Regardless of what else has been shoved at us the past couple of weeks (3p, MTS - you know what I'm talking about here), we’ve been given a wonderful treat.
We’ve had the pleasure of watching Michael Easton and Renee Elise Goldsberry as John McBain and Evangeline Williamson. And what a pleasure it’s been!
The John McBain we all love is a wounded and guarded man. Over the past year and a half, we watched for a time while he moved very deliberately through his life with a wall stretched high, low, and wide around his heart. After seeing his fiancée shot and killed by the serial killer he was investigating, he was determined to keep his heart from ever being broken again – by anyone or anything. But then he met Evangeline Williamson.
Evangeline Williamson is an intelligent, stylish, elegant, upbeat, and savvy attorney who possesses an aura of certainty about everything she does. There doesn’t seem to be anything she can’t do and do well once she puts her mind to the task. Her power and her obvious command in her chosen profession are what caused McBain to challenge her over drinks at The Palace restaurant that night. Could she be spontaneous? Could she loosen up? He didn’t think she could, he told her. When she pulled him into that surprise kiss, she proved him wrong.
And their sweet ride took off from there!
Just look back over the past several months of One Life to Live - back to that scene on the bench. You know – the first time we saw John McBain and Evangeline Williamson onscreen together. For some of us, that was the moment that brought to mind the thought, “I wonder what would happen if…”
How about that scene at The Palace restaurant? For some of us, that was the moment that did it – the moment that told us something was brewing between these two and that, if it wasn’t, it certainly should have been.
How do you spell B-A-S-E-M-E-N-T? You know - the pivotal scene where John and Evangeline shared themselves with each other, their emotional intimacy on that night later leading them to physical intimacy?
Maybe it was the tear in John’s eye when he insisted that Evangeline not give up on him because what they had was worth fighting for. Maybe it was the uncertainly in his voice when she later met him at the country club and he quietly thanked her for coming. Maybe it was the way that Evangeline tenderly touched those pearls, a soft sigh escaping as John fastened them around her neck. Maybe it was the way that Evangeline’s eyes glistened as she sang those heartfelt words to him – words to illustrate that, win or lose, being able to love and feel love is its own reward – worth everything that comes with it.
Maybe it’s the twinkle in John’s eye since he’s been with Evangeline or the humor in his heart - the lightness in the affect of a character that’s been dark and brooding and burdened from the time he first appeared in Llanview. Maybe it’s the spring in Evangeline’s step since she’s been with John - the smile on her lips or the dreamy look in the eyes of a character that’s been driven and focused on work and winning, winning, winning from the beginning of her stay on OLTL.
Look at what we’ve been treated to over the past couple of months alone. “I don’t want this to be over,” John has told her. “I’m not sure I’m capable of that [love] anymore. But if anyone can change it, it’s you.” “Be patient with me.” “You make me feel things I never thought I’d feel again.” Words of complete vulnerability like these from the mouth of a character like Johnny Mac – a deliberate man who “chooses his words very carefully” are every bit as much of a commitment as actually walking down the aisle. Make no mistake about it.
And what about Evangeline? Well, our favorite attorney is trying to be patient and understanding about John’s hesitance to verbally express his feelings. She’s supportive. She’s kind, not only to John but also to the people in his orbit - even those who clearly have not earned her kindness towards them. And why? Because she has fallen in love with John McBain, that’s why. She admitted as much to him. She even put it in writing on a napkin. In writing!!!! No, she’s not strong and invincible where he’s concerned. What woman in love could be?
Neither is in control here. Neither is trying to be. They're just two adults feeling their way through and working at it, trying hard to hold onto this relationship that's brought them both so much unexpected happiness. That's what adults do. They work at relationships. They don't cut and run at the first sign of difficulty. They don't lay down the law or try to get the upper hand - not if the relationship is truly important to them. They work at it - cherishing all that's good, compromising and trying to fix what may not be so good. That's what John and Evangeline are doing. Through all the ups and downs, they're working at it.
And the best thing about it? Thanks to the incredible work of Renee Elise Goldsberry and Michael Easton, it all feels so natural – so real. It’s been a long, slow journey to this point. But it has happened right before our eyes. Too often what’s called “love” on a soap is slapdash – “just put him with her and presto!” John and Evangeline are different – right up there with all of the best super couples that came before.
You remember the drill, don’t you? We saw them together that first time and thought we saw something special between them – a spark of some kind. We saw them together that next time and were certain of it – there was something special between these two characters. And then our casual interest would slowly but surely morph into something of an unbreakable habit. Before we knew what was happening, each weekday would find us perched on the edge of seats, watching intently as that initial spark between the characters turned into an attraction. We cheered them on and watched that attraction deepen into a slowly unfolding and believable love. And as the characters grew closer and closer, we were pulled deeper and deeper into their story – so deep in fact that we ourselves were upset whenever anything went wrong between them, complete with the requisite swearing, yelling, and gnashing of our teeth at our television screens. We felt cheated whenever they’re weren’t featured on an episode. Suddenly we were all the way in, searching for any and every opportunity we could find to talk up our new favorite couple and performers. We’d meet other soap fans and gush unashamedly about our favorites. If we came in contact with other similarly obsessed fans, we could spend hours swapping opinions about our favorite characters, reminiscing about pivotal scenes, reciting favorite lines of dialogue we've memorized, and singing their praises to the high heavens. Each weekday would find us eager to watch our favorite couple once again and we’d be more than just a little disappointed at the end of each Friday episode when we’d have to somehow make it through an entire Saturday and Sunday and a chunk of Monday before we might be able to watch them again. And we won’t even discuss VCRs…
That’s how a super couple affects us. They work their way inside of us - into our minds, our hearts, our imaginations - until we lose all reason and objectivity about them. They are the best - without a doubt - as we'll tell anyone and everyone who sits still long enough for us to get the words out.
And John McBain and Evangeline Williamson are a true and bonafide super couple – a joy to watch and root for, a joy to laugh and cry with.
Goldsberry and Easton deserve as much appreciation and support as we can heap onto their talented shoulders. They work so hard to make us believe in the Evangeline and John love story. They work so hard to make us care. They make it look easy. But, as we all know, when it looks that easy, there's a whole lot of hard work behind it. And I, for one, am very grateful for all of their hard work.
Well, I don’t know about you but Evangeline Williamson and John McBain are my Super Couple!
Can’t wait to see what twists and turns their love story will take next!
And do I really have to say it? I know I don't but I will anyway ‘cause I just like saying it.
I LOVE Renee Elise Goldsberry and Michael Easton!