Anti-rec: The IT Crowd episode S3e4: The Speech

[ilthit]

The IT Crowd is a really funny show with geeks and some absolutely golden moments, but like so many comedy shows, also pretty upsetting fail that I think should be chronicled on the Internet. There was both in "The Speech".

One of the show's best jokes was in this episode - the one where Moss and Roy give Jen "the Internet" for her presentation - but the other storyline is predicated on how funny it is that April is transsexual.

Seriously, that's the joke. April is trans. Hilarious! Disgusting! Look how manly she is despite how good she looks!

The rest of the show has other moments of fail as well, but a lot of its sexism for example can be blamed on characterization, as the characters aren't meant to be role models anyway. There's no excuse for how April was handled.

Also, in episodes s2e6 "Men Without Women" and s3e3 "Tramps Like Us" rape and sexual assault are treated as jokes.

I won't judge if you love the show, I love so many bits of it, just putting that here so new watchers know what they're getting into.

Anti-rec: Psych Episode s1e7 "Who Ya Gonna Call?"

[ilthit]

 This is another show I like and this is another warning about the problematic portrayal of a transsexual character (though I suppose it could have been much worse). Bonus for problematic portrayal of dissociative identity disorder/plurality!