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Where are you, Kevin Williamson?
Out writer/director/producer Kevin Williamson turns 43 today. One of the most influential creative talents of the 90's, he's been largely M.I.A. the last few years.
He followed up the enormous success of Scream with a lesser sequel, and three other horror films, to mixed results. I Know What You Did Last Summer was the biggest hit of the three, thanks to Jennifer Love Hewitt's cleavage, and the fact that audiences had an instinctive fear of the Gorton's Fisherman. The Faculty had an interesting "body snatchers" premise, but was marred by a homophobic subtext. Teaching Mrs. Tingle had another great premise, and a typically majestic performance from the divine Helen Mirren, but degenerated into silliness by the end.
Kevin turned his attention to tv, and hit the bullseye again in 1998 with another groundbreaker, Dawson's Creek.
The final episode of the series was very affecting, as Jack and his partner Doug decided to honor the last wish of their dying friend Jen and raise her daughter. You can mock Dawson's Creek all you want, but how many times have we seen this kind of storyline? Unfortunately, lightning didn't strike twice for Kevin. His next series, Wasteland only lasted three episodes on ABC. It had a lot of potential, especially the character of Russell, played by Dan Montgomery Jr., who was a closeted soap opera actor. It was torn apart by critics, though and low rating doomed it. After the needless Scream 3, and the even more needless, and appropriately named werewolf movie Cursed (which did at least feature a gay supporting character - who survives - played by Heroes' Milo Ventimiglia), Kevin returned to tv with the ill-fated CW soap opera Hidden Palms, which lasted two months last year. Hopefully, Kevin can make a creative comeback someday, but in the meantime, we'll always have his iconic 90's output, plus the sweet relationship of Jack and Doug. Submitted by on Fri, 2008-03-14 12:45. |
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Truly the most overrated
Truly the most overrated hack to come upon the scene in a long time. Wrote a mildly amusing script for SCREAM that wasn't nearly as clever as it thought it was...and turned it into a career (that includes possibly the worst TV show of all time...I'm one of those who "hated" Dawson's Creek).
But hey, Jack was gay.
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Well I loved Scream and
Well I loved Scream and Dawson's Creek so I would love for him to have a come back and a career becaus eI loved his work.
A lot of people dislike dScream because it didn't take itself seriously. It broke the "dumbarse blonde running half nude away from the killer" every other horror movie did before it. It brought with it intelegant characters who fought back, not just one character at the end. Plus killing off Drew Barrymore in the beginning was really shocking and really drew you into the movie.
As for Dawson's Creek I loved it because I grew up with it. I was the same age as them so I could really relate to it. Then when Jack came out as gay it really opened my eyes and taught me about homosexuality. Before this there were hardly any gay characters on tv for my generation so Jack from Dawson's Creek and Willow from Buffy the Vampire Slayer really opened a lot up for gay and lesbian kids who were in middle shcool/highschool during the 90's. I only have praise and appreciation for Kevin Williamson.
oh Jack...
I agree with Angelmonster about Dawson's Creek and Jack. For so many gays of my generation, Jack was the first portrayal of a gay man on television that we could relate to. While the show in its entirety wasn't the greatest, there were certainly many elements that ensured this is one that I will always remember fondly. Watch that clip of Jack and Doug and tell me that it doesn't touch you on some level.
When in today's society Luke and Noah are struggling to lock lips again, Kevin should be applauded for his work in bringing issues of gay equality and all the inner turmoil of coming out into pop culture.
I also grew up with
I also grew up with Dawson's Creek and at the point of my life when I was so uncomfortable with my sexuality and hating myself because there was no positive role models for me, there came Jack. Although I did not come out to my friends back then, knowing that I a lot of my friends talked about his coming out and being supportive about gay Jack made me really feel good to know that eventually I would be ok and not rejected just like him. The importance of Dawson's Creek in my life is so important that I thank Williamson for it.
I also appreciate the rest of his career, including the short-lived Glory Days (WB) that introduced us the great Emily Vancamp(Everwood and Brothers & Sisters).
Might I remind you
Kevin Williamson discovered and hired Greg Berlanti, he is the American Russel T. Davies, in that every story he does has gay implications palatable to mainstream audiences. He changed the face of gays on American television.
Without Dawson's Creek and Jack McPhee there would never have been a WILL & GRACE or BROTHERS AND SISTERS, Lets give the guy his due. He probably never has to work again if he chooses to do so, but I doubt he has disappeared. At least I hope so.
The suits at the networks started paying attention to the fact that their target audience was tuning into a show with an openly gay character and talking about it afterwards. My feeling is that no matter whether a show (or film) with gay characters is good or bad it is always an opportunity to open a dialogue for diversity. No matter what the Christian Right may want people to believe: we do exist and are fully functional.
Jack and Doug were the highlight of Dawson's Creek
I have to say that I watched Dawson's Creek mainly for insight into how Jack funtioned as a gay man. I especially loved when he and Doug hooked up. Overall though, Dawson's Creek was kinda bland with the rest of the cast's storylines.
One other thing that kept me viewing was James Van Der Beek. Yea, I'm a sucker for a pretty face and he definitely had that working for him. lol...
Jack & Doug, Steven & Bart
I think the main disappointment about Jack and Doug is that they didn't get together until the series finale. It was broadly hinted that Doug was gay throughout the series but resolution was witheld until the very end. Still, I think that it is often overlooked how groundbreaking the ending was for them. Committing to each other and to raising Jen's daughter together was a truly fantastic depiction of a gay relationship on TV.
But since we're talking trailblazers, what about Steven Carrington on Dynasty? Yes, he was dragged back and forth by writers that played with the 80's notion that homosexuality was something that could be overcome and he married twice. But ultimately his attempts to be straight met with failure. In the post-series finale Dynasty: the Renunion, it turned out that after leaving his f8cked up family behind in Denver, Steven moved to Washington DC where he reconnected with his Season 6 love interest Bart Fallmont and the two were now a committed couple. They also helped Steven's father Blake defeat a conspiracy against him.
Steven was an atypical gay character for his time in that he was masculine. Dynasty is more famous for it's catfights, but dogfights between male characters also happened and Steven was never hesitant to get into a brawl and was no loser. In fact, he and Bart first realized their mutual attraction when, due to simmering anger over a business/political feud, they got into a fight at the gym. It was all hopelessly 80's, but it was also maybe the first example of a gay male character on mainstream TV who wasn't depicted as being less masculine than his straight peers.
Steven and Bart's "dogfight"
...dubbed in German, but who cares?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2E5s13_uLKA
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Dogfight as foreplay
Joseph, thanks for digging that out! Somehow German dubbing just works in that kind of a scene doesn't it?
This also illustrates my point. It was kind of nice to see gay men here weren't depicted as effeminate sissies too delicate to do more than throw catty remarks at each other, which was the general view of gays during the 80's. While a lot of people criticize that writers made Steven's homosexuality seem flexible during the series run (to the extent that he is commonly labelled bisexual despite self-identifying as gay), he was still a significant change in gay representation. He was a strong, masculine man, and so was Bart, who ended up becoming his partner when all was said and done.
Plus, what's not to love about seeing two hot men grappling? Or doing it yourself? Although I do wish they'd both been wearing less....
About Steven Carrington
Just as many here have commented that Jack on Dawson's Creek was a pivotal character for their own development in understanding their gay identity, so Steven Carrington was for myself.
As you say, many people have criticized the way Dynasty treated the character of Steven, having him bounce between male and female lovers, even marrying Sammi Jo and Claudia, but seeing such a vital, masculine man be so "out" as Steven was a literally mind-blowing experience for me--Dynasty ran from when I was 11 to 19, so seeing him--the ONLY regular gay male character on television at the time--was extremely important to me. It's worth noting, too, that during the 1984-85 season, when Dynasty was the #1 most-watched program on TV, Steven's lover was a man, the ill-fated Luke Fuller--when he died in the aftermath of the Moldavian Massacre, with Steven at his bedside, it was actually quite moving. I honestly believe Steven Carrington's status in terms of changing views of gay men is greatly underappreciated.
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Back-sliding from Steven
Ironically, the 90's brought us more gay characters, but none were ever so "tough" since. Matt Fielding on Melrose Place was a the sensitive, trustworthy, caring (a social worker) kind of nobody who was lost amongst the slutty heteros he lived with. Will Truman on Will & Grace was a comedic figure who while not a stereotypical flamer like Jack McFarland, was nonetheless not a butch boy either. Jack MacPhee on Dawson's Creek was a typical artsy, sensitive gay teen. They did try to make him a jock as he developed but it looked a little ill-fitting at times. Doug Witter was of course in the closet for most of the series, although it was great to see a gay cop.
Do you suppose Steven's "bisexuality" was seen as license to make him more "manly" than a typical homosexual character might have been? Because it's odd that we haven't seen a character like this since on US network TV. I'm not counting Torchwood because it's British, nor Six Feet Under because it's HBO, or any cable show for that matter. As much as I love Kevin on Brothers & Sisters he is the least likely of the Walker children that I could imagine getting into a fist fight. Hell I could see Kitty or Sarah more than I can see Kevin!
Isn't it odd that way back in the 80's gay/bi/whatever Steven was presented as being just as manly as the straight men on the show like his brother Adam or brother-in-law Jeff? Isn't it even odder that a gay character like that on network TV seems less possible today? How did things get this way?
I think that Steven's significance is often underappreciated because, as Joseph says, a lot of people get ticked off over Steven's relationships with Sammy-Jo and Claudia even though neither ultimately "cured" him of his homosexuality. But the fact that writers did play with making him "straight", and that (it having been the 80's) we never saw any gay kissing, sometimes casues him to be neglected as a milestone character. And all told in many ways we haven't seen such a gay character since.
At least you guys didn't grow up with......
Jody on Soap as portrayed by Billy Crystal. I'm not faulting Mr. Crystal, he didn't write the crap. But as an 11 year old who knew he had no future with women, I couldn't help but sneek peaks at the show since one of the characters was gay.
Turns out, in the world of Soap at least, being gay meant wearing womens clothes and wanting gender reassignment surgery. But never mind that -- Jody wound-up falling in love with a woman after all.
I'm still scarred.
Don't trouble yourself Doctor -- I'm a celebrity, I'll write my own prescription.