Supernatural, Slash, and Subtext: Part 6
Therefore, heteronormativity is the word and law on television. We see Mulan (the only gender non-conforming Disney Princess, which is its own can of worms) fall in love with Aurora on Once Upon a Time, only to hear that her lady love is totes preggo with Prince Phillip’s baby right before Mulan was about to confess her true love. Oops. And we get forced, awkward, sometimes unintentionally hilarious or even repulsive scenes of Castiel having sexual relationships with random female characters with whom he shares little to no chemistry, in or right after episodes focusing on how much he and Dean love and need each other. (Curious George T Shirt making my exact face when Cass started making out with Demon Meg) Take that as you will, but I can’t help but feel it as a slap in the face.
But times are changing, sometimes even for the better. In the series finale of Nickelodeon’s Avatar: the Legend of Korra, (SPOILERS!) the love triangle-square-thingy was resolved by putting the two female leads together. And this is on an animated all-ages family show, as opposed to a rated TV-14 cable network show marketed on it’s sex appeal, especially to straight (or queer) women. That speaks to me of hope and of comfort.
Supernatural, Slash, And Subtext: Part 5
No show has been more often accused of blatant queer-baiting than Supernatural, and for good reason. I know many straight male fans of the show who watch it now, hoping that Dean and his favorite angel get together in the end. That seems to be where the show has been and is heading, despite writers and show-runners unable to agree on anything or even make up their own minds as to whether they support the relationship as romantic or not.
I personally think that they’ve written themselves into several dark corners, because they now have a larger queer (or queer-friendly) audience than a straight, conservative one, and because they might feel as writers that the show would lose its edge or jump the shark if the guys actually got together, or even implied a true romantic or sexual connection. After all, Moonlighting and the X-Files were ruined by their leads getting together and they didn’t have homophobic backlash as an excuse.
All that is besides the fact that Dean and Castiel weren’t ever meant to be the stars of the show; it was originally for more than 4 seasons a show about two brothers hunting monsters and saving the world in a cool car with awesome music. (More like the Blues Brothers, with gore instead of singing, “Mission From God” pic from our Movie T Shirts collection.) If Destiel becomes cannon, who or what do the writers do with poor lonesome Sam (Jared Padalecki)?
