Gay undertones?
Are Orry and George supposed to be gay lovers? Every time they see each other, it's like they're about to start making out.
shareI think most of it is George. I mean, Orry limits his mushiness to things like, "George, you're the best friend a guy could have." George is the one saying things like, "Don't let fanatics like Virgilia kill our feelings for each other" and talking about Orry every time he's in bed with his wife.
shareYou may have a point there. In the final scene, George is standing so close to Orry that you couldn't have squeezed a nickel between the two of them, and they're standing outside on a great big plantation with plenty of room.
shareIt is easy to think there are homoerotic undertones to George and Orry's relationship, but I think that their zeal for each other makes sense. They're kind of the brother that they always wanted but never had. Think about it. If you became best friends with another guy during military school, served in the army together, returned to your very separate home afterward (and can't call each other or jump in the car/hop a flight to visit each other), you'd be thrilled to see each other after a few years. Hugs might be a little longer and you might walk just a little closer to each other.
shareI think George was a lot of it, especially in Part 2.
In part 1 they were close as hell until when Orry got hurt and left the war they grew distant but George tried his hardest to keep it going. Orry was a mess for a majority of that series. He finally got sociable again in the final show and they grow close until the start of the war ended it. When Orry left on the train it bothered both of them and they had that log hug because they weren't sure if they'd see each other again.
Part 2's odd because they don't spend a lot of time together and when they do they are either arguing or trying to solve something. George tries to keep it together but Orry's hard headed and stubborn. George expressed his emotions more than Orry who was more quiet. For instance when Lincoln's killed George is bawling while Orry just says something and pushes it aside. I did notice that near the end though.
I think a lot of it's the way each one was raised. Orry was the definite southern gentleman he has to be a badass constantly and not be un-manly unless behind the scenes. George was raised much differently and less on the badass way but he turned out to be quite epic himself. He was the opposite of Stanley who was more effinate and lacked the backbone. Both expressed theirselves differently. Orry was more subtle while George was more open.