Reminder that we’ve been introduced to 3 of Mac’s gay family member, his cousin Brent (s1e1,) his country cousin dubbed Cool Mac (s9e5,) and his Uncle Donald (s16e2.) Mac does not have to be alone as a gay man in a homophobic family, he chooses to be. Mac walking out on his Uncle Donald’s offer of a relationship was not introduced in season 16, Mac only wants validation from those unwilling to give it, like his mom, dad and of course Dennis.
I tried to explain this to my friend and seemed like she understood but in short….
Patrick Bateman > Hannibal Lecter > Dennis Reynolds.
Patrick Bateman is actually a guy who is just a monster for funzies. He simply is not there. He directly tells people several times in the books that he has killed someone, that he eats people, that he is sexually violent, but he’s the boy next store. He’s the perfect American Boy™ who clearly just has an odd sense of humor. He confesses several times and yet he gets away with it all. He’s wealthy enough to constantly get into exclusive restaurants, and has great connections. Patrick attends many social events, and is around other people who care just as much about having the ideal business card, all while secretly raping, killing, eating people, etc. He is the blueprint for men of his kind, and also just a girl with a skin care routine. Hannibal and Dennis both wish they could get to this level.
Sure Hannibal can vaguely allude to his extracurricular activities of enforced cannibalism, and the like, but he can’t actually say it. He can make over complex metaphors, but Hannibal cannot just confess like Bateman so often does. He’s also not treated with the same level of acceptance that Bateman receives. His dinner parties also aren’t nearly as extravagant as Bateman describes his being, yes Hannibal may be doing them by himself but that further illustrates him as an outlier. He’s also referred to as hosting often, meaning he likely wouldn’t go to many events if he did not host. There’s not a place for him, so instead he carves out the space for himself, the spot for Bateman is already there neatly aligned with many other similar spots. Bateman’s friends hold the same beliefs that lead to his depravity, they are also racist, classist, homophobic and sexist, there’s no proof that they aren’t also “performing” humanity in the same way he does, in fact many things to point to this being the case. Hannibal also has the added weakness of loving and caring for someone, Patrick would never care for anyone other than himself. As much that Hannibal in the show doesn’t think his trauma influenced his crimes, it certainly does. Hannibal wouldn’t eat people if Mischa wasn’t eaten first. No matter what canon you go off of, at the end of the day Hannibal is just a man who’s trying to forget what happened. He was meant to protect her, and in the end he benefited from her death by being able to live after she couldn’t.
Dennis is always called out on his implication bullshit. He cares about his friends, he helps Charlie with Day Man, is overwhelmed with joy by the rocket launcher from Mac, and is occasionally there for Dee. He’s also doing it because he wants Frank’s validation and is the world’s biggest mamas boy. Dennis is the most common version of this kind of man, whereas Bateman is at the purest form, Hannibal lies in between.
hope that makes sense
Mac without his faith is nothing. If he lost it I would simply stop watching the show. This man is incredibly hypocritical and can bend his vision of catholicism to be whatever he wants it to be. He believes it so strongly but he still doesn't know the difference between Indiana Jones and the Bible. The dance was about God helping him and accepting him, it's about him still being deeply religious despite being gay. His dad didn't disown him bc of catholicism, he disowned him because he hates mac and if he can't give him a do-over in a grandson than he was finished with him bc everytime he interacts with mac his life gets worse. Mac is the only one in his family that is as religious as he is, he found a purpose in god bc no one else carried about him. Mac had to have the identity crisis to reconcile his sexually with his belief but he did that already. He is held together by his faith, I don't think he could live without it. He would still want a crucifix at the bar, his room is still covered in mini crucifixs with a picture of the pope above his bed and that will never change.
I'm sorry if I misunderstood what you were trying to say, and I'm sorry for the poorly worded rant but I feel strongly about this.
Mac’s family may not believe as heavily he does, but he was still raised Irish Catholic. I do believe that Mac would throw himself into any community he grew up in, and that just so happened to be Catholism. I don’t think Mac believes in God after he comes out, but I do think he would still consider himself Catholic. I think the dance is more about having an accepting community rather than literally God even if that community is still the church.
Mac’s views of God is heavily intertwined with his dad. His dad hates him yes, and I don’t think that his religious beliefs were the entire reason he abandons Mac but I do think that if Mac wasn’t gay and didn’t have a child that his dad would still continue their minimal contact. Mac’s dad wanted to repair their relationship after he got out of prison, he attempted to mend his relationships My Name is Earl style including the one with Mac. He violated his parole by buying plane tickets to the Baseball hall of fame for Mac in Dennis Looks Like a Registered Sex Offender. People who hate their kids don’t do that. Mac’s dad doesn’t completely severe the relationship after Mac snitches on him, he fully severs it when Mac comes out.
Mac still references his religion but it’s greatly declined, but he still holds many of the same moral beliefs which makes sense. His search for identity is very reminiscent of many people who are searching for community after reaching the church.
If you’re interested in religious comedies I’d recommend watching Dogma. Bethany’s participation in Catholicism while believing “God is dead” is the closest thing to Mac’s situation I can think of. Although I do love your Indiana Jones parallel. I think at one point Mac believed in God and after he came out to himself he saw God like Indiana Jones, another made-up action packed story.
something something corporate would like you to spot the difference between these two images
I love how the gang is held together by a thread towards later seasons and I hope the show ends with them not being friends anymore as I feel as though that would be the most satisfying ending. After “The Gang Carries a Corpse Up a Mountain” there is no way that Charlie doesn’t know that Frank is the main person who cares about him. The rest of the gang was totally ok with leaving him, but Frank was pushed away by him and came back. Charlie is stupid but we’ve sort of seen him transition to only liking Frank and maybe Mac. Dee and him have had a rocky relationship ever since she raped him, and he’s always resented Dennis even when they are close, he’s a bastard man. Mac and Dennis are still sort of close but it’s clear that Dennis find Mac as necessary anymore and Mac is still hopelessly in love with him but in a “i hate my husband” way. Dennis spends many episodes just tearing into Mac but Mac refuses to leave. Mac and Dee hate each other, self explanatory. Dee and Dennis understand each other and know that they are similar, they both see what they hate most about themselves in each other. Remember the difference but parallel between their “implications.” Dee becomes the victim to be the predator and Dennis is always the predator. Frank is used for his money, we knew this. He has become a surrogate father in a way for Mac but has excelled in doing so for Charlie.
TLDR: Most of the gang hates each other and if they were real people would likely split with the exception of Charlie and Frank staying together, everyone else could go either way depending on future events.
mac was so real for the “if there is a god, then in his infinite wisdom, there’s no way he would’ve made me a queer thing.” personally the first major rift in my belief was that, i couldn’t be a priest cause of the vagina issue, but ig being gay aided too the lack of belief. also i think the show would’ve been better if they showed mac losing his faith cause he sort of going through the identity thing in S16 still but his religion isn’t touched on. max wanted to be a priest, in the “the gang exploits a miracle” it’s made incredibly explicit and yet we just get a dance and it’s done. like his dad disowned him in front of an audience because of catholism but he’s over the religion thing?!?! THE MAN WANTED A LARGE BLOODY CRUCIFIX IN THE BAR ITS A MAJOR THING TO HIM AND WE’RE SUPPOSED TO IGNORE HIS IDENTITY CONFLICT!?!?
how to abide by the law of bros before hoes when bro happens to be my hoe?
hear me out
American Psycho- simply not there
Hannibal- person suit
Dennis- untethered and his rage knows no bounds
