Written by John Edward Betancourt![]()
Caution: This article contains spoilers for the Season Finale of ‘Ted’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
If there is one particular trope in coming-of-age stories that has become quite stale and problematic in nature, is the whole losing one’s virginity storyline. Which is stale now because it’s plain cliché. Where the main character, usually a male, is desperate to not be seen as a loser or seen as a failure in life because they haven’t lost their virginity by a certain age. So, they move hell and high water to ensure that by graduation day or the end of the summer, they are a man and can uh… enjoy their new status? Or whatever the hell is the ending to a tired storyline that really offers little to us. Which brings us to why this is so problematic. Because it’s grounded in toxic concepts about what goes into making a man, a MAN, and the gross behaviors teens must partake in, in order to enjoy their new standing in life. All of which showcases a bunch of bad ideas, and while they’re often told through the lens of a comedy, it doesn’t make them any less harmful. Which leaves all of us to wonder… if there is by chance a way to tell such a story in a manner that has meaning and actually is engaging and well, believe it or not… the answer to those questions are a resounding yes, and for proof… we need not look further than the season one finale of Ted on Peacock. For ‘He’s Gotta Have It’ reinvented this trope and made it worthwhile, all by having young John Bennett conduct a quest to lose his virginity. A quest that came to fruition courtesy of the fact that John came to realize… he was in fact, the last virgin standing at school. So naturally, he followed the old edict of concern. That he would be a massive loser if he didn’t shed that particular title and well, that prompted John to do whatever needed to be done to be free of this title. Which Blaire got wind of and that motivated her to ask Matty and Susan to make sure that John was educated properly on what was ahead and perhaps how best to navigate this new world of sexual activity. Which uh… yeah that talk went badly. Because Matty had no idea what to say and Susan just offered up a story about how awkward her first time was. ![]()
Which meant, it fell to one teddy bear to the save the day, and Ted believed… that Johnny could make his first sexual connection if he looked like the greatest lothario ever, and that theory was put to the test with a girl named Betheny. For John caught her eye, and that meant an attempt to romance her like never before took place. One where John pulled out all the stops, including an Aladdin re-enactment to wow her and that… landed him a prom date with her, along with an understanding that John was such the lover. But that spooked Betheny off and put John in the dumps for a good bit. That is until Matty finally found the right words and taught John, a powerful lesson in humility.
In that, honesty was all that mattered in this world, as did speaking from the heart and John went to prom and did just that. And embarrassed himself in front of everyone to prove that he wasn’t some gigolo working the streets of Boston. He was just John Bennett. A virgin that had a massive crush on Betheny and he wanted to see where their synergy could take them. Which won her over and brought him damn close to his goal, only to have the O.J. Simpson highway chase derail that chance. A twist of fate that resembled his own mother’s story. But more importantly that journey and that ending, brought to a close… one phenomenal reinvention of this tired out and toxic trope. Because John didn’t accomplish his ‘goal’ here, and he learned a lot about how the machismo nonsense men make use of at any age, really doesn’t work in the end. Because it’s stupid and off putting, and honesty, respect, and consent are what really creates healthy relationships and meaningful intimacy. Not to mention, this story also didn’t glamorize the ‘first time’. It pointed out it is an awkward and silly moment in life that will never be as romantic or stylized as popular media paints it out to be. It’s just something we go through and put too much stock in, and that made for one brilliant episode. One that leaves us hopeful for more of this series and hopefully, we get a second season order for this show. Because this show really is something special, and there’s plenty more years to explore before the timeline catches up with John and Ted. Watch ‘Ted’
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