The story revolves around a Los Angeles family and their lives following the discovery that father Mort (Jeffrey Tambor) is transgender and wishes to be referred to as “Maura.” Transparent has a strong message: for gender freedom for all, and within that freedom we can find grays and muddled purples and pinks, chakras that bridge the heart and mind, sexiness that depends on a masochistic love or a sweeping soul dominance.In particular, Transparent wants to invent worlds that bridge the binary: Genderqueer, Boygirl, Girlboy, Macho Princess, and Officer Sweet Slutty Bear Captain are just a few incredibly confusing, gender-bending concepts that come to mind.
The show is about sex and intimacy, about a family inheritance of a woman being born. The family ultimately gets a new mother from their father’s female self.The story has a special tone for this particular pocket of life in Los Angeles, and has many parts that are universally, such as a marriage gone sour and the disappointing of a child.
The story goes into more unfamiliar territory — not just with Maura, but the many disreputable behaviors her kids get tangled up in.Character to watch: Jeffrey Tambor as Maura Pfefferman.
Journal your answers to the following questions after you watch the series.
- How does this particular character’s journey compare with yours?
- Did the character develop certain characteristics during the movie that you have or that you would like to have? If so, what are those characteristics?
- What obstacles did this character face? What was his or her biggest challenge?
- What would you have done differently if you had been in the same position as the character?
- Is this character the type of person you would be friends with? Why or why not?