IMHO: "Real World: Brooklyn" (Ep. 4) "When more than skeletons fall out of the closet"

Secrets make for a great reality show, and the producers of the Real World certainly have a gift for exploiting them. The Brooklyn cast is no exception, though what each cast member hides (I’m dying to see what muscle boy Scott has to uncover) is more gradually revealed than in previous seasons.

Still, as we saw last night, there's always room for a surprise or two, which is part of the reason I'm giving last night's episode an up arrow.

At a party, Chet spots his crush from the previous episode, Alex. He admits he finds her cute, and then, lacking even the slightest tinge of humor, informs us why he’s interested: “She’s a model, and I appreciate that.” The two dance, and thanks to a few patented white-male dance moves, for the first time this season I begin to believe that Chet truly is hetero.

"She's a model, and I appreciate that."

Not so straight is JD, who is shown talking on the phone with an unidentified relic from Sarah’s past. The caller’s voice is shrouded in nervous energy, which is only exaggerated by their refusal to leave a name or message. But after a quick girl’s shopping trip (where Sarah points out Katelynn’s odd fashion choices), we learn the caller’s identity: it’s Sarah’s estranged father.

Another emotional and abrupt call is made, forcing Sarah to reveal her estrangement from her father. Later, after some sound advice from her mom, Sarah empowers herself and volunteers at an art therapy program that helps abused children.

A few roommates soon head to a bar where JD becomes wasted once again, this time with a transgender diva named Angelique in tow. While sloppily introducing her to Chet, JD nonchalantly compares Angelique to Katelynn, thus outting his roomate against her her wishes. Considering JD’s past drunken hijinks (threatening to have a non-English speaking immigrant fired), the behind-the-back disses to his fellow LGBT roommate aren’t surprising, but certainly make me want to revoke his gay card.

“[Angelique]'s like the world’s #1 transsexual in the world [sic]. Katelynn is like, nothing. I’m not downing Katelynn,” he mumbles. The LGBT solidarity JD expressed in the season’s first episode is evaporating quicker than my Bank of America stock.

Surprisingly, Chet is unmoved by the revelation. Even though he had already been suspicious of Katelynn’s secret, Chet’s open-mindedness is a refreshing reminder that not all Mormons are anti-gay.

Still stumbling around and spreading drama, JD informs Devyn that Angelique is a singer, and is “100 times better” than her. Angelique, conjuring a microphone, jumps on the bar’s stage and pulls Devyn up for an impromptu sing-off. The acoustics are unforgiving, but Devyn holds her own.

Yet again, it becomes necessary to remind JD that he can be a douche when drunk. This time it falls on Devyn’s watch. JD shrugs off his rude behavior, saying, “We all have had at least our one night of where we drank a little bit too much.” Yeah, right, JD. This is the second night of “too much” for you, and we’re only at episode four.

As we wrap up the episode, Chet and Alex embark on an innocent date and the chemistry is undeniable. Not only is the cute blond’s sexuality emerging, he’s also revealing an arrogance that didn’t quite register before. “I can tell she’s very sexually attracted to me,” he says. “It’s natural.”

This episode earns an up-arrow because Chet’s growing on me (perhaps it’s the gratuitous body shot in last week’s episode); Sarah, Devyn and JD’s complexities are emerging; and an issue that might be a big, pink elephant in the gay community is garnering TV time (social alcoholism).

What do you think about JD’s drunk persona? Do you think his drinking mirrors something larger and more generalized in the gay community?