MovieChat Forums > The Real O'Neals (2016) Discussion > The introduction of Brett: a turning poi...

The introduction of Brett: a turning point?

posted 7 years ago by ironicshowchoir
3 replies | jump to latest

First off, I really enjoyed last night's episode. The balance they're striking among the family members continues to be solid (I guess the writers have learned from their mistakes in the Halloween episode).

That said, I think the character of Brett has the potential to break out. He provides a great counterbalance for those who have criticized the show's portrayal of gay teenage boys as stereotypically effeminate. And those who have criticized the show for making Kenny's sole motivation his sexuality. "Do you like avocados? Why didn't you tell me?" This was a key scene. I do wish it'd been allowed a beat or two more to resonate, but I understand that sitcoms have a limited amount of time. So, overall, I thought that this was a great episode, and I'm looking forward to more from the character of Brett. Also, "She thought the music teacher in Whiplash was the hero," is a fantastic line!

[–] BugisStreetAnnie 7 years ago

I wonder how realistic it is that someone like Kenny could have an openly gay boyfriend. Every fem gay male I knew said it was next to impossible because of so many gay males saying "no fats, no fems." One that I knew he mostly met closet, married men on the 'down low' who wanted nothing to do with him outside of bedroom sex. Another one found a 'daddy' who was about 25 years older than him when he was a 19 year old teenager.

[–] ironicshowchoir 7 years ago

I think it's important to remember that these characters, despite being played by actors in their 20s, are teenagers, and young people often experiment and pair up in unexpected ways. As a teacher, I can personally attest to having witnessed unusual couples on pretty much a daily basis.

Also, the stereotypes and segmentation that may have been commonplace in the gay community as recently as a decade ago (or for people in their 20s and 30s who are dating now) are fading for this upcoming generation. Gay kids today are growing up in a world where homosexuality is visible and, for many of them, seen as normal. So whereas before, two boys openly dating before college was rare, it's now becoming more commonplace. With that normalcy comes more normative dating behaviors. So two 7th grade boys may be "going out" in 1st period and be "broken up" by 8th period just like their heterosexual peers. Whereas an older gay man may write dismissive things on his grindr profile, two 15 year old 10th graders may bond over their mutual love of Call of Duty and end up dating despite looking very different from each other.

You also have to remember, and this is something that the show has addressed, that Kenny as a character is living in a very small dating pool. The only other out person in his school is Allison. And, while media visibility of gay people has increased dramatically, we're still only talking about (at most) 10% of the population. So gay kids and teens across the country are all going to be working within smaller dating pools. That can also lead to some unique couplings.

With all of that being said, I don't see Kenny and Brett as being ill-matched. They clearly have common interests, appear to be about the same age, and are both attractive kids. And while Kenny may be a little effeminate, he's not exactly Obviously Gay Stewart.

[–] Frenchi 7 years ago

I too like the Brett character. I hope they keep him on, even if it's not every episode. I'd like to see Kenny having a relationship and Brett is a hot number.