One episode away from the series finale, it’s time to take note of Eye Candy’s George and why he’s such a stand out character.
Today we’re taking a minute to celebrate George Reyes. Eye Candy’s resident hacker extraordinaire and loyal best friend. He could have easily been made into just another cookie cutter BFF, but as you’ll see he’s become so much more than that.
‘If they knew you were doing charity work on their dime, no bueno.’
On the surface this may not seem like a very noteworthy piece of dialogue. As far as Eye Candy quotes go, it’s unlikely to be one of the first you think of. But because this is our very first introduction to George the implications are larger than normal. In seconds we’re learning he’s friendly to Lindy, morally conscious yet sneaky, technologically equipped, a little cheeky, and someone who just happens to be Latino. It’s not glaring and it’s not even remotely the most important element about his character, yet his cultural identification is a relevant aspect of his identity. Guillen himself has expressed pride in getting to portray someone in the Latino community who gets to break stereotypes in such a way. And if we have any say in it, it’s something we’ll be seeing a lot more of in the future.
‘You know it’s like 3AM right? I was deep in the R.E.M.’
If there was any question about how devoted and loving George feels about Lindy it’s completely blown away after this scene. People don’t drag their butts out of a warm comfy bed at 3AM for just anyone. PLUS, how cute and cheeky is he?! Ready to throw down at a moments notice, everyone needs a George in their life.
‘You a cop? You totally seem like a cop.’
Let’s remember shall we that not only is George difficult to impress he’s also super paranoid. He’s seen it all and broken enough laws to probably get him put away for life, so it’s understandable why he’d be hesitant to let newbies into his world. However, this fact is exactly why his friendship with Lindy is so notable. These two didn’t just become friends after being assigned neighboring cubicles. Their connection isn’t happenstance or forced familiarity. It’s built on a foundation of respect and trust. From the beginning Lindy impressed George with her technological skills and once he realized he was meeting the real deal, he took a chance on her. The situation was similar for Lindy as well. She reached out to him at a time when she was extremely vulnerable and needed a certain set of advanced skills to help her find her sister — taking a chance on the hacktivist community. Although Lindy has seen more tragedy in her life, the two friends are made of the same stuff. And once George recognizes that, they’re bonded for life.
‘*POP* I just made 500 bucks!’
Here’s another really important aspect of George. The dude is a full fledged ladies man. He isn’t shy or unassuming like ‘nerdy’ types are so often portrayed. Nor does he fall in that very narrow body type category that is dedicated to the on screen stud. His cool sense of self confidence makes him into a man of his own. One that flirts with and generally feels he can approach any young lady should he feel so inclined. It’s never preached or acknowledged in any sort of PSA sort of way, it’s just accepted. Leading the real world by setting an example.
‘I know you got this case from Jake, but what you’re not telling me is, what’s going on with you guys?’
Question. How often do we see straight guys initiating relationship gossip with their straight female friends with absolutely no romantic motive between the two clouding the discussion? Because if there’s a list floating around out there, it feels like it would be pretty short. On Eye Candy George doesn’t hold back. He loves Lindy, and as Guillen likes to say, “That’s his boo.” He can talk hacking with her, boys, creepy factoids about how much we sweat during the night or how many routine checkups lead to death and it’s no big deal. Because again, although George is a ladies man, he doesn’t seem to objectify them. He sees Lindy as a person first. One who he respects and trusts implicitly. This equal footing friendship dynamic is one for the ages, and frankly, we could use a lot more of it on TV.