In Episode 2.1, while we establish the Kelvin/Keefe, Judy/BJ, and Jesse/Amber conflicts of the season, Eli's old friend Junior stops by, and acts very much like an ex-lover. They go out to dinner and beat up a tough. Now we see the aftermath.
A Hot Piece of Tail: Judy and BJ visit Eli to ask him to officiate in BJ's baptism. They find him asleep on the couch in the parlor. Junior enters and asks "Who's this hot piece of tail?" He's actually looking at BJ, but Eli assumes that he means Judy and says that she is his daughter. He apologizes and asks if BJ is her lesbian partner. BJ starts to answer, but Judy cuts him off.
There are several takeaways here. First, Eli and Junior did not sleep together; Eli fell asleep on the couch. Weren't there any guest rooms in his mansion?
Second, check out Junior's magenta bathrobe, jaunty hand on him, and pinky ring: he is deliberately presenting as queer.
Third, Eli may have mentioned that one of his children is gay, and Junior forgot which.
Execretions and Hep C Loads: After Junior heads to the kitchen to make coffee, Judy wants to know what's going on. Eli tells her that "things got a little carried away last night," which she interprets to mean that they are having rough s*x. He grimaces in disgust, but plays along to mess with her.
Her main criticism is that Junior is unattractive: "I always hoped that if you were gonna yank a pole, it would be someone hot." So Judy has considered the possibility that Eli is bisexual for a long time.
She states that the "hookup" signifies that Eli doesn't care about his family. Remember that Jesse likewise complains that Kelvin "popping boners" with the muscle men is "selfish, not helping the family." But it's not just gay s*x; on this show, having a partner of any sort is framed as a betrayal. The family is aghast when Judy wants to move off the Compound with BJ; Baby Billy is still hurt over his sister Aimee-Leigh "leaving him" to marry Eli.
As they storm out, Judy cautions BJ to not touch anything, as there are probably execretions and Hep C loads everywhere. This is a call back to Abraham leaving his semen everywhere in Jesse's house, plus an awareness that Hepatitus C can easily spread through s*x, so it is particularly common in gay communities.
Good Sniffer Seats: After they leave, Eli joins Junior on the back patio, overlooking the reflecting pool that leads to Aimee-Leigh's shrine. Eli invites him to church, but he worries about the cost. Junior avers that he's been to enough strip joints to know that you have to pay for the "good sniffer seats." I can't find the term "sniffer seat" defined anywhere, but I guess that it's a seat close enough to the stage to smell the performers. There are male clubs, but he's probably referencing a lady's club, being a hetero horn dog, backing off from the implication of gay activity.
But not entirely: Eli offers to reserve a good seat for him, and the guys hold hands!
On closer examination, it turns out to be a man and a woman holding hands. We have cut to a scene involving Jesse and Amber's marital advice group. But it is so abrupt that the misdirection must be intentional. The man is even wearing a shirt the same color as Junior's robe.
After the group meeting, Matthew and Chad ask why Jesse's old crew isn't hanging out together anymore. This is all marital stuff, heterosexual nuclear family stuff; what happened to the band of brothers, savage and free? Gregory explains; "I love you guys, but happy wife, happy life."
This is becoming an ongoing question in this season: how do you balance phileo and eros, the fraternal love of family and friends and desire that creates husbands, wives, and lovers? The Bible says that we must abandon phileo for eros, "leave their father and mother and cleave to their husband or wife." Kelvin is trying to combine the fraternal and the erotic by forbidding romance. BJ is trying to negotiate both.
You Got a Hound Dog Here: Cut to Thaniel visiting the Salvation Center, where he admits that he has s*xual-scandal dirt on Aimee-Leigh, gathered from household staff. Well, at least Kelvin is off the hook.
The World's Most Famous Christian: Next, Jesse and Amber visit the Lissons in Texas for a party to celebrate the proposed Zion's Landing resort. Joe Jonas, the World's Most Famous Christian, leads everyone in a line dance. He proclaims his heterosexuality, singing about the "beautiful girls" he's been with while wearing a formless leopard robe and pink bandana, the antithesis of Kelvin's tiger jacket and club bulge. Desire for women un-mans a man, renderng him soft and sickly; only in the manly love of comrades can a man be strong and free.
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