Supergirl LGBTQ Controversy Explained: Why Fans Are Angry - For a show
From
Ubiquitous@21:1/5 to
All on Mon Apr 12 07:17:28 2021
XPost: rec.arts.tv
Supergirl season 6 caused a controversy among fans because it omitted an important LGBTQ+ storyline. By choosing to have Alex Danvers (Chyler Leigh) tell Kelly Olsen (Azie Tesfai) about her sister's secret identity off-screen
in "A Few Good Women," season 6, episode 2, Supergirl did a major disservice
to the fans of the couple. It also was disrespectful to the couple
themselves, which was a surprising move from a show that has built a
reputation on representation.
One of the biggest moments in season 2 was when Alex chose to share
Supergirl’s identity with her first love, Maggie Sawyer. Kara was missing and Alex blamed herself for being with Maggie when that occurred. Her reactions caused her to act rashly and back away from the detective, damaging their new relationship. Thankfully, Maggie was forgiving and revealed she'd already figured it out; she was glad that Alex had been honest with her so they could move forward without such a major secret between them.
Ironically, in "Rebirth," the season 6 premiere, Alex found herself in a similar position with her current partner Kelly Olsen. An extended scene was devoted to Alex pondering how to tell Kelly about her sister after Lex sent Kara to the Phantom Zone. Both Lena and J'onn encouraged her to tell Kelly
the truth. Fans were buzzing about the revelation scene between the two all week on social media before the episode, as Kelly would be the last of the
main characters to learn Kara’s secret. When the show failed to deliver the highly anticipated moment, choosing to have that moment take place off-
screen, fans poured out their outrage on social media. Many felt betrayed or annoyed that they had been denied seeing such a significant moment of growth for the new couple [via Cinema Blend].
Not only had Supergirl built up the moment in the premiere, but it also hyped fans by including a teaser moment in the episode 2 trailer featuring Kelly Olsen saying, "Let's go save Supergirl," intimating that scene took place
after the reveal. Instead, viewers were confused about whether Kelly knew or not through much of the episode. The press release for episode 2 teased Alex would reach her “breaking point,” but that apparently meant half-heartedly throwing a Chinese food carton at a sink. Subsequently, Alex and Kelly’s
brief conversation near the end of the episode carried little weight.
Another reason fans were highly anticipating that scene was a growing concern that the show was neglecting its canon LGBTQ+ couple, who were already receiving less and less screen time. By not showing Kelly's response to the news, the show indicated Kelly's response didn't matter. Per the showrunners, Alex and Kelly’s conversation didn’t happen onscreen because Kelly would have had a positive reaction. Fans have interpreted those remarks as the
showrunners saying that Kelly’s just a supporting character in other people's stories, that how this would personally affect her isn't significant further igniting the ire of an already outraged fan base.
In their early years, Arrowverse shows would often introduce LGBTQ+
characters and leave them on the fringes of the story. Supergirl season 6 signaled they wanted to break that mold with Alex's coming out story and subsequent journey. For a show that has received GLAAD nominations multiple times during its run, this misstep is a massive, missed opportunity to give depth and screen time to Kelly and Alex’s healthy, loving relationship. In addition, it was a missed opportunity to provide a stark contrast to Supergirl’s secret identity reveal, showing the difference between Kelly’s
calm reaction to Lena’s anger that dominated most of season 5. Whether the revelation scene was filmed but just edited out has not been confirmed; however, in an episode disproportionately filled with awkward scenes, the bottom line is Alex and Kelly, and the fans deserved better.
--
Trump won.
--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)