#op ed.

[univrsskin]

I genuinely don’t understand how someone could dislike “Insatiable”

[archer7808]

Heteronormativity

As a hopeless romantic, I just love love. Besides beautiful, love is my favorite word. The longer and steeper the climb to reach the happy ending, the more fulfilling the story.

For the majority of my life, this need has been met through various couples; from Soap Operas in the 80s, like Bo and Hope on Santa Barbara, to television dramas, like Madelyn and David in Moonlighting, as well as Mulder and Scully in the X-Files. Getting caught up in the simmering emotions between these couples, and many others, were great experiences that I will always remember fondly. My favorite romantic movie? The Notebook. So what's the deal, you might ask? Well, I'm gay.

You see, if I wanted to experience a good love story, there was no other option in mainstream entertainment than heterosexual pairings. For the majority of my life it has been this way. And at 42 years old, that's quite a while.

Recently, this paradigm has begun to change. Since Will and Grace, Brokeback Mountain (and a few others), a hope emerged that there would someday soon be equal representation for me, and those like me, across the spectrum of mainstream entertainment. That was ten years ago. It is past time for the world to change, to move past the supremacy and primacy of heteronormativity.

Enter Teen Wolf, 2011.

In the realm of entertainment, the only thing that matches my fascination with romance, is my fascination with werewolves. The classic werewolf, not contemporary derivatives - soft and fluffy, a la Twilight. The werewolf as an allegory for the duality of humanity, a symbol for the struggle between our base instincts, savage and cruel, and our better angels, born of empathy and compassion. Reconciling these two halves, learning how to temper the dark with the light, keeping the beast at bay, is a basic element of what it means to be human. (Think Jedi vs. Sith if that will help.)

To be perfectly honest, when my husband and I first learned of this revamp of the 80s comedy film of the same name, we both looked at each other and kind of rolled our eyes. But then we saw the promos and thought, "Hey, werewolves and hot guys!" So, we gave it a shot. I was pleasantly surprised!

Midway through season one, is was easy to conclude that the show had staying power. It was gritty, funny, and genuinely scary. I also recognized Derek Hale as the only real werewolf on the show, in the classic sense. Yet unlike the classic werewolf, Derek's torments result from accepting and embracing the beast within. He is hunted and feared for nothing more than existing, for embracing his nature - something with which I can identify, by the way.

In short, Davis reimagined the classic werewolf allegory. He wrote a werewolf for the 21st century, and Tyler Hoechlin brought him to life brilliantly. A figure tormented by the guilt of his past, withdrawn from society, consumed by rage, and lost in regret. And despite it all, Derek tries to do the right thing. To be the sentinel he was meant to become. But his anger makes him reckless, impulsive, and impatient. He walls himself off from others to protect himself from being hurt again as much as to protect others from himself, since he perceives himself as too damaged to be of any use to anyone. With good intentions, Derek makes one bad decision after another.

Even though Davis has re-envisioned the classic werewolf, he has done so by combining an ancient trope with an ancient archetype. This means the arc of Derek's story is predictable. He will eventually find peace and learn to love again. Even so, Derek became my favorite before season one was over because I wanted to see how Davis would work through to the predictable end.

Setting the werewolf aspect aside for a moment, we also noticed that the world Davis created existed outside the realm of heteronormativity. Being gay was okay. There was a gay lacrosse player, accepted by his peers and treated as an equal. So for the romance, my hopes rested with Danny. There were hints that Stiles would be bi-sexual, but we weren't sure if that would find expression, so we stuck with Danny.

It didn't work out that way. Instead, Danny is treated as the token gay and the rest of the story has stayed firmly within the realm of heteronormativity.

During the pool scene between Derek and Stiles in season two, it became apparent to me that these two were also going to follow a predictable model. I turned to my husband and said, "You know those two are going to become the best of friends, right?" To which he replied, "Of course!"

It was during season 3a that I began to suspect, and hope for, something more than friendship. That moment came during the reveal of Julia as the Darach. We all know the scene well. Julia bursts into Derek's loft, desperate to convince him that Stiles and Scott were insane with wild accusations. Once Scott and Stiles walk into the space, Derek looks back and forth between the two of them and Julia. Stiles looks at Julia and asks, "Where's my dad?" Derek turns to her, then to Stiles, whose tears are spilling down his face, then he asks Julia, "Do you know where Stiles' father is?" That was it. The moment I knew that Derek's trust in Stiles ran very very deep.

Think about that moment. Even if the relationship between Derek and Julia had been genuine (Both Davis and Hoechlin have said things which confirm/suggest it was not), Derek had to be willing to throw any hope of a relationship with her out the window in asking her if she was a mass murdering, kidnapping, evil druid. How could she stay with him knowing he had such an opinion of her? Moreover, how could she stay with him knowing that he trusted Stiles more. Derek, you see, chose Stiles.

Ever since, I have payed close attention to their interactions and how they speak about one another to others. Stiles unwilling to accept Peter's story about Paige. Stiles comforting Derek in the wake of Boyd's death and Derek accepting that comfort. Derek not killing Julia when he picked her up off the floor because Stiles needed her alive. Derek allowing Stiles to rant at him and even throw Kate in his face because he understood Stiles was terrified and needed a target for his rage. Derek leaving his sister in the care of Stiles who didn't let him down. The abject panic is Stiles' voice when trying to revive and rescue Derek from the elevator floor. Derek showing worry and concern for Stiles throughout season 3b: getting choked up when asking Chris if he would feel any remorse in killing Stiles, the fear in Derek's eyes as Chris pointed a gun at Stiles' head, and his strong desire to be out there looking for him, "right now!" And the fact that Stiles has never betrayed him. Even Scott has betrayed Derek.

Now I hope for them to find each other romantically. Not because I want to see two guys kissing, but because it makes sense from the perspective of the narrative.

Derek's archetype typically needs a strong person for a romantic interest. Needs someone with who he can commiserate, someone who understands. And Stiles is really the only one who can properly understand what Derek has endured. Stiles knows the pain of loss, guilt, and grief. His family, too, was reduced to two when he was much younger than when it happened to Derek. To deal with an alcoholic father, to take care of his father and probably the home. And now Stiles knows what it is like to be used a tool to destroy the people he loves. Both robbed of their innocence, both forced to grow up way too young, both losing the men they should have become. Stiles is as strong as they come - loyal, brave, and smart. And so, too, is Derek.

Derek is the man Stiles could have become had he gone the other way when his life got turned upside down, and Stiles is the man that Derek wants to be. Derek has to heal himself to have a healthy relationship, but with Stiles at his side, he can walk out of the ashes because Stiles is the only one qualified to lead the way.

Maybe it is wishful thinking on my part. Maybe they will only ever be the best of friends. But I don't think it is too much to ask for equal representation of same-sex romance in the media. It isn't too much to ask for a substantive, meaningful representation of the love I share with my husband. Davis's non-heteronormative world gave me the best hope for that to become reality in a long time. And in Derek and Stiles I see Madelyn and David, Ross and Rachel, Mulder and Scully - the same dynamisms at play through the same archetypes.  What I see isn't unreasonable. It isn't pedophilia (do look up the word before you use it). It isn't even illegal in most states. It is a classic romance in the making. One that will capture the hearts of millions if Davis is brave enough to make it happen.

Beyond the narrative perspective, it makes sense from both business and career perspectives. Sterek being a reality would put eyes on the show - important eyes. And if it can be done authentically, doors will open to both O'Brien and Hoechlin that might otherwise have been closed. It would be a watershed moment in television history, and all involved would reap the benefits - Davis heralded as a visionary, perhaps even elevating him in status to that of Ryan Murphy. MTV would be lauded as a continued force promoting positive social change. And increased ratings despite the losses of viewers opposed, increasing the adbuy value of the show. Hoechlin and O'Brien would become cultural heroes, almost overnight, and legends in the years ahead as pioneers. And finally, as the show gets noticed, so will everyone involved and that equals multiplied opportunities for the future for Posey, Roden, Ashby, Bourne, Bohen, Ponzio, and anyone else appearing on and writing for the show. Davis is sitting on a powder-keg of wonderful, if only he will light the fuse. 

Make it slow, make it hurt, but make it real. It is time for the world to change and I don't think it is too much to ask. If Derek showed interest in Lydia, almost nothing would be said about underage. If either Derek or Stiles was a female, the arc bringing them together would have already been written.