Instead of jonesing for these co-workers to fall in love, let's root for something rarer: a deep platonic bond
lol here we go again.
LET FICTIONAL PEOPLE FUCK! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU ALL?
*Buckle in because this is a rant*
Okay, so I have THOUGHTS on this article, and not a lot of them are nice.
First off, what exactly is the thesis of this piece? That injecting romance into shows takes away from the larger/overarching central narratives? That modern romance plots feels forced? That female characters need to operate autonomously from men, or any romantic interest in order to be fully formed characters?
While I agree that yes; overly gratuitous or, unnecessary sex scenes are not beneficial to the medium of visual storytelling AT ALL, and that the 2010โs as a whole was quite lackluster for romance in film and tv - that dosenโt negate the need, or want for meaningfully developed romantic plot-lines that make sense within the context of the story that they are in.
Also, the fact that the two explicit examples given of shows that should not explore romantic plot lines being Abbot Elementary and The Bear reeks of misogynior. I am not a black women, but as someone studying creative writing at a college level, I am familiar with the tropes that follow black womenโs portrayals in media. They are either overtly over-sexualized, or remain completely asexual for the purposes of โprogressionโ. Both are white/western forward portrayals of black women.
I think that both the black female characters that the author used as examples - Jeanine Teauges and Sydney โSydโ Adamu, are poor choices for the point she is trying to get across.
Both characters stand as either the lead, or co-lead of their perspective narratives - they are much more to both their showsโ than Gregory or Carmyโs love interests. They have their own stakes in the plot outside of their relation to either of their potential significant others; For Jeanine, she is constantly working to improve Abbotโs conditions for her kids, as well as healing her own relationship to her inner child. Syd is currently shrouded in a bit more mystery, especially in regards to her personal life - but, it is clear that her culinary ambitions, her relationship to failure, and the need to prove her own self worth are all vitally important to her character. Thatโs the reason why sheโs Carmyโs business partner, not because he wants to sleep with her.
If Jeanine and Gregory make it official and eventually get married (which I personally think is Quinta Brunsonโs plan) or Carmy and Syd start a messy kitchen hookup, that leads into a meaningful relationship - it would not be โout of characterโ, it would not be to โadd dramaโ to the plot. It is simply a road that the the incredibly smart writers of Abbot and The Bear can choose to go down. Bottom line: it shouldnโt be a crime if these girls want to bang their hot coworkers (and vice versa for the guys).
