In television, the movies, or maybe even in real life, I’m sure we’ve heard the words, “Even if you were the last man on earth, I would never have sex with you.” Well, how about in a post-apocalyptic world full of zombies? Even an Asian American man can get a white girl in that situation!
I’ve been watching The Walking Dead ever since the AMC show premiered, or as much as I can watch because zombies give me the creeps. I don’t think anybody has produced such “realistic” and creepy looking zombies for a regularly televised program like this show has. In this particular scene, I think this is the first time I think I’ve seen an Asian American male, played by Steve Yeun, in a love scene with a white woman. I mean, I’ve seen television and movies scenes where an Asian American man dancing with or kissing a white woman (with their clothes on), but not taking off their clothes and having implied sex.
Warning: spoilers from the episode after the jump.
Glenn is one of the survivors and the only regular Asian American character in the show. His ethnicity doesn’t actually play that much of a role in the TV series. In the latest episode, he and a recently acquainted woman, Maggie, go into town to look for medical supplies. Glenn’s secret mission is to find a home pregnancy kit for a fellow survivor. In looking for the kit in the feminine hygiene section, he comes across a box of condoms.
Maggie accidentally surprises and embarrasses Glenn, thinking he was actively looking for the condoms and hoping to have sex with Maggie and comes across as unfortunately, very stereotypically immature and unattractive. Surprising Glenn, Maggie is quite open to having sex with him – essentially stating that beggars can’t be choosers -“It’s not like our options are vast these days.” But Maggie a few moments later expresses honestly, “You’re not the only one that’s lonely.”
My first cynical thought was that it’s good to know in a fictitious post-apocalyptic zombie filled world, an Asian American man is attractive to a white woman. Glenn comes across as a stereotypically shy and nervous guy, if not a little nerdish.
But given the situation, I can understand that both of the characters have been surviving and have been truly lonely. As actor Steven Yuan explains:
It wasn’t my first [seduction scene] that I’ve ever done ever, but it was the first that was very meaningful. What I really loved about it was — and I hope it conveys — it wasn’t one of those watch two people have a makeout moment; it was more like how can we make this the most awkward, uncomfortable, yet hopeful and kind of a beautiful thing in the midst of all this chaos? I don’t know if it conveyed that way.
And I can see that, especially after Maggie says “You’re not the only one that’s lonely” that if one ever did survive a crazy pandemic that turned humans into zombies, knowing your days could be numbered, finding kindred spirits living day-to-day is not to hard to fathom.
However, after Glenn and Maggie have sex and on their way back to Maggie’s family’s farm, Glenn looks and sounds like a complete fool – beaming with a devilish smile and says, “So I was good.” Maggie coldly states, “Don’t spoil it–It was a one-time thing.” Glenn has just been “friended” and looks really disappointed. But like I’ve blogged, lonely souls in a post-apocalyptic zombie filled world can change people.
Overall, I was very pleasantly surprised with this scene and how I would love to see more like this. Having a white man seduce an Asian women is nothing new. Having an Asian American man get it on with a white women–now that is definitely not something you see every day, let alone every year. Actually, in this particular case, it’s sadly more like the white woman seducing the Asian American man. Still, I look forward to seeing where this “relationship” progresses, if at all.
- Excited
- Fascinated
- Amused
- Disgusted
- Sad
- Angry
