Tuesday, March 15, 2016

Maureen Ryan: ‘What TV Can Learn from “The 100” Mess’

Eliza Taylor as Clarke (left) and Alycia Debnam-Carey as Lexa in ‘The 100’

From Variety:

So here’s the nitty-gritty: The character who died [on The 100], Lexa (Alycia Debnam-Carey), happened to be one of the few well-developed and complex lesbians on TV, and it’s an unfortunate but enduring TV cliche that lesbians rarely, if ever, live happily ever after. In the March 3 [2016] episode, The 100, which had touted its commitment to quality LGBTQ storytelling, invoked one of TV’s oldest gay cliches by killing her off mere seconds after she consummated her relationship with another woman, Clarke (Eliza Taylor).


Many fans, regardless of sexual orientation, were left shaking their heads in disbelief.


On a story and thematic level, Lexa’s death (despite being well-performed by the actors) had little resonance and almost no meaning. But all things considered, the blithe manipulation LGBTQ fans and the show’s willingness to deploy harmful cliches about gay characters remain the things that rankle most.

Read the entire article.



Lexa is shot in ‘The 100’

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