Ethan

[beccaelizabeth]

Some people perceive Ethan as obviously gay, or even a cliche of gayness. Other people seem to believe he is straight. I think of him as bi in an anything-that-moves kind of way, open to experience. But I'm trying to think of where any of that comes from in canon. Specifically I'm trying to narrow it down to perceptions of the episode 'Halloween'. I can point to bits in 'A New Man' when he seems to be trying to seduce Giles, and of course he gives the waitress his number. But as far back as Halloween some people were reading Ethan as queer, and I'm wondering why. Body language? Manner of speech? The thing where he is selling dresses? Something else? I wonder, so I ask. Please to be being specific if you can.
Thanks.

Comments

[akam1.livejournal.com]

I remember when I saw Halloween the first time and Ethan was trying to sell Buffy the dress. I got the vibe that he was interested in her. Then Giles goes to the shop and confronts Ethan in the back room and... well, the way Giles, who to that point hadn't been a physical/touchy character, immediately has his hands on Ethan (okay, in violence, but still)and Ethan allows it and, even with the pain, seems pleased by it. And the way Ethan was taunting him with familiarity and, maybe, bitterness, both made me go hmmm, I think this is a failed couple we're looking at. Spouse, who is not one who sees slash everywhere, even when I point it out to him, instantly agreed. We also speculated that Ethan was interested in Buffy but only because she belongs to Giles... and she's the Slayer but Slayerness was secondary.

Further episodes with Ethan only cemented my impressions of Ethan as a opportunistic sexual being although I can't pinpoint quite why. Maybe it was his attitude or, as we found out more about his past and his current doings, it just made sense to me. Personally, I believe Ethan would have sex with whoever was available, men, women, demons, whatever. However, I believe at the time he and Giles were first together, because of the times or circumstances or experimentation or whatever, Ethan and Giles both were basically bi.