WHO KILLED SARA? NETFLIX slipped in the second season offering about two months after they debuted season one. Is it worth watching?
Probably so. The story continues and, as it does, you learn that you never really knew about Sara in season one. But, to be honest, we stopped streaming and realized we just didn't give a damn anymore who killed Sara.
Why?
Lorenzo.
Luis Roberto Guzman created a full bodied character with Lorenzo and you honestly gave a damn about him. He wasn't trying to break the law, he wasn't trying to hurt anyone and he wasn't after revenge. He was a good person who tried to do the right thing throughout season one. In season two, things got more complicated. When trashy Clara's hideous ex-boyfriend broke in, Lorenzo tried to reason with him. Chema instead stabbed him to death. Yet again, Lorenzo had to be the mature one. Yet again. He had to help Clara and Chema bury the body. And then, when a development was going to take place, Chema and he went to move the body, in the rain, and Chema gets a call and bails. Leaving in the only car they took. Lorenzo is left to clean up Chema's mess as usual. Then the brother of Clara's now dead ex-boyfriend shows up and kills Lorenzo in front of Chema. Lorenzo is killed because Chema murdered the guy's brother.
When Lorenzo died, we bailed.
There was no reason for the character to die.
We're reminded of the hideous Joss Whedon (we warned you Buffy fans years and years and years ago). Tara and Willow are a couple. There's finally a same-sex couple on BUFFY. And they're in love. And Tara is killed off. Because there were too many lesbian characters in the cast?
No, because killing off a gay character, putting them in an icebox, is a long standing trope.
WHO KILLED SARA? had two gay characters: Chema and Lorenzo -- two if you want to pretend. There was no need to kill off one. Twelve main characters, tons of supporting ones and the decision is made to kill of Lorenzo?
Years after Amber Benson's Tara was killed off, BUFFY producer Marti Noxon stated killing the character went too far, adding, "And I think that killing Tara was – in retrospect, of all the people, did she have to die?"
Killing Amber was a plot device and homophobic. We say the same of killing Lorenzo.
Reality, Eugenio Siller's Chema is not that interesting. Nor is he good looking. Nor is he sympathetic. He's also not 'gay.'
We realize that, right?
Lorenzo is in love with Chema and wants to make a life with him. Despite Chema wanting trashy Clara to carry their child as a surrogate -- despite the fact that Chema once fooled around with Clara. And, in season two, look who's screwing. No, not Kirstie Alley and John Travolta, Chema and Clara. Chema dresses in Lorenzo's clothes and paints on a mustache to seduce the pathetic Chema who does not defend his lover by telling her to take off Lorenzo's clothes. No, he makes out with Clara.
Chema's bi. The only gay character was Lorenzo and he gets killed off. Ridiculous and insulting.
We're back to tokenism. We're back to the days where we have our 'gay' Steven Carrington who's only gay sometimes. (Credit to Al Corely for publicly complaining -- in INTERVIEW with then lover Carly Simon -- about how Steven was being changed). We're back to the days of let's throw in a gay character for spice -- to show how 'progressive' we are -- but let's quickly kill him off so that he can't actualize any dreams or hopes or plans. Lorenzo was a full bodied character and that goes to the actor, not the writers.
There's a scene, for example, in season one, where Lorenzo is objecting to Clara being in their life and Clara's crazy ex and Chema won't grow the hell up and fight for the love he and Lorenzo share. Lorenzo tells him that he knows Chema needs a daddy (yes, Lorenzo was the Daddy in that relationship) but Chema still needs to grow up. With a stare and body language, Lorenzo got across everything the writers and producers had been afraid and too timid to address.
One thing NETFLIX can rightly point to is that it has been a leader on portrayals of sexual orientation (LGBTQ) as well as sex period (the challenged or disable, those with kinks or fetishes, etc -- all have been represented). So we're not going to blame NETFLIX for what took place. But, to be clear, what took place was outrageous and offensive. We will hold the show runners accountable and that especially includes Jose Ignacio Velenzuela.
It really is past time that gay characters stop being used as 'flavor' to spice up otherwise bland offerings and then, once they've spiced things up, be dropped so we can return to the dull and bland. Don't mistake rudimentary plotting for art.
