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"Brothers & Sisters" scoop: Just what is Chad Barry up to?
Ever since Michael Ausiello leaked word that Chad Barry (Jason Lewis) would be popping up for an episode of Brothers & Sisters, tongues have been wagging about just what is up with that? Is Kevin going to return to his "can't commit" persona and cheat on Scotty (Luke Macfarlane)? Has Chad reappeared with some nefarious plot to break up our favorite gay couple? Is Chad now an ex-gay who has come to convert both Kevin and Scotty? Read more after the jump! Kevin is not going to cheat on Scotty, and Chad did not turn up to seduce Scotty thereby causing trouble in the Walker/Wandell household. But that doesn't mean that sex won't be central to what goes on between the three men. Whatever takes place (and I can't say too much) does cause Kevin and Scotty to have a serious discussion about an issue dealt with by many gay men in relationships.
Kevin: What do you think about it? Any guesses as to exactly what goes down? Submitted by on Fri, 2009-01-16 14:18. |
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The age old...
Should we have a 3-way?
uhh...
"does cause Kevin and Scotty to have a serious discussion about an issue dealt with by many gay men in relationships..."
...an open relationship? threesome? jealousy issues over another man? (really doubt it's this one, but guessing games are fun.)
"Any guesses as to exactly what goes down?"
I swear I didn't! I'm here at the TCA frantically
OK, How about This --
Chad tells Kevin that he's coming out and the reason is that he's in love with him. This throws Kevin for a loop as he's deeply touched AND still attracted to Chad BUT conflicted because of Scotyy.
Drama, drama, drama!
But Chad already
came out publically on his website and the newpapers reported it and so on.
It would be nice to have something give Kevin and Scotty a shock to their romantic system.
Forgive me for asking but do any of you think "bed death" is a prominant enough issue with gay men, generally speaking, to be one of the "issues" at play?
I mean Kevin and Scotty are really young and haven't been together very long and previously both seemed to be very sexual but since they've been civil union partnered, sex doesn't seem to play a big part in their relationship.
Whereas, Chad and Kevin were pretty sexually active (regardless of whatever else was going on with them)
"Heterosexuality is not normal, it's just common." (Dorothy Parker)
Agree.
Chad tells Kevin that he's coming out and the reason is that he's in love with him. This throws Kevin for a loop as he's deeply touched AND still attracted to Chad BUT conflicted because of Scotyy.
I am with you on this David (I actually agree with a lot of what you are writing, also the films you list in some of the lists we had on AE often are the ones I would have chosen etc .. anyway..), I think Chad's driving all the way back to the Walker's place to let Kevin know that he's (still) in love with Kevin. It won't mean breaking Kevin and Scotty up, but it will mean discussions, questions, doubts and getting stronger as a couple, or something of that sort.
I always liked Chad! I always thought Matthew and Jason had great chemistry! I'm sure Chad will be coming back as a man comfortably out, having accepted being gay with all that it means, has dated and has now come to the conclusion, that Kevin is his true love.
We'll see.
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I'm really torn. I love
Queer as Folk?
Well aren't Scotty and Kevin going to be going through a rough patch relationship wise?
This sounds very Lindsay & Melanie from QAF, relationship problems, old lover comes into town, threesome reignites the spark.
I don't see it happening, but maybe a discussion will be a catalyst for them to resolve any issues they might be having.
My guess is definitely a 3some
Yes...it must be THAT talk
Every relationship I have been in starts off as "we will never cheat on each other"...then morphs into "well maybe a 3-some sometime"...then "well I met him at the gym and I couldn't resist....it didn't mean anything".....
So if Kevin and Scotty are human and red-blooded sexual gay men....At the point Chad is coming back in would be the "well maybe a 3-some sometime" time.
At least that's MHO
HIV+ ???
I'm thinking that Chad is coming back to say that he is HIV+. Dear God, I hope not though, cause that would be depressing.
HIV and B&S
Gosh I hope not.
Of course I recognize and know personally the disproportionate impact of HIV and AIDS on the gay community for some time but I just don't think shows always have to go there with gay characters.
Why does the Gay character (even a non major one) have to be the one, yet again, who is HIV+?
Unprotected sex is unprotected sex, exposure to HIV is exposure to HIV. Justin, Rebecca or that new Ryan character would be a better candidate to deal with the HIV/AIDS issue if the writers want to deal with the issue.
In 2009, I just don't think it makes since for the media to continue to act as though HIV is more of a gay issue.
Had the medical establishment not be so incredibly heterosexist and homophobic to begin with , queer folks wouldn't have had to fend for ourselves to get AIDS related policies and services in place.
I'm just saying, we all know that straight folks can be just as easily exposed to HIV as gay men.
If there has to be an "issue" for Kevin and Scotty to deal with please let it be the monogomy issue.
Besides, if they are having a "rough patch", how is Chad being HIV+ going to bring them closer ?
Other than them both being tested (which everybody who is sexually active should be anyway) or deciding whether or not to use condoms (which you'd think they would have dealt with by now) why should Chad's being HIV+ test Kevin and Scotty's relationship?
Sigh...
"Heterosexuality is not normal, it's just common." (Dorothy Parker)
if it's what i think it is
Concerned
The HIV speculation would be unexpected and quite dramatic, but doesn't really seem to fit with other information about the circumstances of their meeting.
Maybe I'm alone in this, but I'm wary of the show dealing with the monogamy question. Even if it is an issue with many couples, it has the potential of being characterized as "gay men only care about sex and can't commit." Yes, some straight couples also have three-ways, open relationships, or other arrangements, but we don't see Kitty and Robert having that discussion. They're newlyweds! I say, let them have great sex (even if it happens off-screen, sigh) and save the "problems" for things like in-laws and finances, which I feel have been handled really well.
That said, I'm hoping the writers surprise me and do something interesting with the story. I never particularly liked Chad, but as long as he doesn't mess too much with Kevin and Scotty, I'm willing to give him a second chance.
You aren't alone
Personally, I'm OK
with bothering the homophobes, but nonetheless. :)
It wouldn't bother me as much if it weren't for the fact that this show's foundation is the negative fall-out of infidelity. (And yes, I realize open relationships are not the same thing as cheating, but it can lead to walking a very fine line.) Putting aside William, you also have: Sarah's marriage breaking up in part because of her husband kissing someone else, having a friendship with another woman, and her being attracted to another man. Tommy and Julia had affairs, which led them to counseling in attempts to save their marriage. Earlier this season, Kevin defended his sister's honor by confronting Robert about rumors of an affair. And so on. All of these straight marriages are/were expected to be monogamous. To have Kevin and Scotty discuss open marriage as a valid option, after the show has established a position on extramarital sex as a threat to stability and happiness in the relationship, is just one way of showing how their marriage is different. Maybe it would be a realistic issue for them to deal with, but this show has done a good to great job, at times, of demonstrating that Kevin's relationship with Scotty is or should be just like his siblings' relationships with their spouses, with the same rights and responsibilities. I would prefer if they did the same with this issue.
Not to mention, it just does not seem in character for the question to even be raised. IMO, Scotty has been effectively depicted as someone who values monogamy. And, while Kevin may have had issues in the past, he also has expressed regret about those actions. I think his commitment to Scotty is a way of showing he's learned how and why to be faithful. What's more, of Kevin's previous partners (that we've seen on the show), he's only ever cheated on them with Scotty. Maybe I'm just overly romantic with my fictional couples, but I always interpreted that less as an ability to be monogamous and more of a desire to be with Scotty.
I think I've given this way too much thought...
exploring fidelity
Exploring how fidelity and infidelity affect a relationship is an ongoing theme in Brothers and Sisters. It would not really be out of place to have one of the couples explore the idea of consensual non-monogamy. So I wouldn't see them as being different from the others if they do this. Actually I'd see it more as a reaction to the infidelity they see around them. I know William's affair had an impact on all the siblings, including Kevin. This might be his way of avoiding the infidelity trap his father fell into.
I think Scotty and Kevin are a good couple to try this with, not because they're gay, but they're currently the most stable Walker relationship. (Kitty and Robert don't count because. I just don't see that bond between them, and Robert's often kind of a jerk.)
I'm not saying it wouldn't
Again, the idea of consensual non-monogamy would be interesting - is it something a stable couple can pull off or does it fall more into the old "let's get married/have a child to strengthen our relationship" pitfall? If one member of the couple is less certain about the arrangement, can it backfire, cause misunderstandings and insecurities, etc.? Does committed relationship necessarily mean monogamous relationship? What constitutes cheating? What implication does a threesome have for a relationship? So perhaps it would be interesting, even progressive, to have one of the couples have that discussion. But I guess I really don't have enough faith in many of the viewers to recognize that it's a discussion that many couples - straight or gay - may face at some point. I think it runs the risk of being perceived as a "gay" issue only ("those gays and their deviant, abnormal sex lives"). Further, I don't think the writers would even consider making it an issue for any of the other couples, even if they were as stable as Kevin and Scotty are at the moment. However, if this is indeed the issue the Chad storyline raises (which I'm actually not convinced it is), I see them ultimately deciding to stay monogamous. As I mentioned previously, I think it would be out-of-character for them to decide otherwise, and I also don't think the show/network/audience is ready to "go there" yet.
i guess i look at it differently
I would look at consensual non-mogamy as the complete opposite of William Walker style patriarchial infidelity.
With William Walker, there was a lot of power play involved. He probably felt he had power over his wife, by deciding how much information about his life she needed to have. He had power over his misteress(es). I'm sure Holly was always on tenterhooks waiting for the next time she would get to see her man. And I'm sure he said whatever was necessary to convince each woman to stay faithful to him, so that he could feel in control of the relationships and of his women's sexuality. (Holly might have had a one night stand at one point, but she didn't have a whole other long term, life time lover.)
On the other hand, when a couple comes to a mutual agreement with full honesty, about some level of openess in their relationship, it's completely different. It's not about defrauding your partner and tricking them into a type of relationship they would never agree to. It's something that is done together, with the understanding that both people have equal say in the matter. So I think for Brothers and Sisters to go in this direction, it would be a way to explore the idea of trust and respect within a marriage, which is what went wrong with William, with Sarah and with Kitty's first fiance.
But I can see why you're concerned. A lot of people would look at any kind of non-monogamy as being the same thing, and as being very different from the norm. Some people would probably look at having a somewhat open relationship (even if it's just the occasional three way) as being even weirder than having several long term partners who know nothing about each other. But, if this is indeed what is happening, hopefully Kevin and Scotty will come accross as a regular couple trying a new idea that is becoming more common in society (since straight people have three ways too), rather than as the weird gay couple.
Very good point about power
Very good point about power plays, and I think that underscores the importance of honest communication and establishing boundaries in any relationship, regardless if it's monogamous or not. William's unfaithfulness clearly can't be compared to something that's agreed upon by two informed and respectful partners. However, while I'm sure there are any number of couples who equally agree to various levels of openness, I expect there is also an issue of power involved in at least some of these agreements. Granted, I have no direct experience in open relationships, but I would guess one partner may often feel pressured to agree to a threesome (or more) in an attempt to keep the other person happy or for some other reason, even if it's not what they particularly want. Therefore, I doubt that these would necessarily be examples of a healthy and successful open relationship. Given how I see the characters and their past history of issues with relative power, jealousy, monogamy, etc., I don't think an open relationship is something Scotty especially or Kevin would be comfortable with (YMMV). So they might not be the best couple to use as an example of this type of relationship.
As you said, the practice is becoming more common (or at least more talked about), and so exploration of it on a TV show seems a logical step. Obviously, B&S has been rather good at pushing the envelope on what is an acceptable alternative to the "norm." At the same time, I'm still concerned with how that exploration may be portrayed and received, especially if it's the gay couple that's doing the exploring. I feel there's this distinction or even dilemma between whether the characters should be portrayed as "the same as the straight characters" (thus, expectations of and desire for monogamy) or as "realistic, non-stereotypical gay men" (thus, facing what may be a common but not necessarily universal question of openness). Kevin and Scotty have been frequently set apart as generally positive examples of gay men. While I don't expect or even want them to be perfect saints, completely immune to temptaton, or even conforming to straight norms, I also don't want them to, less than a year after their wedding, be involved in a discussion that might suggest they are trying to "destroy the sanctity of marriage" by wanting or choosing to have sex with men other than or in addition to each other.
Scotty and Kevin’s serious discussion, guessing what goes down……
Scotty and Kevin - the serious talk
I guess and it is a combination of others,
I think they will talk about being monogamous or having an open type of relationship. The latter may be less likely given the reaction to the "kiss" before.
Maybe this then talks about having safe sex with condoms if they stray outside of the relationship, while then moving toward a more trusting environment within the relationship. So maybe this will include getting tested for HIV?
It is probably way too soon to talk about the M word however.
Hmmm. Well how about this? :
If the show as a whole is dealing with the negative consequences of infideltiy what if Kevin slipped up and did it with Chad?
Plenty of drama there. He could be wracked with guilt and terrified of telling Scotty. This could prove a dramtic bonaza as Scotty, being no fool, will sense that something is wrong and confront Kevin about it.
Will their love survive?
SPOILERS AHEAD
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I hope that was enough warning space.
Scotty and Kevin are going to be coming to terms with their busy lives (and opposite schedules) leading to what Kevin refers to as "appointment sex". Given that there are few episodes left to be written, I am guessing that Chad comes into play somewhere in this storyline.
Perhaps seeing Chad again reminds him how nice it was to have unbridled sex (though he will probably - conveniently - forget how completely frustrated he was with Chad most of the time).
I can't see the writers whipping up more than one Kevin/Scotty sex story in the framework of the last five or so episodes of the season. They just don't give their sex life that much attention.
Spoilers
Chad's relationship with Kevin was never unbridled sex, was it? Kevin always had feelings for him, and aside from the one time with Scotty, was faithful to Chad during the relationship. Chad was the one who kept stringing him along.
So I guess Scotty and Kevin are going to consider a threeway with Chad, but not go through with it?
I know ABC definitely won't be showing any threeways...they don't even show sex scenes for two gay men.