As one of the more interesting shows to ever get made Transparent seems to have been one of those programs that has taken us to a place where some folks might be comfortable and others might want to change the channel. But hey, that’s the right of every person since some folk are on board with the whole idea and others still struggle with it occasionally. But Transparent season 5 seems like it’s going to be a bit different according to Jude Dry of IndieWire. For one thing, Maura is dead, which is something that seems to be both needed and will still send shockwaves through the fan base no matter the fact that the actor playing Maura, Jeffrey Tambor, has been let go due to sexual harassment charges. As a result the show did have to be reworked and the decision to make it into musical film instead of a fifth season will be something that could prove to be a great idea or a last-ditch effort sort of act to save the show’s reputation and possibly end it on a good note.
Simply killing off the character seems like a no-brainer to those in charge since the whole idea of bringing Tambor back just wouldn’t work considering the allegations against him, whether they’re real or false or were born out of actions and/or words that were taken out of context. It’s difficult to know these days just who to believe since hearsay is the epicenter of many such allegations and the act of backing up a woman that makes such claims is considered to be one’s civic duty, be right or wrong. If Tambor did commit said crimes then yes, it’s easy to see that he should be taken off the show, but if it’s someone seeing more than what was there then it becomes a huge issue that shows everyone that women do in fact have more than equality, they have the power to say something about sexual misconduct that is or is not real and as a result can ruin a person’s career or at least their reputation.
Lesley Goldberg of The Hollywood Reporter wrote a piece in which Tambor’s costar, Alexandra Billings, stated that Tambor wouldn’t have even been hired for a trans role in 2017 as he is a cis man and therefore would have caused a heap of backlash over the matter. Billings also alluded to the power of the trans and LGBTQ+ community in being able to halt and even cancel movies and shows that feature cis individuals in trans roles. While this might seem kind of divisive to a lot of people, and it is really, it also seem to draw the proverbial line in the sand while drawing out a double standard as well. After all, LGBTQ+ individuals are allowed to play straight (cis) characters and no one bats an eye. But the moment a cis individual plays someone from the LGBTQ+ community the radar goes up and the criticism kicks in.
The one great thing about this show was that for the past four seasons it seemed to finally speak to a community that many believe has been marginalized and thrust into the back of society’s minds for far too long. It gave these individuals a voice but, as you can guess, it also did so from the standpoint of a cis man being given license to play-act the life of a trans woman. This has been a ticking point for some people in the recent past and now that Tambor has been let go it’s become yet another lightning rod that has attracted the many comments of those willing to speak up and against a show that somehow brought so many joy before the controversy but is now under fire following the release of the top star. It’s enough to make a person shake their head while rolling their eyes with a disgusted look on their face since the double standards and the hypocrisy don’t seem to end. What Tambor will do now that his part in this show is over is anyone’s guess, but the hope is that the final season will go off without a hitch.
The final season of transparent is likely going to be one of celebration as well as conflict since any good show is going to have a hefty bit of drama to work through and a great deal of conflict between various members of the cast. But it also seems as though the exit of Maura might be the unifying hook within the show that fans might need to get used to but the cast will be able to pull together for. So far a release date hasn’t been announced, but it should be coming out this fall and a lot of fans are already excited to see what might come of it.
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