S01.E02: Homecoming Out

[Tara Ariano]

Lauren threatens to out Amy to her conservative mother.

[Happy to be here]

And the show has veered away from train wreck and is speeding towards my new favorite thing. 

 

Amy has officially become my hero.

 

Karma is an idiot.  Are we supposed to LIKE Karma because I am not sure I do.  Maybe because every time she kisses Liam all I can think is  "YOU HAVE A GIRLFRIEND!"  

 

I am NOT a 30 min comedy person, but this seems to hit all the right notes with me.  So far.  

 

Ha!  Glee slam!  

Edited April 30, 2014 by ChaosTheory

[Cranberry]

I still like Karma (she's naive and an attention whore, but at least she made the right decision when she got out of that car), but are we supposed to like Liam? Because I'm not liking him at all. At this point he just wants to sleep with Karma because he thinks she's a lesbian and he wants to cross that off his list -- it has nothing to do with her at all. Someone better call him on this crap, and soon.

 

(Karma's "I always thought that I was 100% lesbionic until you came along" is not helping. I did want to slap her at that moment.)

 

I thought it was hilarious that Amy's family obviously already suspected she was gay, what with her stepdad's crack about always wearing pants and her mom's, "Oh, thank you Jesus" (and running off to call her own mother) when she found out that Amy had a date with a boy. Shane playing straight was also great. He can certainly charm a former beauty queen Republican mother!

[faceupandsing]

I really enjoyed this episode as well. Getting a better look of each girl's home life fleshed them out a bit more and I feel like we have a decent idea of both of them after only two 30 minute episodes (my jadded heart appreciated the glee slam on character development but that's for another forum). I had a few actual laughs and was proud of Amy for standing up to her mother at the end.

I'm not sure if we're supposed to like Liam or not but he's certainly not winning any points with me. Both he and the blonde cheerleader have said some pretty cringeworthy things but at least her's are played for laughs. I'm not sure how I'm supposed to root for a guy who goes after someone specifically because she has a girlfriend. Other than that though I can't find much to complain about I'm sincerely enjoying it so far.

[Snarkette]

It wasn't bad but I do wish they hadn't turned both sets of parents into cardboard.

[Barbican]

I still like Karma (she's naive and an attention whore, but at least she made the right decision when she got out of that car), but are we supposed to like Liam? Because I'm not liking him at all. At this point he just wants to sleep with Karma because he thinks she's a lesbian and he wants to cross that off his list -- it has nothing to do with her at all. Someone better call him on this crap, and soon.

 

(Karma's "I always thought that I was 100% lesbionic until you came along" is not helping. I did want to slap her at that moment.)

 

I thought it was hilarious that Amy's family obviously already suspected she was gay, what with her stepdad's crack about always wearing pants and her mom's, "Oh, thank you Jesus" (and running off to call her own mother) when she found out that Amy had a date with a boy. Shane playing straight was also great. He can certainly charm a former beauty queen Republican mother!

I don't think we're supposed to like Liam, no. He's creepy and I hope Shane will call him out on his crap. I actually find it interesting/a bit baffling that he's such good friends with a gay guy but totally objectifies lesbians. Teenage boys and hormones, am I right?

 

I don't mind Karma (and her parents are hilarious, even though do that kind of parent really exist? I've only encountered such acceptance to the point of ridiculousness on tv, never in real life), she's a teenage girl desperate to be cool, I cut her some slack. Also, she has no idea how Amy is starting to realize how she truly feels about her best friend. It'll be interesting to see how Karma will react to such news from Amy.

 

Really liked the way Amy "came out" to her mother. I enjoy the irony that they're pretending to be gay, so Amy pretended to come out and yet, all of this may be true.

[bravelittletoaster]

I haven't watched the episode yet, but I can kind of imagine what the depiction of Karma's parents is like [her name is Karma ffs] and of course those parents exist.  Unfortunately I was not so blessed [not that I don't love my parents, but they're certainly not liberal], but yes, I've had friends with the hippiest, most accepting parents you can imagine.  Lucky bastards.  It's a big world with all sorts of people in it and I for one am very grateful for liberal oases and their denizens.  I assure you they're not a figment of tv writers' imaginations.  I didn't grow up in one, so I guess if I were still 17 I'd be asking the same question, but I got out and now live in a city that votes 88% Dem.  So yes, Virginia, there is a Charlottesville [and an Austin, and a Madison, and an Athens...]

[Happy to be here]

Well my Aunt (who now lives in Australia) never grew out of her hippy faze.  Gave her kids some what hippy names (I forget what they are at the moment  lost touch with her over the years)  anyway I can see the ones who never grew out of their liberal artsy hippy ideals becoming like Karma's parents.  It does happen and I love when it happens realistically on television.  I love big world television.    

[mjgchick]

I like Karma s parents and Amy's mom. Lauren's dad is Kevin Buchanan from One Life To Live no? He doesn't seem all that funny to me.

I don't really hate Liam. I hate his life choices. He'll probably start liking Karma for real soon then we'll get a weird triangle. But I wonder if Karma will start having feelings for Amy or will this happen after Amy comes out for real and some other girl starts looking Amys way. I think I'd like that. I'd be ok with Karma being bi.

As for Amy she continues to make me want to protect her. Her puppy dog eyes and the way she stood up to her mom made me a proud mama. Lol Shane saying he feels bad about outing her made me happy because even though the school is about equality it still not cool to out someone. His love for Amy's mom is bonus. lol Also him and Liam dancing together is another reason why I'm still giving him a chance even if he's being a boy.

As for Karma I also like her as well. She's definetly naive but its good that she still has some pride about herself. I hope the show makes her bi so we can have an interesting triangle for once in one of these teen series.

Amy is a violent woman. I wouldn't want to mess with her. Also her giddy faces when Karma said she was a good kisser and when she almost thought her mom was ok with her being gay. Aww.

MTV really knew what they were doing with those promos because this show totally not what I expected and I'm crushing on Rita Volk terribly.

[bravelittletoaster]

I'm crushing on Rita Volk terribly.

Yeah, same.  And I'm too old to, but I dgaf.  Her puppy eyes and baby gay status just make me want to protect her from the mountain of hurt heading her way.  Heh. 

Finally got to watch this episode, and while the Karma/Liam thing is kind of frustrating, I have to keep reminding myself that Karma doesn't know what we know.  She thinks Amy is basically in the same boat she is, she's completely unaware she's twisting any kind of knife every time she talks to her about Liam.  So I'm trying to keep myself from resenting her for not knowing things we really can't expect her to know.

 

As for Liam gunning hard for her because she's gay...It happens.  It happens in much older men, and he's just a dumb kid.  So it sucks, but it's real, and I don't mind them hanging a lantern on it here because I think they're making it pretty clear it's a douche move.  Even Karma, hot for him as she is, realized it was a douche move, or at least shallow and not the reason she wanted him to be into her.

 

I'm really curious to see how this all plays out over the course of a season.  I feel exceedingly lucky in the last couple of tv seasons to suddenly have a bunch of different queer female characters to root for on mainstream shows, no less.  But Faking It's a nice surprise and a different take.  I don't think Karma and Amy are going to end up together, but I do think if Karma ever finds out what's going on with her, and if Amy ever gets a love interest of her own, Karma might experience some of the same pangs of losing her friend to a lover that could be interesting to explore.  Or hell, maybe she will want to experiment a bit with Amy.  I thought their conversation at the dance where Karma talked about wanting her first experience to be with someone she loved--and poor Amy getting her little hopes up until Karma clarified that she was going to make Liam love her--were a little bit loaded.  But really the best thing is I have no idea where exactly they're going to go with this, and I'm curious to find out.

 

Also loved Karma's lesbian dossier.  Snerk.  She's growing on me.  I'm trying not to let my protective feelings towards Amy make me resent her, because she has no idea what she's doing to her.

[Barbican]

Yeah, same.  And I'm too old to, but I dgaf.  Her puppy eyes and baby gay status just make me want to protect her from the mountain of hurt heading her way.  Heh. 

Finally got to watch this episode, and while the Karma/Liam thing is kind of frustrating, I have to keep reminding myself that Karma doesn't know what we know.  She thinks Amy is basically in the same boat she is, she's completely unaware she's twisting any kind of knife every time she talks to her about Liam.  So I'm trying to keep myself from resenting her for not knowing things we really can't expect her to know.

 

As for Liam gunning hard for her because she's gay...It happens.  It happens in much older men, and he's just a dumb kid.  So it sucks, but it's real, and I don't mind them hanging a lantern on it here because I think they're making it pretty clear it's a douche move.  Even Karma, hot for him as she is, realized it was a douche move, or at least shallow and not the reason she wanted him to be into her.

 

I'm really curious to see how this all plays out over the course of a season.  I feel exceedingly lucky in the last couple of tv seasons to suddenly have a bunch of different queer female characters to root for on mainstream shows, no less.  But Faking It's a nice surprise and a different take.  I don't think Karma and Amy are going to end up together, but I do think if Karma ever finds out what's going on with her, and if Amy ever gets a love interest of her own, Karma might experience some of the same pangs of losing her friend to a lover that could be interesting to explore.  Or hell, maybe she will want to experiment a bit with Amy.  I thought their conversation at the dance where Karma talked about wanting her first experience to be with someone she loved--and poor Amy getting her little hopes up until Karma clarified that she was going to make Liam love her--were a little bit loaded.  But really the best thing is I have no idea where exactly they're going to go with this, and I'm curious to find out.

 

Also loved Karma's lesbian dossier.  Snerk.  She's growing on me.  I'm trying not to let my protective feelings towards Amy make me resent her, because she has no idea what she's doing to her.

 

Do we know exactly that Amy is *consciously* jealous? I think she's upset but doesn't really know why and therefore tries to rationalize it. Which seems very very realistic to me. 

I'm not sure she's already there in terms of self-awareness about her sexuality.

 

This show is really subverting my expectations: I expected the worst, and so far, it's been really good. 

[bravelittletoaster]

Do we know exactly that Amy is *consciously* jealous? I think she's upset but doesn't really know why and therefore tries to rationalize it. Which seems very very realistic to me. 

I'm not sure she's already there in terms of self-awareness about her sexuality.

 

 

It's a valid question, but I think she is somewhat conscious of her feelings because in the pilot she had that moment where she questioned to herself whether she was having a normal reaction to seeing her friend kiss a boy, and then of course she woke up in this episode from a dream of making out in bed with Karma.  Though I think only someone who's been there can fully appreciate the extent to which a teenage girl can lie to herself about this shit [been there].  I certainly had crushes on friends that I tried to interpret through any other lens I could imagine, so I think it's plausible she's kind of at that phase.  A sort of unwilling, sublimated self-awareness.

[Cranberry]

I don't think Karma and Amy are going to end up together, but I do think if Karma ever finds out what's going on with her, and if Amy ever gets a love interest of her own, Karma might experience some of the same pangs of losing her friend to a lover that could be interesting to explore.

 

This is actually how I'm expecting it to go, as it seems the most realistic route, although the show may surprise us. I don't think I want it to go to the wish fulfillment place where Karma realizes she has feelings for Amy, too. That just doesn't tend to happen very often and, while I don't think it's TV's job to teach teenagers life lessons, I'm not sure I'd want that message -- that if you wait long enough or wish hard enough, your straight best friend will love you back -- to be out there.

 

I also think that they could get a lot of material out of Karma being jealous when Amy's new girlfriend sort of replaces her in Amy's life.

[Schmolioot]

Doesn't Karma kind of have to develop feelings for Amy?

You don't have much of a love triangle where one spoke has absolutely no chance. Particularly where that spoke has been presented as the obviously superior choice.

It might not stick for Karma but I would bet she and Amy get together, if only do that Karna doesn't lose her.

[Cranberry]

I guess that depends on whether this season is supposed to be about a love triangle or more about a girl coming out to herself. I could see her not admitting her feelings to Karma until the finale (that's only six episodes away, after all), and then the writers deciding where to take it from there (maybe based partly on fan reaction?). I don't think that Karma is even considering the idea that Amy could be into her at this point, much less that she could have feelings for Amy. She's much too hung up on Liam.

 

(I just checked Zap2it's episode guide again, and it does look like Amy's going to hide her feelings for a while.)

[Schmolioot]

It's still one girl in between two legitimate romantic options.

As for Amy revealing her feelings, I imagine she will before the end of the season and the cliff hanger will be Karma considering the option.

[possibilities]

Triangles are a dime a dozen, but how many shows focus on the experience of lesbian characters? In real life, there is plenty of drama from a lesbian who's in love with a straight friend. It's not a triangle, but it's fraught....

 

I would despise Liam except that he was dancing with his gay friend, which buys some good will from me. But I think the idea that a lesbian would be attracted to a male is stupid and the minute Karma had the hots for Liam, he should have assumed she's bi.

 

I don't really like Karma. It's not even just because she's playing the game with Liam (which I do find obnoxious-- if she's going to pursue the guy, she needs to stop the lesbian charade with him). But her whole personality seems to be about manipulation and ego-gratification, with no concern for how crazy it is or how it will blow up in everyone's faces. Without knowing Amy's attracted to her, she still should be able to see that it's a dangerous charade, and she simultaneously pressures Amy to participate, over Amy's repeated objections, and then does everything in her power to make it more likely they'll be exposed. It's just the kind of stupidity teenagers engage in that irritates me the most. After the truth comes out, they are going to be even more outcast than before, because now they'll be known as attention-seeking liars. But she doesn't seem to consider things more than 1 second into the future.

[Schmolioot]

Karma doesn't seem to have an end game in mind here.

Does she plan on secretly dating Liam for the next 3 years?

I get that it happened pretty fast but she jumped in without looking.

She's going to have to live with the consequences of the hoax, not the least of which is her unintentional but major infliction of emotional torture on her best friend

[aradia22]

I got some chuckles out of this episode but for the most part it was a little boring. It felt like the kind of filler episode you'd get a few seasons into a show, not the second episode. It made me realize that outside of the jokes, I don't care too much about the drama of these characters' lives. I don't know if it's the acting or just that they're asking me to care about them too quickly. I can't be invested in these characters we just met. 

 

Also, Liam's accent slipped in the art room when he told Karma he didn't want to pressure her into doing something she didn't want to do.

 

At this point he just wants to sleep with Karma because he thinks she's a lesbian and he wants to cross that off his list -- it has nothing to do with her at all.

I think the problem is that the show is trying to be like Awkward, consciously or not. But whereas in season 1 of Awkward it made sense for Matty to sometimes be the villain (from Jenna's perspective) even though he was really a good guy, with Faking It, they're making Liam do things that clearly show he's not a good guy while trying to still sell him as a viable love interest.

 

I don't mind Karma (and her parents are hilarious, even though do that kind of parent really exist? I've only encountered such acceptance to the point of ridiculousness on tv, never in real life), she's a teenage girl desperate to be cool, I cut her some slack.

They're a little like the parents in Easy A except those parents were less two-dimensional.

 

I have a question. I think they've said that the reason Amy and Karma are making such a big splash is that they're the first lesbian couple the school has had. But are they the only "lesbians"? I ask because it seems pretty clear that Amy is going to realize that she is attracted to girls (or at least Karma) and unless Karma reciprocates, they'll need someone to pair Amy with because teen shows thrive on relationship drama. So if there are other lesbians at the school, problem solved, but otherwise a new girl will have to magically transfer to the school or they'll get a foreign exchange student.

[bravelittletoaster]

Well, there are definitely other queer girls [if not self-identified lesbians] at the school just because homosexuality is a naturally occurring phenomenon across the population.  But I'm guessing few if any are out.  I think it was stated that they were the first couple, not necessarily the first gay girls.

[Crim]

I didn't mind Liam because I got where he was coming from. Karma fed him all the lines to make him see it as a purely physical fling. I think this is where this show is different from Awkward's first season: Karma is shaping up to be the "villain". True, she came around and offerred Amy an out at the critical moment, but the "revelation" that preceded it only emphasized how self-centered and oblivious she is and how much she takes Amy for granted. Furthermore, her (stated) endgame is popularity and the "fun high school experience", with Liam just another step on the way.

 

I'm also wondering if there are any queer girls at school. There should be, but they weren't mentioned and we didn't see anyone come to them to chat.

[bravelittletoaster]

Actually when they walked onto the school grounds in the morning and everyone cheered [and we were seeing it from Liam and Shane's POV] a couple of girls walked up to them, and one of them was even wearing flannel.  So I sort of assumed they could be gay.  Heh.