Colton Underwood’s ‘Coming Out Colton’ wraps a pile of trash in a rainbow flag

There are obvious metaphors, and then there are Colton Underwood standing topless in angelic wings, rainbow flags draped over his shoulders like a cloak.

In Netflix’s Coming soon Colton, The former Bachelor tries to move on from a tumultuous 2020 in which his ex-girlfriend Cassie Randolph received a temporary restraining order against him. Underwood became gay a few months after the incident; in an interview with Diversity this spring, he claimed he was blackmailed for doing so. The streaming video series observes Underwood sharing his sexuality with his family and the world. However, while this production works to gauge sincerity, it’s hard to shake the feeling that none of this was done “for the right reasons”.

As skeptical observers might expect, this trove of material (best read with strong air citations) shows last year’s volatility as a dark spot on Underwood’s impending path. “I’m trying to get it right by a community that I run,” said Underwood. But if the argument for Coming soon ColtonIts existence is its potential missionary power — the chance it can teach Bachelor gossipers or football fans about gays and our history — maybe we should wait for him to finish reading before streaming the trailer for his book report .

For those who don’t follow Bachelor Nation’s accomplishments and activities: Underwood, a former professional soccer player from Indiana, competed in Becca Kufrin’s 2018 season Bachelorette. The 26-year-old previously dated Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman, and after once turned their backs on each other. Bachelor in Paradise he earned something of a reputation in Bachelor Nation as a player seeking fame. His cue Bachelor In 2019, Underwood rebranded as “virgin Bachelor”—a season-long nod to his revelation during the Kufrin season that he’d never had sex. The journey culminates in the widely teased Most Dramatic Moment Ever™, in which Underwood jumps over a fence, all for the love of California native Cassie Randolph.

The fact that Underwood and Randolph never walked down the aisle was hardly a surprise—Bachelor The exact rate of success in marriage is not known. But Randolph’s request a restraining order It is alleged that Underwood sent her and himself creepy text messages from a private number pretending to be a stalker, that he began haunting her home and booked a tracking device in her car, that he was lurking outside the window of her bedroom at her parents’ house at 2 a.m. Next month, Randolph cancel request and Underwood shared a statement that they had reached a privacy agreement. “I do not believe that Cassie did anything wrong in applying for the restraining order and also believe she acted in good faith,” he wrote. “I appreciate everyone’s respect for privacy regarding this matter.”

Underwood came out as gay this April with a light-hearted, energetic interview on Good Morning America, and reports quickly emerged that Netflix was making a series about him. Turned out, Coming soon Colton was in progress at the time its topic appeared on GMA. Perhaps that’s what Roberts meant when she told her colleagues that Underwood “really took the time.” The question remains: for what?

Like many vanity projects before it (HBO Max’s Wahl RoadThat horrible peacock Ryan Lochte show) Coming soon Colton observe its subject too closely to establish insight. Each of the six episodes focuses on one theme: “Family”, “Football”, “Friends”, “Church”, “Public” and “Past & Future”. Somber music and carefully filmed interviews may evoke the look of a documentary, but there is little to be found. Instead, we observe familiar story beats — all organized to paint Underwood as a harmless, nonspecific representation of reclusive youth everywhere, especially those who happens to be a white Christian. Olympic skier Gus Kenworthy, friend of Underwood and “Gay Guide” (a title that quickly disappeared due to social media ridicule), comparing him to a golden retriever.

So, what does Colton’s journey into the gay community look like? It was Gus taking our boy Colton to a sex shop to try on a harness and asking tough questions like, “What do you mean?” (It was here that the aforementioned angelless moment took place.) Colton “learned” that gay people can enjoy country music by relaxing on a party bus with CMT personality Cody Alan . It was Colton talking to a black transgender priest about how to forgive himself for the damage he had done before going out. (“Legally, I can’t talk about that,” he said of the Randolph incident, “and the only person I’m responsible for is myself.”) And that’s a lot of conversation. awkward with loved ones, shocking people don’t know what. to say when seemingly ambushed with a full camera crew. I stared in awe as Underwood visited The Stonewall Inn, where he reflected on gay rights activists’ struggle for the right to appear. Good Morning America and said, “Hey, I’m gay,” and learned that until very recently, you could get fired for being gay. If the win of this educational program doesn’t make you want to jump on the floats waving rainbow flags and screaming yas, gay rights! at the top of your lungs, I can’t imagine what else would happen.

“I just want to do my homework right now,” says Underwood — inviting us, for the briefest moment, to imagine what this series would look like if he had anything to talk about. His sexuality in addition to pointed out many times.

It’s not that Underwood’s story isn’t worthless. With anti-gay sentiment continuing to pervade most dressing rooms, many young, reclusive footballers could find themselves at Underwood. The episode “Church” also seems to resonate with a lot of young Christians, who still live aloof to avoid being ostracized as a “sinner”. But Underwood’s relationship with these organizations is essentially that of the show—so while a more objective narrator might have found an interesting vantage point, the series has mostly only achieved all expected beats.

Still, it’s mostly impossible to shake the impression that all of this is part of a broader publicity campaign designed to undo what happened to Randolph in the past and protect his position. Underwood’s position in the limelight.

Underwood never denied any charges against him. At one point, he met his mutual friends and Cassie – one of whom told him that regardless of what he’s been through when he talks about his sexuality, “What you It was bullshit to put her through.” Underwood has repeatedly said that the alleged stalking is an act of desperation for control; Randolph was the woman he thought would flatly deny or prove he was gay once and for all. He said he was self-medicating with Xanax and at one point he took so much medication that he thought he wouldn’t wake up. What advice did Pastor Nicole Garcia give him on how to proceed from there? “The best thing you can do is work with you and face what you’ve done before starting your next relationship, before you go into someone else’s life. Take responsibility for what you did and then work on not doing it again.”

Coming soon Colton want us to believe that’s part of that job. But if celebrity and corporate apologies over the past few years have taught us anything, the proper “I’m sorry” should contain a few basic elements missing here. Underwood alleges he is prohibited by law from naming specific acts he is said to be “possessed” and while it’s entirely possible he compensated Cassie during their private interactions, that is not certain yet. Underwood says they haven’t discussed the project yet, and he doubts he’ll get a response from her once it’s released. However, a source close to Randolph made a comment about Page six: “Cassie really just wants to get over any Colton-related movie,” the source said. “She’s getting caught up in this Colton mess because of the Netflix show… There are so many bad memories related to the end of their relationship and she wishes there was a way to separate herself completely. completely out of his story.”

Looks like Underwood is getting ready for that split, too. Finally, we see him gazing out over a placid lake, wearing his hat upside down, to the background music of what the caption describes as “soft music”.

“I know that there are a lot of untold stories in the LGBTQ+ community,” Underwood said. “And I’m so grateful to be able to add my story to the conversation, to continue until stories like this, you know, don’t need to be told anymore.”

On that last part, at least, we certainly agree.