Article written by Maya Vukovska

When I watched the first episodes of House M.D., I thought House and Wilson were more than just besties. The dynamic between the two was so intense at times that I was pretty sure their bromance would eventually take a romantic turn. 177 episodes later, they were still just friends. My gaydar had never failed me until then, and now I realize that was actually the first time I was queerbaited.

For those who are not familiar with the term, queerbaiting in movies and TV shows is hinting at a potential same-sex relationship between the characters without actually depicting it. Some LGBTQ fans accept queerbaiting as a way for the writers and producers to throw a bone to the audience just to keep them interested in the plot development. Others find queerbaiting to be kind of fun. But many of folks also view queerbaiting as the latest obstacle which prevents gay people from getting thereal representation they deserve in media. No matter whether you see queerbaiting as problematic and shameful for the LGBTQ community or as a completely harmless practice, we believe you’ll agree with us that the following 9 non-gay onscreen couples are the perfect queerbaits.

1. Dean and Castiel (Supernatural)

The most supernatural thing about this show is that the two friends never even kissed! The pairing between the human Dean and the angel Castiel received the name "Destiel", and was introduced in the show’s fourth season. Although the writers have stated many times that Destiel will never be canon and that Dean is “heterosexual, full stop”, one has to be blind or stupid, or both, to be fooled about the true nature of this relationship. Yes, Dean likes girls A LOT, but somehow the camera always focuses on him whenever something queerish is happening.

2. Scorpius Malfoy and Albus Potter (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child)

Before you watch the latest movie of the super popular Harry Potter series, you don’t really expect it to be this gay. Yet, the homoerotic thing that’s going on between the two characters is so blatantly obvious that when it doesn’t go anywhere at the end, you are like, “????” Fan forums quickly named the pair Scorbus.

3. Sherlock Holmes and John Watson (Sherlock)

John and Sherlock are roommates, and they are often seen as a couple by other characters. While we have no doubts about Sherlock being gay (“Females are distracting”, he says when asked if he’s seeing someone), Watson is constantly in a state of denial about his own homosexuality. He even marries a Mary, but who is he fooling? I mean, two adult males living together and they’ve never hooked up? Oh, come on!

4. Jane Rizzoli and Maura Isles (Rizzoli&Isles)

Actually, the writers and the cast do admit to have run strong lesbian undertones between the two characters. But evidently that's enough for everyone! Actress Angie Harmon, who plays Detective Rizzoli in the drama series, received threatening messages from angry fans, claiming they’d stop watching the show because the show wouldn't depict the two leads making out. But even without the explicit homoerotic scenes, this is still one of the gayest non-gay shows out there.

5. A whole bunch of people (Once Upon a Time)

While we are constantly teased that Mulan has a crush on Aurora, it’s not until Season 5 that we realize that it’s Ruby and Dorothy who are actually in love. And finally, in Season 7, it’s revealed that Robin and Alice are each other’s true love. That's a whole lotta non-gay gayness!

6. Merlin and Arthur (Merlin)

These two medieval sweethearts spent five years together onscreen. Their relationship can be described as hyper-dynamic: it went from loathing each other to being willing to die for each other. Actually, the show was airing a little before the term queerbaiting came into existence, and the viewers were oblivious about the fact they were heavily queerbaited by the love story between two men running between the lines.

7. Kara Danvers and Lena Luthor (Supergirl)

This show presents kind of an interesting situation. On the one hand, the writers have created an authentic, full-blooded lesbian relationship between Maggie and Alex. On the other hand, fans ignore them, and are inclined to see chemistry between other two female characters, Kara, the Supergirl, and Lena, who’s supposed to be her enemy but is actually her BFF. Although Kara is involved with a guy, Mon-El, we somehow don’t buy it, and greedily want to see not one, but two explicit gay relationships.

8. Betty and Veronica (Riverdale)

We’ve been talking about hinting, and suggesting, and implying things so far, but with this show there isn’t even a shadow of a doubt about the homoerotic nature of the interaction between the two characters. Already in the very first episode, Betty and Veronica kiss for seemingly no reason at all. Why not just commit to the bit and go all the way??

And I ask: Would it have been THAT HARD indeed if they had made House and Wilson kiss at least once before the show wrapped up?

June 25, 2019 — Andrew Christian
Tags: Listicles