Shark Bit and Left a Scar

I know that I have praised Shark in the past. I still think that it is a great show. However, the most recent episode really bothered me.

Some might think that my concern stems from the focus on teens and sex. However, the overall sense was that it can lead to problems. And while I didn't like this aspect of the show it wasn't what bothered me.

Others might deduce that I was bothered by the lesbian theme and more specifically the teen lesbian kiss. Yes, these did bother me, and I almost turned the show off. But for the main reason that bothered me, I am glad that I didn't turn off the show.

What really bothered me about this episode are the lies it spreads.

Think back to the scene where Sebastian Stark (James Woods) is on the beach talking with the murder suspect about confessing what really happened the night her friend died. Why was it that Stark was able to tell her that she was confused about telling the truth as to who killed her friend, but he couldn't tell her that she was confused about her sexual orientation.

Stark out right condoned her homosexual love. She obviously couldn't be confused about such things. There is nothing sexually confusing during the teen years. Is my sarcasm coming through here?

Essentially, television believes that teens are old enough to make decision about their sexuality, but they aren't old enough to know when to protect a friend. They are in essence saying "You are too young to know what is best about your murdering boyfriend, but you are old enough to know that you love women more than men."

That is a lie. As the show portrayed it, it was obvious that this girl was confused. She was dating a boy and a girl at the same time. She didn't know what was right. This is an obvious attempt at normalizing homosexual behavior. It ignored the confusion about gender identity, and worried more about the girl's decision about going to jail.

I haven't added Shark to my will not watch list. However, it has definitely been moved to my only if I don't have something else better to do list.

Perhaps I am keeping it on my will watch list because I liked that Stark finally started talking to his daughter (Danielle Panabaker) about sex. Well, sort of. He said that he was willing to hear such things because this case opened his eyes to why parents need to be informed about their children's lives, especially when it comes to sex and drugs.

Labels: Drama, Shark, Television, TV

posted by Anonymous @ Friday, November 17, 2006