On this chapter of The Queerest Things I Watched Last Week, Juliantina and Amar a muerte took over my life last weekend, Shameless finally did something with Debbie and Kelly, and Cheryl and Toni are still fighting on Riverdale.
- Shameless – Season 9 Episode 13 “Lost” [Catch-up]
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For what feels like forever, Debbie and Kelly, Carl’s ex-girlfriend, have been hanging out, being flirty and getting close to each other in what looked like a lead up to the two of them hooking up. I haven’t been covering it because it’s annoying, but in this episode, something actually happened.
After a day of shopping and a little day drinking, Kelly and Debbie fall asleep on the couch together. Kelly turns around and Debbie kisses her.
Debbie is really upset, and Carl is pretty sweet about it and makes her feel better at the end of the episode
They’re been coding Kelly super dykey this whole time, so I hope it’s temporary gay panic and Debbie doesn’t just get her heart broken. We have one more episode this season to find out.
- Black Lightning – Season 2 Episode 14 “The Book of Secrets: Chapter Four: Original Sin” [Live]
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Anissa is still on The Case of The Missing Grace. I’m with Jennifer, just find her already!
Anissa does get a lead from Gambi on the last known address of Grace’s younger foster brother.
When she knocks on the door, she can hear something that sounds like an animal or monster running away. She yells through the door at whatever is on the other side.
When I first saw that I was like whaaaaat is going on? Grace is a shape-shifter?
Later, Anissa goes back to the apartment all suited up as Thunder and kicks the door in. From her face and the sound of flies buzzing, something obviously stinks in there. She quickly finds the source — an eviscerated horse carcass. Gross!
Then Thunder, who Grace does not know is really Anissa, and dude, who Anissa does not know is really Grace, have a fight.
After fighting for awhile, the dude/Grace sounds like they shape-shift into some kind of roaring animal underneath a sofa and then leap out the window and run off before Anissa can see them.
We’re 14 episodes into this season with only 2 more to go, and STILL, it hasn’t been revealed exactly what is up with Grace. I want to just know what’s going on already!
- Good Trouble – Season 1 Episode 9 “Willful Blindness” [Live]
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The episode begins with a montage of people fighting with Alice and Meera in the mix. Uh oh, what is that all about? We’ll have to go back in time to see.
Five minutes later, we see Sumi, Meera and Alice at the kitchen table doing “wedding planning” which is really Alice doing all the work. We also learn Sumi and Alice have a lunch date with Alice’s parents the next day.
Sumi leaves for work and then Meera springs this on Alice.
Oh, Alice, no. Just no. Marianna’s look on her face is all of us.
We all know that’s not going to happen. I’m not confident the wedding itself will happen.
The next day, at closeted lunch with Alice’s parents, Alice’s mom is laying down the shaming questions with Asian mom realness.
I had a dinner like this at a Chinese restaurant with my mom just last week.
Alice’s mom inevitably asks the boyfriend question, and Alice blurts out that she is dating.
Well, that’s not a lie, but Alice’s parents are not going to figure out she’s gay from that news. Also, “dating” is a stretch, because they haven’t gone on that second date yet, but Alice does have plans to be a guest on Joey’s radio show.
Sumi tells Alice’s parents she’s engaged, but she makes up a fake guy’s name to stay in the closet. Still, it’s another way for Alice’s mom to compare Alice to Sumi. Every time I see my mom, I get a rundown on which of my cousins and their kids are doctors, on the honor roll, Summa Cum Laude, etc. Lesbian with average to below average grades and a queer website doesn’t get me many points with her.
Alice goes on Joey’s show and does the classic “I’m really funny and talented, but the first time I’ll act really nervous and do a terrible job, but the minute I let go and be my authentic self, my natural talent will come out” trope. Unfortunately, Meera is tuned into the station while Alice is expressing all of that honesty on the radio.
Ooooh, shit! Now we all know why they were fighting in the beginning.
After the show, Joey tells Alice a friend texted her because she wants Alice to make an appearance on her show. In other good news for Alice, it looks like she’s getting that second date.
Later, Alice is in her space working on the invites for Sumi’s wedding when Meera busts in.
Here we go, Meera and Alice have a blow out fight and Sumi comes by listening to them outside the room, but can’t hear exactly what they are arguing about. When she enters the room, they make up some BS about arguing over having games at her surprise shower or not.
Post-fight, Alice tells Joey she can’t go on her friend’s show because she can’t publicly tell jokes about Sumi. When Alice asks about that second date, Joey says it’s not a good idea.
To be honest, if I was Joey I would be running away from this entire situation. I don’t know, y’all, Alice has to grow 10 new ovaries to put Sumi behind her and go on with having a life of her own. However, according to Sherry Cola, the actress who plays Alice, we’ll be seeing more of Joey, and Alice will find a spine. Hopefully, that will really happen.
- Grown-ish – Season 2 Episode 11 “Face the World” [Live]
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Okay, folks, let’s see how well I did with my Professor Shane predictions.
Nomi is calling whatever Professor Shane is doing “guidance and mentoring.” Okay, whatever, but it has inspired her to come out to her parents.
Nomi is having lunch with her parents when her mom makes a comment about all of the good looking young men at her school. She then asks Nomi if she’s met anyone special.
The next time we see Nomi she’s on Professor Shane’s doorstep to tell her the news she finally came out to her parents.
The second I saw Professor Shane framed in that shot where we can see over her shoulder and into her house, I knew there was another woman in there. I was able to see how this whole thing was going to unravel in that one second.
It started with Nomi expressing gratitude for Shane’s help and mentioning. Then she talks about the connection between the two of them, and Prof Shane replies with a, “can I give you a call tomorrow?” Nomi sees the girl on her couch, realizes she’s interrupted a date and walks off.
Shane walks after her and says she thought Nomi understood the situation they’re in.
So, a combo of my predictions was right — professor/student dating is a fireable offense, and Professor Hewson was going break Nomi’s heart Shane-style. 2019 Shane is still the same as 00s Shane.
- Riverdale – Season 3 Episode 14 “Chapter Forty-Nine: Fire Walk With Me” [Live]
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Cheryl and Toni and still not getting along. All they do on this episode is fight.
Cheryl got into an argument with Principal Weatherbee while representing the Pretty Poisons, and Toni’s not happy about it.
For the first time in their relationship, Chery’s comes back at Toni with classic Cheryl bitchniess. Before now, Cheryl has always apologized when Toni was upset with her.
Later, Toni is going out and Cheryl is not joining her.
I hate it when people don’t use their words and say how they really feel. I just want them to stop fighting already. This is not fun.
- Broad City – Season 5 Episode 7 “Shenanigans” [Live]
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Things aren’t going well in the world of Abbi and Lesile. Leslie is feeling like the two of them are in very different life stages.
“A Series of Wild Shenanigans” could be an alternate title for this show.
Leslie breaks up with her, and then for the rest of the day, Abbi takes a series of Instagram selfies to prove how adult she is. When she’s taking one of these selfies she gets stuck upside-down in an air shaft, and while she’s stuck, Leslie calls her.
She’s feeling bad about what she said to Abbi that morning and wants to apologize and try again.
That conversation is really cute and sweet, until Abbi tells her she needs her to call 911 because she’s stuck in another wild shenanigan. After that, Leslie breaks up with her for good.
At the end of the episode, Abbi is bummed about the 2nd dumping, but she likes the fact that the experience has opened her eyes to being attracted to women.
- Amar a muerte – Season 1 [Online]
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The queer internet has been all about Juliantina lately so I had to check it out. I promptly went down a hole of trying to watch the show with English subtitles. I can get the show on demand on cable, but not with English captions. I also couldn’t find any pay services with captions.
Then I conceded to watching only the Juliantina scenes people kindly captioned for all of us English-monoglots to enjoy on the Internets. One YouTube playlist, a Google Drive Folder, a couple of Twitter threads, two transmigrations, some kidnappings, one hostage situation, a few shootings, an arrest, a faked death and SEVERAL hours of video-watching later, I made it through all of their scenes.
Now that I’m on the other side, I can say it’s pretty good.
The story is about a billionaire who, upon his murder, gets “transmigrated” into a hitman’s body while he is simultaneously getting executed on the electric chair. Meanwhile, the hitman enters the body of a professor. 11 episodes later, the billionaire’s daughter, Valentina, randomly meets the hitman’s daughter Juliana and they become fast friends.
Over the rest of the season, they get closer and eventually fall in love.
The great thing about their relationship is that it’s never portrayed in a sensationalistic or “for ratings” way. It’s a very sweet evolution of two friends who eventually fall in love. The actresses do a great job and have good chemistry together.
The frustrating thing about watching their story is at the end of the day it’s a soap opera, and it has all of the annoying tropes played out in every soap.
They have many kisses or near-kisses interrupted by anything from someone walking in, to catastrophic news of something terrible happening to a family member. There are also endless episodes spent in broken-up angst while unfortunate events, misunderstandings and legit grievances keep them apart.
They also go though a homophobic backlash as their friends and family members discover their relationship. A lot of it is really harsh, but the thing that makes this show different from then other classic coming out stories of the 90s and 00s is the people having homophobic reactions are criticized by their loved ones with really good logic. Also, the girls stand up for themselves in the face of their families’ disapproval.
The homophobes are definitely portrayed to be in the wrong, and eventually, some of them come around.
Valentina and Juliana’s love and dedication for each other stays intense and unwavering for their entire relationship even when they’re not together together. However, if you’re looking for happy couple satisfaction in this show, you are only going to get a few really great moments in a sea of angst.
- Supergirl – Season 4 Episode 14 “Stand and Deliver” [Live]
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Not a lot of queer stuff happened in this episode, but Dreamer was just so cute as a brand new superhero.
I love how excited she is about the suit.
The people of National City seem to like their new super hero, too!
To be honest, Nia/Dreamer is the only character I’m really into this season. Except for Brainy, love him too.
- Charmed – Season 1 Episode 14 “Touched by a Demon” [Live]
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This episode begins with Mel tending to Jada’s arrow wound she got at the end of the last episode. She was attacked by witch hunters, and Jada assumes Niko is working with them. Mel then comes clean about the history-erasing spell she put on Niko.
I loved the line, “You Eternal Sunshined her.”
So, all this time, Mel could have kept her relationship with Niko and still protected her? Interesting. Also, Jada seems to be beginning to understand just how serious Mel and Niko’s relationship was.
Mel and Jada meet with Niko to get more information on the people who hired her. It turns out it wasn’t really Jada’s parents, it was Jennifer and Jerry Finch Jr. and the Finches are seeking revenge on Jada.
Then this little interaction between Mel and Niko happens.
I absolutely LOVE these scenes with the three of them. When do we ever get this funny queer content on the regular? I wish queer characters and stories were low-key woven into most shows like this.
On the way to their mission to catch the Finches, Mel learns some surprising news.
Do you all remember Greta? She was engaged to Niko when Mel and her first met and she left her to be with Mel. Not only that, Niko had ex-sex with her while she and Mel were on a break. The dyke drama has been turned up to 11, and I am so here for it.
When the three of them get to the Finches’ location, Mel stops Niko in time, and she and Jada catch them. Jada also shows Mel a time spell trick where she can age things until they crumble apart.
Jada is telling her things the Elders should have shown her and now she’s thinking they kept things from her on purpose to keep her and Niko apart.
With every passing week, I become more team Mel and Jada, however, I feel like we can’t 100% trust Jada yet, because she has an anti-Elder agenda.
Ether way, I am enjoying this ride immensely.
One of my absolute FAVORITE shows, The Good Fight, is back for season three on Thursday! I am so excited.
Also, the wife and I are going on a 5-day, childless vacation this week. This will be the first time we’ve spent more than one overnight alone together since the kid was born, so the recaps may be brief next week.
Was wondering when Juliantina would get a shout out. <3