STUCK In Agony & Love

The Aitoro's marriage has fallen apart, and we fans are at a place we never thought we'd be. For once, exes proved too much of an outside force to handle.

As all GusHers know, Gus & Harley grew further and further apart as they kept spending time with their exes. Then thanks to Alan and Dylan, Gus believed his wife slept with Dylan. And he did the unthinkable. No one, including Harley, ever thought he'd cheat on his wife, who he has been unconditionally devoted to for the past six years. He slept with Natalia, his first love, who he never had closure with. After finding out about it, Harley left town for a while, and nothing further occurred between Gus and Natalia.

What a huge, awful mess!

Harley recently returned, and all hell of emotions broke loose in one wonderful episode...titled simply "Stuck". I'll try not to recap/summarize too much because if you're still reading this entry, you must be a GL viewer and/or a Gus & Harley fan who has already seen the episode.

"Stuck" was all about GusH sorting out their problems and figuring out their marriage. I thought Harley's return meant she was ready to face Gus and that she had time to think about everything and was prepared to be calm while hashing things out. But to my surprise she was still as angry as when she left and she wasn't ready to deal with Gus. Who would have thought that she came home to support her dad? I mean, of course she'd do that, but I wasn't expecting that to be her reason for returning.

Anyway, it took a while for GusH to be alone and start talking, but they both confessed they missed each other. Of course they did even if one of them didn't want to admit it. There was so much hurt in their eyes - Harley was in emotional pain and Gus just wanted to get her alone to talk. It was easy to feel for both of them throughout the whole show.

The coolest part of the show is their conversation in the BATHROOM. You never see bathrooms on soap operas! It was great to actually see one! And of course GusH would be ones in it because they are given the most realistic things/situations since they are the most real & natural couple on daytime. How funny it was...Harley throwing rolls of toilet paper at him. And kudos to the camera guys because there was a real mirror there, so they had to make sure their & the cameras' reflections couldn't be seen.

The bathroom scenes contained the true fighting of the episode. Harley told Gus she never slept with Dylan, and guilt washed over his whole face. He should be an emotional wreck after finding that out. And the fight became about him and Natalia as Harley's face had hurt written all over it. So sad. He tried explaining it as she ousted her disbelief and asked why he went to Natalia instead of coming to her. Eventually they had to leave the bathroom, but their words render very movingly clear.

Gus: But you are my soulmate. You are my heart. You know this.
Harley: I don't know what I am anymore.

.................

Harley: I never thought that you could do this. You have always been so devoted to me and so loyal to me.
Gus: I still am. I still am.
Harley: No, you're not. You would have had faith. You would have had faith and you would have come to me instead of conveniently believing that worst so that you would have an excuse to go to her. Now look where we are.

Gus & Harley made it home, still in discussion, and what a sweet surprise the kids had when they walked inside. They have such wonderful children, don't they? How nice that GusH recieved an anniversary celebration! I loved the banner! GusH have been married two years, and the boys remember that day just as well as they do. It was fun for them all to reminisce, making fans like me do the same. Having the wedding album and telling Daisy & Rafe about that day was sweet. A perfect little family moment. I wish I could see that wedding album, but I kind of have me own on my laptop.

The best line of that moment -
Harley: I never had second thoughts.

After getting the boys to bed, Harley and Gus talked outside and reminisced on their own, which is the best yet saddest part of the entire episode. I cried through it all, but it was good because their wedding was a huge moment of their life together. I'm so glad they had an anniversary celebration and of how much was remembered. So sweet!

Gus: What I remember most about that day was when you walked down the aisle, you said something. You said something to me. I don't think I've ever been happier than the moment I heard that word, "Hi." And I especially remember it because that's the moment that I put this ring on your finger.

Harley: And it was the first time we kissed as husband and wife. I remember that kiss. I had kissed you a million times before, but I remember that kiss because... Because it was sacred. My heart was pounding and I was... I was dizzy and I guess I was so happy and overwhelmed.

That's what's so beautiful - Gus being touched by a simple "hi" and Harley remembering that kiss despite how many kisses they've shared. It was so obvious...their love for each other on that special day and during their reminiscing. At that moment they didn't want to fight anymore and they promised to try to make their marriage work and get back the closeness they've lost. If only it had worked...

In bed was when the agony came through. Day after day they tried making it work, but at night is when you could see that it wasn't working. Such tragedy and disappointment. Harley couldn't let him be close to her without thinking of Natalia. Hence, there was much distance between them in bed, and you saw no kissing or touching. She still isn't over what he did; it still haunted her on the inside as much as she probably tried to push it aside. And throughout those days, Harley was sad because of it while Gus was hurting just as much because he wanted to move on & be close to her but couldn't. As much as they love each other, there's so much agony in both of them. And the kids sensed the tension and knew they were fighting.

Thus, the descision made was to take a break.

That's when the funniest part of the episode came...sending the boys off to another day of camp - the jar of alien soil and Gus pretending to be "Gusenstein". HAHA! Loved it! There's always something funny when those adorable boys are around. But Gus left afterwards, which wasn't as heartbreaking as I thought it'd be. It was a silent goodbye, for they expect their separation to merely be temporary. But we'll see, won't we...

A break brings hope to me and other fans. A break means they are not through with each other; their marriage is not over. A break indicates some time to heal and miss each other and realize how much they really love each other. But it is quite a complicated situation. GusH have their own inner demons going on. Gus is struggling between two women. He loves his wife, and he wants to make things right with her. But there is a pull towards Natalia; I'm sure he has some unresolved feelings for her. Meanwhile, Harley struggles with the pain of her husband cheating on her with his first love, and she needs time to heal that wound. I think they need to handle their individual conflicts before they can truly repair their relationship and reunite.

But we'll see what happen next. And as we wait & watch, we can choose whose side we're on. Personally, I want Gus & Harley's marriage to survive and I'm on Harley's side. Natalia is a huge threat and the enemy; I don't want her anywhere near Gus. I root for Harley and whatever she decides for her future and life with Gus.

Happy 2nd Anniversary, Gus & Harley Aitoro!