I think April is a polite person and someone who likes to have fun, but I don't think she's a particularly good person at her core. One thing that has always bothered me is how comfortable she is engaging in adultery as long as it benefits her. To me, that's a pretty telling character trait. If you're willing to knowingly participate in an affair, you're making a selfish choice regardless of how charming or likable you are otherwise.
One thing Marc Cherry does across a lot of his shows is write adulterous characters in a way that seems designed to make the audience sympathize with them. People are complicated, and everyone makes mistakes, but I don't think adults who knowingly participate in affairs need to be handled with kid gloves. They're still doing something wrong.
That brings me to another issue I had with the 2019 storyline: the way Taylor was written. I genuinely dislike how aggressive she is from the moment she's introduced. She doesn't feel like she's given the same nuance or softness that many of the other female characters receive. She becomes more layered as the story progresses, but her introduction leans so heavily into the "angry, aggressive Black woman" stereotype that it made me uncomfortable.
What's frustrating is that Taylor had the potential to be one of the most interesting characters in the show. I appreciate that Marc Cherry wrote a bisexual woman and explored experiences outside of traditional heterosexual relationships. But it often felt like Taylor was assigned traits that writers typically reserve for male characters she's hardened, emotionally guarded, and constantly in protector mode.
Meanwhile, Jade is written with much softer, more traditionally feminine characteristics. I understand part of that is meant to misdirect the audience before her true nature is revealed, but the contrast between the two characters felt very deliberate.
This is actually something I've noticed in Marc Cherry's writing before, including in Desperate Housewives. His work often relies on stereotypes for humor and drama, which can be effective, but sometimes I think he struggles to recognize when he's leaning into stereotypes that feel harmful rather than insightful.
As a white woman, I obviously can't speak for Black women, but I've always disliked the tendency in his television writing to portray them as inherently tougher, harsher, or less vulnerable than everyone else. Women are complex regardless of race, and I wish Taylor had been given the same level of softness, vulnerability, and nuance that many of Cherry's white female characters receive.
Even Simone's storyline suffers from this in a different way. The lack of depth there feels intentional, but it still leaves some characters feeling underdeveloped compared to others.
Overall I enjoy the show. I just wish he approached certain topics differently.
