I am so in love with Ugly Betty's obviously gay young nephew, Justin (Mark Indelicato), that I can barely stand it.
In last night's episode -- still available for viewing at ABC.com, along with three past episodes -- Justin comes downstairs in his Halloween costume. His grandfather assumes Justin's a proud member of the Navy, but the boy's inspiration is -- of course -- Gene Kelly in On the Town. "Just tell everyone at school you're a sailor," his mom pleads.
"Fine, but I'm a sailor who can sing and tap!" Justin says, before breaking into "New York, New York." His grandfather says, gingerly, that he hopes Justin can also throw a punch.
Last week, when Justin tagged along with Betty to Mode Magazine under the guise of needing to "research a paper," the baby gay jokes flew fast and furious. He had so much fun playing in the accessories closet that Betty finally gave up and left him there for a while. He called out evil receptionist Amanda for wearing -- gasp! -- two-year-old Manolos, earning him the respect of uber-gay assistant Marc.
And then, in a perfect example of how this show can see-saw from high camp to honest emotion, Marc gives Justin an empowering, yet practical suggestion:
Marc: Nice vest!
Justin: Ralph Lauren. We got it half price because there's a small hole, but you can't even see it.
Marc: So... Kids at school -- they like it?
Justin: No. They don't really get me.
Marc: Word of advice: Be who you are. Wear what you want. Just learn how to run real fast.
The undercurrent of fear for Justin's safety has popped up in a number of scenes now, leading me to wonder if the writers are setting something up or just building to an inevitable family showdown.
Personally, I just want Justin to find himself a little boyfriend. I'm almost ready to believe this is a show that would do it, too.
(Watch just the scene above (toward the end of the clip) on YouTube.)
> Previously on Personality Machine: The (queer) kid stays in the picture
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