In honor of Pride I'm spending this month looking at writing techniques in queer stories. This week I'm focusing on two great queer shows, GENTLEMAN JACK and EUPHORIA.
As I was saying Monday, EUPHORIA is really good at frontloading joy and humor as a way of making the revelations of trauma or addiction surprising.
In episode 107 it takes that strategy a step further. Rue's problems are more obvious than ever, she's clearly in a manic/depression cycle.
But rather than have us confront that head on, creator and writer Sam Levinson couches her mania in a very funny cop fantasy, in which she and Lexi are detectives. Meanwhile during her depression we get more deep, interesting takes from her on what she’s going
through, what depression is like, as well as stunning, even beautiful visuals of her work
and home life blurring together.
We end on nightmare, or nearly so – Rue on the floor just waiting for someone to see her and get her to the bathroom. But the path to that moment has been so filled with things that make her situation seem much more relatable and manageable that when we get to that point it is raw and surprising.
For me it's a further indication of just how much you can actually present sad or worrisome things going on and still fool the audience about them.
TOMORROW: GENTLEMAN JACK GIVES ITS PROTAGONIST AN EQUAL
