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The Great North S01E06 Flips Gendered Romantic Expectations: Review

The Great North's latest episode, "Pride & Prejudance Adventure", gave audiences a chance to see how assumptions of romance and growth go hand-in-hand. The episode both focuses around the visitation of the Beef's brother, the long-distance uncle, who visits for a short period, and the school dance that Judy and her siblings prep for. Beef Tobin's brother, Brian, has a meeting with a client in town and stays with his brother in the meantime along with his daughter. One assumption is made here and pointed out by the end, and that is how Beef misidentifies how his brother must greatly miss living in his hometown. Like many of us, this part of the episode was relatable to those siblings who don't connect in the same ways as others when it comes to their pasts and hometown. It was excellent to see the dynamic between the brothers play out and also to see this vulnerable side to Beef Tobin.

The larger story in The Great North episode revolved around the societal assumptions relating to tradition and history experienced by Judy, Ham, and the new boy in town, Crispin. Many would assume that Judy would initially be her clumsy self but then a connection would be made between her and Crispin by the end. We assume that Judy and Crispin are to end up with one another, but in doing so that counts out a narrative that isn't heteronormative. Crispin's subtle and yet genuinely relatable awkward crush on Ham is so well done. This story alongside the given history of the dance, which eventually reveals itself through a hilarious and heartfelt explanation via a talking poster voiced by Leslie Jordan, is just as important.

Judy does have the right to be upset by not finding the connection she was hoping for (teen years are hard enough), but she does the right thing in putting aside her hurt for Ham to be rightfully happy dancing with Crispin. It may seem small, but the shared kiss between Ham and Crispin is so important for a series to show. It should be the norm by now, but change doesn't come quickly enough sometimes. It gave me so much joy and hope in the future of how we show and twist around the traditional expectations of love and sexuality on screen going forward. I can only hope to see more queer love and joy presented on the screen so that others may see themselves as well. If any episode gave me that extra push to start truly loving the storytelling quality of The Great North, it would be this one.

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