Cate Perfect Posted June 28, 2004 Share Posted June 28, 2004 Last season they introduced a character named Arthur, played by Rainn Wilson, who was an intern at the funeral home that is the set of Six Feet Under. He was always very formal and sexless on a show that should be called 'Lots o' Sex and Occasionally Someone Dies'. Arthur got into a platonic, snoodly relationship with the matriarch on the show, the lovely Francis Conroy. At one point she suggested that they have sex and he said that he hoped they wouldn't sully their perfect relationship with something so base. She broke up with him over that. Tonight on the show the gay couple, David and Keith, were discussing Arthur and Keith said he thought Arthur was in the closet as gay. David said in a non-judgmental way, 'I think he's a, not gay.' Keith then said that he thought people who called themselves asexual were simply in the closet as gay, but that all faded to the background for me. The fact that David even used the word 'a' meaning asexual blew my mind. And I KNEW that character was a! I KNEW it! *proud* I thought I was projecting, but no...he is...was. Cate Link to post Share on other sites
Jayann Posted June 28, 2004 Share Posted June 28, 2004 WOAH. The first admittedly, AND positively portrayed asexual on television?! Get. Out. I REALLY hope this character isn't forced to change. That's so fantastic! Link to post Share on other sites
fluffy_hime Posted June 28, 2004 Share Posted June 28, 2004 Fast forward to Arthur "finding the right woman" and becoming a nympho. Link to post Share on other sites
Cate Perfect Posted June 28, 2004 Author Share Posted June 28, 2004 Actually, it would appear that he's gone. He moved out. At the very end of last season Ruth, Francis Conroy, met a man, James Cromwell, and they got married after a VERY brief courtship. Needless to say, this broke Arthur up because he still had feelings for her. Tonight on the show Ruth confronted Arthur and he admitted he still cared for her. Then he left. He packed his things, resigned his internship and moved out. I was kinda pissed at Ruth's new husband because she told him she'd had a platonic thing with Arthur and described it and he laughed. Bastard. Cate Link to post Share on other sites
fluffy_hime Posted June 28, 2004 Share Posted June 28, 2004 ::is watching Six Feet Under when a redhead storms onto set, kills Ruth's husband, and storms off set:: ::shrugs:: Link to post Share on other sites
Jayann Posted June 28, 2004 Share Posted June 28, 2004 He should come live with us. We know how to love him right. *kicks Ruth in the teeth* Link to post Share on other sites
Cate Perfect Posted June 28, 2004 Author Share Posted June 28, 2004 They already have a red-head on the show, Lauren Ambrose, I'd be the one with REALLY long, red hair. You make me laugh, fluffy. :D Yes, Arthur....come to uuuuuuusssss, weeeee loooooove yoooooo. Cate Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted June 28, 2004 Share Posted June 28, 2004 That rocks the proverbial casbah. I knew a show about the dead would do it right. Link to post Share on other sites
Live R Perfect Posted June 28, 2004 Share Posted June 28, 2004 What?! They actually used the term "he's a"?! Thats just.... incredible! :D Pity they had to write the character out afterwards... Which series was it Cate? Link to post Share on other sites
Cate Perfect Posted June 28, 2004 Author Share Posted June 28, 2004 It's the fourth series, Karl. AND, they're re-running the first three episodes of this season/series back to back next Sunday starting at 8pm Eastern Standard Time, for those of you who get HBO. Unfortunately, you'll have to wait until the third series is on DVD before you can see Arthur in all his (now confirmed) asexual glory. I know, Karl, that's what shocked me most--the fact that someone just said, 'I think he's a, not gay', rather than having to spell it out for everyone. My jaw literally dropped. Cate Link to post Share on other sites
junie99 Posted June 28, 2004 Share Posted June 28, 2004 That is so awesome Cate! They actually have an asexual character on television! :shock: This must mean that we are becoming more visible now. As far as I know there has not ever been an asexual character on TV before. Link to post Share on other sites
VivreEstEsperer Posted June 28, 2004 Share Posted June 28, 2004 Woah!!! An asexual character on TV?!?! No more having to watch all the gay shows since they're the next best thing? "He's a, not gay"?? That's amazing! Especially too that they used our terminology; they didn't say "he's asexual," they said "he's a!" I wonder if someone on the SFU staff has been reading our board :) That's so great. If anyone ever gets to make a tape of that episode - do share! I guess my dad and last year's roommate were right when they reccomended it...I watched one episode and couldn't get into it though. Kate Link to post Share on other sites
Davey Posted June 28, 2004 Share Posted June 28, 2004 VERY cool. Pity they wrote him out, though. Link to post Share on other sites
Cate Perfect Posted June 28, 2004 Author Share Posted June 28, 2004 I'm going to try to tape it when they re-run it next week. And I'd planned to buy the third series on DVD when it comes out, anyway. That's when Arthur was obviously a, but no one said anything. The show was created by Alan Ball. He wrote American Beauty. They've always explored different sorts of sexuality. Including straight women being attracted/confused about their female friends. Last season it was Ruth over Kathy Bates, this season it's Lauren Ambrose enamoured with Mena Suvari. And Ellen Degeneres was on the show tonight. As was Michelle Trachtenberg (from Buffy the Vampire Slayer). Cate Link to post Share on other sites
Live R Perfect Posted June 28, 2004 Share Posted June 28, 2004 It's the fourth series, Karl. Ah right. Well I believe they've only shown the first two series here so far, so thats something to look forward to! :D Link to post Share on other sites
Borrible Cal Posted June 29, 2004 Share Posted June 29, 2004 I've never watched Six Feet Under and I doubt I ever will--not my type of thing--but I still think this is remarkably cool. Borrible Cal. Link to post Share on other sites
Cate Perfect Posted June 29, 2004 Author Share Posted June 29, 2004 You have to have a certain sensibility (and occasionally a strong stomch) to watch the show. And there's a LOT of sex, so I wouldn't recommend it to the asexuals that get squicked out by that. My first 'boyfriend's parents ran a funeral home--his father was a mortician--so I've always been a little warped anyway. Cate Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted June 29, 2004 Share Posted June 29, 2004 You got to be in a funeral home, Cate? That's awesome. I'm jealous. :( Link to post Share on other sites
Cate Perfect Posted June 29, 2004 Author Share Posted June 29, 2004 That was one of the reasons I liked the guy, actually. Though he was also very soft spoken and shy and he never made a pass. A few years later I would find out he was gay. He was also the only redhead in my class. So I liked him for that. Wonder whatever happened to him...*drifts off into thought* Cate Link to post Share on other sites
kala Posted June 29, 2004 Share Posted June 29, 2004 now now.. don't want you getting lost... there are lions... and... tigers... yeah.. i'll stop.. Link to post Share on other sites
Gorax Posted June 30, 2004 Share Posted June 30, 2004 Whoa! That owns! Especially the way they said "a", which meant they assumed everyone knew what asexuality was. I wonder if it went right over some people's heads, though? You know, the so-called "common folk" ;) Link to post Share on other sites
Cate Perfect Posted July 1, 2004 Author Share Posted July 1, 2004 Right after David said that, Keith, his boyfriend, used the word 'asexual'. So that would have clarified it for anyone who wasn't paying attention the first time. :D I had a moment where I went, 'Did he just say....' Then the other character spoke and I thought, 'HE DID! WOOOOOOO!' Cate Link to post Share on other sites
Gorax Posted July 1, 2004 Share Posted July 1, 2004 Come to think about it, it's probably better that they had the character axed rather han converted to the dark side :roll: Link to post Share on other sites
Cate Perfect Posted July 1, 2004 Author Share Posted July 1, 2004 I'm holding out hope he'll come back and they'll let him be his a self. *is an optimist* Cate Link to post Share on other sites
Davey Posted July 1, 2004 Share Posted July 1, 2004 I doubt it. It's not very marketable, really. Although I'm not sure what kind of show it is. *isn't* Link to post Share on other sites
Live R Perfect Posted August 31, 2004 Share Posted August 31, 2004 Woohoo! I just switched over my TV just in time to catch that exact moment of Six Feet Under! :D Though I haven't been watching this series so far, so I'm not very familiar with his character. But just the fact that they use the word asexual in a human sense PLUS its abbreviation to 'A' is pretty awesome all the same! Link to post Share on other sites
Cate Perfect Posted August 31, 2004 Author Share Posted August 31, 2004 They had it on over there already?! Cool! I know, any mention of the word 'asexual' on TV not in a scientific context is noteworthy. Cate Link to post Share on other sites
maia Posted October 20, 2004 Share Posted October 20, 2004 Right after David said that, Keith, his boyfriend, used the word 'asexual'. So that would have clarified it for anyone who wasn't paying attention the first time. :DI had a moment where I went, 'Did he just say....' Then the other character spoke and I thought, 'HE DID! WOOOOOOO!' Cate Hopefully if people in the audience weren't sure what he meant by "He's A", the fact that they then said Asexual, would be a starting point for them to find out what it means and discover what asexuality is. Thank you Alan Ball! Link to post Share on other sites
Mermaid Posted October 24, 2004 Share Posted October 24, 2004 Arthur actually annoyed me. Why does the asexual character have to be such a weirdo? Why can't someone just do their job, live their lives without being defined by their sexuality. I don't see why a tv show can't portray a straight up character who happens to not partake in sex. For the love of God, (not in a ranting tone) who on earth cares what another person does in private. It has nothing to do with their ability to run a funeral home, solve a crime, work for the President or whatever. I think Nell on Ally McBeal could easily have been asexual, Tobey on the West Wing (apart from getting his wife pregnant, although maybe he was drunk), Joey on Dawson's Creek (she clearly didn't want to do it with either Pacey or Dawson). Link to post Share on other sites
Oz Posted October 24, 2004 Share Posted October 24, 2004 Arthur actually annoyed me. Why does the asexual character have to be such a weirdo? I agree. The only nerdy eccentric character on the show is the one deemed to be "a". Link to post Share on other sites
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