Pick Your Prism

Prism. Not prison. Although you can do that, too. I don't recommend it, however. I like to think of prisms which give off pretty colors as light is refracted. Like this:

Ok, I need to write this post but am suddenly feeling comfortably numb. I suppose I need to breathe in the air. Finis. That was fun. I know you're wanting me to get on with it. Since it's already after midnight, I'm going to let it all hang down. So just listen, learn and read on.


These past several days (week?) I have watched the third season of Designated Survivor on Netflix. I watched it for several reasons:

1. I watched the first two seasons. And enjoyed them.
2. I'm a fan of Keifer Sutherland. 24 was great.
3. I need ways to pass the time in the evenings and early morning.
4. I'm lazy and should be doing other stuff but instead reason #3 above.

I did not watch the third season of Designated Survivor on Netflix because it had a transgender character. That is despite often seeking out shows and movies of that nature. Because, you know, me. Going into it, I had no idea there was such a character. What a pleasant surprise.

As I finished the last episode tonight, I couldn't help but think about how things have changed for me. Some for the better, some for the worse. And not only for me, but those around me. I don't want this to seem like another "woe is me" moment. I'm just putting out there how amazing it is how we change. All of us. The degree of the change varies greatly, but none of us are who we were. Or who we will be.

I mentioned 24 above. I can still remember hearing about the show that was going to start, how it starred Keifer Sutherland and the format would be in "real-time." No show had ever done that before. I remember standing in my kitchen at my old house telling my wife about it. It was something we did together, and think what you want about TV-watching, we were excited about the show.

It was a good show, at times great. It ran, primarily, between the years 2001 and 2010. We watched them all together during that time. Therefore, after losing our long-standing Jack Bauer rush, we were glad to see Keifer return in a new series, Designated Survivor, in 2016 (another series in between these times didn't do so well and is easily forgotten, but we watched it, too). But, the new series was not what 24 was. It's tough to top a character like Jack Bauer. My wife lost interest in this show. I must admit, I kinda did, too, but I did manage to complete the first two seasons. And then I thought it was canceled.

A lot happened in our lives between 2001 and 2016. We had two kids, who are teens now. 2001 is now three jobs ago. Wow. My wife has grown in one direction and I have grown in another. I won't debate the merits of each direction. It's safe to say neither path is doing great things for us. It's also completely safe to say (and utterly true) that when Netflix brought Designated Survivor back in 2019, I watched it alone.

Which brings me to the transgender character. I had no idea there even was a third season of the show until last week. I figured Netflix was just showing the seasons I already had seen. Somehow I happened to notice it listed three seasons, and off I went. I had time to watch and so I cranked it up. I'm very glad I did.

The show gained a good edge in being reborn on Netflix. The language became more "colorful" and added to the depth of the characters. You got the sense they were being able to go beyond what broadcast television had allowed them to do. While it's very true that TV and movies, in general, have become much more varied in the types of characters and relationships they will show, seeing not only a gay relationship but a transgender character played by a transgender actor seemed like something they wouldn't have done on ABC. Maybe I'm wrong, but that's what I felt.

A few words about Jamie Clayton, who played sister-in-law Sasha to Sutherland's President Kirkman. I will admit, when she was introduced, I had to go stop and see who she was, see if she was truly transgender. Being trans and not completely dense, I was fairly certain she is but wasn't sure. I had to check. I hope that sounds like a credit to her because I meant it that way.

Jamie Clayton, McKenna Grace and Keifer Sutherland
on "Designated Survivor"

Sasha fills a few roles on the show. Transgender issues are portrayed on the show, which I was proud to see. There were a few different moments where you genuinely felt for her, or at least I did. Not everyone will or would. More on that in a minute. She also steps in as a tour guide in the White House at one moment, is the loving and fun aunt to the President's daughter, and most importantly, a fully transitioned trans woman that is the vehicle through which we get to see some real trans issues. This includes a scene in which she sits in with a real trans support group. With real trans people. 

The show uses footage of real people effectively in several episodes. I don't know how contrived it all was, and I don't care. Many issues that people face in life were spotlighted, in a way I felt was done tastefully and with respect. It's TV, and not real, but it integrated an element of reality you don't usually see.

To try to tie this all together, I reflect (not refract) on the fact that time has passed, and were my wife and I still doing activities together like watching TV shows, I wondered about this show. I don't think she would watch it, not with me or on her own. You'd have to ask her, I probably shouldn't assume. I may have mentioned previously on this blog how she doesn't believe in alternate gender identities or sexuality. I respect her right to her opinions, I know where they come from, but I certainly don't agree with them.

All this to say the show, and my interaction with it, just kinda highlights how different people see different things. In my case, I saw the beauty and well-played character by someone I aspire to be like, a well-functioning, beautiful trans woman. I'd love to look like Jamie Clayton. I don't know anything about her personality, but Sasha was someone I'd love to know. I hope I'd enjoy Jamie as much. I feel like I can see the greatness of more people than I used to. My mind is more open, it really is. I'm not trying to toot my own horn. In the divergence of an important relationship in my life, I can see the vast differences of opinions people can have, on so many topics.

So which way do you want to live? Do you want to see people for who they are, and celebrate their uniqueness and individuality? Or do you want to see them as odd, different, inferior, wrong, ugly, or any number of other negative words we can use to describe a human being? Maybe "pick your prism" isn't the best term to use here, but it sounds good. Definitely alliterative. And I know the type of prism I want to look through. It has lots of pretty colors streaming from it.

Additional reading: An interview with Jamie Clayton about her role on Designated Survivor (SPOILER ALERT)