IMHO "Real World: Brooklyn" (Ep. 12): "Luck of the Draw"

We pick up where we left off last week, with the Real World Brooklyn houseguests getting wind of Ryan’s active duty recall.

Yet again, the show is cooling off from its previous weeks of gay heat, but there was a brief moment of LGBT-ness to be experienced when JD offers Ryan an out via Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell:

“You can’t just say you’re gay? I’ll say you’re my boyfriend.”

“That’s the easy way out. I’m not getting out of it,” Ryan responds.

Hopefully, this “easy way out” of military service, so often the punch line of horrid homophobic comedies, will be a dated joke in the near future.

Like I’ve been doing all recession, the group decides to get their mind off of things by partying it up – in Atlantic City. But their suite at the Borgata is certainly not an analogy for the scaled-back contemporary times. The decked out room laughs in the face of the economy with lavish booty sculptures, separate sleeping quarters, and an extravagant dining hall with a meal worthy of the Roman-era.

Oh, craps

Katelynn, who just a few episodes ago borrowed a couple thousand bucks from Scott, gets the itch (not the kind that requires a doctor’s visit) and hits the blackjack tables. On day one she’s up and gloats to Scott about her fortune. He plays it cool, and masterfully supresses any irritation. On day two she returns to the tables and confesses that she’s trying to win Scott’s money back, but luck’s a bitch, and she ends up losing over $500. (JD, conversely, wins $3,000.)

Big Ballser

A peek into Scott’s coolness occurs a little later in the episode when JD complains that Katelynn doesn't pay him back. After his brief tirade, Scott replies with zen-like tranquility, “Well, sometimes you’ve got to let people make their own decisions.”

But as the cast returns to Brooklyn, so does the storyline to Ryan.

A Real World Mantage

To prepare for his deployment, Ryan asks Scott to train him hard in the gym. The result is a hot mantage of the two boys busting it out with barbells at Crunch. But what lifts my “spirits” even higher is the leather-bound journal that Scott presents to Ryan, complete with comments penned by the roommates.

The bromance continues...

Our LGBT characters continued to take on lesser importance in this episode, but considering the material the show is covering is a vital social issue -- especially within our community -- I’m raising the arrow in a humble salute to Ryan.

The next episode is the final episode of the Real World, and it looks like it’ll be the first time we see police lights in this season. Can’t wait!

What are your thoughts regarding Katelynn’s gambling? Would you have reacted as calmly as Scott? Do you think Ryan finally showed some emotion in the end of the episode?