I was surprised when there were people who had been under the impression that that scene had anything to do with Mulan loving Philip, as opposed to Aurora. To me, it was pretty clear, they even gave Mulan an exact line of Aurora’s, “We shall see,” when she was discussing with Robin about going to see a loved one. And there’s no logical reason that Mulan would have wanted to tell Aurora, “So, I’m in love with your husband.”
Didn’t see or hear any ambiguity in the scene at all, even though Mulan didn’t get around to confess her feelings to Aurora. There were signs before. Doubt that so many people would talk about ambiguity if Mulan were a man. Well, if people want to read it that way, that Mulan wanted to confess to her best friend Aurora being in love with her love, so be it. It is one of the things I do criticize about how the writers handled this story now, it is the too well known “The love that dare not speak it’s name” trope (well known in the community that is). The writers don’t make it all clear, don’t name it, so it unfortunately is indeed still open for discussion, and it is the kind of discussion I gladly would have left behind long ago. Is Mulan or isn’t she in love with a woman… She is, so let’s move on and maybe discuss how she can find happiness, who her princess could be and how they will find each other. But…
It shouldn’t be a contentious issue, it should just be a case of, “Good stuff, another new love story to watch,” but unfortunately the reality is that there’s a social stigma to same sex relationships, so maybe they’re treading carefully at first?
How long are we already doing this dance on hot coals? More than a hundred years, when talking just about moving pictures, or maybe take the first same-gender kiss on (US TV) screen, which happened some say in 1991, so doing this dance at least for the past 20 years. And we’re talking here about a show by ABC, a network running shows like Grey’s Anatomy, Modern Family, Scandal, Revenge, and if you include their cable channel ABC family Pretty Little Liars and The Fosters – all shows with LGBTQ characters, even some prominent character and not shying away from speaking out the love’s name. Okay, all these are modern time shows, OUaT is a show about old fashioned fairy tales, trying to give those though a modern twist. Frankly getting a bit tired with being careful and taking little cautious very small steps to not offened anyone with what they will find offending no matter how it is presented to them.
Admittedly, they didn’t do it with some new, or lesser known fairy tale or storybook character, they did it with a well known and liked Disney movie main protagonist. That is something, and not really something to suggest they want to be careful at first because of social stigma. Can argue though as well, that Mulan has never been the typical (white) average Disney princess, that her story already in the movie plays with gender expectations and images, so if there had been any main Disney protagonist to take that road she always was a good choice. And at the same time it makes Mulan the bad choice, she is the obvious choice, already somewhat “butch”, masculine, so “naturally” she might be interested in women (as well). Warrior butch lesbian/bisexual trope.
Not to mention we have the Unhappy lesbian/bisexual falling for a straight woman trope here now as well, plenty of cliches. too many for my taste, too many to call this move progress.
Mulan has feelings for Aurora going beyond just a close friendship, that much in my opinion is obvious. And one can say, because Aurora is in love with Phillip, he in love with her, and they undoubtly have what is defined as true love (the kiss broke the curse, no way around that), Mulan’s feelings are meant to be unanswered. Not much of a choice there, unless, Adam knew what he was talking about when saying on the NY Comic Con they want to “represent love in every form” – I somewhat doubt though, that that includes polyamory. So I doubt, that the story goes into a direction of a happy three parents family, and as much doubt that they would break up Aurora’s and Phillip’s relation, or kill Phillip (been kinda there, done that with the wraith, but now Phillip is back). Leaves Mulan with a broken heart and maybe the chance for a new (real?) true love, be it man or woman.
Was Mulan in love before with Phillip? Maybe, and possible. While with non-fictional people I am far more careful to lable them I am less shy with fictional characters. I think it would be okay to lable Mulan bi- or pansexual (just in short: some define bisexual as being attracted to more than one gender, other criticize that the term still could be and is misunderstood by many as being attracted to the two most talked about genders, thus neclegting that there are more possibilities and more genders, so some prefer to use the term pansexual instead). It was never stated when we first met Mulan, what she is, but thanks to our socialisation most of us quite sure automatically at first assumed, she was straight, because that how things normally are. Unless clearly stated or shown otherwise we assume someone to be straight, because that is what is “normal” (or mostly the case, the majority). A reason why it is so important to make diversity very and clearly visible on screen, so that we maybe one day assume less automatically who people might be attracted to and be more open for other possibilities.
I do think Mulan is perhaps best classified as “bi” but I also think she tends to fall in love with personalities rather than any specific gender.
One can say so. Maybe it is true for Mulan. But in general would be careful with putting it that way. We’re talking about true love here on this show, and think it is safe to say that means a love which is about more than physical attraction anyway, where physics even play if any only a part among others. Right? So this statement should pretty much be true for any kind of (true) love (between two not blood related people) on the show. To say it simple: For example for Snow Charming’s personality matters more than his specific gender (or should). So there is no difference between Mulan and Snow in this.
Furthermore: For some people their gender identity is an important part of (their) personality. It is convenient to particular say in cases of people who have felt or feel attraction to more than one gender, that personality is more important than gender, and for some that is true, but for others not. Some are very aware of the different genders they feel attracted to, they just do feel attracted to more than one gender. And for some transexual and transgender people it is very important to notice their gender identity as part of their personality and not ignore it. Just saying.
One can only hope at this point, that the showmakers develop Mulan’s story further. From what I gather from interviews and con panels though guess we’re not going to see much more before winter break. As I wrote above, I very much doubt though SleepingWarrior will happen, it has no future. Even if Aurora might have feelings as well (which seeing how she reacted I wouldn’t rule out, but that is interpretation), she is not going to leave Phillip, not on this fairy tale show, and they won’t kill Phillip, because why did they bring him back in the first place. So leaves to find another true love for Mulan for her happy ending in some future of the show. Just hope that for a change it’s not ending with being just a phase trope and Mulan falling in love with some man (whoever), but that they go for letting her find her “princess”.
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