In FX’s Breeders, viewers knew by the very first episode to expect Paul (Martin Freeman) to dehumanize his children by constantly swearing at them. This includes the very first scene of the series. As it turns out, though, viewers learn from April 27’s episode, “No Cure (Part 2),” that he and his wife have been dehumanizing their son, Luke, since before he was even born.
The two-part episode which concluded Monday night, centers around Luke, now 7, being sick with encephalitis. Part 2 features lots of flashbacks, including when Paul and his wife (then girlfriend) Ally (Daisy Haggard) found out they were pregnant.
Paul: What does he say?
Ally: What does who say?
Paul: Come on--him. Captain Piss Stick.
Ally: Oh. Well, Captain Piss Stick... He says... We're gonna have a baby!
Paul: No.
Ally: Yes.
Paul: Big, hairy Christ.
Ally: Huge, hairy Christ.
Paul: Digby, the hairiest Christ in the world. We've made a baby.
Ally: Well, no. We've made a collection of cells that have the potential to become a baby.
Paul: Yeah. I mean, are you sure you want this? 'Cause I realize it's mainly been me who's talked about having kids.
Ally: Well, I better fucking want it, 'cause I am the one who is gonna get sick and eat burnt toast. And not sleep and, like, have tits the size of fucking Space Hoppers, and then suffer the most horrific pain a human being can stand.
In addition to the incredibly dehumanizing language from Ally about their child, it also conflicts with her excitement just a moment ago, over how they’re “gonna have a baby!”
If she wasn’t busy spewing pro-abortion talking points, Ally might know that this “collection of cells,” which is her son, has had his own set of DNA and is a unique human person since his moment of conception. He has not existed before, nor will he exist again. That definitely sounds like they’ve made a baby! Luke won’t suddenly become a human at a certain gestation or when he’s born, because he’s always been one. A baby might die through abortion, or through a miscarriage, but that doesn’t make him any less of a human baby.
As excited as Paul seems to be about having children, another pro-abortion talking point is how he has to confirm with his then-girlfriend “are you sure you want this?” Paul should have a say, too, considering he contributed half the DNA to make their son. But abortion supporters tend to overlook that in favor of making it all about the woman’s “choice.”
This isn’t the only scene to feature such dehumanizing language, however. In the present day, Ally runs into her co-worker, Darren (Patrick Baladi), who is at the hospital because his wife, Karen, is pregnant with twins they conceived through IVF. As he’s saying goodbye to Ally, he says he’ll “get back to Karen and the fetuses.” While that’s technically the correct term for babies in-utero, it’s also often used by the pro-abortion crowd to further dehumanize children in the womb when they don’t want to say "baby." While his children are merely referred to as “fetuses,” Darren and Ally have no problem focusing on proclaiming their celebration of the work of Darren's "balls.”
Darren: No, no, don't worry. I'm here with Karen anyway.
Ally: Oh. Is she--
Darren: Oh, there's nothing wrong with her. In fact, it's the opposite. She's... She's pregnant with twins.
Ally: Oh, my God, Darren! That is amazing news!
Darren: I know! The balls have finally done their job.
Ally: Well done, your balls. Your excellent balls.
Darren: Thank you.
Ally: I'm so pleased for you.
Darren: Karen's in and out for monitoring, which is the IVF way.
Ally: Yeah.
Darren: I didn't wanna tell you our news until you were sure that Luke was, you know...
Ally: Oh, that's-- I really appreciate that. And I know that we should talk about Berlin at some point too.
Darren: Yes.
Ally: Yeah.
Darren: We should. Nick's sort of holding the fort out there, but he's not you.
Ally: No, no, I know, but obviously, with Luke, I can't guarantee--
Darren: Well, let's not talk about it now, but we should talk about it very soon. I'll get back to Karen and the fetuses.
Ally: Kay. Go, your balls!
Darren: Yay. Go, my balls!
The series ends similarly to how it began, but with a final, more hopeful note. Paul, despite his promise to God, whom he considers to be David Bowie, curses at his fighting children. This time, however, he ends up seeking help. “I think I might have some anger issues regarding my children," he tell a therapist. While the last lines of the show are ultimately hopeful ones, viewers could have done without all the crude dehumanization of children, both born and unborn.
