"United States of Tara " (2.07): Breaking Up is Hard to Do When You're Gay and She's Straight

You know how articles about making television and movies always stress how hard everyone works to make sure things are consistent from scene to scene? For example, if an actor is wearing her sunglasses on top of her head in one shot, they can't magically disappear when she turns around. Or the color of a kid's backpack can't suddenly change as he gets off the school bus.

Well, I'm guessing the folks at United States of Tara don't have to worry about any of that since they can have a tornado hit town in one episode that knocks down power lines, trees, and litters wreckage all over the street...

... and yet the very next morning, things are so cleaned up that not only can Marshall, Lionel, Hany and Courtney meet for coffee, but Kate can put in an appearance as Princess Unbelievable Plot Contrivance at a comic book story filled with geeks and the Department of Social Services' guy can make a house call on the Gregson's even though his house is even worse shape than theirs.

Yeah, I buy all that. 

But then again, half of what takes place on USoT isn't really believable these days so what th hell? All I can say is, it must be nice writing for a show where you don't really have to worry about making your plots realistic.

Anyhow, since Marshall can't seem to break up with Courtney on his own, he's recruited Lionel and Hany to help him. Lionel I get, but Hany? When did they get so chummy? And why isn't Hany at home with Ted helping clean up? After all, if the Gregson's house is such a wreck, wouldn't Hany and Ted's be as well?

Ooops, I'm ranting again.

So Lionel, Marshall and Hany are sitting in a cafe discussing what Marshall should do about Courtney, and Lionel is his usual misogynistic self. After Hany tells Marshall he just needs to tell Courtney what's what, Lionel shares this lovely sentiment:

And if she still won't go away, tell her that f*cking her is like f*cking a rusty can full of thumbtacks.

This behavior is "tolerable" in Lionel only because he's so young and allowances can be made for bratty teens trying to figure out what kind of person they want to be. But once Lionel turns twenty-one, he needs to either have grown up or move to a gay ghetto where straight people won't have to deal with him.

It also seems clear that Lionel and Marshall are headed for some sort of relationship, but I'll only allow that because Marshall lives in suburban Kansas and there probably aren't a lot of out gay teens to date. But once he gets to college, Marshall better not date anymore Lionels.

Fortunately, Hany is there to remind viewers that most gay men don't hate women. "You know you don't have to hate women to love men, Lionel."

Marshall still isn't sure what to do because "She has this crazy idea that a gay man and a straight woman can live together even though it's a lie."

Newsflash, Marshall! There have been plenty of examples of this and I'm not just talking about closet case Republicans. Still, I'm glad that isn't what Marshall wants for himself.