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Faking It in the Media

David T. Cole

By David T. Cole
in Faking It [V]

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Cranberry
Cranberry

The Faking It promos are always super misleading, so I can't even get worked up at this point. I'm going to wait until it airs before I decide if I'm offended by any of the crazy in that promo.

JaggedLilPill
JaggedLilPill

Yeah, I found his response to be bullshit. However, it tends to be the status quo for many showrunners these days. I don't see it as fans demanding happy ending for every character. I see it as fans c

galax-arena
galax-arena

"This show really needs more focus on Liam!" - said no one in the Faking It fandom ever

Cranberry

Cranberry

I've been enjoying the recaps on the big lesbian sites!

 

Autostraddle's recap of episode two

 

AfterEllen's recap of episode two

 

I’ve already heard some people wondering why Amy’s realization of her sexuality is being made into such a big deal, given how accepting her high school is. What the people complaining about that fail to grasp is that coming out isn’t just about how you interact with the world. In a far more intense and personal way, it’s about how you interact with yourself. My own realization that I was gay took me completely by surprise. I had been such a loner for so long that I considered my relationship with myself the healthiest one in my life, and I couldn’t BELIEVE I would keep the fact that I was GAY from me. It was like “Well who the fuck am I at all? Do I secretly like mariachi music? Am I going to wake up tomorrow and discover a third eye?” It was terrifying and unmooring in a way I had never experienced before. It took me a long time to figure out that I had always liked girls; I just waited until I was old enough and strong enough and safe enough to let myself know. For many people, the first and hardest person to come out to is yourself. Amy may be doing the journey a little backwards, but that doesn’t make it any less intense.

 

The most disturbing thing about Karma’s thing with Liam is that it isn’t really about the personal side of it for either of them. Liam wants Karma because she’s a lesbian and Karma wants Liam because he’s popular. If Faking It has a point to make about the dangers of boiling people down to the one trait about them you think you can use, these two are the ones making it best.
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Cranberry

Cranberry

AfterEllen's recap of episode four

 

OKAY SO THEN YOU GUYS, SHANE TAKES AMY TO A CAFÉ THAT IS A LESBIAN COFFEE SHOP BY DAY AND A GAY BOY DANCE CLUB BY NIGHT.  IT IS CALLED THE TWAIN AND I NEED IT TO BE THIS SHOW’S THE BRONZE.  I NEED IT SO BAD.  Because, I mean, that is the relationship between lesbians and gay men and a nutshell: inhabiting the same spaces, just never in the same way.

 

When we resume the Great Karma Apology Tour, she goes over to Liam’s apparently private art studio, where she finds him banging a hammer against a cold piece of metal (a pretty good metaphor for most high school boys’ sexual prowess, IMO.)  Liam reveals that money has turned his family into “secretive, image-obsessed assholes” who he wants nothing to do with.  And much as I respect that level of insight, I also think it’s really easy to reject your parents’ values when you are still living in your parents’ mansion.  Karma shares that her parents are pretty image-obsessed to and—in a nice inversion of Orphan Black dialogue—think that her “sexuality is the most interesting thing” about her.  And that dialogue right there could sum up the whole show: a simple plea not to reduce people to their labels.

 

I like these recaps a lot.

 

Autostraddle's episode four recap is also up!

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Cranberry

Cranberry

Oh, me too. I still fully expect one of the girls (or both of the girls) to back out at the last minute.

 

AfterEllen's recap of episode five is up.

 

Liam: So we were about to Do The Thing and like, my penis was happy? But then my heart was sad? DON’T KNOW. THINKING MAKE HULK HEAD HURT.

Shane: Do you think maybe that’s because you knew she had a girlfriend, and some part of your caveman brain realized that it was as wrong for you to mess that up as if she’d had a boyfriend.
Liam: THAT MUST BE IT. ME AM SO NOBLE.
Shane: Yes you am, sweetie.

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bravelittletoaster

bravelittletoaster

(edited)

I assume Amy is going through with this [at least at this point], because a: she's whipped and b: she's willing to do anything she has to to enjoy some sort of physical interaction with Karma, even if Liam watches it.  In which case she's not really thought through the logistics very well and is in for a world of hurt.  Fortunately there's no way they're going to actually go through with this.

 

Surely.

 

ETA: That look Karma's giving...looks like shit just got real for her.  Wonder if the theory floated in the episode thread is right that Karma feels something in this exchange and she freaks out at her own feelings rather than Amy's...

Edited by bravelittletoaster
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Cranberry

Cranberry

That's two promos and two sneak peeks already, and it's only Thursday! They're really hyping this threesome thing. If this brings in even more viewers and gives us an even better shot at renewal, though, whatever. I think this episode's going to be a fun one. I still don't expect that threesome to actually happen. I also like that the EW article points out that only Karma is really "faking it" at this point. There are still people out there who refuse to watch this show because they think it's making homosexuality out to be trendy or a joke, and if they see this as a Gossip Girl-style threesome for ratings, that would just add fuel to that fire. 

 

I also enjoy Liam's sputtering. He tries to act smooth and experienced, but it's clear that he's intimidated by the idea of a threesome with these two girls. This will be fun.

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Schmolioot

Schmolioot

Liam was completely petrified of not only the threesome, but by Amy in that clip.

In fact, the only person with any cool whatsoever was Amy, which is interesting.

Amy should have milked him for anything that Squerkle money could afford. Why stop at appetizers? The guy would probably buy you both cars.

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Cranberry

Cranberry

'OFF THE CUFF' PODCAST: MTV'S 'FAKING IT' STARS ON RABID FANDOM, CHANGING LIVES

 

I really enjoyed this podcast. The girls were intelligent, thoughtful, and funny. They were delighted that they were allowed to swear during the podcast (and they also said they love the beeped-out swearing during Faking It), talked about LGBT issues and initial (negative) reactions to the premise (Katie was happy to prove people wrong), discussed the rabid fandom (they apparently find it especially funny that Gregg Sulkin is a heartthrob everywhere but on this show, where "no one likes him"), and told some fun stories about former jobs and the audition process. They also said that the last few episodes of Faking It are "an emotional roller coaster" and "a lot more mature." Rita says that the show has a totally different feel in the finale than it did in the pilot, "in a good way." Definitely a worthwhile listen.

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Cranberry

Cranberry

This sounds promising -- nothing official yet, but I expect he's pretty confident it'll be renewed.

 

I like this show much more than I expected to. I'd be very disappointed if we only ever got eight episodes.

 

(Someone on Tumblr pointed out that MTV has probably been planning to renew the show all along, but is holding off on saying so because right now the fans are giving them tons of free publicity. I'm pretty sure they've made Faking It-related hashtags and phrases trend worldwide on Twitter something like 15 times in the past week in an effort to get the ratings up.)

 

Also, Autostraddle's recap of episode five went up today!

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mjgchick

mjgchick

Bailey Bunton played an adorable Carrie Dollanganger last in Petals On The Wind and now knowing why they made that Flowers in The Attic joke in last weeks episode has made me laugh way more than I should.

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mjgchick

mjgchick

(edited)

Oh snap, looks like Amy is growing some ovaries.

I mean when it comes to her feelings for Karma. Amy has been growing some ovaries over the course of the season as is but her feelings for Karma not so much.

Edited by mjgchick
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Cranberry

Cranberry

AfterEllen's episode six recap is up!

 

I’ll be honest: I’ve been dreading this episode since the ménage a trois concept was teased at the beginning of the season. I saw it being at best painfully awkward, and at worst an affront to my delicate sensibilities. Instead it had the most heart, grace, and insight of the series so far, not to mention a closing scene that was devastating and gorgeous. For that, I tip my beanie to George Northy, who wrote it, Rita Volk, Katie Stevens, and—dear god do I really have to recap this whole episode before I get to That Scene?

 

Shane’s kneejerk reaction is, “Christianity? Gross!” which Pablo calls him out for, for being bigoted and grossly presumptive. God, Faking It, how do you find time to be so right about so many things?

 

I love this running gag of the voicemails to Shane, since it so perfectly dismantles that problematic “gay man as accessory/life coach” thing that earlier episodes had going on. I especially love that over the course of Amy’s message she finds her courage and resolves to battle it out for Karma’s affection with the greatest weapon she has: herself.

 

The best part of all this is that Liam, who as a straight guy is supposed to be the most psyched about all this, is arguably the most trepidatious. Which is kind of the theme of the whole episode. Sometimes the hardest thing in the world is figuring out what you like. It seems like it should be easy; good things will make you feel good and bad things will make you feel bad. But, especially when you are young, it all gets tangled up in what people are telling you is supposed to feel good. Your friends inform you of the bands you are supposed to like and the beer you are supposed to drink and the sex you are supposed to want to have. And since the approval of your friends feels good, it’s easy to mix up that feeling of support with taking actual pleasure in something. There is nothing that illustrates this point quite so elegantly as the threesome. The most wonderful part of this episode is watching Karma, Amy, and Liam come to terms with what they really want.

 

It’s like a door opens up in Katie Stevens’ eyes and we see a person we didn’t know was there before. It’s the person Amy has seen all along. Amy, meanwhile, is suddenly so calm, is reassuring her, and hangs back long enough for Karma to realize that she wants to kiss her. And that realization is terrifying, but too strong to fight. It’s all silent, but the acting is so good, dialogue could only cheapen it. They kiss and then break apart, repeating the dialogue from their very first kiss in front of the school, only this time they both feel the spark. And then LIAM FUCKING BOOKER AKA CAPTAIN OBLIVIOUS, jumps up and starts making out with Amy. Karma watches with this look on her face like she can’t tell who she’s jealous of and then just runs away at top speed. With that the episode just ends, leaving us with jaws agape and hearts racing and lives ruined forever, most likely.

 

Oops, I quoted practically the whole recap. I just really like these recaps, okay! Elaine Atwell always has insightful things to say.

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Cranberry

Cranberry

MTV’s "Faking It" Is Changing The Nature of Queer Representation on TV

 

For LGBT viewers, it’s tempting to latch onto representations of queer sexuality and turn them into gay and lesbian icons. But the reality is almost always more complex than that. In the future, Amy and Karma may become a same-sex couple to root for — that does seem to be the show’s endgame — but at this point, they’re two young women who are still figuring things out. And though that may be frustrating to viewers watching Faking It for the “Karmy” relationship, it’s truer to life. Strong, self-possessed lesbian characters are essential, but so are depictions of questioning youth — and Faking It is one of the few series willing to take that on.

 

It helps that Faking It rounds out its cast of characters with Shane (Michael J. Willett), an out and proud gay kid who isn’t dealing with bullying classmates or the laborious process of coming out. He has a hot straight best friend, and he’s not even in love with him. These are valid narratives, yes, but we’ve seen them again and again. Like Looking’s Patrick, Shane is a rare TV portrait of gay normalcy: not boring, not asexual — just comfortable and self-possessed. When so many series present queerness as an “issue” to be dealt with, Shane’s unapologetic existence remains revolutionary.

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Cranberry

Cranberry

AfterEllen's recap of episode seven is up!

 

TEENS: DO NOT LOSE YOUR VIRGINITY ON SAND OR IN ART EXHIBIT AND ESPECIALLY NOT BOTH AT THE SAME TIME.

 

Autostraddle's is up now, too.

 

Next week is the Faking It finale! I’ve already seen it but I won’t tell you about it! Well, I can tell you that Farrah and Bruce’s wedding will happen and also other things will happen with people and characters and gosh I just really hope this show gets renewed so that it doesn’t actually end next week.
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JaM

JaM

first season had just 8... plus, it is quite probable it will air in  late 2014..  season 1 took 5 weeks to shoot, two additional episodes wont extend it much..i guess they will start shooting in july/august so november might be real...

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Cranberry

Cranberry

If season two does well, we might get longer seasons after that. Awkward's first and second seasons had 12 episodes each, but seasons three and four got 20.

 

I'm happy that the show got renewed.

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Cranberry

Cranberry

'Faking It' stars talk real-life faking it

 

Volk: And I can’t speak for Karma, but for Amy, it’s good that Katie brought this up, because I spoke to Carter, and one of the things that’s been out there in the fan feedback is that people are concerned it’s just going to be a tease. You know, [that] Amy’s sexuality is gonna be a tease, because I guess on other shows, girls thought that they were into girls and thought that they were lesbians and then they changed their minds and then decided that they wanted to be with boys. I don’t know about Karma’s path, but for Amy, she is a lesbian, and Carter and I talked about that. We don’t want it to be a tease, we don’t want people to feel like they can relate to this vulnerable process that she’s going through, and they can relate to this girl because she’s a lesbian and then have that taken away, like, “Oh, never mind, you know, I’m into guys now.” It won’t be like that. I wanna put that out there, because I feel like I am so protective of Amy at this point, and I’m so protective of the fans that find a really, really great sense of comfort in this character, and I want them to know that this is pretty much who she is. And even though she’s questioning the whole process now — and she’s feeling ostracized and she’s feeling like everything is new and she doesn’t really quite know how to deal with it — she is, at the end of the day, a lesbian. She’s into girls. And that’s what she’s gonna discover.

 

Good. Now we can stop debating that particular fact.

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mjgchick

mjgchick

(edited)

Thank god Amy is their for young lesbians or even anyone whose ever had a crush on a friend who didn't feel the same to relate to.

Seriously everything screams gay when I see Amy. Rita does these looks as Amy when Karma is not looking at her.

Wow at that asshole spoiling it for people in the comment section. lol

Edited by mjgchick
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Cranberry

Cranberry

“Faking It" stars Rita Volk and Katie Stevens talk gay representation, reading their fan fic

 

5 Essential Moments from Faking It (Carter Covington breaks down his favorite moments ahead of the finale.)

 

The Stars of MTV's Faking It Talk Their On and Off Camera Love Affair

 

We Shine the Spotlight on FAKING IT Star Rita Volk

 

If the show gets renewed what would you like to see happen next season? What would you like to see happen to Amy? (It was announced yesterday morning there will be a second season!)

 

I would like her to be happier because she’s gotten such a short end of the stick throughout the first season. I want her to have a better sense of who she is and to discover that these feelings are okay. If she happens to meet somebody else than so be it, but the one thing I do want to say is Amy is not straight and that’s something Carter (Covington) talked about because a lot of fans were like “Is this going to be like other shows where this character teases us and she finds out she’s not gay is like just kidding I was just experimenting.” It’s not going to be like that, and that was very important for me because I know that Amy is really a vessel for a lot of these fans because of the fact that she is a lesbian character that’s why we have this amazing fandom around her. So I will say that if she does meet someone I want it to be a girl and I want her to not be tortured by secrets like she was in the first season.

 

We Shine the Spotlight on FAKING IT Star Katie Stevens

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Janimo

Janimo

Here's an interesting (and possibly surprising to some folks) commentary by Trish Bendix, managing editor of AfterEllen.com:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/faking-finale-proves-mtv-does-710958

 

The last paragraph:  "It's disheartening that a show like Faking It could have so much potential with smart writing, a great set of actors and a provocative premise, and then have its relevance and credibility destroyed with the last few minutes of the season finale. Had the show not fallen prey to the oft-repeated, never-respected nor positively received "gay woman sleeps with a guy" story, it would have given fans a reason to tune in for the just-announced second season."

 

PS Glad to be able to come over here (from TWOP) and find so many interesting comments on the show.

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Cranberry

Cranberry

Autostraddle finale recap

 

I know what this looks like, but I don’t think that this is that. I mean, you probably will disagree, because historically, this is what happens to our stories, you know, that our prospective lesbian will end up in bed with a man, but I don’t think this is Amy liking men or Amy liking Liam or anything like that. I think this is like Rayanne Graff and Jordan Catalano in his car, or, although far less frivolous than this context, Alice and Lara at the end of The L Word Season Three. Rayanne and Jordan wanted Angela but Angela was better than both of them, then, and so they settled for wanting Angela with eyes closed mouth-to-mouth. Alice and Lara wanted Dana but in her absence, turned maddeningly to each other. Liam wants Karma but doesn’t trust her anymore, Amy wants Karma but Karma doesn’t want her back. Because humans are also animals, sometimes.

 

But damn, do I wish this episode had ended another way.

 

AfterEllen finale recap

 

So, when I write about TV I have to watch it on two levels; the level of the story, where I relate to the psychological experience of the characters, where I am in the story, and the birds eye level, where I think about the writing and editing and acting choices that make a story, and the larger societal context in which all that takes place. And there is a good and a bad kind of pain when it comes to stories; the good is catharsis, crying because you are so deeply invested in a story that you willingly let it break your heart (see: the tragedy-mongers of A Fault in Our Stars). The bad kind of pain is when a writer betrays you and the story you love, and it is so wrong that you cry with rage and frustration (see: Pepa and Silvia’s wedding). And for me, I was crying for a little bit of both reasons.

 

But also, I am just pissed off that this is happening at all. Some of that is a rage born of exhaustion. You guys, I am burnt out on heartbreak. It’s gotten to the point where I treat queer storylines like cultures where they don’t name babies for a while in case they die. I don’t want to get too attached because I have seen so many characters shockingly mishandled or just killed off when the writers decided they didn’t know what to do with a lesbian once she had come out. Faking It has entered into the lineage of all these shows, so I think it assumes some responsibility for understanding the context of its decisions. And the decision to have Amy sleep with Liam felt like a gut punch for the sake of being a gut punch. And worse, it’s a gut punch to the people who loved this show the most, who got it renewed, and who could use a break from the same tired old tropes. Part of the problem is just timing; placing it at a season finale and leaving us to stew in agony is shoddy storytelling.  It doesn’t really count as a cliffhanger if you blow up the cliff. Part of that is the mixed message of having Liam and Amy make a huge mistake and then shooting it like it’s supposed to be hot. If you’re going to have two drunk, angry high schoolers have sex, don’t give it soft lighting and a sexy soundtrack. Even under the best circumstances, high school sex is a lot more awkward that that.

 

I can get myself as worked up as anyone, I promise. But then I remember that we have another season to look forward to, and some really good conversations to have with each other in the meantime. And I calm down. Slightly.  Faking It has excelled at taking our expectations and turning them upside down, starting with a premise we were all prepared to hate. Instead we got a show we care so much about that it makes us want to scream. Which sounds a lot like love to me. I don’t know if they can come back from this.  I do know a lot of you are walking away from the show now, and I don’t blame you. I also know that Rita Volk has been saying in interviews that Amy is a capital L Lesbian, and as much as this particular moment sucks, I can live with this being a part of her journey.

 

I think Elaine handled this pretty well, actually. I expected more of a defense of the story line. I have similar conflicted feelings about the finale (the, "Yes, it's somewhat realistic and it's definitely true that not all lesbians are 'gold stars,' but ugh, stuff like this is done way too often on TV and it sends a bad message" sort of thing).

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dohe

dohe

(edited)

Here's an interesting (and possibly surprising to some folks) commentary by Trish Bendix, managing editor of AfterEllen.com:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/faking-finale-proves-mtv-does-710958

 

The last paragraph:  "It's disheartening that a show like Faking It could have so much potential with smart writing, a great set of actors and a provocative premise, and then have its relevance and credibility destroyed with the last few minutes of the season finale. Had the show not fallen prey to the oft-repeated, never-respected nor positively received "gay woman sleeps with a guy" story, it would have given fans a reason to tune in for the just-announced second season."

 

PS Glad to be able to come over here (from TWOP) and find so many interesting comments on the show.

That is somewhat surprising.  On the other hand, Trish has come across as more along the sharp big picture style that Sarah Warn had than the new lets go along with it everytime rationalization some of the others at AfterEllen.  Meanwhile Elaine does seem to be rationalizing.  At this point it really does seem "journey" is a buzzword for how to rationalize such a worn out trope.  As for Autostraddle, that is just embarrassing.  Would not expect less of that writer.  Reminding people Amy did it out of hurt so thoroughly misses the argument it is comical. 

 

But yes good for Trish.  Even though she makes one error.  Even Emily on Skins slept with a guy in an episode written by Bryan Elsley.  Yes the same Elsley that would bring the world MTV's Tea and who would retcon Mini and Frankie.  There is a reason this is the most tired of tropes of LGBT tropes.  

Edited by dohe
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Cranberry

Cranberry

'Faking It' Season 1 finale: Katie Stevens, Rita Volk break down the shocking hookup

 

What really got me is that not only is Amy deliberately hurting Karma by hooking up with Liam, but she's also hooking up with a guy, regardless of who it is. What went into Amy's choice to hook up with a guy when she's been struggling with feelings for a girl all season?

 

RV: From what I know about the character and just people in general, obviously she's mad. She's very angry, and when you're angry, you're going to want justice and you're going to want to hurt the person who hurt you. As awful as it sounds, I think that's going through Amy's head. The other, bigger part of it is that if I put myself into her situation, she's thinking that, "I'm liking girls but that's not working out so well for me. I have all these feelings but I wind up getting hurt." Her sleeping with Liam is just a way to bury that because he's a guy. It doesn't even matter that it's Liam to her, it's just that she wanted a guy. It's her effort to not be a lesbian. She's trying to deny her feelings which won't work, because that's not who she is. Considering that she's LGBT, it's not going to turn out very well.

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