Written by Max Thornton.
When I heard the premise of Faking It, I eyerolled so hard it hurt. I Kissed a Girl: The TV Show? Wow, that’s definitely what pop culture needs in 2014. But there’s almost nothing else on TV at the moment, so I watched it anyway, and…I kind of love it.
Make no mistake, this is not a good show: it is cheesy and melodramatic and cliche-ridden, and I honestly don’t know if it’s even self-aware in moments like the one where Teen Andrew Rannells calls Bargain-Basement Regina George “so two-dimensional, she’s practically a character on Glee.” And yet it’s eminently watchable, and it’s perhaps doing something a little interesting with the well-worn trope of the lesbian who’s in love with her straight friend.
The premise is actually a little more nuanced than the way it’s been sold: two girls who attend a super-progressive high school are taken for lesbians and decide to roll with it to increase their popularity (apparently such schools do exist). The way it’s been promoted has suggested that the two girls take a much more active role in the deception than they actually do – it’s more that they are publicly and dramatically outed by Teen Andrew Rannells, and no one will believe their demurrals.
Karma (Katie Stevens), whose parents are ridiculous hippies, is definitely faking it. Amy (Rita Volk), who has conservative Christian parents, is probably not faking it. Their portmanteau name is Karmy.
Someone on the show referred to “the lipstick one,” but they are both so femmey I honestly didn’t know which one he meant until Karma pulled out fake eyelashes and Amy said, “I guess that makes me the butch one.” Thanks for the clarification, show.
![The butch one??? [image credit: MTV]](https://btchflcks.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/faking-it-rita-volk-e1404142947986.png)
Bargain-Basement Regina George is about to become Amy’s stepsister, which is a potentially intriguing twist that has been squandered. It’s used not to deepen the Regina George character at all but just to make life even more difficult for poor Amy.
Meanwhile Teen Andrew Rannells (Michael Willett) and Bargain-Basement Edward Cullen (Gregg Sulkin) are BFFs. Teen Andrew Rannells is super enthusiastic about having lesbian friends, while Bargain-Basement Edward Cullen and Karma have a gross secret affair that 0 percent of all viewers are emotionally invested in. It’s gross and terrible and Karma needs to get hit upside the head with the cluebat. But it is neat that the gay boy’s straight best friend is a dude, rather than a woman as in 99 percent of pop culture. As repellent as Bargain-Basement Edward Cullen is, it’s refreshing to see a close onscreen friendship between a gay teen boy and a straight teen boy that isn’t full of “no homo.”
Hijinks and soul-searching ensue, as Karma is terrible and Amy tries to figure out her sexuality. (“I don’t want to meet another girl.” “Boy?” “I don’t want to meet another boy.” “That limits your options.” Oh honey, not as severely as you think.) The very end of the season took an unfortunate turn into a well-trod territory that needed to happen on TV never again. It might be narratively justifiable, but it seems like every single fictional lesbian ever has slept with a man, and that really needs to stop.
As Autostraddle recapper Riese pointed out, “best friendship in high school is often nearly indistinguishable from girlfriendship.” Rather than being the exploitative show about straight girls playing gay that everyone expected, Faking It has turned out to be an exploration of the blurry lines between friendship and romance.
In some ways, the show it most reminds me of is the British series Sugar Rush (which debuted almost a decade ago, oh god I feel old). Sugar Rush was another show about a high-school lesbian in love with her straight best friend, and it was also somewhat prone to cheese and melodrama, but – you know what? That is honest to the teen experience. Teenagers are prone to cheese and melodrama, especially teenagers who are struggling to figure out their sexuality (and/or hopelessly in love with their best friend).
For all its faults, Sugar Rush was formative for me as a budding queer, and for that reason it will always have a special place in my heart. American teens in 2014 have more lesbionic televisual role models than British teens in 2005; even so, if Faking It can be for even one kid what Sugar Rush was for me, its existence will be justified.
_________________________________________________
Max Thornton blogs at Gay Christian Geek, tumbles as trans substantial, and is slowly learning to twitter at @RainicornMax. He’s sorry if you now have ‘I Kissed A Girl’ stuck in your head. If it’s any consolation, he does too.