Sail Your Own Ship

Ah shipping….it’s a treacherous journey not meant for the faint of heart or the thin of skin. Few things an inspire such visceral reactions on social media–those things generally consist of politics, religion, and shipping. It’s a crazy world.

Shipping is tough. It breaks your heart and crushes your soul–or maybe that’s just me. Can I really be the only person that ships couples that NEVER EVER end up together? Seriously–my track record? It would be impressive if it wasn’t so pathetic. Let’s review…

The first tv show that ever truly stole my heart was Guiding Light. I watched it with my grandmother and my mother. I loved that show.

Dinah and Hart–my OTP. Dinah was my favorite character on the show and, even though the writers seemed determined to destroy her, I would not be dissuaded. Even when they had Dinah shoot and kill Hart (oh yeah–you read that right), I did not give up shipping forever. I chalked it up to a bad first go. I moved on…a little more jaded, but hopeful.

I took a break from Guiding Light for a while and decided to follow my favorite actress, Wendy Moniz (ex-Dinah,GL) to her new gig on Nash Bridges. The show was entering its sixth season and it was surely going to be a stable job for her.

Rachel and Nash–Hey, she’s paired with the lead–that’s a good thing, right? Yeah, no. She’s a mole working for a double agent. She gets sent to prison right before the entire show gets cancelled. Strike 2.

I didn’t have too long to wallow in my misery because I had a new show to love. The Guardian showcased the Australian cutie pie Simon Baker and also happened to have Wendy Moniz in the cast.

Nick and Lulu–The Guardian lasted three seasons, all of which included fun, flirty Nick and Lulu banter–until it didn’t. At some point, it was discovered that I shipped this pairing and, as such, they must be punished. Lulu got pregnant. Nick relapsed with drinking and drugs and had an affair. The baby was discovered to have Down’s syndrome and the entire situation just fell apart. Strike 3.

I could tell you about the others…

Roxy and Alvey–Kingdom
James and Elaine–Betrayal
Dinah and Shayne–Guiding Light
Carly and Mike–As the World Turns
Katie and Simon–As the World Turns
Joey and Rachel–Friends

But instead of depressing you with the stories of all the pairings I’ve loved and lost, let me gush about one I still have a tiny flicker of hope for…

Phyllis and Billy (Philly) Young and the Restless

Gina Tognoni (Phyllis) has been a favorite of mine since she appeared on One Life to Live some years ago. When she joined the cast of Guiding Light in 2004 as Dinah Marler, she had some serious shoes to fill. I was a huge fan of her predecessor, Wendy Moniz, and as such, I was fully prepared to hate her in the role. I’m not above admitting she completely proved me wrong and quickly won me over.

I was thrilled when she joined the cast of Young and the Restless as I’d become disenchanted with that show some years before and knew her arrival would bring a much needed infusion of energy. Although I adore Peter Bergman and regard him as an incredible talent, I never saw the chemistry between his Jack and Gina’s Phyllis. The introduction of Jason Thompson as Billy would provide another option for a pairing that has proved nothing short of explosive.

Gina and Jason have chemistry to spare and their scenes together are as compelling and poignant as they are entertaining. Watching the evolution of this relationship has shown so much about the individual characters and their true desires without ever compromising their current relationships. There is no doubt Phyllis still loves Jack, but she is clearly not in love with him. Billy still loves Victoria, but the passion in his life is reserved for Phyllis. These two characters are full of conflict, confusion, and struggle–all the makings of a tumultuous love story.

A Philly fic could be in the works very soon–Let me know if it’s something you’d be interested in reading. I’d love to hear your thoughts. 🙂

~Lynn