Heartbreak High, the reboot
While binging all of the seasons of OG Heartbreak High (don’t you just love the 90s? 🥹), I discovered there was a reboot of the show released in 2022. But to my utter astonishment, they decided to my men, former bad boy/ current best boii, Peter Rivers so dirty by remaking him into “an ex-racist, sexist, homophobic man, likely formerly transphobic too” (©️ fandom). What the hell were they thinking?! Admittedly, he was a douche, but then again this is the same dude who at some point was friends with Rose, Jack, and Chaka (🇱🇧🇻🇳🇸🇻 respectively); started a very groundbreaking albeit illicit relationship with his teacher (whatever happened to Sam anyway?!); and as far as I could see showed nothing but respect for his gay teacher (albeit with an attitude because he is…you know “Rivers” 🤷). Said teacher was the only queer character I could find up until Rivers’ departure, because well this was Australia in the 90s I suppose? But I can’t see how he would’ve acted any different to any other queer character, than with his typical attitude.
The thing I loved most about Rivers is that he is an incredibly complex character, with a lot of different layers of problems. A difficult relationship with his very problematic parents, a tendency towards overcompensating by acting all tough, and a real difficulty with seeking help. Not in the last place because he suffers from prejudice and stigma. Whenever something foul has been committed, the cops first look for him.
Admittedly, I haven’t watched the reboot yet. (I still have approximately four seasons of OG to go through. 🫣) But you’re seriously expecting me to believe that this multilayered character, the guy with so many different sides, this dude who when it mattered always was there to help his friends. HE is nothing but a recovering sexist racist homophobic piece of vermin?!
