Boy meets boy (no finale spoilers)

[clauclauclaudia]

I haven't seen the finale yet, so there are no spoilers here and please don't include any in any comments.

Salon (can you tell I'm loving the syndicated feed?) has an article on Boy Meets Boy which subjects the show to some pretty well-deserved criticism. It's an incredibly sanitized and in some ways homophobic version of a gay dating show. The very premise (that some of the "mates" will be straight) guarantees that the producers will rein in the dates and keep anything from getting too sexy, giving the game away.

The twist of BMB is really very cruel. I watched the episode two weeks back when it was revealed to James, and he just stared and gave a sort of hurt, sort of cynical smile and said "... wow". Who knows what was going through his head but I'm sure part of it was "y'know, there's enough of this in life--I had thought that here of all places I didn't have to worry about whether the guy I was falling for was straight".

Yeah, I keep watching. Guilty, yer honor.

Comments

[macgyvette.livejournal.com]

I saw a bit of an early episode and it kind of gave me the creeps. I had a moment where I thought, "Oh my gosh. Am I being homophobic?" Then I remembered that all those dating reality shows give me the creeps.

*shiver*

[daveqat.livejournal.com]

I have to agree with you that BMB is pretty... well. Flat-out wrong. That's why I haven't watched past the first episode. It's just too cold and calculated, even for a reality show.

What's this about Salon having a syndicated feed?

[solarbird]

The presense of the straight guy - just for that little twist - made me think that this was an evil show (tm) when I first heard of it. I felt the same way about that straight-guy dating-show with all the women who were told he was wealthy: vileness. "Yuck" reactions, all around.