A dark comedy premiered on Showtime on July 18 that centers around a depressed, suicidal widow and her grown daughter’s family. Adding to the mix is a teen character who was born female but hopes to transition to male.
Showtime aired two episodes of the Australian show The End Sunday night. In the first one, titled “Do Not Resuscitate”, we are introduced to the main characters. Edie Henley (Harriet Walter) is despondent over her life as a widow and attempts suicide. Instead, her house burned down and firefighters rescued her. After this, her daughter moves Edie from England to her city in Australia.
As Edie and her family drive from the airport to Edie’s senior citizen community, Edie is confused to hear her granddaughter, who she thought was a lesbian, referred to with a new name and as “he”. The girl named Tatiana is now Oberon (Morgan Davies) and uses male pronouns. Edie’s daughter, Kate (Frances O’Connor), a doctor, confirms the situation and says getting used to the new use of pronouns “just takes practice.”
Edie: I thought Titania decided she wasn’t a lesbian.
Kate: Mum.
Oberon: Wow.
Persephone: His name is Oberon. We’re using boy pronouns now.
Kate: Just takes practice.
Later, in the second episode titled “Toxic Shock Syndrome”, Oberon is hanging out with a gay friend named Jasper. They are observing older men who they think are closeted gay men while taking drugs. In a conversation, Jasper describes what Oberon’s penis should look like and how it should be designed. Oberon tells Jasper she wants to donate her womb to a woman in need. Jasper half-jokingly tells Oberon to donate her womb to him so they can have a baby together. Jasper ends up telling Oberon to keep her womb because it’s easier to deal with lesbians.
Oberon: As long as it’s attached, I don’t care.
Jasper: Ok. No. If you can design it, you have a duty. Alright. I’m thinking eight inches, straight with a slight curvature. Black. Yes. Ok. You’re having a black cock.
Oberon: I’m going to donate my womb to a woman in need.
Jasper: Ok. Fuck off with the women in need. Donate it to me then you and I can have a baby together.
Oberon: With my black cock and your womb? We’d be the greatest parents.
Jasper: Mark wants to see me. Am I too fucked or just fucked enough? Ok. Listen, listen, listen. There’ll be a bus here in 12 and a half minutes. You should keep your womb. Twink world is brutal. Lesbians are way more forgiving. Alright. Bye.
Oberon is a teen who has gone from lesbian to not a lesbian to trans. It comes out in the episode that she has been suicidal, though, and is in therapy. There is nothing normal about any of this for most families though in today’s entertainment world it is popular to present trans characters instead of gay ones. Trans is the new gay. We’ll see how far Oberon’s mother, a medical doctor, goes with this choice of her child’s.