Coming In, a web series which I'd probably call comedy with some serious moments, is another example of Canadian media being willing to take more risks in regards to exploring sexuality (not just a male character trying to be straight and realizing he's gay, a female character being torn between men and women, etc.).
What the show doesn't do is delve into what makes Mitchell go from gay to straight - the closest they come to addressing this is when his father, pleased that he's now involved with women, says it wasn't as if he was born gay, to which Mitchell responds that actually he was, as that's "how it works." So if you want to see someone trying to change their sexuality, or to see another Bob & Rose "it's just you" type scenario, you won't get either of those here. It just is. They delve more into identity than sexuality, as Mitchell's relationships with his family and friends drastically change, and as he questions how he's supposed to act now that he's heterosexual. Is he supposed to hang out with the bros? Can he no longer wear lip gloss, sit the way he wants to sit, be who he defined himself as, now that he no longer feels for men? I wish they'd focused more on this element - it seemed to just be getting started when the series ended.
The cast do a lot to make the material work, especially when the breezy focus turns more somber. Dylan Archambault is very good as Mitchell, making him a mostly likable, relateable character who is also not averse to being snobbish, thoughtless, selfish. What impresses me most is that he doesn't try to go overboard in playing a stereotypical "straight" persona after and doesn't go overboard in playing a stereotypical "gay" persona before. This is a tough role but you'd never know it watching him. The supporting cast is also excellent, especially Noah Danby as the fiancé Mitchell patronizes and mostly accepts because he's so good in bed (their frank conversation about this after Mitchell breaks up with him is one of the stronger points of the series), Brittany Bristow as the old friend he reunites with for his chaotic initiation into sex with a woman, and Debra McGrath has one especially hilarious scene as Mitchell's mother, walking in at...the wrong moment.
The supporting roles are much more prone to caricature (the bros Mitchell eventually bonds with, the "ex-gay" men Mitchell mistakenly goes to for support), and Mitchell's friend Margot also could have used more definition, but for the most part I enjoyed this series and found it more complex than I might have expected. I hope we see more.
What the show doesn't do is delve into what makes Mitchell go from gay to straight - the closest they come to addressing this is when his father, pleased that he's now involved with women, says it wasn't as if he was born gay, to which Mitchell responds that actually he was, as that's "how it works." So if you want to see someone trying to change their sexuality, or to see another Bob & Rose "it's just you" type scenario, you won't get either of those here. It just is. They delve more into identity than sexuality, as Mitchell's relationships with his family and friends drastically change, and as he questions how he's supposed to act now that he's heterosexual. Is he supposed to hang out with the bros? Can he no longer wear lip gloss, sit the way he wants to sit, be who he defined himself as, now that he no longer feels for men? I wish they'd focused more on this element - it seemed to just be getting started when the series ended.
The cast do a lot to make the material work, especially when the breezy focus turns more somber. Dylan Archambault is very good as Mitchell, making him a mostly likable, relateable character who is also not averse to being snobbish, thoughtless, selfish. What impresses me most is that he doesn't try to go overboard in playing a stereotypical "straight" persona after and doesn't go overboard in playing a stereotypical "gay" persona before. This is a tough role but you'd never know it watching him. The supporting cast is also excellent, especially Noah Danby as the fiancé Mitchell patronizes and mostly accepts because he's so good in bed (their frank conversation about this after Mitchell breaks up with him is one of the stronger points of the series), Brittany Bristow as the old friend he reunites with for his chaotic initiation into sex with a woman, and Debra McGrath has one especially hilarious scene as Mitchell's mother, walking in at...the wrong moment.
The supporting roles are much more prone to caricature (the bros Mitchell eventually bonds with, the "ex-gay" men Mitchell mistakenly goes to for support), and Mitchell's friend Margot also could have used more definition, but for the most part I enjoyed this series and found it more complex than I might have expected. I hope we see more.