Thursday, February 9, 2012

Betty Luke

I love the ABC situation comedy Modern Family. The writing is smart and the show is hilarious. And last night's episode had a transgender subplot.

At about 15 minutes into the episode, teenage sisters Haley and Alex are bickering, which is their usual wont. Younger brother Luke intervenes by saying that his big sisters should not fight.

The sisters stop fighting, Luke leaves the room, and one sister remarks to the other that their little sister, Betty Luke, has not been around in awhile.

"I'll get the bra and tennis balls and you get the lipstick," says Haley.

The scene ends with Luke complaining loudly.

The episode continues with other sub-plots, but at the very end of the show as the credits roll, there is a commotion in the living room. Parents Claire and Phil enter the living room to see what was the matter.

The sisters are flittering around brother Luke, who is now en femme.

Claire complains, "You girls are in trouble… for not cleaning up the mess you made."

The sisters leave the room and Claire and Phil approach Luke with a camera in hand to take photos of Betty Luke. Claire mentions that there was something wrong with the previous Betty Luke photos.
Phil says, "Betty Luke, it's nice to see you again."

The above quotations are from memory, so don't hold me to them, but they are a good approximation of what was said. The episode ("Me? Jealous?") is now viewable here.

6 comments:

  1. Betty Luke does look very feminine like. Too bad the scripted dialog is merely for a television show. Nice to see a break from reality, tho!

    PS: Casa Susanna looks ravishing.

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  2. I think cross-gender experimentation, presentation, and femulations are far more common that widely supposed; perhaps nearly universal.

    I think it is societal strictures and pressures toward the mean that keep people (especially men, but women to an extent -- and jealously may be a factor there....) from admitting to it.

    Bit by bit, we are seeing more leak out in our entertainment streams. It may be due to the more liberal storytelling of Hollywood, or it may reflect reality to a great degree. Where is the break-point between art portraying life and life imitating art?

    - Mary.

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  3. It shouldn't be surprising that they treated the issue nicely (since the show includes a gay couple that is treated with respect.) But it was refreshing to see that Luke, while "protesting," was enjoying the session. And more importantly, the parents fully enjoyed it too.

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  4. "You appear to be outside the United States or its territories. Due to international rights agreements, we only offer this video to viewers located within the United States and its territories.

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  5. Thanks for posting the link to the episode!

    I would have loved having older sisters like that - all the time that I was protesting vociferously, of course!

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  6. http://way2shows.com/?p=6176 ...this link works for Italy and Europe i suppose. However i disagree with "Another One"..i think that Betty Luke is unwilling the whole thing and i find so amusing the idea of both older sisters dressing up the reclutant poor bro!! The grin on their faces saying "Betty Luuukee.." is hilarious and also funny the boy trying to close the door :SISTERS'POWER ROCKS!!

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