Thread:Huberd/@comment-24268382-20160521004642/@comment-27976931-20160522234733

It is odd of you to reference Disney movies when you defend yours and other people's viewing of the show relative to the story being discussed here, when Disney has never actually made any adaptations of Little Red Riding Hood or The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in the conventional sense, meaning there are no films in the Disney canon that deal with those tales first-hand.

OUaT has always twisted the traditional stories in unconventional ways to modernize them and make them more interesting and less superficial. Part of that has always come from mashing up characters that otherwise wouldn't co-star. It's how someone like Rumplestiltskin gets to feature in so many stories, cutting off Captain Hook's hand, torturing Robin Hood, financing Dr. Frankenstein's projects, trying to take Cinderella's baby, etc. Whereas the characters usually get paired off with their traditional romantic counterparts (Ariel with Eric, Aurora with Phillip), those that didn't usually have them are either paired off with characters original to the series' universe (Hook with Emma, Alice with Cyrus), or with other characters that don't have lovers in the tales they come from (the Wicked Witch with Hades, the Knave of Hearts with the Red Queen). Therefore, Red Riding Hood being paired up with Dorothy Gale is not unprecedented. It just so happens to be the show's first homosexual pairing. If you didn't oppose to the couples I listed prior to episode 5.18, you shouldn't have much of a problem with this lesbian couple. Their relationship does seem to be rushed, but so do most of the aforementioned couples. I think that speaks to the "love at first sight" nature of many romances in fairytales.

In the original series of books, Dorothy Gale is hinted to have a relationship with Princess Ozma, which is why Dorothy (and her portrayer in the famed film, Judy Garland) became such huge gay icons. It is probable that this is the reason as to why the show's writers decided to make Dorothy gay. You could then argue that they should have just brought in Ozma to be with Dorothy, but hey, they made Robin Hood and the Evil Queen be a thing to the expense of poor Maid Marian. As for why they made Red be the other party in the series' first gay pairing, that's far more debatable. I guess it was just their way to bring Ruby, a former main character, back into the fold and make it notable.

Personally, if you brush off the superficial aspect of the relationship being so sudden and contained to a mere episode so far (due to the actresses' other commitments), I think what OUaT did when presenting that romance was wonderful. Not a single character in the series looked even slightly surprised when it was discovered that Ruby loved Dorothy. No one made a comment about them being two girls, or about Ruby having liked boys before. It was treated as naturally and casually as any heterosexual relationship typically is, and that is precisely the kind of world we should live in. One should be able to say they are straight, bi or gay and get the same normal reaction. No surprise, no shock, no judgment. To present this in a show that's about true love, hope and happy endings feels essential to me. As in, it's about time.

You claim not to be a homophobe, simply that you have "different beliefs". Therefore, I am curious as to what exactly bothers you about this pairing. You tell us you're "someone who wanted things the way they were in the movies", but as I've said before, OUaT always twists things up a bit. There have been far more radical changes than this one. Even if you're not a homophobe yourself and are simply worried about the show losing more viewers by stepping into a territory that's considered "controversial", well, I think you should instead be applauding the series for standing up for something that is right, beneficial, progressive and, unfortunately, necessary. I say "unfortunately" because it still is necessary to push the envelope regarding homosexual rights, it is still necessary to enlighten and educate prejudiced people and it is still necessary to make those that feel prejudiced against feel accepted. People shouldn't conform and not take chances because of the possible downside, and that is valid for the people involved with this show, that make it possible. They took a chance. Good for them, and good for a lot of people.