I Can See Clearly Now

One of daytime's most
valuable players, Tamara Braun, has been at the epicenter of
one of
All My Children

's most promising story lines -- that of the
relationship of female couple Reese and Bianca and
their two children. Delivering brave, knockout performances is
nothing new for Tamara, having done so not only on
AMC

but previously on
General Hospital

and
Days of Our Lives.

However, LGBT fans of
AMC

have been vocal about what they've perceived to be the
many failings of the groundbreaking story line
-- a long-awaited, highly anticipated tale of
two women in love who become legally married. For starters,
many complained that Reese (Braun) was not sufficiently
integrated into the Pine Valley canvas for the audience to
invest in her relationship with Bianca (Eden Riegel). Plus
there was the budding relationship between the couple and their
sperm donor, Zach (Thorsten Kaye). Many were concerned about
the conflicting message it sent about Reese's sexual
identity when she kissed Zach right before
the wedding. Then there was the wedding itself. While many felt
joyous and celebratory over the landmark, others were left
feeling the show missed an opportunity to make the union
memorable when it cut to other story points throughout the
episode.

Advocate.com spoke to
Tamara recently to get her, and her character's,
perspective on the tricky story line, what went wrong, and the
happy ending that fans have been told to expect when Eden
Riegel returns to wrap up the story arc.

Advocate.com:The journey that Reese has been on recently -- she became
blind, and the aftermath of Bianca walking out on their
relationship after Reese kisses Zach -- has been
confusing and convoluted to some viewers. Can you clarify from
your character's and your point of view about the kiss, and
when Reese realizes that she totally, 100% loves Bianca?Tamara Braun:

From my point of view, Reese is not in love with Zach and she
never has been. As far as the kiss, any doubt she may have had
about her relationship with Bianca dissolved immediately after
it happened. It was a moment of needing a connection. It was
not about being in love with Zach. She was drunk, upset, and it
was unfortunate. It was a terrible mistake. As far as I am
concerned, Reese has always been in love with Bianca.

What does she feel toward Zach?

It's a dear, dear friendship and connection on an intimate but
not sexual level. Zach is someone who has been there for her
and they really connect, but they are not in love. She is so
thankful that Zach is there, but she also knows that the
closeness with him has caused problems.