Pop Culture Fix: “Marvel’s Runaways” Season 2 to Feature Just So Much Lesbian Canoodling

Welcome to your weekly pop culture fix, featuring all the culture that is fit to pop.


+ Marvel’s Runaways will be back on December 21st and this TVLine scoop is so good I cannot wait.

The Karolina/Nico relationship that sparked at the close of the Hulu series’ freshman run “is, in a large way, the emotional core” of Season 2, co-showrunner Josh Schwartz says. And yet the freedom the girls now enjoy might just flummox them a bit! “They both sort of declared themselves to each other,” says co-showrunner Stephanie Savage, “and now they’re in a situation where they’re living without their parents but they’re living with the rest of the runways in the same house — which is a pretty quick advancement of a new relationship for young people. They’re going to be struggling not just with trying to save the world, but how to have an appropriate teenage relationship in such an adult situation.”

+ Look, apparently there’s going to be a Designing Women reboot and there’s nothing we can do about it and therefore it’s time to start campaigning for me — Heather Hogan, born and raised Georgia girl and professional lesbian TV writer of more than one decade — to be hired to consult on this show that absolutely must add a queer character in 2018.

+ Sophie Gilbert over at The Atlantic has some thoughts about how Orange Is the New Black is going to end.

+ In last week’s pop culture fix, Riese investigated the mystery of that Ryan Murphy / Pose Variety trans roundtable conversation that took Twitter by storm. Murphy’s camp has since responded.

+ Also in last week’s pop culture fix was the Ruby Rose Batwoman news and an update on that is that Ruby Rose has quit Twitter due to backlash.

+ Brooklyn Nine-Nine is working on a #MeToo episode for season six.

+ I believe many of you will enjoy this op-ed over at Hypable about Lena Luthor.

+ Shonda Rhimes really wanted to Callie to come back for Arizona’s last episode but CBS wouldn’t let her do it because of Madam Secretary! Booooo! Booooooo!!!!!! HIIISSSS! ?

+ Sarah Paulson and Sandra Oh had never met until Variety put them in a room together to talk about how brilliant and talented they both are.

+ Mo Ryan knows what the fuck is up.

+ Meet your live-action Mulan!

+ Can I also interest you in a first look at the chilling new Sabrina the Teenage Witch?

+ You can finally watch Saving Face — the third greatest lesbian movie of all time, according to me — on Amazon Prime!

+ And finally, guess who’s voicing Lady in the new live-action Lady and the Tramp? IT’S TESSA THOMPSON!

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Heather Hogan

Heather Hogan is an Autostraddle senior editor who lives in New York City with her wife, Stacy, and their cackle of rescued pets. She's a member of the Television Critics Association, GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics, and a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer critic. You can also find her on Twitter and Instagram.

Heather has written 1718 articles for us.

11 Comments

  1. Not sure if this has already been mentioned, but issue 70 of DC injustice 2 has a throw away line about Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn getting married in Vegas. Harlivy FTW!

  2. I was iffy about Ruby bc Batwoman is my fave and I’m not sure I trust her acting skills (also Kate should be Jewish), but damn if assholes harassing her doesn’t make me want to be extra supportive now.

    • The one argument against Rose’s casting as Batwoman that I do not understand is that that she shouldn’t be playing her because Kate is Jewish. The actress who plays the titular character in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel isn’t Jewish but that didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the show. Wonder Woman probably celebrated Christmas once or twice but Jewish Gal Gadot (who like me has likely never done the xmas thing) played her anyway. Is this A Thing?

  3. Omg, i can’t wait. That Runaways scoop is so good. You mean Deanoru will be the core of season 2? I wish i could insert some gifs here right now.

    If Designing Women reboot ends up on CBS, they’ll all be straight. I hope it lands on another network.

    Awful with the way our community treated Ruby Rose. Understandable if you don’t think she can act. But to ridicule her sexuality and invalidate her was a new low from us. Couldn’t believe it. How then are we now better than the heteros?

    Am i the only one who hates it when I hear stuff like “#MeToo episode”. Haven’t shows being tackling sexual harassment for decades? Ugh.

    Never knew how much I needed to see Sarah Paulson and Sandra Oh together until now.

    That Mulan picture. Daaaaammmn. Why are they forcing hetero lifestyle on her? That’s definitely a lesbian.

    SAVING FACE! I watched it for the first time this year. It is my no.1 recommended lesbian movie. So glad to see it is now even more accessible. Can’t wait to rewatch.

    • I’d be uncomfortable about a “#metoo” episode if it wasn’t Brooklyn 99, which has had a pretty great relative record on diversity, inclusion and overall being good people. So, cautiously hopeful?

      • Yeah, in general their ~issue~ episodes have been really good, imo. I especially loved the one about racial profiling centered around Terry. It seems like they really listen to their cast members & have a diverse writers room that lets #ownvoices people tackle the harder stuff.

        All that said, yeah I totally feel you in terms of it sometimes feeling like some old white dudes in a boardroom were like “here is a list of ‘trending’ ‘topics’ that you must include in the upcoming season,” as opposed to it happening naturally or organically.

  4. Karolina is my favourite Runaways, because she’s gay and has cool gay powers! Looking forward to season 2.

    Also live-action Mulan and Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina.

  5. I’m happy for Karolina and Nico being at the center of the story in the tv show HOWEVER what’s really making me lose my shit is the possibility of them finally being together in the damn comics. It’s literally been 10 years and if it doesn’t happen before this run ends then I’m seriously gonna lose it.

    And yes Saving Face is the greatest lesbian movie of all time.

  6. Speaking of “Marvel’s Runaways”, Lyrica and Ginny did a Periscope (or something similar).

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