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Desperate Housewives bid a final farewell on Sunday, and while there was much buzz and excitement around the amazing Dana Delany’s return to Wisteria lane for the series finale, Marc Cherry and company dropped the ball with Delany’s Katherine joining the ranks of so many gay women on the small screen who go straight.
Desperate Housewives bid a final farewell on Sunday, and while there was much buzz and excitement around the amazing Dana Delany’s return to Wisteria lane for the series finale, Marc Cherry and company dropped the ball with Delany’s Katherine joining the ranks of so many gay women on the small screen who go straight, AfterEllen reports.
For months leading up to the finale Body of Proof star Delany, whose character Katherine fell in love with and moved country with Robin--played by the always-welcome Julie Benz-- said that she would be back for the DH finale and told Access Hollywood she specifically asked that Katherine remain queer.
“Marc (Cherry) and I had dinner and he asked me, he said, ‘I just have one question — do you want her to be gay or straight?’ I said, ‘Gay, please.’ He said, ‘OK, that’s all I wanted to know,’” Delany told Access Hollywood in January. She went on to say, “I’m hoping Robin and I are still together.”
When all was said and done Cherry paid no heed to Delany’s wishes, even though he asked her what she wanted. Katherine returned to the Lane and point blank said that she and Robin had split and that she was no longer into women, according to AE.
AE makes the terrific point that, “Delaney must not have read the standard "Death and Dismemberment" clause that is added to every actor's contract once her character comes out as a gay lady.”
That Death and Dismemberment clause is bolstered by a long history of television characters who've come out as lesbian and have either returned to men part and parcel or died a grisly death for opting not to do so, and while it would be terrific if the notion of that happening were a thing of the dark ages of TV’s past, it continues to often be the case.
It’s up to showrunners to put an end to the practice of straightening out or killing off lesbian characters, and yes, we’re looking at you Shonda Rhimes! You can change the course of lesbian pop culture history by ensuring Calzona survives the Grey’s Anatomy season finale!
Meanwhile, here are Katherine and Robin in happier times:
Tracy E. Gilchrist is the VP, Executive Producer of Entertainment for the Advocate Channel. A media veteran, she writes about the intersections of LGBTQ+ equality and pop culture. Previously, she was the editor-in-chief of The Advocate and the first feminism editor for the 55-year-old brand. In 2017, she launched the company's first podcast, The Advocates. She is an experienced broadcast interviewer, panel moderator, and public speaker who has delivered her talk, "Pandora's Box to Pose: Game-changing Visibility in Film and TV," at universities throughout the country.
Tracy E. Gilchrist is the VP, Executive Producer of Entertainment for the Advocate Channel. A media veteran, she writes about the intersections of LGBTQ+ equality and pop culture. Previously, she was the editor-in-chief of The Advocate and the first feminism editor for the 55-year-old brand. In 2017, she launched the company's first podcast, The Advocates. She is an experienced broadcast interviewer, panel moderator, and public speaker who has delivered her talk, "Pandora's Box to Pose: Game-changing Visibility in Film and TV," at universities throughout the country.
