That Gay Episode: Joey Says “Whoah” To A Secret Admirer On A Very Special ‘Blossom’

The term “very special episode” was not coined for Blossom, but you might think so just by looking at the show’s episode list. Divorce, drugs, eating disorders, guns, racism, alcoholism, domestic abuse–in Blossom’s opinionation, every episode should be a very special episode.

Knowing that, it’s no surprise that Blossom was one of the very few ’90s family sitcoms to include a very special gay episode, a topic that Full House and Step By Step steered clear of. And Blossom being Blossom, their first of two gay episodes also tossed in some still-hella-relevant commentary on sexual assault. When the time comes to get very special, the Russo family does not mess around!

The two main plot lines of “Double Date,” written by Glen Merzer and directed by Joe Bergen, are a big ol’ middle finger to toxic masculinity. The two stories aren’t explicitly connected, but when presented side-by-side they create a cause and effect of grosso dude behavior. The episode’s main plot centers on Blossom (Mayim Bialik) setting up her BFF Six on a date with a friend of her boyfriend Vinnie. Oh–and this is Six’s first episode back from rehab, because this show’s very special stories knock into each other like dominos! The major problem: Vinnie’s friend–brace yourself for the most 1994 name ever–Gordo McCain is a sexual predator that slaps Blossom’s behind minutes after meeting her and forcibly kisses her after their double date. The B-plot is where we get the gay stuff, as Joey (Joey Lawrence) receives a letter from a secret admirer named Leslie–an admirer that turns out to be one of his baseball teammates, Les! To quote Joey, “Whoah!”

The gay plot starts out inconspicuously (okay, inconspicuously if you forget that this is a very special sitcom) when Joey gets a love letter from a secret admirer. It reads: “Joey, I’m sure you don’t share my feelings but I want you to know how attractive I find you. I had to tell you about this but it’s hard to do it in person. I hope you’ll understand. Sincerely, Leslie.” Doesn’t that make you just want to go “wooOOoOOoOOooooo” like you’re in the studio audience? Honestly, this letter is the most ordinary, unexpected thing about the episode. This is a Season 4 Blossom episode, and the show was leaning into Joey Lawrence’s teen idol status hard. I mean, just look at him in the opening credits!

Like, my early ’90s sitcom crush is without a doubt Al Borland from Home Improvement, but I can still recognize that that GIF could make anyone reach for a pen and paper and get to professing.

Joey immediately runs through the two Leslie options: his admirer is either Leslie Doppler, a “gorgeous blonde with legs up to her neck” or Leslie Leewak, a “dumpy brunette with a huge mole on her neck.” Such a charmer, that Joey! A day and one outfit change later (this time it’s a sleeveless, blousey denim shirt and skintight black high-waisted jeans), Joey’s hanging out with his baseball teammate Les, complimenting him on [baseball specific]. The friend does that only-in-sitcoms thing where he shows up at Joey’s house and stays for exactly 31 seconds, cramming in small talk and a letter handoff and then leaving on a shocking reveal.

Whoah!

Slow dissolve to Joey, a little later, reading the second letter: “So now that you know who I am, my first letter may have freaked you out a little bit. I’m sorry about that. I probably shouldn’t have sent it but I’ve been living a lie for a long time and that gets tiring. I hope you can understand. Leslie.”

When watching these gay episodes as a gay man, you always hope that your lovable sitcom buds will be cool with queer people. It’s hard finding out your faves (like Blanche and Cliff, in my case) are homophobes, because sitcom characters feel like your friends. And there’s no doubt that Joey Russo was the object of affection for an entire generation of gay teens. Again, look at that GIF. That’s why it’s hard to hear Joey’s response to attracting attention from a gay man:

Joey is dumbfounded, more so than usual, at learning that one of his lifelong buds is gay–and on the baseball team, to boot! In a bit of blatant social commentary from the writer, Joey says there should be a place for gays, like in “the military or priesthood or something.” Oh Joey, you stumbled onto the hot-button issues of 1994 that are still frighteningly, disturbingly relevant today!

But yeah, Joey says he will “put his lights out” if Les comes onto him again. It’s gross. And, rightfully, the show–through Joey’s sister-in-law Shelly–calls him out as being gross. Shelly asks how Joey would react if a woman he didn’t find attractive came onto him, and he says he wouldn’t hit them because men don’t hit women. Shelly with the newsflash: “Actually there are a lot of men who do, the exact same kind of men who find it necessary to beat up on gays. They’re called cowards.”

Right here, the show draws a direct parallel between what Blossom’s going through with her boyfriend’s grope-happy friend and what Joey fears will happen to him should Les come onto him again. Men like (I can’t get over that his name is) Gordo McCain do whatever they want to whoever they want because they benefit from the patriarchy. Joey’s not gross like Gordo, but remember he did freely objectify and put down two women at the top of this episode. Men that think women are there to be fondled or just look pretty, they don’t react well to gay men because they fear gay men will treat them the way they treat women. Basically, Joey’s afraid Les will treat him the way Gordo’s treating Blossom.

To drive the point home, Shelly gets a dramatic, no-laughs monologue about her childhood and the time she wasn’t invited to a party at a country club because the facility didn’t allow black people. “I know what it’s like when people shun you for who you are,” says Shelly. “And Joey, I wouldn’t wish that feeling on anybody.”

This plot wraps up a day later when Joey (now in a letterman jacket, white tee, and his trademark skintight jeans) comes across a bully harassing Les, calling him “Boy George.” Joey tells the guy to stop, prompting the bully to ask “Who’s gonna make me?” Joey replies:

I like this. Okay, if I were Les, I would have an immediate flash of terror after being volunteered for a hallway fight. But that aside, I like this because Joey isn’t coming to Les’ rescue; instead, he’s including Les in his own rescue. “We are” accomplishes so much! It not only shows that Joey stands in solidarity with Les, but it also keeps Les in the story’s spotlight instead of Joey shoving him out of the way with a chivalrous deed. It’s a subtle, cool touch.

And that’s it! The episode ends right there, Joey having overcome his homophobia in-between scenes and ready to throw down alongside his gay BFF (who only appears in this episode, BTW). That’s the thing about a lot of these very special episodes: complex issues are distilled down to their most basic parts and then resolved in a half hour. In this case, homophobia is cured in the C-plot of one episode! But hey, at least Joey learned his lesson and gay ’90s teens didn’t have to throw out their secret collection of BOP and Tiger Beat.

Watch Blossom's "Double Date" on Hulu