Funny story
In the first season of 24, there is a dandy example of “the lesbian cliche.”
(That link leads to an extensive FAQ on the subject both generally and as it applied to a storyline regarding the character Tara on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Executive produced and created by a man with the incredibly common name of Joss Whedon)
You may remember from an earlier post or two that “the lesbian cliche” refers to the idea that:
“In film & television, [and to a lesser extent] literature and theater, lesbians and specifically lesbian couples can never find happiness and always meet tragic ends. One of the most repeated scenarios is that one lesbian dies horribly and her lover goes crazy…The impression that these films and TV programs leave, through blatant moralizing and/or thoughtless exploitation, is that lesbian relationships end in death and misery. There are no happy endings. This is the image that has been driven into the psyche of gay people.”
Here’s what’s funny. In last week’s episode of the fourth season of 24, they brought that “evil lesbian” character back. (She’s now apparently an evil bisexual, which is much better).
Tonight, in the first half of the season finale, she walked into an apartment and killed a male character…named Joss. Shot him through the chest, as a matter of fact.
An evil lesbian, killing a character named Joss, in exactly the same way that Tara was killed. Coincidence, or a Kitten on the writing staff? You make the call.
PS: As for my reaction to the season finale in a larger sense, all I have to say is fucking wow. Jack Bauer, man. Jack fucking Bauer.
