Just when you thought Shonda Rhime's TV shows couldn't get any gayer, they do. After a long summer break, TGIT is back. And it sure did come back with a bang; actually, more like a nuclear blast. Last week's season 2 premiere of "How to Get Away with Murder" had our eyes bulging and jaws dropping down to the underworld as star Viola Davis locked lips with guest star, Famke Janssen. Children, Shonda Rhimes has done it again.
"This is not a drill! I repeat, Viola Davis just became the first black woman to win an Emmy for Best Actress in a Drama for a character who has now revealed herself as bisexual!" said Heather Hogan of autostraddle.com. And now she plays a bisexual woman of color on one of America's current hottest shows. Ah, the world's finest homophobes and racists alike are shaking in their heads with disagreement. I love a good plot twist.
Viola told Access Hollywood she didn't see her character's bisexual past coming."I was very surprised," the Emmy winner told Access at the TGIT event in Los Angeles over the weekend. "Viola was apprehensive about her mother seeing the kissing scene, so much so that she suggested her mom skip the #TGIT premiere action," said Erin O'Sullivan.
Viola Davis is an extremely talented and fearless actress. She has become one of my most prominent idols.
Shonda is well-known for breaking barriers. Her first show, Grey's Anatomy, has been one of the world's most popular shows since it's appearance in 2004. Even though Shonda wasn't the first writer to introduce a gay main character in a TV show, her creation of Callie Torres (Grey's first bisexual character) in 2006 was groundbreaking. Initially, Torres is romantically involved with men predominantly. We then discover she begins to obtain romantic feelings for women as well. In May 2007, Rhimes was named one of TIME magazine's "100 People Who Help Shape The World." In 2009, Rhimes went full-throttle and decided to present her first lesbian character, Arizona Robbins.
In May 2011, ABC ordered Rhimes's pilot script Scandal to series. "Scandal" brought about gay male characters Cyrus Beene (played by Jeff Perry) and James Novak (played by Dan Bucatinsky). "Scandal" is one of the 21st centuries trendiest shows; therefore, the creation of these characters has helped our society to become more accepting. Obviously, there are always going to be people that rebuke Shonda's choices, but the bad is always outweighed by the good.
And let's not forget about "How To Get Away With Murder"'s hot, HOT gay male character Connor Walsh (played byJack Falahee).
Shonda Rhime's incredibly diverse cast has also given TGIT the attention it deserves. ABC and Disney finally gave in this year and decided to market TGIT for exactly what it is: The most diverse, female-driven night of television in history.
I think what all the viewers of TGIT are wondering is, how does she do it? How does Shonda Rhimes continue to produce kick-ass award winning shows? It's one ground-breaking moment after another. I am 100% against drug use, but I must say, I would have to compare the Shondaland roller coaster to crack.
Brilliant characters are created under the reign of Shonda. But not only are they brilliant, they are real and they are strong.
