People of Earth Update: Homophobia Rears its Head

I was home alone all day Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, so I binge watched the second season of People of Earth.

Not a good idea.

In case you haven't heard about it, People of Earth is a comedy about a journalist writing an article on an alien-abduction support group.  Gradually he realizes that he has also had an abduction experience.  And that aliens are real: a confederation of greys, Nordics, and reptilians are working to take over the Earth.

The second season gets considerably darker.  Spoiler alert: the focus character dies.

Who kills the focus character?  That's unconscionable!

The aliens' new mission supervisor, Eric, a micromanaging floating cube, orders the deaths of all of the support group members.

And the gay content goes south.

The gay farmer of Season 1 is gone, replaced by an  FBI agent investigating the murder.  She gradually realizes that she...well, you know.

There are three hetero-romances. Well, four, if you count the guy dating the robot.  But she's just pretending to like him to get information.

And remember Jeff (Ken Hall), the grey who is in love with the reptilian Kurt (Drew Nelson)?  Eric the Cube finds a video of him kissing Kurt while he was in a regeneration chamber, and uses it to blackmail Jeff.

A gay guy getting blackmailed?  That's horribly homophobic.








What, exactly, is the attitude toward same-sex relations in the alien society?  Jeff's coworkers seem to be fine with it, and encourage Jeff to tell Kurt how he feels. But Eric uses it for blackmail.

And when Jeff finally does tell Kurt, he is mystified, as if it is nonsense, as if same-sex romance can't even be conceived of.

He's killed before Jeff can explain what "gay" means.

(Ken Hall is in the center.)

The whole thing is played as a big, giant joke.  Oh, look, a gay alien!

Meanwhile hetero-romances are played to the hilt, with kissing and "come back to bed."

The season ends on a dozen cliffhangers.  And, since the series was renewed for a third season, then cancelled at the last minute, we will never know what happens.

So we're left with heterosexual couples kissing and a gay guy getting blackmailed.

See also: People of Earth.