Reflection and Analysis

The Hollow (5/26/2020)

I've not yet seen the second season of The Hollow yet. The trailer which popped up on Netflix honestly didn't sell the second season for me despite the fact I'd been looking forward to a second season since watching the end of the first. Well, spoiler alert, I learned Adam is actually LGBT, which – on one side – awesome. I mean, he is a fleshed-out character and everything, yet the way his sexuality is revealed honestly left a lot to be desired and honestly highlights the problem with making his character LGBT.

In effect, he's being made LGBT to get him out of the way as competition for Kai in regards to Mira's affection, yet his sexuality is revealed by him outright saying Mira – who we've known since season one is Kai's crush – isn't his type. Mind you, the fact Mira isn't his type is hinted at during the first season when she kisses him, but this can also be explained by him being painfully aware of Kai's crush on her and not wanting to hurt his feelings, the – looking at her wiki page, I do like the fact she apologized having known him outside of the context of the game, but there is this feeling in the back of my head that the move is so she can be Kai's girl, not actually for representation.

Not to mention the fact, there is such a thing as being bisexual, etc., yet bisexuality is underrepresented in media if not invalidated through a concept as bisexual erasure, not to mention negative portrayals in media. There's often an on-off switch regarding their sexuality, where the character starts off showing interest in the opposite sex only for this to be turned off for an interest in the same sex because apparently there can't be representation unless said the LGBT rep is focused on same-sex couples.

This isn't to downplay the quality of the second season – I've not seen it, yet I don't think the creators really thought about the fact that one scene where he reveals he is gay to Kai comes across as him being gay to get him out of Kai's way in regards to Mira, yet also removes Mira's choice in who she wants to be with unless she ends up with anybody but Kai. The scene where Mira apologizes to Adam is one I live for, but ones like the one where he reveals his sexuality to Kai are not.