MovieChat Forums > American Gods (2017) Discussion > Can I get a little politically incorrect...

Can I get a little politically incorrect here?

posted 8 years ago by somf (17)
22 replies | jump to latest

Let me get a little politically incorrect here. I read American Gods about ten years ago. And read Anansi Boys the week it came out. I thought American Gods was one of the best books that I have ever read, and was so excited about Starz making a series of it.
I am very happy that gay people are enjoying much more freedom now than a generation ago. Reason number one for this is for the kids. God how horrible puberty must be for gay people in societies that are unaccepting of them. I simply believe one is born gay. Falling in love or lust happens and if it is not with your pet or a minor, I think it is great.
So let me get to the point. Episode 3 of American Gods has at least a 3 or 4 minute porn level gay scene in it that I found, well kind of gross.
I liked Brokeback Mountain, Six Feet Under, True Blood, and Moonlight. The gay sexual scenes in those films and shows were just fine with me. They made the story move. This thing was like, how far can you go? The show has so many interesting things going on, that I don't want give up on it, but I kind of thought about it. Now to be fair it was these two Muslim guys and one of them is a God from Muslim folklore and so he has fire coming out of his eyes as he has sex so that is cool but I got the point after about one second. So I get this image that the show creator Bryan Fuller is really trying to push the envelope. He did and he probably alienated the majority of the viewers more than me. But it stars Ian McShane. I gotta keep watching.

[–] [email protected] (1355) 8 years ago

I havent read the book, so the episodes are getting a bit confusing for me,,,BUT I have to agree with you on the gay sex scene. I have no issue with any preference anyone has, thats fine, but the scene was cringe worthy to say the least. Can you tell me what it meant when he woke up and went out to the empty cab, and begin driving it? I was lost. Or perhaps I was traumatized by the previous scene, lol

[–] exatera (3955) 8 years ago

I couldn't care less about the gay sex scene, but I gotta say, it was entirely obvious that it was included for a reason!

[–] komrad (148) 8 years ago

Bryan Fuller is fucking gay, that's the only reason.

Just as the same shit Wachowski pulled with Sense8.

[–] exatera (3955) 8 years ago

No, that was not what I meant.

It has been shown more than once in this series already how power and might are transferred through or gained from sex. The jinn was tired and wanted to disappear, the salesman is now the jinn.

If you don't get the reason, then... well, I am sorry about your limitations.

[–] somf (17) 8 years ago

And that could have been achieved in a much shorter sequence. Like the female succubus or whatever she is sequences.

[–] exatera (3955) 8 years ago

I have to disagree with you there. If the scene was short, I do not think it could have successfully conveyed the whole power balance there, how meek and unassertive that salesman was, like he was practically begging the jinn to dominate him, and how the encounter will potentially (which I am guessing we'll see) transform the salesman.

Also I see something there about two deeply unhappy individuals experiencing some respite from their daily life (which, again, needed to be savored to convey to the viewer).

But anyway, OP: the bottom line is that you are not as "enlightened" as you think you are. :-) If the scene bothers you, there is a ways to go.

[–] somf (17) 8 years ago

I think that is an unfair conclusion exatera. I don't consider myself enlightened just empathetic and pragmatic.
Two people want to have gay sex by all means have it. I really wish they won't do it in my living room though. And if the story with the Jinn dude goes somewhere interesting I may have to eat my words. If every couple hours in the show he is having three minute gay sex scenes I may stop investing my time in Fuller's vision of the Novel. Again this is a product and it is meant to make money. It is not smart at all from a financial perspective either, if you ask me anyway.

[–] exatera (3955) 8 years ago

Considering that you would not have opened this topic about a heterosexual sex scene - yes, it *is* an entirely fair conclusion.

I still believe that unlike with Sense8, which I regretted wasting eight hours of my time on and couldn't imagine wasting any more, every scene is in this series for a reason.

We'll see, there are only four more episodes to go.

[–] keybored (2660) 8 years ago

If, as a straight person, you accept that being gay is normal, and that gays should be portrayed in the media as they are a part of real life, then gay sex is also a normal part of real life, and while it may be uncomfortable for you to watch, watching straight sex is probably just as bad a feeling for them to watch, yet that was all that was ever seen.

I'm not gay, but it doesn't bother me to see gay sex portrayed.

[–] somf (17) 8 years ago

Nor me at a certain level but seeing a guys ass getting rammed by a cock for two or three minutes straight is pretty gross especially when one really does not expect it. Look here is problem number 2. Gay sex will not sell tickets. Had Gyllenhall rammed his cock in Ledger's ass for 3 minutes not many heterosexual men would have paid the price of a ticket for Brokeback Mountain . As it was probably 75% of straight males stayed away. So there is a line in the sand that I believe Fuller crossed here. If I had known what I was buying into for my one hour invested in Episode 3, I probably would have skipped it and moved on.

[–] exatera (3955) 8 years ago

Wait, hold on: why didn't you expect it? I'd say it was obvious what would happen back when they were still in the cab, and certainly when they were already on the elevator.

You could have fast-forwarded through it if you found it that bothersome. [shrug]

Also, methinks you keep making the mistake of assuming everyone shares your feelings.

[–] sleepingtiger (712) 8 years ago

somf:
Yeah, well, the show just got renewed for a second season, so apparently a lot of gay dudes like that scene, lol.

[–] sleepingtiger (712) 8 years ago

For real---I haven't seen the show, but there's been a couple of articles about the scenes, how it was done, and all of that. As a straight person, I get tired of seeing straight sex scenes shoved in my face all the time in films, because it's so tired and predictable. What's interesting is that if this scene were in a European film (which they usually are) nobody would have thought much about it. And yeah, that's how gay dudes bang. Here's some articles on the scene and how it was done:

http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/news/a828389/american-gods-reshot-gay-sex-scene/

http://www.tv.com/news/american-gods-gay-sex-scene-explained-14948136730077792/

http://www.towleroad.com/2017/05/american-gods-gay/

[–] [deleted] 7 years ago

Yeah I get that being tired of seeing it thing, as I get tired of swearing in TV shows and Films, can swear like a trooper myself at times but it gets dull in Films and TV. So much so that when I see people in the US say: "It's 2017 let some f bombs and c bombs in shows," I often say be careful what you wish for. See here in Australia it's been allowed on commercial TV (our versions of CBS, NBC and ect), since the mid 90's, used to be from 9pm on now it's 8pm on and it made drama scripts dull. The way to portray someone is angry is to have them f-bomb every third word and c-bomb that anger at someone, end up sitting back wishing they' do some anger scenes without it, let them get some real acting in there (lots other words can be used with great effect).

[–] [deleted] 7 years ago

As a straight person I also find some of the heterosexual scenes a bit uncomfortable when lingered on for too long as well. There have been some in The Americans that I've gone yeah yeah we get the idea, for instance with Martha it was yeah we get this is the best sex she has had, no need to keep going on and on with it.

Depends on how the scene is for me, this one was a bit long, where as the one in Mr. Robot didn't bother me at all. Even most in Sense8 have been okay on all sides of the sexual preferences, the longer parts have mainly been foreplay with petting and kissing. It's not even the fact that in The Americans and this one it was meaningless sex, as the scene in Mr. Robot was just as meaningless, or more so in all 3 cases used to achieve an outcome (not for love or for passion).

[–] keybored (2660) 7 years ago

I think some companies are still using the premise that 'sex sells', but then, so does a well-written storyline which doesn't rely on cheap thrills.

[–] [deleted] 7 years ago

Yep, same as my next bit above, using lots of f-bombs and c-bombs makes it grittier to them, when in fact you can do gritty without an over-saturation of that stuff. Think it can also relate to the story and progression for me, for Tyrell in Mr. Robot it was used to show the lengths he would go to and happened once and we got the way he is due to it, point made and they moved on.

With The Americans I found myself time and again thinking yeah they use sex on people to get them onside we get it, just get on with the story we've seen how that is. As in now you could see them go into a house/apartment with someone and cut to another scene, come back see them getting ready to leave and know sex has happened. So another 3-5 minutes of story has been advanced by not seeing it for that amount of time, but nope have to have the 3-5 minute sex scene.

[–] keybored (2660) 7 years ago

Well, 3-5 minutes of sex scenes means 3-5 minutes less paying for a better story. It's just padding to take up airtime.

[–] [deleted] 7 years ago

Yep and that's why it annoys me I think.

[–] EmaSlo (22) 8 years ago

I absolutely agree with you that the "porn level" scene is over the top, but not only the one with the jinn. STARZ has a habit to be extremely graphic with their sex in general. Same goes for violence. I presume that they do this to get a wider audience, but I personally find their sex scenes distasteful and unnecessary (they did the same in the first and some episodes of the second season of Black Sails - explicit sex scenes for no good reason).
I like the show itself for many reasons, but it does have the same level of graphic sex and violence all the STARZ productions have and that is not something I support.
Sadly, sex and violence are the biggest moneymakers in today's society and quality of storytelling is getting more and more neglected.

[–] exatera (3955) 8 years ago

Boo-hoo. Spartacus was one of the best and the most graphic series ever!

Don't watch if it offends your delicate sensibilities.

[–] NoOneOnEarth (38) 7 years ago

I haven't seen this show yet, but personally, I don't like sex scenes at all. Straight, gay, or otherwise. But at least gay scenes are little more rare/interesting. But I would prefer no sex scenes.