Is cal jacobs gay

How Cal is a gay turned pansexual? Cal and Derek’s heart-wrenching story might be a clear indicator that Cal Jacobs is gay. Throughout the flashback, we see Cal and Derek have their moments of sullen silences where each knows what they are thinking but seems to be in denial. Therefore, it is possible that Cal became a closeted gay person. However, Cal has two more children with Marsha, and his hookup with Jules suggests that he is also interested in women.

On graduation night, Cal and Derek celebrate at a gay bar outside of town, where they share a dance and their first kiss. Before Cal is able to soak in the joy of finally being with Derek. Edit: I don’t believe I ever said Cal was gay, although it’s clear he’s repressing his sexuality and his true self? All I said was I as a gay man understand from experience and am able to empathize.

Fans were torn between feeling sorry for young Cal and hating on old Cal, who spent last week threatening just about everybody he came into contact with. Eric Dane, who plays adult Cal, told EW he was thrilled to see his character painted in a more sympathetic light.

Euphoria never wants to miss an important topic for a potential storyline , but a character's flashbacks in Season 2, Episode 3 , "Ruminations: Big and Little Bullys," uses a trope so old and overused that it should've died the first time it was ever used. Cal Jacobs was the center of Episode 3, and a not so shocking revelation submits to what is commonly known as the "homophobic homosexual" trope.

Cal Jacobs is, essentially, a horrible person with no redeeming qualities. His demanding and abusing presence over his son Nate isn't even the worst of what he's capable of, as he's repeatedly been unfaithful to his wife Marsha by having sex with men and women in motels, including year-old Jules Vaughn. He records all of these affairs, which horrifically an year-old Nate found and watched, which may have been the foundation of his own issues.

His backstory doesn't exactly give an explanation for a lot of Cal's horrible traits, but the writers tried to make an easy excuse for them. Episode 3's flashbacks feature a teenage Cal who, right off the bat, is said to have a best friend Derek he hangs out with every day. If viewers didn't see where this was going, they were in for a shock. Cal and Derek both have subtle flirtations with each other, but it's nothing more than that.

They both eventually start relationships with girls and explore sex, until Derek takes Cal to a gay bar where they kiss for the first time. But after the happy moment for the two men, a young Marsha calls Cal to tell him she's pregnant with their first child, as Cal silently weeps for what his life could've been. It's disappointing to watch Cal's life fall apart as he gets the phone call, since he seemed to have been so full of potential and light when he was young and discovering his identity.

What's even more disappointing, though, is Sam Levinson, creator and writer of Euphoria , using Cal's closeted homosexuality as a means of excusing his atrocious behavior. Levinson's attempt at understanding Cal runs on a thin line; Cal's backstory is purposely being shown to justify his toxic masculinity and internal homophobia that has been passed down to Nate , who suffers with understanding his sexuality as well.

cal jacobs derek

But Euphoria prides itself on progression and continuing the social justice movement in television, so why are they repeating past mistakes that have never been well-received? Characters such as Glee 's Dave Karofsky, Shameless ' Mickey Milkovich and 13 Reasons Why 's Montgomery de la Cruz all suffered from either the "homophobic jock" or "armored, closeted gay" trope that emphasize their masculinity through bullying and homophobia, but it's all "explained" when they discover or reveal they like men.

Sometimes the story works because of the environment they grew up in, such as Mickey's, where he was taught to believe in traditional gender performances that prohibit homosexuality, so he had to explore himself outside of his father's standards. And in Euphoria , Cal's father seems to have the same mindset, looking at his son and his best friend in a certain way that exhibits bigotry.

However, if his tragic love story is meant to explain why he tapes all of his affairs, then Levinson has missed a large chunk of Cal's backstory. Cal's sexual interest in men is not surprising or in need of protesting against, but the swift transition from the end of his relationship with Derek to present day creates a direct correlation between the two, which may or may not be intentional.

There may be more to Cal's story that has yet to be told, but Euphoria hasn't made any real efforts to warn the viewers not to get ahead of themselves. But then again, maybe Euphoria should just let Cal be a bad guy. New episodes of Euphoria release on Sundays at 9 p. ET on HBO. Sign in now. TV Features.