The cherry on top is that two of the main characters are gay fathers (it's not why I order the dessert, but it makes the experience ever so more delightful). The show manages to give both men well-developed personalities, and it puts forward a very solid portrayal of the stereotypes that gay people/couples face without ever caving in to those stereotypes. I'm very happy with the show.
So, this was disappointing (8 seconds at end of episode 1.22; slight spoiler):
I don't blame ABC, not really, not after all they're giving me with this show. But it's kinda like the lasertag place -- a tragic flaw in the midst of something that could have been perfect. I'm just so grateful that anything exists that I'm willing to forgive that which under other, better circumstances would be unforgiveable.
Namely: the gay couple is sexless, not even allowed to kiss when deliberately set up in a precise visual and content parallel to the straight couple. The gay men's story revolves around their child and social life and work lives. The two straight couples, on the other hand, are characterized with references to sex with each other in addition to their lives -- this particular episode ends with references to "alone time" and a "topless beach" between one straight couple, and the previous episode had involved a flashy bra and "catching her in a good mood for Something Else" between the other straight couple.
Now, maybe I just can't remember the gay sex references right now.... But I'm pretty sure the gay in this show has been mostly neutralized to "flamboyantly happy", a "safe" characteristic that avoids the fact that not being straight is actually defined by who you want to have sex with. Damn white-washers. Accept the whole damn gay person. Don't focus only on the parts that have no bearing whatsoever on sexual desire (which is the category you problematized in the first place, Mr. Straight Person).
But hey, two steps forward, one step back is better than the reverse.
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