WARNING: The following contains spoilers for He’s All That, now streaming on Netflix.
One of the most intriguing aspects of Netflix’s vast array of movies and TV shows is that they’re usually very inclusive — something other streaming services and cinema are embracing. Representation has been increased, with more people of color, marginalized groups and LGBTQ+ individuals appearing onscreen, reflecting the real world. Unfortunately, as much as He’s All That tries to follow suit, it botches its diversity efforts in the worst way.
It comes courtesy of Nisha and Quinn, the best friends of He’s All That‘s protagonists, who are thrown together in a lesbian relationship that doesn’t have any real basis. They meet at a party when Padge is trying to show off Cameron to win points for her secret makeover project, but the girls don’t even flirt much or have any chemistry. Their only interaction is a quick chat on a balcony before the movie brings them back for prom, where they’re suddenly dating. It’s not like The Kissing Booth, for example, where the LGBTQ+ romance outside the main one at least got some screentime. In this case, Quinn and Nisha randomly strike up a relationship without any context or wooing being framed.
Even when the two are at the prom, they’re just there to rib Padge over how she mistreated Cam and to encourage her to do the right thing. The thing is, this could have been done without forcing a queer romance. They’re all in one inner circle by now, so a simple conversation over Cam’s feelings could’ve sufficed. They then get lumped into the dance-off to remind Alden, the villain of the story, that the good girls will always win in another weird arc.
This is sadly their glorious moment as a couple, but the thing is, Nisha is an introvert, so she shouldn’t even be involved in this. It’s not her scene at all, making her inclusion feel inorganic when she could have been consoling a distraught Cam over Padge’s deception.
It’s as if He’s All That is trying to kill two diversity birds with one stone by putting them together, as Nisha’s of Indian descent and Quinn’s of Asian descent. It feels by-the-numbers, inauthentic and insulting, especially since they don’t get to share any intimate moments, like dancing together or even a kiss.
All these characters boil down to are crutches to keep the very white heroes inspired. This comes off as tone-deaf, problematic and regressive, as they could have been great characters if they weren’t totally underdeveloped and then forcibly shaped into a virtuous statement. It cheapens the narrative and continues to show that not all of the entertainment industry’s efforts to include diverse characters are genuine, but a matter of ticking boxes for the sake of doing so.
To see diversity and representation get insulted, He’s All That is streaming now on Netflix.
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