That’s another thing I thinks separates this from the pack — it’s an evolutionary step. We haven’t seen these other shows [that killed LGBT characters], so I can’t speak to that, but it’s really just about characters getting their due and not feeling disposable, and not feeling like the audience’s investment in a character is being used against them, or that they’re being set up for it. This was always the end of Root’s story. That’s another thing I thinks separates this from the pack, and this is how Root feels about it — it’s an evolutionary step. We’re not trying to sucker-punch the audience.
— TV Line, Co-Showrunner Jonathan Nolan, regarding Bury Your Gays trope.
Jonathan Nolan
May 31, 2016