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S4:E10 Insatiable Alex and Jerry
posted by Luke CageSTAFFMOD on March 11, 2017 at 1:35 AM
It's obvious that Alex is crushing on Jerry, and I rather this not happen for the following reasons: once the interracial relationships move past the crush phase, they quickly fizzle out, and the African American character is no longer viable: no further characterization to the point that the character is painful to watch. Supergirl's James Olsen is a fantastic example of this. I'm tired of the interracial (black and white) cliche of interracial relationships don't work. It's tired. It's mundane; and if this is the only way to present these kind of relationships, then it's time to stop it. In addition, Jerry is an asset to the team because he knows his mythical history, and I don't want his character lessened after he's no longer needed to bolster Alex's character. I'd like to see a black male character enriched without some female white character where he loses screen time once the on screen relationship expires. I like that Jerry has female interests outside of his small circle of friends, and the character has some depth. I can empathize with him.
Alex and Jerry work as a platonic team in solving mysteries, and to move past the carrying friends stage to the tenuous boyfriend/girlfriend stage will only cheapen the show. This black boy white girl trope is done so much that it has become toxic to watch because the outcome is the same almost every single time. The fact that anybody can stand to watch this trite day in and day out on just about every program with a black guy chasing a white girl is nauseating. Why? Because it's the same nonsense every single time that leads to the black character becoming background fodder--every single time. If these quasi relationships are the best network television can do, then I have to say, "Don't. Just don't."
Reply by Rick
on March 11, 2017 at 9:49 AM
Its not just interracial relationships. The pattern for television character couplings is the "will they or won't they." It gets some people excited and many of them will watch just for the budding relationship. Eventually, they have to put them together and the magic tends to disappear. Its a common pattern in television. So they try to bring back the excitement by introducing strife into the relationship, which to me is more boring than the "will they or won't they."
I also like that Jerry has a girlfriend outside of work. It puts a comfortable distance between the personal and professional life. Plus, Alex is cute, but Jerry's girlfriend is hot. Kind of like nerdy guys with hot girlfriends. LOL
Reply by Luke Cage
on March 11, 2017 at 11:07 AM
Actually, I wouldn't be bothered by the interracial coupling if the black character wasn't used for that very purpose. The black character can actually say, "I'm here to grind on that white girl, and then I'm out." That would be lamp-shading. Lol. I'll give you a good example of a television couple, and that's Monroe and Rosalee on "Grimm." If the writers decided to break them up, they might as well change their names because they would be hated. Jerry and Alex could work like that because they have the library, but interracial relationships never last more than a few episodes. They would almost have to break them up just to keep with tradition. Isn't Alex cuter than a button on a school dress? She's smart. She's nerdy. She's exactly what Jerry needs because of his intellect, but again, I don't trust Fox writers within fifty feet of an interracial coupling. They're almost worse than the CW, and we all know those CW writers need a weekly urinalysis.
Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of couplings on television, but the black guy--no matter where his name appears on the marquee--will be shunned by the writers after the relationship ends. Think of Charles Gunn and Fred on Angel. He was characterized all the time up until his relationship with Fred ended. Think of James Olsen on Supergirl.