Editor's note: this post contains spoilers for The Other Two Season Two, Episode 6, "Brooke, and We Are Not Joking, Goes to Space."
We’ve been loving the hilarious third season of Max's comedy series The Other Two, and the most recent episode had us cracking up over its depiction of one major studio’s relationship with the gay press and fans.
In the sixth episode of the current season, titled “Brooke, and We Are Not Joking, Goes to Space,” Cary Dubek (Drew Tarver) is still on his journey up as a gay actor. After starring in Night Nurse and a few other small roles, he’s looking for a “prestige gay role,” like the one his boyfriend recently had in an AIDS play.
Luckily, the executives from Disney are there with the perfect opportunity for Carey: playing the studio’s first unapologetically gay character.
Disney wants Cary to voice Globby, the new, gay character in the animated movie Haunted Buddies 4. Disney wants to really show what kind of an ally it is, and so wants to give Globby the “first unapologetically gay moment” in a Disney movie.
“We’ve also gotten some flack for saying a character is gay and not really showing it,” the executive says. Haunted Buddies 4 subverts this by having a scene where Globby, who is a glob of dust and snot, is in bed with another glob. If he were straight, Disney says, he’d be in bed with a human woman. It's simple glob logic.
At first, Cary is reluctant and doesn’t see how that scene is “unapologetically gay,” but then the execs tell him that he’ll be the face of publicity for the movie, and he’s 100 percent in.
Cary immediately heads off on a press tour touting Disney’s “first unapologetically gay character,” how groundbreaking the scene is, and how much it's going to change lives.
Soon, well-known queer organizations and publications like GLAAD, Out Magazine (yours truly!), The Advocate and more are tweeting about how important the character is, and gay luminaries like Billy Porter, Pete Buttigieg, Dan Levy, and Lukas Gage start following him on Twitter. According to Cary, he’s a leader in the community.
Screengrab via Max
When the time comes for the movie to premiere, GLAAD is there in full support, and Westboro Baptist Church is there with protest signs saying “God Hates Globs” and “Snot is Straight.” It’s one of the biggest gay news stories of the year!
It all comes hilariously crashing down when the film screens and everyone in the theater misses the “gay moment.” At first, people in the theater are asking to rewind the movie; they’re confused, surely it was more than just one second. But no, that’s all there is.
Still, Cary tries to defend the movie by claiming Disney cut parts of the scene. "He sucked the other glob’s dick,” he tries unsuccessfully.
In the end, GLAAD and Westboro Baptist Church both agree the scene can stay in the movie as it is and decide to go out to get drinks together.
The episode is a terrific takedown of Disney (and other major studios) who try again and again to cash in on having its “first gay character” despite not giving queer fans anything real.
Disney has tried this again and again, with the live-action Beauty and the Beast where LeFou dances with a man for one second, a character named “Grieving Man” talking about going on a date with another man, or two background characters kissing in a montage. It’s happened over a dozen times, and each time, Disney touts it as if it's groundbreaking representation.
Thankfully, we have shows like The Other Two to help us laugh through the next dozen First Gay Characters from Disney.
