So, a few weeks ago, I was trying to figure out why this season was focused on subtext for everything queer frequently with a poison pill of (a skeevy variety of) heterosexuality glossed over the top. It’s been bugging me – people who follow me know this. I have not been able to figure out the writers’ intentions on this issue because it’s felt like such an attitude shift from S8.
And the Charlie thing, in particular, was bugging me. Because there was queer subtext all over her episode – WoO is a staple of queer history and culture for a reason – but it was subtext. Not text. Charlie and Dorothy go off together into a magical realm as ‘best friends now’. It’s using the history of queer subtext as a foundation for illustrating the 'best case scenario’ for an implicit queer ending – neither of you ends up with outside love interests & it’s shown that you’ll be together (examples in history: due South, The Sentinel, various other subtextually-queer shows of the '90s era) but it’ll be publicly labeled 'friendship’.
But then we get Gadreel and Abner. Abner is explicitly labeled Gadreel’s ’boyfriend’ by their former prison guard. When Gadreel finds Abner again, Abner explicitly labels them ’best friends’ (and “friends” is repeated in their conversation before Gadreel kills Abner). So, we have contradicting accounts, right, and so we should go with what the 'friends’ involved say?
Except, no. I’ve seen that Gadreel and Abner scene before. I’ve seen that scene before in queer dramas – the tragic ones, mostly. The ones that involved one of the people deliberately shutting the door on their past so that they can embrace a 'normal’ present/future. Much like 9x04 drew on queer history and subtext, so did 9x10. Gadreel and Abner are the 'poison pill’ ending, the worst case scenario. Where it ends in death and/or repudiation of the relationship. And Abner’s situation explicitly contained the kind of skeevy consent-issue-filled variety of heterosexuality that we’ve gotten this season for Dean and Cas. JFC, it’s been a closeting metaphor. It’s been a fucking closeting metaphor. As Metatron said to Gadreel in 9x09 – “I’m not going to out you.”
The second I saw Gadreel’s face when he saw Abner…. kudos to Jared Padalecki, who made it very obvious last night that a big reason Sam 'pings’ as straight to so many more people than Dean does is purely because Jared is acting him that way. The wonder on Gadreel’s face and then the dawning confusion and heartbreak when he realizes Abner has built a life for himself here. The way he can barely control his facial expressions. Compare that initial face to Dean seeing Cas again for the first time in 7x17 or several of the times in S8. I just went back and watched the Gadreel & Abner scenes and, wow, there is so much going on in Jared’s face.
I’m… still not sure where I think they’re going with this. They illustrated the false dichotomy that so much queer media lived with for so long – with the intention of trying to show that this is what they’re limited to for whatever reasons, or because they intend to subvert that dichotomy in the future? I don’t know.
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Original Post:
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butterfly