The Playboy Club

This post contains spoilers.

The first time I saw an ad for the show ‘The Playboy Club’ I was horrified. I saw this while waiting for a movie to start. I couldn’t believe such a show had been made. So I can understand the knee-jerk reaction of the people who wanted the show taken off the air.

Then I found this article and found myself intrigued. Since I’d already intended to find Pan Am online I watched that show first and decided to give ‘The Playboy Club’ a chance later on. Hey, I’m up to try any show that is promising me a glbt storyline. Then tptigger posted this link and I was even more intrigued. I actually dropped what else I was planning on doing and finally went back to that first link and watched the pilot.

I was amazed. Okay yes, there are women running around in bunny costumes and they’re working in a club, but that’s only the surface of the show. These are strong woman who have goals for their life and this happens to be where they are right now. In the very first episode Carol Lynne walks into her boyfriend’s apartment and finds the newest bunny, Maureen there. She doesn’t wait for either of them to explain, in fact she doesn’t let them. She just grabs her things and goes. She and Nick are immediately broken up and she doesn’t blame Maureen. She does keeps a closer eye on Maureen, but this is intriguing as it highlights the chemistry Carol Lynn has with Maureen. Normally I’m used to seeing women throw a fit on the other women. Instead Carol Lynne expects Nick to take responsibility for his actions, points out to him how he’s perceived by the young women working in the club. Carol Lynne is also fired in this episode…but of course she immediately goes above the mangers head and gets herself a promotion. I was really looking forward to how Carol Lynne handled being told she’s too old, when she knows she’s fabulous and how she’s settle into her mentor role. I also really wanted to see more scenes with her and Maureen as it was very interesting watching these two work out their relationship to each other.

I was also really intrigued by Sean and Alice. They’re the married couple on the show, only Sean is gay and Alice is a lesbian. They’re also part of the Mattachine Society of Chicago. These two intrigued me for many reasons. I was interested in how history would be portrayed, after all these were two characters who were proud and comfortable being gay, but understood that they lived in a time when they could get slapped with a mental illness label and possibility see the inside of an institution and yet they are active members in a society seeking to rights for glbt individuals. I wanted to see how history would be portrayed through their eyes. I’m also a sucker for a good male/female friendship duo and it was clear from the way these two worked together and played off each other that they are friends. Sean even introduces Alice to Francis who had promise in becoming Alice’s love interest if the show had continued. On a more personal note a part of me found their relationship interesting because this is the type of relationship my mom hoped I get into with my best friend. She thought it would be wonderful if we got married, and then saw people we were actually attracted to on the side, because then she wouldn’t have to worry about me coming out to her family. These two reminded me to be grateful I lived in a time where it was appropriate for me to be absolutely horrified by the suggestion that I marry someone to keep up appearances of being heterosexual.

Add in Brenda’s goal of saving the money she makes in the club so she can own her own home while also acknowleding to Maureen that she knows she living in a time where people are prejudice enough that they'd want to deny her right to have her own house, along with Janie's take no prisoners attitude as she works to overcome the mistakes of her past as well as Maureen’s lifelong search to feel as if she has family and this show was a recipe for success. Unfortunately this is what people thought of the show. Like me when I first saw the preview they judged the book by its cover, but unlike me they didn’t give the show a chance and I feel sorry for them. They missed a show with strong women characters, a historical glbt subplot and guest appearances by modern days singers portraying singers of the time.

This show has so much potential that I hope it doesn’t ultimately die. I really hope that it’s picked up by another station and given the chance it deserves. The offical site is still up so you can still catch the first three episodes!