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Nip/Tuck: Best Gay Friends, Gay Porn, and more!
I'll say one thing for FX's hit drama Nip/Tuck, it's never, ever boring. This show has more going on in one episode than some show's cover in an entire season. Actually, I'll say something else for Nip/Tuck, for better or worse, gay and bisexual people are part of this world. One of the standards by which this site judges programming is by how gay and bi inclusive it actually is. Some shows, say Men in Trees or Grey's Anatomy, might have one nominal gay character that shows up once in a while. Or they very occasionally do a gay subplot, but for the most part us gay folks aren't really part of the landscape. For better or worse, that definitely isn't the case on Nip/Tuck as last night's episode clearly points out. It featured out actor/singer/queer guy Jai Rodriguez as Chaz Darling, Best Gay Friend of the show's new teenage villainness Eden Lord. She's the daughter of Olivia Lord (out acrtress Portia DeRossi) who is currently lovers with Julia McNamara (Joely Richardson). The episode starts with Chaz dropping by McNamara/Troy because he's got a little something he wants fixed.
Turns out going to the White Party with a nipple that large is just a big ol' no-no. This scene gives us our first inkling of what a bad egg that Chaz is going to turn out to be. In fact, he later goes on to tell Eden, already too skinny, that she needs liposuction because a negative size two is the new size zero. It's not exactly a positive portrayal of gay men as Chaz is utterly obsessed with looks and body image. Thanks to Eden's help, he forces Troy to perform surgery to repair this horrible flaw with his chest. Here I was thinking a really big nipple ring would distract from it and be a whole lot cheaper.
The show features a secondary storyline about Matt McNamara's (John Hensley) meth addiction forcing him to turn to gay porn as a way to support his family. It's initially his wife that they're trying to line a gig up for, but when Ram Peters (John Schneider) gets a look at how haggard she looks it's Matt that he offers the job to. Turns out he has a website called "First Time Fairies" and Matt has just the right twink look Ram wants for the site.
So Matt shows up, gets, um, prepared, and arrives to film his scene for $5000. Then he meets his "co-star" and wonders just what he's gotten himself into.
Just then his junkie wife arrives to drag him away telling him that their Scientology-like church is willing to help them get clean. (BTW, I found interesting seeing Born-again Dukes of Hazzard star John Schneider playing this role. And is it just me, or has Mr. Schneider had a little work done himself?) Now Nip/Tuck is certainly not everyone's cup-of-tea and the show's out creator/writer Ryan Murphy certainly has share of detractors in the gay community. Bruno Campos' bisexual serial killer in Season 3 certainly didn't make too many in the gay community happy and I, too, am tired of that stereotype. And none of the above storyline's in last night's episode are what I would call gay-friendly. But I think that's beside the point. I judge Nip/Tuck not on how it treats its gay characters in terms of all gay representation on television, but in the context of the show's world. And in that respect, it treats it's gay characters pretty much the same as its straight ones -- that is to say terribly. Everyone on this show is screwed up, depraved, addicted to something, weak, pathetic, and, well, you get the picture. Frankly, I give Murphy credit for so frequently including gay content in the show, from gay storylines and issues and characters to casting all sorts of out actors like Rodriguez, Rosie O'Donnell, Portia DeRossi, and Richard Chamberlain on the show. If other dramas were half as gay inclusive we wouldn't keep writing articles about the decline in the number of gay characters on television. Is the show perfect? No. Is it for everybody? Definitely not. Does it sometimes cross the line of good taste? Oh, yeah. Am I glad it exists? You bet! Submitted by on Wed, 2007-11-28 16:48. |
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If only.
" And in that respect, it treats it's gay characters pretty much the same as its straight ones"
Sean and Christian are worshiped by the show. Their nasty, slutty behavior is justified because they're straight, because that's just what straight men do, and we get to see their emotions and their inner lives. The gays are presented as murderers, as freaks, as deserving of nothing but scorn.
This is a show where gay or bisexual men are presented as perverted objects of hate. We're supposed to cheer when Christian punches a bisexual young man in the face for coming on to him. We're supposed to be amused when Christian and Sean hurl homophobic insults at their assistant. We're supposed to see their homophobic comments against Bruno Campos as justified, because he turned out to be a psychotic killer. We're supposed to see lesbians as nothing more than hags, or waiting to find a man who will turn them straight.
Meanwhile, Sean, Christian, and their freakish son Matt are always presented as being fascinated, dynamic anti-heroes.
This is a show by an openly gay man that consistently panders to every stereotype against gays and lesbians, and encourages people to hate gays. To view them as less than human beings.
"If other dramas were half as gay inclusive we wouldn't keep writing articles about the decline in the number of gay characters on television."
No, we'd be writing articles about gay characters who are painted as mentally ill killers who are deserving of rape, violence, or death.
If that's the criteria for applause these days, then we truly are heading for a bad period in this country. No wonder some are now claiming Cruising is a great film for gays.
If so
Jon,
Harsh views there.
I am a straight woman and have watched Nip/Tuck from the beginning. I don't see the show as encouraging gay hate or gay crimes. Can you point to any crime or beating, or negative attitude that you can prove was caused by Nip/Tuck?
Sean/Christian are often major assholes, I don't see their behavior as being justified at all. How do you think they should be punished for their behavior on the show without killing them off?
The nurse Liz has been a lesbian throughout the show and she hasn't killed or murdered anyone and she is certainly no hag. Portia De Rossi is one of the most beautful women in the worls and she is a lesbian playing a lesbian.
Doesn't say much for the show
"Can you point to any crime or beating, or negative attitude that you can prove was caused by Nip/Tuck?"
I said the show encourages hatred of gays. I didn't say gays were beaten because of the show. If the best we can say about this show is that we have no proof it's caused crimes against gays, I'm not sure what that says.
" Sean/Christian are often major assholes, I don't see their behavior as being justified at all. "
Their behavior has been justified more than a few times. We are supposed to see them as cool. The latest desperate move being, "Wow, they get to go to LA and work on a TV set and meet all the hot babes!" Their ugly homophobia towards Bruno Campos was justified by him turning out to be the Carver.
"How do you think they should be punished for their behavior on the show without killing them off?"
They could actually be made to pay for the consequences of their actions. Or made to grow up. Freakish Matt ran over a girl, brutally beat a transsexual, on and on, and yet he is still in the same old, tired, pathetic stories. Sean and Christian have been bigots, thugs, bullies, and yet, we are supposed to still care about them as they drag themselves from one bimbo to the next. We're supposed to empathize with them because they sometimes feel bad about their actions or say they have a sad life. This justifies year after year of vile behavior. Do the gay characters get the same treatment? Has the show ever even considered having a gay character in a leading role? Or is their idea of gay life predatory older men, bitchy queens, or Oliver Platt who enjoys being violated by an "ass bandit"?
" The nurse Liz has been a lesbian throughout the show and she hasn't killed or murdered anyone and she is certainly no hag."
She's presented as lonely, bitter, and any relationship she had has been short-lived and unhappy (who can forget the scintillating Alanis Morisette story arc). As for Portia De Rossi, given the spoilers I read, it would be better if I didn't comment.
It's one thing that a gay producer glorifies in spreading homophobic stereotypes in order to get attention to his show. But to see him actually praised for this bigotry, because this is some kind of representation and therefore better than nothing, is baffling to me. I guess I should be happy that at least Afterelton didn't praise Rescue Me for their wonderful representation of gays. Maybe that's coming next year.
I'm sorry but why is it that
The title of the site says it all
"I'm sorry but why is it that gay people feel the need to go on the defense if we're portrayed in a bad way."
Because visibility matters.
When gays are only seen in an ugly light, then that creates a negative image for viewers. This show, for many years now, has specialized in ugly images of gays and lesbians.
"You sure would have cheered him on if he had taken the bait from the guy."
Really? Do you assume that I feel that way just because I'm gay? I think Christian is loathsome. I wouldn't want anyone to be stuck with him. The scene was truly embarrassing and humiliating. The character was treated like trash. Meanwhile, Christian resolved his supposed crush on Sean by saying "Oh well we both like chicks, so we're straight!" Funny how the gay and bisexual men on the show haven't been allowed a positive affirmation. Instead, they're written as pathetic or as some kind of lunatics.
The show also seems to like to have women go back and forth between men and women, yet they would never, ever allow their "heroes", Sean and Christian, to do anything other than briefly question their sexuality.
"I don't know about you, but the last time I checked, there's no lack of mindless queens parading around giving fashion advice, acting bitchy, and worrying about"
And there's no lack of this one-dimensional stereotype being presented on TV. Yet we're supposed to praise Nip/Tuck for letting us see this cliche one more time?
If a show has images of gays in the nastiest possible light, fine, that's their right. But I don't know why they need a cheering section.
Christian hasn't resolved
Christian hasn't resolved anything. He's in love with Sean. Julian McMahon (who plays Christian) wants them to finish up together when the show ends. Yes, Christian is screwed up. He was raped repeatedly by his foster father when he was a child. That's why he's such a mess; but he probably has the best moral compass of any of the characters on the show, and he's working his way through all that. He's clearly bisexual. One of the most complex, interesting characters on TV today, and it's a bisexual one. He's not ready to accept that side of himself yet, but one day maybe. And yes, he hit the gay kid who came onto him; but then this is a guy, let us not forget, who has that terrible past, and had recently been raped by a colleague. He's a mess! It's a little unfair to condemn him for his actions - especially when he always feels bad about them later.
In addition, there's Liz. Liz is a fine, strong character. Not only that rare animal, a good strong older female character, but a good, strong, older lesbian character. Then there's the great stuff in season one, with Sofia Lopez, the transgendered character. I don't think I've ever seen transgender stuff treated so well in a series.
Nip/Tuck is contraversial, sure, but the only people who have ever really been portrayed in a bad light are the likes of the white supremacists in season three. Racist, homophobic jerks whose opinions were constantly shown to be insidious and dangerous. This is not an anti-gay show, but it is a complex show. Like the plastic surgery theme, it's all about what's beneath the surface, not what the looks initially appear to be.