Will and Dis-Grace.

[eggwards]

I’m upset at the show “Will & Grace” today. Last night’s episode was terrible. The show has gone so far off it’s original promise, in my mind, and is now just trying to see what they can get away with, and how much gay stereotyping that they can do.

It was one thing when there was “Just Jack”. Jack and Karen were the comic relief. Then they took over the show. Their characters were funnier, though not more interesting, than Will and Grace. Will and grace had a friendship, and that was boring, apparently. So they let Grace date and get married. Good for the character, bad for the show’s premise since she’s moved out. Will, though hadn’t progressed much because they hardly let him date. He meets up with a guy occasionally, but more often than not, he ends up being the foil for Jack who’s out doing something stupid. Oh how fun.

Now Will, having a real, caring relationship with a guy would be a step in the right direction. Then He and Grace could deal with their husbands, etc. But no. Here’s the synopsis of last night’s show.

"Fagmalion Part Two: Attack of the Clones"
Will and Jack coach Karen's cousin (Dan Futterman) on his new gay lifestyle.

What fun. They teach the new guy, who's recently left his wife and decided to come out, how to be gay. How do they do it? Tell him he’s got to have great abs, lose the beard, learn to dance, not like or understand sports, and wear expensive Gucci shoes. And Will and Jack are doing it to Help Karen get revenge on her Fundamentalist Aunt and Uncle, and because Karen offered to pay them to do it.

I know this isn’t real life, but there’s a few of really bad messages here. 1. Will and Jack don’t care about anyone but themselves. 2. There are no good mentors for those who are coming out. 3. Gays are all vapid little tramps. 4. There’s no room for diversity in the gay community.

We all know that the last one isn’t true, but your average viewer of the show doesn’t know that. Nowhere in the show was there talk of bears, chubs, minorities, etc. He was never told that there are other ways to be gay. That not all gay men are like that, and there is more than just looks. This is from the show that couldn't have a gay relationship last more than 2 episodes, of course.

Naturally, by the end of the show, like Pygmalion (or My Fair Lady, if you’re more familiar) the guy starts wearing the Gucci shoes and espousing “fabulous” and his mentors are thrilled that he’s finally got it. This is funny?

What a terrible message from a show that consistently wins awards from glaad.

This is especially discouraging to me. Since I still feel that I’m in the process of coming out to the community, and learning what’s out there, this show makes me feel terrible. If I hadn’t learned about bears, and other groups, how would I feel about myself trying to enter Will and Jack’s world? I’m sure there’s plenty of others in the closet now who watched last night's show. How must they be feeling?

Why do the writers and producers feel they must change the cousin to make him fit in with this one part of gay life? Do they think that this is really skewering the stereotypes? Not if you thought Will was a few steps away from being the stereotypical gay role. He just re-enforced it.

This show should show more responsibility. It also needs better writers.

Comments

I think..

[barak.livejournal.com]

I think Will and Grace jumped the shark in the second season when we realized that Will was never gonna get a real gay attitude and actually kiss and fuck someone.

[mooch.livejournal.com]

I thought the whole episode was crap... except for the part where Barry told them off. But then, of course, that got negated at the end.

*sigh*

ugh

[captainblunder.livejournal.com]

i fucking hate will and grace. almost as much as i hate queer as folk.

i didn't see the episode you're talking about, but reading your synopsis of it makes my blood boil.

[xanaducub.livejournal.com]

Hmmmm. Take the show at face value, a comedy on NBC's Thursday line up. Just as realistic as Friends or ER.

I think of it as the Jack and Karen show, but when I was in NJ the people I worked with referred to me and my friend Barbara and 'Will and Grace.' :-)

[garebear.livejournal.com]

Let's see.
Gay male TV role models: Jody Dallas, played by Billy Crystal (fairly stereotypical, but not particularly pretty) with Robert Urich playing his gay lover, Peter Cambell (a tennis pro); To Catch a Killer (made for TV movie), John Wayne Gacy played by bearish Brian Dennehy (not the typical gay stereotype...unless you're talking about serial killers..yeah! Gay serial killers); In Living Color, the Wayans brothers doing Men on Film (how gay can you get! But African American gay portrayal--I felt bad for African American gays); Normal Ohio, William "Butch" Gamble played by John Goodman (a bearish gay character who's the lead--public didn't buy it and it went bye bye); Some of My Best Friends. Warren Fairbanks played by Jason Bateman (mostly "straight acting" twink) and Vern Limoso played by Alec Mapa (flaming Filipino queen--in all fairness, Alec is in a way, very much the character he played--the character was smart, independent and had a mind of his own). Some of My Best Friends was actually a good show, but lasted for five episodes--CBS aired the five different episodes on four different nights--shuffling it around so the public couldn't find it. There must be other gay characters on TV...these are the one's I remember...

Cliche but true: TV is not about entertainment, it's about sales. They call it mass media for a reason, it has to appeal to the masses. The masses appear to be 90% straight...and many of the other 10% are closeted. TV viewers need things spelled out for them and if a character isn't flaming gay, they may just be confused about their sexuality. When ever a show introduces a gay character, Americans for Family Values, the Moral Majority, etc. are required by their beliefs to picket.

Gay images the Moral Majority/Americans for Family Values support: Serial killers, child molesters, those who are beaten and killed.

My crap: No. I'm not into that... I haven't been a regular viewer of Will and Grace, but as far as I know, they haven't done an episode involving an evil twin, or the "save the _____" by creating a Broadway style show. Honestly, most sitcoms become desperate for new material after a few years.

I remember when there was suppose to be the first man-to-man kiss on network TV ( I don't remember the show), I remember the protest, I remember the anticipation, I remember it was edited out. Gays have, demographically, higher incomes, greater disposable income and an ideal target audience, but the religious right is vocal. So much of Hollyweird is gay..."when I was in high school, they had a gay support group...it was called the drama club"--Alec Mapa.

So to middle America, where there are "no gay people," and queer equals evil... TV perpetuates the idea that we are only interested in sex, not love...that we are incapable of long term relationships, not worthy of marriage... Of course when straights are interested in sex rather than love, can't maintain long term relationships, it's okay. This enforces the image to some gays that this is the way things are and that is the way we should act. In a world where good TV role models don't exist, some have to settle for those available.

We can't win... unless we try.

Michael, I love you...for your mind! Thanks for the food for thought... keep writing.

the edited kiss

[houstongwm.livejournal.com]

was supposed to be between stephen and his boyfriend on dynasty ... i don't remember for sure if it was in the moldavia show - but it was just before or after it i think ... that would put it in 1985 - because i remember going to new york that year before the new season started and found an "i survived moldavia" t-shirt that i just had to have - probably still have it around here somewhere ... course - it would be a size LARGE cuz i weighed 205 pounds that summer and had an 34-1/2 inch waist ... i could fasten the 34s but they were WAY too tight ... if i could fasten 'em today - i'd where the damn things ;-) course THAT was 160 some odd pounds and 16 inches ago