This episode shows how far we have come as a society. It had to be controversial in its day. Coach Reeves and Mrs Buchanan handled things wonderfully. It was interesting seeing the coach's liberal sister and the conservative father of the homosexual player. I recommend it highly.
2 Reviews
A gay kid on the team?
jarrodmcdonald-112 September 2017
Warning: Spoilers
I was too young when the show originally aired to remember much about the stories, so it's been interesting to look at the episodes again.
Mostly I feel this episode is a product of its era. It's obvious the writers and producers are trying to cover different social issues and it's interesting they chose to do a story about a potentially gay youth right near the beginning. (The troubled kid is played by Peter Horton in his first acting role.) But the biases of the era are prevalent, despite any good intentions. They never use the word gay. The word homosexual is used continually throughout the story, making it seem clinical, like the kid has an affliction that can and should be cured.
Also, they never come right out and say the kid is actually homosexual. They deliberately leave it ambiguous, meaning the audience is free to think he's confused or misunderstood and even mislabeled by the ones who pick on him. Despite his not being confirmed as gay, they make a point of exiting him from this environment at the end so they are not obligated to use him (or any other related gay character) again. If this episode had been produced now, he would probably be a regular member of the cast or at least recurring.
I also thought it interesting they made him have a breakdown in his last scene. Where he has a huge emotional catharsis then gains the fortitude to go forward in life and be a man, presumably one who can put homosexuality in its place.
Mostly I feel this episode is a product of its era. It's obvious the writers and producers are trying to cover different social issues and it's interesting they chose to do a story about a potentially gay youth right near the beginning. (The troubled kid is played by Peter Horton in his first acting role.) But the biases of the era are prevalent, despite any good intentions. They never use the word gay. The word homosexual is used continually throughout the story, making it seem clinical, like the kid has an affliction that can and should be cured.
Also, they never come right out and say the kid is actually homosexual. They deliberately leave it ambiguous, meaning the audience is free to think he's confused or misunderstood and even mislabeled by the ones who pick on him. Despite his not being confirmed as gay, they make a point of exiting him from this environment at the end so they are not obligated to use him (or any other related gay character) again. If this episode had been produced now, he would probably be a regular member of the cast or at least recurring.
I also thought it interesting they made him have a breakdown in his last scene. Where he has a huge emotional catharsis then gains the fortitude to go forward in life and be a man, presumably one who can put homosexuality in its place.
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