Where do we go from here?

You may tut-tut and tsk-tsk all you like, but admit it: you were glued to the television just like the rest of us during that tell-all interview on TV Patrol (replayed the following morning) last week and you probably followed–and are following–the unfolding of events in this sordid, horrid tale of two lovers who not only loved not wisely but not well.

My friend Virginia had sleep deprivation watching all the talk shows late into the night as hosts and guests, experts and kibitzers, relatives and alalays dissected and vivisected what each side said and did not say, did and did not do. On Sunday, she laid claim to both television sets in the house, putting them side by side so she could watch S Files and The Buzz simultaneously.

Hands down, Kris won the live interview round: sans make-up, with fire in her eyes and words very well chosen, looking straight at the camera at just the right moments, it was a performance that could not be beat. And what she said could not have come from the pen of even the most gifted scriptwriter.

Many–including the machos and lotharios in our office–who had watched Joey’s interview the night before and who had believed his telling of events could not but concede that they had changed their minds. Even his down-and-almost-out demeanor, voice barely a whisper and eyes brimming with tears performance last Sunday could not rack up enough points.

It’s a media circus we admit, and we’ve been lambasted and chastised for it, accused of going on a feeding frenzy over this most juicy of scandals. While there is no arguing the tragic dimension, the human suffering and pain that this situation involves, as long as the protagonists themselves–both of them creatures of media who live by and in the limelight–play it out in public, matching interview for interview, it will continue to be a public spectacle the likes of which Jose Pidal can only thank his lucky stars for.

They played out the start of their affair in public; it is almost inevitable that the end of the affair would be played out in full public view too. Perhaps what no one expected was that it would be like this, and that so many would be dragged into the melee and hurt.

Many have spoken about the good that can come out of this bad situation, the lessons that can be learned–battered women can take courage and begin to speak out, awareness of STD will increase... When the time comes that this too shall pass and we move on to the next scandal, hopefully we all–not just Kris and Joey–will have learned those lessons well.