H50 Meta: Bare feet and lifestyle choices
I've been thinking about the end scene of Lekio (2.18) a lot since Monday night.
For the most part, I try not to dig into meta about Hawaii Five-0, because to be honest, I don't feel that there's all that much under the surface, and I know that when I do start digging into issues regarding women/race/sexuality, I tend to get angry. There are some massive problems with the show, and I like this one to stay bright and shiny so I can enjoy my Gay Hawaiian Cops.
That said, this seems to be a universe in which queer does not exist. For all the jokes about Steve and Danny being married (and I can think of three right off the top of my head, including Monday) it's all played in a very --wow do I hate this term, but there's no other way to say this-- no homo way. Because of course they're not married, they're guys, that's wrong.
There has yet to be a confirmed gay character on the show, and every so often they like to take a break from the Steve/Danny subtext and remind us that oh yes, these guys all have girlfriends. (See the Valentines Day episode (2.16) and the one directly after (2.17), where we are reminded, after several months of not even a hint of her name, that Danny is still seeing Gabby and that it's serious enough to be introducing her to Grace.)
In Hawaii Five-0, gay is played for laughs, and every so often it gets to me.
But then there's the barefoot date scene from Monday night.
Once again, the punchline is that the boys are married and need Papa!Caan to swoop in as a marriage counselor and help them with all their married problems, on and off the case.
Much as I loved the big group hug, I think there's more important things to focus on in the beginning of the scene. Such as the opening lines:
source
Maybe it's just the choice of words that piqued my interest, because as a queer woman, the words "lifestyle choice" tend to hack me off. It's nearly always said in a disdainful manner, as if I'm choosing to be abnormal and disgusting and against some narrow conception of God. My first reaction to hearing someone proclaim anything to be a lifestyle choice is to get angry.
Then I looked at the scene again. And again. And one more time for good measure and absolutely not because Danny and his fidgety toes are adorable. And I have come to the conclusion that this is absolutely the most queer-friendly moment in the entire series.
Let's have a look at the scene:
Danny: It's nice. Tony had it right. The whole shoe thing's overrated. It's nice.
Steve proceeds to mock Danny about his lack of proper foot care.
Danny: No no, I didn't say it's gonna be a lifestyle choice, you know. I'm just enjoying it. It feels good.
Steve: It does feel good. That it does, my friend, that it does. (Steve kicks off his shoes, too.)
Even without pushing into the queer subtext, this conversation is very much about Danny's ongoing adjustment to life in Hawaii. Tony Archer, as a New York cop who retires to Hawaii, provides a perfect roadmap for Danny to see what his life could be. Bit by bit, Danny is shedding his daily connections to New Jersey. The ties, the aversion to surfing (spoilers for future episodes), his unwillingness to be tied to the island by anything other than Grace. He will still bitch about it until the end of time, because he's Danny, and where would he be without his ability to complain endlessly? For all the bluster, though, he is actually settling in.
However, given that the phrase "lifestyle choice" is mostly used in a gay rights context, if we shift the entire conversation into that arena, it becomes something else: we get a dialogue of self-questioning and self-acceptance. This is the conversation where Danny flat out says that he's comfortable with their relationship, that he's not sure it's permanent, but that he likes it, and it feels good. And Steve agrees.
And that's what makes it beautiful. Aside from the adorable fidgety toes.
***
This entry was originally posted at dreamwidth. Please comment wherever you see fit.
For the most part, I try not to dig into meta about Hawaii Five-0, because to be honest, I don't feel that there's all that much under the surface, and I know that when I do start digging into issues regarding women/race/sexuality, I tend to get angry. There are some massive problems with the show, and I like this one to stay bright and shiny so I can enjoy my Gay Hawaiian Cops.
That said, this seems to be a universe in which queer does not exist. For all the jokes about Steve and Danny being married (and I can think of three right off the top of my head, including Monday) it's all played in a very --wow do I hate this term, but there's no other way to say this-- no homo way. Because of course they're not married, they're guys, that's wrong.
There has yet to be a confirmed gay character on the show, and every so often they like to take a break from the Steve/Danny subtext and remind us that oh yes, these guys all have girlfriends. (See the Valentines Day episode (2.16) and the one directly after (2.17), where we are reminded, after several months of not even a hint of her name, that Danny is still seeing Gabby and that it's serious enough to be introducing her to Grace.)
In Hawaii Five-0, gay is played for laughs, and every so often it gets to me.
But then there's the barefoot date scene from Monday night.
Once again, the punchline is that the boys are married and need Papa!Caan to swoop in as a marriage counselor and help them with all their married problems, on and off the case.
Much as I loved the big group hug, I think there's more important things to focus on in the beginning of the scene. Such as the opening lines:
source
Maybe it's just the choice of words that piqued my interest, because as a queer woman, the words "lifestyle choice" tend to hack me off. It's nearly always said in a disdainful manner, as if I'm choosing to be abnormal and disgusting and against some narrow conception of God. My first reaction to hearing someone proclaim anything to be a lifestyle choice is to get angry.
Then I looked at the scene again. And again. And one more time for good measure and absolutely not because Danny and his fidgety toes are adorable. And I have come to the conclusion that this is absolutely the most queer-friendly moment in the entire series.
Let's have a look at the scene:
Danny: It's nice. Tony had it right. The whole shoe thing's overrated. It's nice.
Steve proceeds to mock Danny about his lack of proper foot care.
Danny: No no, I didn't say it's gonna be a lifestyle choice, you know. I'm just enjoying it. It feels good.
Steve: It does feel good. That it does, my friend, that it does. (Steve kicks off his shoes, too.)
Even without pushing into the queer subtext, this conversation is very much about Danny's ongoing adjustment to life in Hawaii. Tony Archer, as a New York cop who retires to Hawaii, provides a perfect roadmap for Danny to see what his life could be. Bit by bit, Danny is shedding his daily connections to New Jersey. The ties, the aversion to surfing (spoilers for future episodes), his unwillingness to be tied to the island by anything other than Grace. He will still bitch about it until the end of time, because he's Danny, and where would he be without his ability to complain endlessly? For all the bluster, though, he is actually settling in.
However, given that the phrase "lifestyle choice" is mostly used in a gay rights context, if we shift the entire conversation into that arena, it becomes something else: we get a dialogue of self-questioning and self-acceptance. This is the conversation where Danny flat out says that he's comfortable with their relationship, that he's not sure it's permanent, but that he likes it, and it feels good. And Steve agrees.
And that's what makes it beautiful. Aside from the adorable fidgety toes.
***
This entry was originally posted at dreamwidth. Please comment wherever you see fit.