Popnography
CONTACTStaffCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
© 2024 Pride Publishing Inc.
All Rights reserved
All Rights reserved
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
The British TV import Merlin has gained quite the following, and somehow, I don't think the dragons are to blame.
In an insidious game of will they/they never will, girls glue themselves to their televisions, or more likely, their laptops and iPhones, playing romance detectives on the case of a young King Arthur (a classically blond dreamboat) and his wizardly squire, equally young Merlin (wide eyed and sexually nonthreatening). Viewers decode the duo's banter, rewind key interactions, squeal at any meaningful physical contact, search for deep seeded meaning within the actors' eyes, and edit and cut music videos set to poppy love songs. But in an age where gay couples are actually depicted on network television, why is there much more obsession with context than the actual canon of a show?
Over on the CW's Supernatural a similar wave of homo-enthusiasts are embracing the show, about two ruggedly pretty twentysomething boys who travel America hunting ghosts and monsters, riding in the same car, sharing motel rooms etc. Sam and Dean hug, cry and are usually seen shirtless, sometimes in front of each other, at least once per season. Of course, they are also brothers. Not that this stopped any online fervor. So apparent was the coupling of the brothers that the show actually addressed it, in multiple episodes, bringing in a female character, a cruel, spastic parody of the supposed Supernatural fangirl, who sat in her room plugging away at fan-written erotica. Ballsy, since Supernatural is probably the first show to address "slash fiction" on air. Of course, the show's balls could only go as far as reading aloud, "Dean softly caressed Sam's clavicle..." before Sam looked horrified and discarded his fan's story.
Merlin seems similarly aware of the underlying raison d'etre that at least a portion, if not the majority, of it's fans have for watching. So much so that's its been speculated that the actors and writers are not only aware, but purposefully play into this notion, knowing of course, that nothing will ever come of it. The fans, naturally, know this as well. But they like the tease, and they like even better what small glances and a tender pat on the shoulder can ignite within their imagination.
Chaste gay love. Is that the new name of the game?
In the age of Twilight, Taylor Swift and the tween promise ringed Jonas Brothers, purity has never been such a hot commodity since the days of Samuel Richardson. Perhaps a backlash on our pornographically-filled advertising media, do young females respond more feverishly to less-is-more as an internal way to combat this? Or is this a just a way for them explore sexuality in a safer environment? Merlin may be a way not only for female viewers to become more emotionally comfortable with homosexual couples but to explore their own sexual curiosity about them in a way they would never be able to do if they were presented under a "gay" context. And how else could they do it? The gay sections of book and DVD stores are typically icky and strange: tacky, greased muscles and rainbow-thonged intimidation. Nothing that resembles the blue-eyed beaus in their heads, who blush to even touch hands.
Soap operas have figured out this model sells like hot boycakes, even German soaps, so why are none of these actually gay couples or characters on network television as young, sexy or filled with subtle, wide-eyed glances as Arthur and Merlin or Sam and Dean Winchester? Why hasn't the LGBT community taken it upon themselves to market the gays in such a female-appealing manor? While Mitch and Cam may be a forward-thinking and hilarious couple on Modern Family, they're no fifteen to twenty-five-year-old girl's fantasy of star-crossed love. Do we have too much "self-respect" to Swiftify our entertainment or are we just a little slow on the uptake? Five minutes on YouTube will prove there's a market in the US/UK for gay media (Japan already discovered this a LONG time ago), so why hasn't any been created on purpose?
Merlin returns for its second season on SyFy tonight at 10/9C.
-- ALEX WILBURN
Previously > HBO Gears Up for A Forbidden Romance
Want more breaking equality news & trending entertainment stories?
Check out our NEW 24/7 streaming service: the Advocate Channel!
Download the Advocate Channel App for your mobile phone and your favorite streaming device!
From our Sponsors
Most Popular
38 Male Celebs Who Did Full Frontal Scenes
November 17 2023 5:18 PM
These are all the celebrities Who came out as LGBTQ+ in 2023
December 31 2023 12:19 PM
29 LGBTQ+ celebs you can follow on OnlyFans
April 18 2024 1:00 PM
26 actors who showed bare ass in movies & TV shows
February 28 2024 1:50 PM
16 times male celebrities had to say they weren't gay
April 17 2024 11:57 AM
21 LGBTQ+ reality dating shows & where to watch them
April 03 2024 4:01 PM
15 Unforgettable Gay Kissing Scenes From TV & Movies
February 14 2024 10:20 AM
14 queens who quit or retired from drag after 'RuPaul's Drag Race'
April 04 2024 12:56 PM
40 steamy celebrity Calvin Klein ads we'll always be thirsty for
January 04 2024 10:54 AM
The 15 Best LGBTQ+ Movies of 2023
December 04 2023 10:32 AM
Watch Now: The Daily
Trending stories from our video partner Advocate Channel.
For more videos and shows go to advocatechannel.com.
Trending stories from our video partner Advocate Channel.
For more videos and shows go to advocatechannel.com.
Latest Stories
10 times Kehlani had our heads spinning with her iconic looks & style
April 24 2024 8:41 PM
Andy Cohen's alleged Bravo exit & 'Housewives' legal drama—here's what we know
April 24 2024 8:11 PM
10 iconic fictional pop stars in film & TV that we're still stanning
April 24 2024 7:22 PM
A TikTok ban in the U.S. is now even more likely—here's why & what it means
April 24 2024 6:41 PM
10 cringeworthy LGBTQ+ characters in film & TV that had us squirming
April 24 2024 6:22 PM
Kim Petras just dropped out of upcoming concerts — and here's why
April 24 2024 5:43 PM
Daniel Bedingfield opens up about his sexuality for the first time
April 24 2024 3:34 PM
Meet the 11 hot singles looking for love on BBC's 'I Kissed a Girl'
April 24 2024 2:58 PM
Lily Gladstone starring in queer role in 'The Wedding Banquet' remake
April 24 2024 2:54 PM
Derrick Barry just dropped PIPING backstage tea at 'Drag Race Live'
April 24 2024 12:51 PM
Chappell Roan is recruiting drag artists for her new headlining tour
April 24 2024 12:50 PM
Billie Eilish wants her 'face in a vagina' & we completely understand
April 24 2024 12:37 PM