free pass to talk abt anything you want
Oh! Uh... hmm.
Gender.
Normally I don't like "man in a dress" scenes because they're so often played for laughs at the ridiculousness of the scenario- why would a man ever wear a dress unironically? he's supposed to be the tough one, etc. etc.- but this scene from "The Date"... oh boy, this scene was executed perfectly.
[PT: perfectly. End PT.]
Wander isn't made to wear a dress against his will. He bursts onto the scene in full Southern belle style, acting about as cutesy and flirty as a lovesick admirer can get. He is so incredibly comfortable acting the part of a woman and at no point does it feel like he's making a total fool of himself. He's making a fool of Lord Hater. He's doing a freaking drag performance in a kids show and everyone's just vibing with it.
And this isn't the only time he wears a dress! Though this is by far the most major time he appears femininely (at least in S1, I haven't seen S2), there are small moments in other episodes where he dons a wig and/or dress.
One of my earliest Gender memories at age 5 or 6 was wanting to be Prince Phillip from Sleeping Beauty. I wanted to have the 'fit and the cape and the sword and battle Maleficent to save the princess. I wanted to bend down on one knee and kiss Aurora's hand. Having been raised conservative Christian, this memory is super comforting because it assures me I'm not faking. I've always been genderqueer, I've always been bi, I was just very sheltered and discouraged from expressing or appreciating that.
I'm a uterus-haver and have euphoria in wearing masc clothing despite not being a man. Wander has euphoria in wearing fem clothing despite not being a woman. We are both genderqueer in my book and I love that so so much.
