In a Halloween episode, operator-in-training Ray (Mason Cook) and his sarcastic younger sister Dylan (Kyla Kenedy) change bodies.
Ray in Dylan's body experiences not a hint of macho panic ("Gross! I'm a girl!), nor does he spend his time heterosexualizing ("I can see all the boobs I want). Instead, he enjoys being brainy and popular, and refuses to switch back.
Dad, naturally, assumes that "Ray" is coming out as transgender. "I don't know enough about this to comment," he says, "But your mother and I will always love you no matter..."
Later he tells his wife "I think I'm woke."
The juxtaposition of the old fashioned "trapped in the wrong body" and the contemporary "woke" is jarring, but otherwise the sequence perfectly avoids all of the homophobic and heterosexist jokes one usually finds in "boy turns into a girl" stories.
Naturally, I wanted to know more about Mason Cook, who plays Ray.
18 years old, born in Oklahoma City although he says he's from Arkansas, acting since age 9. He played the young Jimmy on Raising Hope and Eddie Munster in the Munsters reboot Mockingbird Lane, guested on a lot of Disney and Nickelodeon teencoms, and had recurring roles on Legends and The Goldbergs. His movie credits include Spy Kids 4, The Lone Ranger, Spy, and some tv-movie tearjerkers.
Extremely progressive in his politics, anxious to take back the country from the alt-right.
Quick to call out homophobia. Didn't go to see The Ender's Game because the author of the original novel, Orson Scott Card, hates gay people.
Uploads lots of selfies to his twitter and instagram accounts.
In this picture, he is in bed. But it doesn't look like a selfie -- the arms are positioned wrong. Someone else took it.I wonder who was in bed with Mason Cook?
See also: Speechless, Season 2