Meta: What Makes a Love Interest? (Rules s4)-- DFvQ

CW: queerbaiting, arranged marriage, toxic relationship, workplace abuse, cultural imperialism, amatonormativity, implied pedophilia, implied incest, fatphobia, misogyny, Orientalism, racism, codependency, BDSM

As we saw, structurally Timmy’s introduction puts him forward as a love interest for Russell, albeit as a queerbaiting joke. That said, an appeal to romantic structures is really the only plausible justification for why their relationship is so all over the place given how infrequently Timmy appears in s3, and s4 only expands the bierotic space their relationship occupies. We’ll return to how their story troubles the amatonormativity of romantic plots, but currently I want to focus on how s4 builds up their relationship as a complicated interpersonal connection instead of simply a plot device, a connection that troubles the idea that becoming the love interest is a good thing.

 

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