It’s no secret that homosexuals make the best villains. And by “best” we mean “go-to.” The bad guys on Caprica are gay. On Gossip Girl, too. And we can’t forget Big Love‘s ginormous evil-doing homosexual. From The Talented Mr. Ripley to that drag queen in 300, Bryan Safi explains: If you need a character to scare audiences, go ‘mo or go home.
that's gay
Watch Out, Moviegoers. Gays are Homo-cidal Femi-nemesissies!
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Acorn
You know whats gay? Sitting through that twenty second commercial.
orinthe
Caprica, really? Has anyone at Queerty even seen the show? The closest thing the show has to a villain is definitely NOT this guy, who is pretty clearly on the side of “good but flawed” (like, well, pretty much everyone in the series). Find me a single character in the show that doesn’t have a major character flaw! Everyone’s lying, cheating, stealing, getting high, killing people, bribing judges, obstructing justice, being a religious nut of varying degrees and generally having fucked-up lives. Even the schoolchildren are plotting terrorist attacks!
Caprica is the first show I’ve seen that actually makes me feel like people don’t “default” to being straight—any character could be gay, and if they were it wouldn’t have to be a significant detail. It’s a show where gay people not only exist but are completely integrated with the rest of society—they date and get married and have (adopt) kids just like anyone else.
Even if all of that isn’t enough to make the series beyond reproach for its characterization of a gay in a major role, Queerty could at least avoid making it sound like it’s hands-down homophobic. That’s what I get for expecting anything other than sensationalism here though.
Andy
I’ve only watched a few episodes of Caprica, but it sounds like you guys probably haven’t: Sam Adama (the gay hitman) is presented as a reasonably positive character. He’s married (because there’s no taboo on homosexuality in the BSG universe so nobody bats an eyelid at gay marriage) and does a lot to raise his nephew after his sister-in-law dies at the start of the story (his nephew being the main character in BSG).
Admittedly the main BSG series had a couple of evil gays (Gaeta, who eventually helped lead a mutiny, and Cain, who was basically a nutjob) but in both cases they were 3-dimensional characters, and there were positive gay characters too.
Just saying: a little more research wouldn’t hurt sometimes on this site. Quite often on Queerty I find that I’ll read a well-put together, well-reasoned article, but there’s a wild accusation or a horrendous misunderstanding somewhere in it that ruins the whole thing.
Zach
Yes, big fail on Caprica. And I agree with Orinthe about overall characterization: any of the characters could be gay, or at least be open to a homosexual experience. Hell, there is a bisexual group marriage on the show where all the participants actually are attracted to one another.
EdWoody
If anything, not only is the gay guy in Caprica NOT the bad guy, but he’s the moral centre of the show. Which considering he’s also a mafia hitman tells you something about the rest of those fuckups.
Mr. Enemabag Jones
God. Now all the Caprica nerdboys are coming out to bitch and moan. Shouldn’t you all be living vicariously through your Warcraft chracters right about now?
TommyOC
I love the geeks coming out of the wordwork on this one! Both Caprica and its progenitor, Battlestar Galactica, presented gays in VERY good lights.
Remember, Gaeta was the most dedicated officer in the fleet and fought for ideals of the “right.” The fact that his worldview got distorted toward the end as toward what “right” was isn’t a knock on him being a good person. His intentions were good… even if his actions at the end were definitely not.
Admiral Caine was a beloved officer before her whole world got turned upside down when a Six took advantage of her heart. From then on, she was a ruthless military commander. Not necessarily a bad thing – she did ensure her ship’s survival after all.
Sam Adama is a mobster, a product of a society that prides itself on masculinity and honor. His profession is a “normal” one on Tauron and is only seen as seedy in the light of Caprican society. He’s a family man and a loving husband.
In other words, they’re all *real* people, with real flaws and real passions. They’re not caricatures nor stereotypes. In other words, they’re just like all the other (hetero) characters on the show… and in some ways, better.
And in Caprica’s case, unlike in BSG, the sexuality of Sam Adama was craftfully inserted into the plot. (Non-fans should know that Gaeta’s sexuality was found out in canon webisodes and Caine’s was found out in the direct-to-DVD “Razor” movie/miniseries.)
Seriously, Queerty… dumping things into one box for convenience is the same thing our opponents do. Be a little more nuanced. Please.
Vman455
How about Bruce Willis’ character in “The Jackal”? In one scene, he goes to a gay club to pick up a guy (actually, to get access to his house) and, later, shoots said trick. It’s never explained whether he is really gay or if it’s just another part of his elaborate scheming, but it’s presented in such a way as to be another element in the Jackal’s anti-American, anti-values, international-assassin persona.
Fan
Oh the things I’d do to Bryan Safi…
Andrew B.
I thought Disney movies taught to not trust the anyone with an English accent. Those Disney clips were not particularly gay.
MMDD
@Fan: You’re not the only one. God, he is so yummy.
Kieran
This is so true. Just the other night I was watching the “highly acclaimed” Martin Scorcese Hollywood bloodfest “The Departed”. Sure enough, towards the climax of the movie the Hero/Good cop played by Leonardo Decaprio calls the Villain/Evil cop a “two-faced faggot”. Even in the 1930s American audiences weren’t subjected to James Cagney and Humphrey Bogart calling each other faggots. With Hollywood “friends” like these…..
Lamar
I don’t mind portrayals of gay men as villains because fortunately we have reached a stage where for every evil gay character on TV there is a dozen nice gays. We as a gay community are always bitching about diversity and now that we have more of it we are complaining. Lets get real, there are lots of evil gays in the gay community just as how there are lot of evil straights. Anyway we need to show that not all gays are the sitting duck type just waiting to get gay bashed some of us will kick your ass if homophobes so much as whisper “fag” as we walk past.