Has
veteran cop show NYPD Blue finally decided to
include a lesbian character in an ongoing, prominent role? After
the series' eleventh season finale on May 11, the answer appears
to be....well, maybe.
The character in question is Det. Kelly Ronson (played by ex-Boston
Public star Jessalyn Gilsig), who was introduced on April
13 in Episode 237 ("The Brothers Grim") and assigned
to work with Det. Rita Ortiz (Jacqueline Obradors) while Ortiz'
partner is on leave. Little personal information was revealed
about Ronson in her first few episodes except that she used to
work in the Vice Squad, and she comes across as very tough. In
her third episode ("Trayler Trash"), Ronson is accused
by the suicidal and paranoid female friend of a fellow male officer
of interfering with their relationship, which just leaves Ronson--and
the audience--confused, since it is clear that Ronson does not
have a relationship with this man.
But
in the season finale this week, an old informant of Ronson's named
Irma (Sara Ramirez) from her days in Vice brings her information
about an arms deal about to go down, and it is clear from Irma's
body language and tone that she and Ronson have a long history
together and that Irma is attracted to Ronson. As Ortiz and Ronson
quiz Irma about her information, we learn that she is a lesbian
when she mentions that she is living with a guy and Ronson asks
in surprise "You and Theresa broke up?" Irma grimaces
and says yes, but she doesn't want to talk about it, and adds
that she just stays with the guy occasionally out of convenience,
not because she loves him.
After
Irma outlines her temporary-boyfriend's plan to sell four dozen
handguns, she asks Ronson about the possibility of reward money,
and when Ronson assures her that there will probably be something
sizeable, Irma smiles and says flirtatiously "Enough for
you and me to run off together?" Ronson just smiles, says
"First thing's first," and then escorts her out. While
Ronson is chuckling at Irma's come-on, Ortiz watches her with
raised eyebrows and seems a little taken aback.
Later,
when the detectives receive conflicting information about the
handgun sale, they bring Irma back in again, and Ortiz grills
her on the inconsistencies as Ronson tries to get Ortiz to back
off, repeatedly assuring her that they can trust Irma. Out in
the hallway after their second conversation with Irma, Ortiz starts
to ask a question with "Normally this would be none of my
business, but--" and Ronson cuts her off with "If there's
something you want to ask me, just go ahead and ask." Ortiz
looks a little uncomfortable, but says "I just want to make
sure your relationship with [Irma] is appropriate." Interestingly,
after inviting the question, Ronson doesn't answer it; she pauses
for a moment, and then just reiterates that she's going to the
captain with the recommendation to move on Irma's information,
and Ortiz finally says "Alright, you say she's legit, then
she's legit."
Irma
offers to wear a wire, but when her boyfriend discovers it he
kidnaps Irma and suddenly Ortiz and Ronson are in a desperate
race to find her before she's killed--which they do, but not before
Irma has been badly beaten. As Ronson rushes to untie Irma, Irma
is crying and asking Ronson whether her face is scarred. "Am
I still pretty?" she asks Ronson insistently, worried that
Theresa won't take her back if she's not pretty anymore. Ronson
puts her arms around a sobbing Irma and reassures her "Yes,
you're still pretty. You will always be pretty."
That
is the extent to which Ronson's sexuality has been referenced
so far in the series, and this ambiguity leaves room for speculation
about NYPD Blue's intentions for her character--speculation
which will not likely be answered until the twelfth season debuts
next fall.
This
is not the first lesbian storyline on NYPD Blue.
In 1995 (Season 3), Det. Adrianne Lesniak (Justine Miceli) transferred
to the 15th to escape a disastrous inter-departmental romance--only
to find herself the object of the affections of Precinct stalwart
James Martinez (Nicholas Turturro). To escape his advances, she
tells him she is gay, which temporarily makes her wonder if she
actually is, until she eventually concludes she's just bitter
and disillusioned with men, not attracted to women. Then in 1997
(Season 4), minor recurring character Det. Abby Sullivan (Paige
Turco) and her partner Kathy (played by Lisa Darr) ask Det. Greg
Medavoy (Gordon Clapp) to be a sperm donor, and he reluctantly
agrees; unfortunately, Kathy is killed shortly thereafter and
Abby wounded by a crazy ex-girlfriend of Abby's.
Although
both of these storylines presented lesbians and lesbianism in
a more complex and realistic way than they were often portrayed
on other shows in the mid-90's, they each ultimately ended in
cliches: Lesniak confused disliking men with liking women, and
Kathy's death at the hands of a deranged lesbian invoked the evil/dead
lesbian cliche.
But
NYPD Blue hasn't been very good to women in general over
the years, gay or straight. There have been plenty of engaging,
appealing female characters on the show during its run, but their
character development and storylines suffer greatly in comparison
to their male counterparts on the series--one of the reasons most
female characters don't last more than a few seasons on the show
while at several male characters have been around for a number
of years.
While
there have been several male actors for whom NYPD Blue
has served to launch or re-launch their careers in a big way--like
David Caruso, Dennis Franz, Jimmy Smits, and Mark-Paul Gosselaar--there
have been few female actors about whom you can say the same, except
for Kim Delaney and perhaps Gail O'Grady. This isn't for lack
of some excellent actresses on the show--this season alone has
stand-outs Jacqueline Obradors and Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon, for
example--but is a directly result of female actresses on NYPD
Blue routinely receiving poorer storylines and less screen
time than the male characters.
On
the plus side, this means Det. Ronson could be NYPD Blue's
chance to improve their legacy around female and lesbian
characters, and potentially re-invigorate a show that is currently
received solid but not stellar ratings.
But
hurdles abound: besides its poor track record with female
and lesbian characters, the show hasn't announced
whether Gilsig is returning to the cast next season--and even
if she does become a full-time cast member, with next season being
the show's last, the writers may not find any room for Ronson's
storyline in their rush to focus on Sipowicz (Franz), Clark (Gosselaar),
and the other more-developed male characters.
Or
worse, we may discover that the innuendo about Ronson's sexuality
in the season finale was just one big ratings stunt, and that
she's not actually gay--selective use of lesbianism (actual or
implied) has long been one of network television's favorite tools
for attracting attention, so it wouldn't be surprising if this
episode became just one more example.
But
despite all of the arguments for why we may not have a prominent
openly gay female character on NYPD Blue next season,
there's still reason to be optimistic. With so many women cycling
in and out of the precinct, and so many storylines already done,
the writers will want to do something different next season than
they have in the last eleven; what better way than to feature
the first prominent lesbian detective on the show? And introducing
a prominent lesbian character would potentially attract a new
base of viewers who don't traditionally watch the show, with very
little likelihood of alienating existing viewers (since NYPD
Blue has always been known for pushing the envelope on TV,
and most conservative viewers have probably tuned out long ago).
Bolstering
the argument that the writers are already heading in
that direction is Ronson's relaxed and even playful reaction to
Irma's flirtations in the finale, a marked contrast to her straight
partner's reaction; if nothing else, Ronson is at least very gay-friendly.
But her behavior in the finale reads much more like a lesbian
than a straight woman, especially her statement to Ortiz that
"if you want to ask me a question, just go ahead and ask"
and her refusal to refute the assumption about her sexuality that
is implicit in Ortiz' concern about Ronson's relationship with
Irma.
Perhaps
the writers themselves haven't yet decided whether Ronson's gay,
and this episode is their way of floating a weather balloon. Judging
from the response on NYPD Blue message boards and email
groups, however, most viewers are now assuming that Ronson is
gay, and have mixed opinions about it ranging from indifference
to enthusiastic support to concern that it's cliched and stereotypical
to make one of the only strong, assertive female cops on the show
gay.
From
a lesbian perspective, however, such a character is long overdue
on NYPD Blue, and an opportunity both for the show to
flex its creative muscles, and for lesbian viewers to finally
have a character they can relate to, if only a little. Let's hope
the writers come to the same conclusion.
