The Best Gay Relationship on TV?
Posted by Dennis Ayers, Managing Editor on October 31, 2006
In 1991, when thirtysomething showed two gay male characters in bed together, the scene resulted in a sponsor boycott, costing the network an estimated $1 million in lost ad revenue. In addition, ABC claimed to have received over 400 written complaints from outraged viewers. The negative reaction was so pronounced that ABC even pulled the episode from repeats. And the two gay characters featured in the scene? They were promptly written off the show.
Controversy surrounding the thirtysomething episode no doubt had a deterrent effect, making broadcast networks skittish of gay subject matter. The following year, FOX edited out a gay kiss from a Melrose Place episode before it could be aired, and cited ABC's ad revenue losses on the thirtysomething episode when asked to explain their decision.
Thankfully, things have now changed. The Brothers & Sisters episode “Date Night,” which aired on Oct. 22, included gay male characters kissing in two scenes. No advertisers threatened to pull out; no conservative groups launched a letter-writing campaign. Even gay publications took little notice (though the kiss was much discussed in the gay blogosphere).
The show's producers might have used the occasion to create some buzz for their show. They might have tipped everyone off with a press release. At the very least, they could have offered preview clips of the same-sex lip-locking on abc.com or hyped it in the previous week's trailer: “Next Week — on a very special episode of Brothers & Sisters …”
But the producers of Brothers & Sisters chose instead to treat the gay kissing scenes as no big deal — a nonevent in the context of a network drama. The episode “For the Children,” which aired on Oct. 29, included yet another gay kiss, demonstrating the show's ongoing willingness to incorporate mature, gay subject matter in the show. Again, no one in the press took much notice.
Interestingly, some of the creative talent from thirtysomething is also connected to Brothers & Sisters. Ken Olin serves as executive producer. Actress Patricia Wettig is a cast member. Even David Marshall Grant, an actor who played one of the gay characters in thirtysomething's controversial bedroom scene, now works as a story editor for Brothers & Sisters.
Though critics gave the pilot mixed reviews, the show has since found its creative stride, with the later episodes improving noticeably. The show has arrived in a seemingly lackluster year for scripted gay characters on network television, the number of which is at a 10-year low. But it's worth considering the quality of gay representation as well as the quantity, and here Brothers & Sisters gives us reason to cheer.
With substantial screen time for its gay characters, including sophisticated dialogue, realistic situations and palpable chemistry developing between Kevin and Scotty, Brothers & Sisters seems intent on delivering the most nuanced and unflinching (and satisfying) representation of a gay male relationship possibly ever seen on network television.
The rest of the Walker clan includes widow Nora (Sally Field) and four other adult Walker siblings; each has external conflicts to deal with (adultery, drug addiction, corporate intrigue, etc), but the main focus is on intra-family relationships and how each character grapples with their personal identity in the context of their family.
Middle brother Kevin is an integral part of the Walker clan. Dependable, reliable, often the family peacemaker and problem solver, Kevin also happens to be gay. In such a large cast, Kevin might have become merely an ancillary character. But careful attention has been paid to his character development and story arc. Kevin is front and center on Brothers & Sisters, and is arguably one of the show's best-written characters.
Credit for that surely goes to series creator, head writer and openly gay playwright, Jon Robin Baitz. In a recent interview with AfterElton.com, Baitz said that the decision to include a gay character was a nonissue for ABC and others involved with the show: “Nobody raised an eyebrow. It wasn't even remotely controversial … As a gay person, I'm not going to ignore who I am, since all writing is autobiographical.”
Just how much of Jon Robin Baitz is embodied in the character of Kevin Walker is unclear. But through the six episodes already aired, Baitz and his writing team have created an admirably three-dimensional character.
The series began with Kevin already out, personally and professionally, with his family completely supportive. The fact that Kevin's coming-out process (a staple for gay character story lines) is treated as back story is both unusual and refreshing. Now that obvious coming-out crises like workplace discrimination and family rejection can be dispensed with, there is an opportunity to tell different stories about the lives of gay men.
Here's what we know so far about Kevin: He's been out to his family since high school, but he came out under duress. His sister Kitty found out, then told everyone else in the Walker clan, forcing Kevin to own up to it.
His family's reaction was — and continues to be — supportive. In fact, the first thing his mother did upon learning he is gay was join PFLAG. Kevin actually hated having so much attention paid to his sexuality. As he said to Scotty in one scene, “I became the cause celebre — an exchange student in my own home.”
Kevin has a framed photograph of his ex-boyfriend in his law office. We don't know how long they were together or how long they have been apart, but we know the relationship ended because Kevin was unfaithful.
Despite being out, Kevin seems entirely devoid of stereotypically gay mannerisms. You might chalk this up to a straight actor being cast in the role, but Welsh actor Matthew Rhys has played gay before. In fact, in the 2001 movie Very Annie Mary, Rhys camps it up with fey gusto.
Kevin's “straight-acting” demeanor isn't simply a quirk of casting. Instead, it seems deliberate ? meant to convey an aspect (or symptom) of his identity. For Kevin, “straight-acting” is something he values in himself. He also seems to value it in others, judging by his noticeable discomfort around flamboyant gay men and his aversion to public displays of affection.
After six episodes, the impression one gets of Kevin Walker is that, for him, to a certain extent being gay is a weakness, a vulnerability that needs walling off from the rest of his life. It is internalized homophobia, and Kevin probably doesn't even recognize it in himself. His intellect, liberal politics and supportive family disguise the problem and help him to rationalize it away. He's not closeted; he's merely reserved.
This is a nuanced and complicated gay character: intellectually out, yet emotionally closeted. To explore this paradox, the show has introduced a romantic interest for Kevin. The recurring character, Scotty Wandell, makes a great foil because he is almost the exact opposite of Kevin. Where Kevin is reserved, Scotty is flamboyant and overtly gay.
When they first meet, Kevin is extremely uncomfortable in Scotty's presence, which isn't surprising since Scotty represents the very qualities Kevin may fear in himself. Scotty immediately pegs Kevin for a potential closet case.
Kevin: I'm not in the closet at all. I'm open and proud.Scotty's snap assessment is at least partially accurate. He recognizes a flaw in Kevin that no one else on the show has yet to pick up on, including Kevin's supportive family and even Kevin himself.
Scotty: You're not proud. You're trying to pass.
Kevin and Scotty's diametrically opposed personalities make it tricky to plausibly bring them together as a couple. To its credit, the show doesn't simply throw them together. Kevin and Scotty interact only socially in Episodes 3 and 4, scenes that lay the groundwork for their romance. It's a slow build but, despite their differences, we begin to see chemistry between the two.
In Episode 5, Kevin and Scotty first kiss. The tender moment comes without fanfare or warning. Yet when Scotty leans over the table at an Indian restaurant and plants one on Kevin, it seems entirely plausible and natural. Alas, Kevin's negative reaction is equally plausible.
Uncomfortable at being outed in a public place, he bristles and pulls away. The two reconcile by the end of the episode, rewarding viewers with the second gay kiss of the evening. But the underlying issue — Kevin's internalized homophobia — has not been resolved. It will surely be the central conflict in the Kevin/Scotty relationship.
Gay male romantic relationships have been explored in depth on cable television on shows such as HBO's Six Feet Under, Showtime's Queer as Folk and Logo's Noah's Arc. And gay relationships have existed elsewhere on network television. Will & Grace is the obvious example, but Will did not develop an ongoing, serious relationship until the end of its run. Even then, the focus of Will & Grace remained on, well, Will and Grace.
Never has such a prominent gay character's relationship received so much screen time on a primetime drama. And in that respect, Brothers & Sisters represents something of a television landmark. Given that the show is only six episodes in to its first season, the future for gay representation on network television looks a little brighter — if only for one hour on Sunday nights.
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