It’s so funny that even today — and I know it’s a topical issue — that sexuality and the pendulum with which masculinity and femininity swings is so important to people. I mean, it really makes me laugh. First of all, I hope that people don’t stop — though they will — at, this is the gay character, this is the rich character. And I know people need past points of references with which to identify or find a way into who these people are. But his sexuality is the least of it. And the fact that he’s a struggling, poor wannabe actor is the most of it. And all of his motivations come out of that need for stardom, so if I want anybody to learn anything from Titus it’s to just never give up on your dreams. That’s kind of it, period.”
— Tituss Bugess telling Vulture that being gay doesn’t define his Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt character Titus
DistingueTraces
Unfortunately, the fact that his character is written precisely as “the heroine’s gay best friend” is the greatest weakness in the writing of this otherwise great show.
After the first couple of episodes, in which he is written as a cringe-inducing stereotype, the writing improves and his strong performance also helps give more dimension to Titus. But the weakness remains.
AtticusBennett
“cringe-inducing stereotype”? how about “rather accurate, albeit heightened-for-TV Archetype”?
i know many men just like Titus. They deserve to have their stories told. The problem is not ever “stereotypes” but how the show treats them. I didn’t cringe, because i see nothing wrong with this “type” of gay man, and my family never gave me any reason to think that gay men like him are lesser, or deserving of mocking or derision.
redcarpet30
“Gonna be famous, gonna be on TV, gonna be famous, soaring on the wings of my dreams… gonna be rich and burn off my skin tags!”
DistingueTraces
@AtticusBennett: If you mean that he’s campy and feminine, that’s not at all what I mean by calling him a stereotype. He maintains those traits throughout the season as his character becomes more interesting.
It’s the fact that he’s there just as the heroine’s Sassy Gay Friend that I find cliched and dull.
I love Tina Fey, but she was lazy in how she set up this character. It would have been edgy in a nineties rom-com. Now it’s tired. She can do better.
gauty
@AtticusBennett: I also found him REALLY annoying at times, and NOT because of the “type” of gay guy he is, but because he’s simply not endowed with a very pleasant personality. He is vain, shrill, and overdramatic. Those might be personality traits that are unfortunately often associated with very feminine gay guys, but that still doesn’t make me hate them as a subset. It’s not always about internalized homophobia.
I mean, I’m not gonna root for a character that “supports” their best friend through the most difficult challenge in their life purely because they are fascinated with the sordid details of the story behind it. In the scene where she comes to him for help, he was even incapable of vocalizing anything but his greedy lust for the sensational televised event that it would spawn. I think there is plenty to dislike there that is unrelated to his queerness.
DistingueTraces
@gauty: On the other hand, that episode is exactly when I began to enjoy the character more.
A character in a sitcom doesn’t have to be a wonderful person. (Is anyone on this show a wonderful person?) They just have to BE a person rather than a narrative convenience.
gauty
@AtticusBennett: To be quite honest, I find him to be exactly the same trope of character as Lafayette from True Blood, whom I fucking LOVED (I found him to be the only likable and redeemable character on the entire show, even), but both have VERY different personalities. Both are very effeminate black gay men who like to flounce around in kaftans, to oversimplify their personas, but where Lafayette is dependable, honest to a tee, and caring, Titus is fickle, self-absorbed and desperate for fame. It’s also a story that deserves to be told, sure. Everything about a character doesn’t have to be rosy. But that sure as hell doesn’t mean I have to like him.
DistingueTraces
Meanwhile, apropos of nothing… another day, another six prostitutes messaging me on Grindr.
Leave me alone, prostitutes! Enough with your abs and your “bro”-ing and “brah”-ing. I just want a schlubby middle-aged nerd like myself.
gauty
@DistingueTraces: Sure, I guess that’s more of a personal preference of course. I’ve just never been a fan of overly flawed characters. That’s why I love Parks and Rec so much for example (and hated, loathed, ABHORRED House MD), because even though all the characters certainly had their less enjoyable side(s), in the end they were always generally likable and sweet. and it was even more enjoyable because it always felt rewarding, as even the misanthropes like Ron and April turned out to have such big hearts. I don’t really see much of that at all in Titus.
xzall
I haven’t watched all the Kimmy episodes yet so no spoilers, but from what I’ve seen Titus is not some one dimensional awful character.
He willingly bought back that awful costume from the pawn shop and got pummeled by the little boy just because Kimmy asked him to. He went in with all the people in costumes and worked with all of them to get their money back so that doesn’t seem that selfish. He also seemed genuinely concerned about Kimmy’s mental health as he kept asking her to seek professional help. He even went to the trouble of contacting one of Kimmy’s fellow mo women to help her. Maybe a small part of him did it because he wanted to hear all the drama, but the larger part seemed to be because he wanted to help Kimmy.
He’s a perfectly flawed character with some selfishness of course because that’s what Tina Fey seems to specialize in. I look forward to seeing the rest of the episodes.
Lothar
The show is a clone of “New Girl”.
DistingueTraces
@Lothar:
???
In that it’s a half-hour comedy with a young female lead?
Captain Obvious
@AtticusBennett: Their stories have been told more than any other type of gay man. Why do we keep pretending they don’t have any visibility when it’s the rest of us who are unseen?
You have no idea how many times I’ve told people I’m gay and had them immediately start treating me like I’m feminine because it’s what they’ve seen on TV. It’s tired and tiresome.
DJ_Gayburn
I’ve been describing him as the “fucking hilarious character” because he steals every scene he’s in.
Seriously, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmitt is one of the funniest shows I’ve seen in a while.
ionofdreams
@AtticusBennett: every person ever is at some point deserving of mocking (not so much derision because that’s mean)