support, Reid just showing up whenever he feels..
Luke (interrupting): Dad, Dad, wait. It’s not like that…
Holden (looking around as if to say it sure looks like it is): He should be here.
Luke: Reid isn’t a college student. He can’t just drop everything at a moment’s notice.
Holden: And you’re okay with that? Always coming after his patients and the hospital and his career? That’s not what your mother and I want for you.
Luke (eyes warm and sincere. He speaks gently to his father): I know exactly where I fit in Reid’s priorities.
Luke (shrugging to himself, sounding out his thoughts as he speaks): Reid and I… we’re probably always going to look… unconventional to people who don’t know us very well. But, Dad, I’m not ever going to be unsure of him or how he feels about me. I don’t want you and Mom to worry about me, okay? I promise, you don’t have to.
Holden (catches sight of something over Luke’s shoulder and smiles, snorting in chagrinned amusement): I’m your father, Luke.
Holden (kicks at some dirt on the ground and nods to himself. He motions with his chin to something behind Luke): I’m always going to worry, even when I don’t have to.
Holden claps Luke on the shoulder as he heads inside.
Luke turns to see what his father was pointing at and smiles.
Reid, wearing sun glasses, now changed into black slacks and black shirt, gets out of a car and lounges against the door, arms crossed over his chest.
Luke (saunters over, grinning, stopping a foot in front of Reid): I told you once that if being with you was going to be a parade of secrets and lies, I didn’t want any part of it.
Reid (looking confused): Huh?
Luke (mocking words Reid said earlier): I can’t drop everything just because your second cousin twice removed has a hang nail!
Reid (with a shrug): I guess I’ll make an exception for Bad Dads and takeover plots ripe with crazy henchmen and double crossing secret agents.
Luke (inching closer): Mm hmm. What changed your mind this time?
Reid (shrugging again): I don’t know. Doogie was blathering on about how if I play it right, eventually you’ll stop asking me to go to these insane family gatherings of yours and…
Luke (smiling): And what?
Reid (diffidently): I don’t want you to stop asking.
They kiss, then pause, foreheads pressed together.
Luke: Chris doesn’t know me at all if he thinks I’ll eventually stop asking.
Reid (smiling): That’s what I said.
They kiss again, lazily, until Reid pulls back.
Reid: So, what you said earlier, still true?
Luke (looking confused): That I love you? Of course it’s still true.
Reid (nodding quickly): Yeah, that’s good. Good to know. But, uh, I was actually talking about the other thing.
Luke (growing suspicious): What other thing?
Reid (motioning with his hand, prodding Luke to remember): You know, what you said… before.
Luke shrugs, clearing having no idea what Reid is talking about.
Reid (exasperated that Luke doesn’t know what he’s talking about): You promised Grandma Emma’s pot roast. Still true?
Luke (rolling his eyes, he shakes his head and pushes off Reid to head inside): Reid!
Reid (arms held out in front of him, pleading his case. He calls after Luke): What? I’m just asking! Luke? I need pot roast!
Reid catches up to Luke on the front porch, sliding his arm around Luke’s shoulder. They walk into the kitchen together where the rest of the family is already sitting around the table. There is much talk and laughter as Reid and Luke take their places at the last two empty seats.
Camera pulls back, and the picture slowly dissolves…
The end.