The definition of “masculine” has never actually been entirely static, so it has undergone some changes in fiction—as well as in real life, but that’s a whole other discussion. The majority of us still find the Indiana Jones films to be incredibly troublesome and downright disturbing, but that doesn’t stop us from loving them. At least, a large portion of us still do. The same is true for other well-known franchises like James Bond. Now that the Manly Movie Man saga has officially come to an end, authors are attempting to tackle the concept of a “good likable male character” from a new perspective. Being fully at ease with your sexuality and willing to communicate your feelings is the epitome of manly.
Since I haven’t really discussed Todd before outside of in relation to Dirk Gently’s Detective Agency, he serves as a fantastic example of this new wave of masculine characters. But by himself? In addition to being complicated and a little awkward, Todd also has a strong platonic affection for Dirk—as far as we know, since the show was canceled—and, most importantly, he doesn’t get away with bad behavior. Todd’s actions of being an asshole toward Amanda have real repercussions.
Even after Amanda partially forgives him, she still doesn’t let him completely off the hook and she’d much rather live her own life away from him. It’s complicated and surprisingly well-written. But enough about Todd, as much as I love Elijah Wood’s stunning performance. It’s time to talk about David Rose from Schitt’s Creek.
David is an interesting character. He has the general mannerisms of a stereotypical flamboyant gay man, right down to the overly dramatic hand gestures. If this show had been made less than a decade earlier, David would have been a punchline.
He has pretty much all of the personality traits that have been used to define and mock gay male characters in fiction for literal decades. But what sets David apart from all those demeaning depictions of gay male characters is that David isn’t really mocked for how he acts.
Even though David’s tendency toward hyperbole is frequently exploited for comedic effect—as demonstrated by the occasion when he ran away from home—he is not quite as theatrical as his mother Moira. David was born into a social caste of pampered rich people, thus it appears that his tendency toward over-dramas runs in his family. Over the course of the series, David gradually stops getting worked up over little things and starts to calm down a little. Furthermore, David’s feminine actions are never made fun of for being, well, feminine. This is typically not the case. whenever male characters exhibit any kind of femininity, even a basic interest in cookery.
It’s frequently utilized as the joke’s punchline since the story itself and the characters both exhort him to “man up.” Basically, even though the character is completely fine, male characters who don’t act masculine enough are often ridiculed, made fun of, and kicked around by the story until they comply. This never happens to David. His character arc is about him becoming less egocentric and self-absorbed rather than about him adopting a typical masculinity. Furthermore, David is never spoken down to or vilified for who he is. He doesn’t hear from people close to him to “man up.” David doesn’t need to prove anything to anyone since he is happy with who he is.
