“Woke Garbage” or a Beacon of Truth? Netflix’s New Military Drama Boots Sparks Controversy

By Malena Aponte

Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson released a statement about Netflix’s new TV show Boots (2025) within its first week, calling it “woke garbage”. Proving outrage is more efficient than any marketing campaign, viewership doubled and the comedic drama skyrocketed to No. 2 on Netflix’s Top 10. 

Boots follows the story of a fresh-out-of-high-school teenager enlisting in the Marines. Scrawny and with no resources to pay for college, Cameron Cope follows his best friend Ray into bootcamp, hoping it will give him purpose. However, there is a big difference between Cam and Ray that was disclosed to the viewer from the beginning: Cameron is gay and Ray is not. 

In 1990, being homosexual was a crime under military law. It wasn’t until 1994, under Clinton’s presidency, that the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy was enacted in the armed forces, allowing there to be homosexuals just as long as it was undisclosed. The illegality of being gay is a key factor in this TV show, as Cope, fellow recruits, and sergeants are trying as much as possible to not be discovered. Nevertheless, despite gayness being a crucial element to the plot, there is much more that the public is overlooking.

What makes Boots special is not liberal commentary, but its refusal to commit to one single angle. It does not have an agenda, but a purpose, just like its protagonist. The show flows through biting humor to training sequences to moments of despair, making it stand out from any media of its kind. Show creator, Andy Parker, prompts everyone, including the Pentagon, to actually watch the show and not create any blind assumptions based on its premise. He says, “I certainly never set out to make anything that was propaganda and I really reject the idea that it is. The fact that we seem to be situated between these two different sides is evidence of how the show wants to approach these really thorny, interesting questions. [Boots] is trying to navigate this in a nuanced way that isn’t so overtly strident in its attacks or in its politics.” Parker continues defending his work, and he describes how it doesn’t fit to any particular audience. It is not a romantic or sexually charged series and it strays away from other military pieces by portraying its characters as real people, not warriors. What makes Boots seem as authentic is based on the fact that it's storyline stems from Greg Cope’s memoir The Pink Marine (2015), a former Marine sergeant who served for six years. 

It is probably because of this that Cam is the quintessential relatable protagonist. He doesn’t have the physicality to be a Marine, barely scraping by in the challenges. Despite this, he finds solace in the administrative tasks assigned to him, like being a scribe, using his likability to be squad leader, and taking advantage of having his best friend at his side. The small victories Cope has truly kept the viewers glued to their seats, as they fuel Cope into being the person he wanted to be from the start.

Instead of bashing the Marine Corps or anyone involved, the show contradicts its liberal target audience. It shows how “pain or struggle means that weakness leaves the body”, and this is evident in how in the end, Cope decides to stay as a Marine and reenlist. He doesn’t hide his identity out of fear, but accepts himself as something greater than the limits placed upon him. He didn’t give in when his fellow recruits told him to quit and that is what proves him to be more human than heroic. The world continues to shape us as cogs in a machine (whether it be an office, a classroom, or the military) but Cope doesn’t shrink himself to fit in the system. Instead, he finds purpose within it, redefining what it means to belong without losing yourself. 

In the end, Boots proves that it is not just an LGBTQ+ show or propaganda, but a piece that intertwines comedy, coming-of-age, and loyalty. It oftentimes indulges in cringeworthy moments, predictability, and bad dialogue but it deserves the hype it has been receiving. The backlash calling it “woke garbage” just goes to show how people are still threatened by true stories of resilience and dedication just because they’re blinded by prejudice. As Andy Parker would say, the best way to form an opinion about it is just to watch it.

References

Boots. Created by Andy Parker, Act III Productions and Sony Pictures Television, 2025.               Netflix

Garner, Glenn. ““Boots” Creator Gives “Some Credit” to Pentagon as Show Climbs Charts.” Deadline, 25 Oct. 2025, deadline.com/2025/10/boots-creator-gives-credit-pentagon-woke-garbage-1236596913/. Accessed 2 Nov. 2025.

Mangalindan, JP. “The True Story behind Netflix’s Military Drama “Boots.”” Google.com, 2025, www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=time.com/7324433/boots-netflix-true-story/&ved=2ahUKEwjTpb6hkNSQAxUtSTABHQuhFxEQxfQBKAB6BAgJEAE&usg=AOvVaw1lm0QPbRg-PZLkPzgjumuV. Accessed 2 Nov. 2025.

Seitz, Loree. ““Boots” Becomes Netflix’s No. 2 Most-Watched Show with 9.4 Million Views in 2nd Week.” TheWrap, 21 Oct. 2025, www.thewrap.com/boots-netflix-second-week-viewership-the-diplomat/.   Accessed 2 Nov. 2025.

U.S. Department of War. “DOD Highlights Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Resources.” U.S. Department of War, 2025, www.war.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/3530913/dod-highlights-dont-ask-dont-tell-resources/. Accessed 2 Nov. 2025.