NCIS: Hawaii’s and Andor’s lovely, messy, queer relationships
Spoilers ahead for both NCISH and Andor
If there is one thing that procedural dramas love to show it is a will they/won’t they romance, or, having an established couple going through a rough time. Most shows targeting mainstream audiences rarely, if ever, show queer relationships in anything other than the chase phase or the bleeding on the floor dying last moments. What NCIS: Hawaii (NCISH) and Andror have both done is to normalise two lesbian relationships, giving the protagonists histories, subtexts, and personalities that extend far beyond the fact that they are dating other women. In turn, it brings a refreshing change to the trauma that is often associated with being queer in primetime.
NCIS as brand has had queer elements in the past, but the main headline show NCIS has only brought those elements into the periphery, focusing almost exclusively on heteronormative ideals of relationships. Throughout its 20 seasons there has only been one out queer character, Kasie, whose love life was briefly explored on screen. Which is why when Lucy and Kate’s on/off romance was the central romance of NCISH’s first season it was such a significant marker for the franchise. There are other romances in the show, but none got the airtime that Lucy and Kate did. That the final episode of season 1 featured Kate’s attempt at finally wooing back was so cute and awkward sealed a season long arc that made sense.
It is easy to dismiss NCIS as just another procedural show, that it is 40 minutes of pumped-up action and crime of the week. Yet, the franchise has a wide audience who are not necessarily aware of queer politics or are only exposed to queer identities in the news. That CBS allowed Lucy and Kate to exist in a predominantly heteronormative environment says as much for its faith in the audience as it does in the junking of traditional queer tropes by the producers and writers. Lucy and Kate’s relationship is not without critique, as both Lucy and Kate are moulded in traditional procedural character types, but NCISH is bringing a fresh take on what could easily been just another crime procedural with a male and female romance arc.
Andor takes the viewers a step further, introducing Vel and Cinta in the middle of an operation with no external context to either their characters or relationship. Their past is left unsaid, with only their present and future being written into the show. That neither dies during the first season, that both are capable agents for the Rebellion, and that both have complicated relationships with each other and their past essentially grounds them in the setting. Unlike Han and Leia, whose romance spanned five films, Vel and Cinta have a defined understanding of each other, a deeper connection than simply the moments they are on screen. The viewer gets to see them in the moment, but they exist in universe far beyond what we get to see.
Star Wars as a franchise does not really do romance, aside from Han and Leia and Anakin and Padme, and conceptually love has tended to fall into the familial and sibling categories. Obi Wan’s “you are my brother Anakin!” has such resonance because the films and Clone Wars series show you the growth between them. Anakin and Padme’s romance is doomed from the start due its hidden nature, while Han and Leia essentially follow the traditional hero and princess tropes which Lucas drew upon. Vel and Cinta break apart what Star Wars fans expect love to be, showing the messiness of a relationship in the middle of a rebellion. The love of the cause overrides the love of the woman beside you.
That both shows treat these relationships as normative leaves a lasting impression. While Vel is questioned for her relationships, a mirror on 2023 as much as the Star Wars universe, both couples are accepted as is. Indeed, NCISH goes through the traditional heteronormative beats with Lucy and Kate — broken hearts, housing, cute/shy/put your foot in your mouth — that you could easily lift that template and put it on to any other couple in the franchise without losing the joy. By making Vel, Cinta, Lucy, and Kate rounded characters, each with their own foibles and personalities, the viewer is able to relate far more than if both couples were simply there for shock or grief value.
In the UK both shows are on Disney +, and while yes it is very easy to criticize Disney for its own branded queer representation, that neither show has been edited or changed to remove both romances suggests that there is a breaking down of queer barriers at the House of Mouse. Going forward, it will be interesting to see if mainstream non-kids content continues this trend. Normative queer relationships help all audiences see queer folk as part of the tapestry, showing that they are part of society, rather than people to avoid and shun.
