So disappointed in Glee and Ryan Murphy

[operalover21]

So, for the four seasons that GLEE has been on the air, it's been known for preaching "tolerance" and "acceptance" for all sorts of situations and people. Most, recently they've done a multi-episode arc on acceptance of trannies (as embodied by the big black guy/woman on the show). Well, apparently there is one group of people who Mr. Murphy believes should NOT be accepted ... drumroll please ....

 

ESCORTS!

 

There was recently an arc about the character played by the ridiculously gorgeous Dean Geyer in which he turns to escorting to make money to pay for school. There wasn't an iota of trying to understand why he was doing it and the level of judgment about what escorts do was unbelievable and the kind of thing Murphy usually reserves for the right wingers that he despises. Just some of the phrases tossed around were "money grubbing man *****" and "American Psycho." And those were the nice words. He also got beat up and told to leave without saying why or "we'll tell everyone your secret." He was treated like he was worse than a drug dealer.

 

It was really disgusting and I'm really disappointed in Murphy for not taking a better stance or at least more nuanced stance on this subject. But I guess I'm learning how black and white Murphy really sees the world.

[Bart]

He might be progressive in his thinking of a fake society but for a change this was the most realistic thing he has written. This is reality. How many gentlemen do you know who have a personal life with friends and family and his profession is known to all. Not many. Those who have told their friends, gay friends at that, are shunned. It is great and wonderful for Mr Murphy to build acceptance for each of us as individuals as who we are, but nothing could be further from the truth. My conversations with some of them I can only hang my head as to some of the stories of relationships with close friends that have literally disolved before their eyes once they say what they do for a profession or discovered. We wonder why men dont show their faces, you can deal to a point with people who dont like that you are gay, but then say you also escort even their gay friends stop calling and accepting calls. The level of lonliness I sense during these conversations is barely palpable. So yes in the free open society Ryan Murphy demonstrates week to week, even there it is shown its true color. Maybe in weeks to come something will come of this discovery and more will develop, for now I will try to be there for my friends while they struggle to find acceptance even with in the small sector of society they live. Funny he chose this week to have this show, just so happens the phrase, "Let he without sin cast the first stone," was the core of most sermons across the country. I guess we need to remind ourselves of this once and awhile, even here, I am guilty of that throwing the first stone, I am hardly sinless.

[operalover21]

He might be progressive in his thinking of a fake society but for a change this was the most realistic thing he has written. This is reality. How many gentlemen do you know who have a personal life with friends and family and his profession is known to all. Not many. Those who have told their friends, gay friends at that, are shunned. It is great and wonderful for Mr Murphy to build acceptance for each of us as individuals as who we are, but nothing could be further from the truth. My conversations with some of them I can only hang my head as to some of the stories of relationships with close friends that have literally disolved before their eyes once they say what they do for a profession or discovered. We wonder why men dont show their faces, you can deal to a point with people who dont like that you are gay, but then say you also escort even their gay friends stop calling and accepting calls. The level of lonliness I sense during these conversations is barely palpable. So yes in the free open society Ryan Murphy demonstrates week to week, even there it is shown its true color. Maybe in weeks to come something will come of this discovery and more will develop, for now I will try to be there for my friends while they struggle to find acceptance even with in the small sector of society they live. Funny he chose this week to have this show, just so happens the phrase, "Let he without sin cast the first stone," was the core of most sermons across the country. I guess we need to remind ourselves of this once and awhile, even here, I am guilty of that throwing the first stone, I am hardly sinless.

 

I'll disagree with you because I don't think that was the point. Trannies are okay but not escorts? It may be realistic but then so is hating just about everyone else and he never portrays that. Why did he pick on escorts?

 

That's the real question ... he pushes an agenda so why did he hate on escorts and not on the myriad of other odd stuff he portrays on that show??

[justaguy]

I stopped watching the show. He pushed his agenda too hard for me to enjoy it. (Although, I must say I did enjoy what I saw of Dean Geyer). I'll have to go back to watch the episodes in question.

[MrBigTL]

Dean Geyer totally my type, but what I found to be a bit out of reality was the sheer number of straight men escorts that were shown dancing and having a good time. It would have been more believable to me had Dean been gay for pay or done porn on the side. In all my travels (and I generally do prefer "straight" men) I have only found one straight male escort who actually serviced women. I realize that it may be more popular today, but it would be far more within reality for Dean to have been seeing Quentin Crisp type rather than a woman :-) Also would have fit in rather more with the musical theater theme of the show. :-)

[down_to_business]

Absolutely love the show. Dean was very pleasing to look, sang pretty well, danced pretty well. He will be missed.

 

As to the plotline in question-- I didn't take it as a knock against escorts in the least. It was a knock against hiding the truth in a relationship.

 

Jacob Artist, Dean Geyer, Chord Overstreet, Blake Jenner !!!!! Yummy

 

http://cdn04.cdn.socialitelife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/17/jacob-artist-shirtless-glee-12172012-lead-600x450.jpg

 

http://cdn03.cdn.socialitelife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/04/dean-geyer-shirtless-skateboarding-10042012-06-435x580.jpg

 

http://cdn03.cdn.socialitelife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/chord-overstreet-shirtless-stripper-glee-12072011-lead.jpg

 

http://i2.cdnds.net/13/05/618x388/glee_7.jpg

[+ WilliamM]

Absolutely love the show. Dean was very pleasing to look, sang pretty well, danced pretty well. He will be missed.

 

As to the plotline in question-- I didn't take it as a knock against escorts in the least. It was a knock against hiding the truth in a relationship.

 

I agree that it is important to give this subject some context. Brody (Dean Geyer) was the boyfriend of Rachel (Lea Michele).

When former high school friend, Santana (Naya Rivera), moved in with Rachel, she made it her business to find dirt on Brody, and discovered that he was an escort. Yes, it was presented as the worst thing in the world by Santana. It would have made much more sense in New York if Brody was serving male clients, not female. The outcome was a confrontation between Rachel and Brody in which Rachel realized she still loves her high school boyfriend, Finn (Cory Monteith). We will never know what might have happened if Rachel had loved Brody, not Finn.

 

There was no attempt to dig deeper into why Brody was escorting (beyond his explanation that he needed money for school).

So I agree that Ryan Murphy missed an opportunity to explore escorting in more depth, with more compassion. Instead he used it to make a plot point. And he should be ashamed at the way he handled the subject of escorting. Santana was particularly hateful.

 

Just my opinion---I am not sure Rachel would have cared in the long run if she really loved Brody.

 

Note: I know this sounds like a soap opera plot, but Glee is a soap opera with plenty of mostly good music.

[maninsoma]

I've only recently started watching Glee. I am enjoying it, but it is basically Dynasty with music and a prettier cast.

 

In order for the escort question to be treated with the same "they deserve respect" mantra, I think the character would have either had to be single or in an obvious open relationship. I viewed the harsh reaction to Brody as having more to do with him being dishonest and having a secret sex life than about the fact that he got paid to have sex.

[+ WilliamM]

In order for the escort question to be treated with the same "they deserve respect" mantra, I think the character would have either had to be single or in an obvious open relationship. I viewed the harsh reaction to Brody as having more to do with him being dishonest and having a secret sex life than about the fact that he got paid to have sex.

 

I mostly agree. Rachel admitted to having sex with Finn back in Ohio, so they both cheated. It was really Santana who made such a big deal of Brody escorting on the side. So my complaint about Ryan Murphy is really about selecting that plot line, and having Santana have the worst possible reaction, admittedly because it furthered her goal of getting rid of Brody.

[ncc1701d]

Brody/Dean was definitely smoking hot. All lusting aside, I think the plotline with him may not be over as yet. The show has done this before, the whole everyone break up then make up episodes. We know he is still in school along with Rachael. so I'm not so sure we've seen the last of him just as yet. Besides, if you have someone as hot (body and face) as him and you know your target audience has a strong gay contingent that probably tune in just to see him shirtless, would you kill him off so quickly?

Off topic, but it was funny to hear in the same episode the kids talk about Grindr!

[operalover21]

Absolutely love the show. Dean was very pleasing to look, sang pretty well, danced pretty well. He will be missed.

 

As to the plotline in question-- I didn't take it as a knock against escorts in the least. It was a knock against hiding the truth in a relationship.

 

Jacob Artist, Dean Geyer, Chord Overstreet, Blake Jenner !!!!! Yummy

 

http://cdn04.cdn.socialitelife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/17/jacob-artist-shirtless-glee-12172012-lead-600x450.jpg

 

http://cdn03.cdn.socialitelife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/04/dean-geyer-shirtless-skateboarding-10042012-06-435x580.jpg

 

http://cdn03.cdn.socialitelife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/chord-overstreet-shirtless-stripper-glee-12072011-lead.jpg

 

http://i2.cdnds.net/13/05/618x388/glee_7.jpg

 

What "truth" was being hidden? I must have missed that.

[operalover21]

I agree that it is important to give this subject some context. Brody (Dean Geyer) was the boyfriend of Rachel (Lea Michele).

When former high school friend, Santana (Naya Rivera), moved in with Rachel, she made it her business to find dirt on Brody, and discovered that he was an escort. Yes, it was presented as the worst thing in the world by Santana. It would have made much more sense in New York if Brody was serving male clients, not female. The outcome was a confrontation between Rachel and Brody in which Rachel realized she still loves her high school boyfriend, Finn (Cory Monteith). We will never know what might have happened if Rachel had loved Brody, not Finn.

 

There was no attempt to dig deeper into why Brody was escorting (beyond his explanation that he needed money for school).

So I agree that Ryan Murphy missed an opportunity to explore escorting in more depth, with more compassion. Instead he used it to make a plot point. And he should be ashamed at the way he handled the subject of escorting. Santana was particularly hateful.

 

Just my opinion---I am not sure Rachel would have cared in the long run if she really loved Brody.

 

Note: I know this sounds like a soap opera plot, but Glee is a soap opera with plenty of mostly good music.

 

You're not quite telling the whole story. It wasn't just treated as the "worst thing in the world by Santana but also by Rachel, Finn, and Kurt -- and those are the 3 characters that speak the mind of Ryan Murphy. That's what I found so disappointing. He uses them to push his agenda and, in this case, it appeared that his agenda was ESCORTS ARE BAD.

[operalover21]

I've only recently started watching Glee. I am enjoying it, but it is basically Dynasty with music and a prettier cast.

 

In order for the escort question to be treated with the same "they deserve respect" mantra, I think the character would have either had to be single or in an obvious open relationship. I viewed the harsh reaction to Brody as having more to do with him being dishonest and having a secret sex life than about the fact that he got paid to have sex.

 

 

Call me crazy but being a escort is not "having a secret sex life" but is rather ... a profession.

[+ WilliamM]

You're not quite telling the whole story. It wasn't just treated as the "worst thing in the world by Santana but also by Rachel' date=' Finn, and Kurt -- and those are the 3 characters that speak the mind of Ryan Murphy. That's what I found so disappointing. He uses them to push his agenda and, in this case, it appeared that his agenda was ESCORTS ARE BAD.[/quote']

 

While I assume Kurt agrees somewhat with Santana, he never says so. In fact, when Santana tells Rachel about Brody, Kurt's comment to Santana is, "Why did you do that?" Like others who have posted in this thread, I see the breakup of Brody and Rachel more as an understanding that neither has been honest with the other, rather than Rachel condemning Brody for being an escort.

 

As for Santana and Finn speaking for Ryan Murphy, that may, or may not, be the case. If true, Murphy picked the two characters in Glee who most obviously have not moved on since high school. Yes, Santana has money to live in New York. And Finn did a decent work with the Glee club. Their lives are very different from Kurt's and Rachel's who are studying at a school (although real only on the show) that will prepare them for a profession. And yes I know that only a very small percentage of grads will have a decent career in show business.

 

Again, I do agree with you that Ryan Murphy missed a chance to give people a wider view of escorting. I believe that was your basic point.

[operalover21]

While I assume Kurt agrees somewhat with Santana, he never says so. In fact, when Santana tells Rachel about Brody, Kurt's comment to Santana is, "Why did you do that?" Like others who have posted in this thread, I see the breakup of Brody and Rachel more as an understanding that neither has been honest with the other, rather than Rachel condemning Brody for being an escort.

 

As for Santana and Finn speaking for Ryan Murphy, that may, or may not, be the case. If true, Murphy picked the two characters in Glee who most obviously have not moved on since high school. Yes, Santana has money to live in New York. And Finn did a decent work with the Glee club. Their lives are very different from Kurt's and Rachel's who are studying at a school (although real only on the show) that will prepare them for a profession. And yes I know that only a very small percentage of grads will have a decent career in show business.

 

Again, I do agree with you that Ryan Murphy missed a chance to give people a wider view of escorting. I believe that was your basic point.

 

Just to correct ... I didn't say that Santana speaks for Ryan Murphy. I said that the characters of Finn, Rachel, and Kurt are the ones that speak for Ryan Murphy and none of them said a word in defense of what an escort does. As a matter of fact, it was Kurt or Rachel who said "man *****." I just thought it was very disappointing.

 

I'm not sure why I continue to watch this show as the bad/disappointing episodes far outweigh by a 7-1 margin the good ones. The music is still pretty good and it's my only exposure to pop culture music since I stopped watching American Idol.

[+ WilliamM]

Respectfully, operalover--

 

There is nothing more to say here.