Last spring, MTV premiered a new television show called "Faking It," which essentially is a comedy centered around two best friends with various LGBT themes.
Warning: spoilers ahead!
Season 1, 8 episodes: "Oh Crap, I am in Love with my Best Friend"
Synopsis: In the pilot, we are introduced to the introverted Amy Raudenfield (Rita Volk) and the attention-seeking Karma Ashcroft (Katie Stevens) who attend the aggressively progressive Hester High School in Austin, Texas. Feeling unpopular, Karma is willing to do whatever it takes to be noticed, whereas Amy would rather eat doughnuts and watch Netflix. The two are invited to a house party by the popular and outwardly gay Shane Harvey (Michael J. Willet). At the party, Karma and Amy are erroneously outed as a lesbian couple by Shane, who then nominates them as Hester High's first Homecoming Queens.
Review: The title and the initial episode may upset some, considering that sexuality should not be faked or used for attention, but the rest of Season 1 highlights just that. Amy realizes that she has romantic and sexual feelings for Karma, which leads to denial, confusion, and frustration. Karma is, of course, oblivious to Amy, as she captures the attention of Liam Booker (Greg Sulkin). Booker is hot (and a bit of a player) and shows initial interest in Karma because she is a "lesbian." The more they fake it, the more Amy feels uncomfortable being used for popularity and annoyed by Karma's obsession with Liam. The last episode is heartbreaking to watch, and the cliffhanger leaves you anxious for Season 2.
Other important characters:
Lauren Cooper, Amy's stepsister – traditional and new to Hester High.
Farrah Raudenfield, Amy's mother – a newscaster in denial about Amy's revelations
Best Episodes:
"Pilot"
"Remember the Croquembouche"
"Burnt Toast"
Season 2A, 10 episodes: Amy Moves On, Karma Holds On
Synopsis- Through the revelations of various secrets, character development deepens and stirs up the drama. Amy's stepsister Lauren (Bailey De Young) is forced to reveal the secret that she's been keeping since Season 1: She is intersex. This makes Lauren the first intersex character on television. Other characters react with empathy and tread with caution about asking questions like, "Can you have kids?"
Amy's mother Farrah eventually comes to terms with Amy's sexuality and announces her support for Amy and her new girlfriend Reagan (Yvette Monreal) towards the end of the season. Liam and Karma reveal more about their family life, which gives explanations for the way they act.
Karma and Amy struggle with their friendship throughout the season, at first dealing with the awkwardness and uncertainty from Season 1. As the season progresses, Amy pushes herself to move on, and Karma is caught between playing matchmaker and dealing with the jealousy that follows.
Bonus: Laverne Cox, transwoman extraordinaire, guest stars as a theater teacher.
Other Important Characters:
Theo – Liam's friend and Lauren's love interest
Duke – Closeted MMA fighter and Shane's love interest
Reagan – Local DJ and Amy's new girlfriend
Best Episodes:
"The Morning Aftermath"
"Busted"
Review: Overall, the series provides a healthy amount of odd and subversive hilarity, with deeper emotions and themes that emerge and grow over time. I think a lot of people, LGBT youth or not, can identify with Amy, as most of us know what it feels like to love someone who doesn't love you the same way. Volk's performance is authentic and succeeds in making you believe that she is going through this confusing time. Karma is the flip side of the coin, dealing with her best friend being in love with her. Throughout the seasons, we root for them both to be happy, even if that means not being a couple and just being friends.
This show could improve in terms of diversity. Although casting does make an attempt to diversify the background characters, like a Muslim girl as a school journalist, an Asian girl as one of Lauren's friends, and a girl in a wheelchair that we see in Season 2, Theo is the only character of color that gets more screen time and lines. I would like to see transgender and asexual representation to introduce more variety of the LGBTQA+ community to the masses.
There is also an issue with recognizing Amy's character as bisexual in the series. In the media, it's common for characters to say they don't prefer labels or that they're fluid (like Piper Chapman in "Orange is the New Black") which is a form of bi-erasure and biphobia. However, I do understand that the main character is a high school student and still figuring out her sexuality, so it's not the end of the world.
"Faking It" writers do a good job of covering LGBT topics such as coming out (with positive and negative reactions), staying in the closet, moving on too quickly, faking being a lesbian for attention, sexuality considered the most interesting part of a person, info about being intersex, allusions to Chick-Fil-A, etc. This coming-out and coming-of-age story is in no means perfect, but the characters stumble along and try to get through it together the best they know how.
I definitely recommend this show for those of you who like to marathon a few seasons in a weekend, and those who want to connect to characters as they ride out the waves of different areas in the LGBTQA+ community.
"Faking It" Season 2B is set to premiere in August 2015.
