It's hard to be a Dyke on Italian Television

By Contributing Writer on Wednesday, September 24, 2008 - 14:38

New medical drama “Terapia d’urgenza” features two major lesbian characters.

by trebs - Contributing Writer

Italy gets its first residential lesbians on TV. They will (hopefully) be falling in love in Terapia d’urgenza, the new medical drama by public channel Rai Due. Marina, Vera and Ester promise to break the last taboo on Italian TV: Sapphic love. But they are far away from their Spanish cousins, Maca, Esther and Vero of “Hospital Central”.

Four weeks ago lesbians landed on Italian public television. An entirely unexplored planet for them: until then, there were never any gay women on Italian mainstream shows, series or talk shows. It happened only once, in a reality show called “Le storie di Nina”, shortly aired by a minor channel. The other TV show dykes were foreign, “imported” onto the Italian screens by US TV series, like Friends, E.R., Buffy, The L Word and so on (sometimes, we really have to thank globalization somehow).

It was a difficult landing, too: in the very beginning the Italian broadcaster (owned by the family of current Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi) removed all Buffy scenes referring to Willow and Tara`s love relationship. The episodes were cut and translated as if they had merely been friends. Only the fans’ enraged protest got the broadcaster to air the uncut version of the show. At 2 am! This was in 2004. Then this summer the news arrived. Magazines talked about the upcoming medical drama “Terapia d’urgenza”, on Rai Due, as the “fall of the last taboo on Italian television”: Sapphic love. I couldn’t believe it. The home of the Pope is finally showing lesbians on public television!

Terapia d’urgenza follows the medical personnel and patients in the emergency room of a hospital in Milan, the so-called gayest city in Italy. Among them, there are the lesbian pediatrician Marina Ranieri del Colle (Alessia Barela) and the nurse Ester (Elisabetta Rocchetti), her love interest. Watch a clip here.

In an interview with the family magazine “Gente”, Alessia Barela, the actress playing the resident lesbian, spoke wise words: “It was a challenge”, she said, “We are used to see gay men on TV or at the cinema, gay women are far less represented”.

Then she added something that scared the hell out of me: “To get into the character, I watched all of the 'The L Word' seasons." O my Gosh! They are going to think that lesbians fuck all the time! I was worried and quite surprised: didn’t she know any real life lesbian? Anyway Alessia Barela reassured me and the old ladies who read the magazine: “Do not expect something morbid”, she said in the interview, “It’s a serious but funny relationship”. Translation: there will be no sex scenes at all.

Alessia Barela and Elisabetta Rocchetti as Marina&Ester

I was stunned anyway. But everything was suddenly much clearer when I found out that “Terapia d’urgenza” is an adaptation from the Spanish show “Hospital Central”, the most popular medical drama in a country which managed to have both strong Catholicism and gay marriage. If they could do it maybe we’d also be able to do it, hopefully not in a too far away future.

It also means that the first lesbian character in an Italian TV drama is “imported”. Quite sad, isn’t it? Curious as I am, I decided to look for the original, and started watching the Maca and Esther storyline from “Hospital Central” on YouTube. I found out some interesting differences.

In “Terapia d’urgenza” Marina is the self-assured daughter of a rich family where Ester comes from a working-class background. So far “Terapia d’urgenza” is very much alike “Hospital Central”, which is set in Madrid, with its rich pediatrician Maca and the easygoing, simple but smart nurse, Esther.

In the Spanish drama “Hospital Central” Esther learns that Maca is a lesbian when Maca’s ex, a married woman, comes to the hospital using her mildly sick child as a pretext, and begs Maca to come back to her. (YouTube-Clip)

Maca tells her, that their relationship is over and that she has to accept this. And anyway, she refuses to leave her husband and that’s enough of a reason for a break up for Maca. Esther is in the same room and looks quite uncomfortable overhearing their conversation. Later on Esther asks Maca if she was the kid’s pediatrician.

Maca: No, his mother and I dated (the mother) for a while.

Esther: “Dated”?

Maca, Yes, Esther, we dated. Come on Esther, I can’t believe that you are surprised!

Esther: No, no, no.

Maca: Isn’t it weird, how people’s feelings change, after a while...?

Esther: Did you love her much?

Maca: I guess I did. But it’s over. Now the only thing I want is falling in love again.

Frank and honest, they talk about feelings. And Maca trusts Esther to know by herself that her new friend is a lesbian. In the Italian “Terapia d’urgenza” the storyline is quite similar. Unfortunately not similar enough. Marina has to face her (unmarried) ex, Vera, a former medical school fellow.

Vera wants to get back together with Marina, and tells her that she isn’t ashamed anymore of what they were. Then she tries to kiss Marina, who doesn’t let her. Following that, Marina’s rejection is very similar to Maca’s.

Let’s go back to “Hospital Central”. In the Spanish drama nobody implies that being a lesbian is “shameful”. In “Terapia d’urgenza” Vera does it in the moment she’s denying it. Furthermore in “Hospital Central” Ester overhears the two women talking, and the viewers identify with her perspective, which is a puzzled but open one.

In “Terapia d’urgenza” the one seeing the two women arguing is Teresa, the ER receptionist. Her reaction is quite harsh. “I saw them, the two perverts! It was disgusting!” she says to a male nurse and then to Ester, “That’s why she’s so nice to you! Did she come on to you, too?”  Ester is shocked and answers with a “No! Are you crazy? No!”

It’s a big difference. The first time lesbianism “materializes” in “Terapia d’urgenza”, it’s connected to scorn, rejection and shame. It’s implied that being homosexual is no good, or at least that it can cause other people showing contempt, like Teresa. And there’s even more. Later on Marina confronts Ester.

Marina: Is something wrong with you?

Ester: Nothing’s wrong, I just had a busy day.

Marina: Is it because of what happened with that woman? I bet Teresa already told everyone!

Ester: No! There’s nothing bad if you two... if you are...you are...

Marina: Homosexual! I do love women. And I loved Vera a lot. Do you feel uncomfortable with it?

Ester: Why didn’t you tell me before?

Marina: Because I feared you would react this way. I wanted you to know me. I wanted us to go out together without you thinking weird things. I wasn’t playing tricks to you, Ester. I really care for your friendship.

Ester: I care very much about you, too.

After that she refuses Marina’s invitation, saying that she’s sorry but she can’t accept and rushes away.

I mean, it’s nice to be proud. I would love having doctors, lawyers, teachers saying out loud that they are homosexuals and that it’s good that way. It doesn’t happen in Italy. But her “proud” coming out sounds kind of forced, like a justification. Marina and Ester are not talking about feelings anymore, like Maca and Esther were. They are talking about prejudice. Taking prejudice against gay people as a “natural” and justified fact of life. In addition, Ester’s question implies that Marina was taking advantage of her not-knowing in order to seduce her. How bad! How sinful!

It took 4 episodes to come to this. The broadcast spoilers said that this episode would show a “Sapphic love story culminating in a kiss”. Maybe I’m wrong, but I thought a kiss included actually touching lips. Vera’s and Marina’s lips didn’t touch and Ester ran away from Marina.

I’ll give “Terapia d’urgenza” another chance. I’m waiting for a kiss in next Friday’s episode. There is hope: the show’s presentation still promises a lesbian love story. But we are in Italy, and I’m not sure it’s going to be good. “After professional and personal disagreement”, it says, “the two women will resolve their issues, and begin a passionate love story. But they’ll have to face prejudices and obstacles to reach a happy ending”.

In the Spanish drama “Hospital Central” Maca and Esther had “only” to defy marriage and betrayal. It sounds better to me. So I think I’m going to learn Spanish.

Keep posted for the latest recaps of Terapia d’urgenza

[Editors Note: Finally we got the permission to add pictures. Thanks Italy!]