Trevor Briggs was a lawyer who was married to, and subsequently divorced from, Gwendolyn Briggs. He is portrayed by Michael Benjamin Washington.
Biography[]
Pre-Divorce[]
Trevor worked as a lawyer in a legal firm, marrying Gwendolyn around 1945.
Theirs was a marriage of convenience, suggested by Gwendolyn to allow them both to hide their sexualities and maintain public appearances. The marriage was beneficial to Trevor, and he cited it as a push for his firm to promote him to partner. Within their marriage, he ignored Gwendolyn's monthly out-of-town trips to women's bars, and appreciated Gwendolyn's silence at finding him and a partner mid-coitus[1].
Despite their marriage of convenience, Trevor cared for Gwendolyn in his own way, packing lunches for her, turning off her alarm so she would get some extra sleep, and advising her to wash her makeup off before going to bed[1].
Divorce[]
After working at Lucia State Hospital and meeting Mildred Ratched, Gwendolyn confronted Trevor over dinner with her decision to leave their marriage. He was understandably upset, insisting she was being short-sighted and foolish, and trying to leverage her monthly indiscretions to guilt her into reversing her stance. When she didn't, and explained her burgeoning feelings for Mildred, he asked her to think on the decision for a few days, pointing out how their divorce could ruin things for the both of them[1].
Despite his request, Gwendolyn appeared downstairs the next day with a packed bag, insisting their divorce would be better for the both of them, allowing them a chance at finding real love. Trevor tried to block and lock the door, threatening to follow Gwendolyn if she left, but dejectedly stepped aside when she ordered him to move[2].
Later, after Gwedolyn's firing from the governor's office, he told her it was a rash decision to move to Connecticut rather than stay in California, unaware of her cancer diagnosis. When she insisted it was the only way for her to stay in politics, he expressed how much he would miss her, and apologized for his behavior regarding the divorce. He revealed that thanks to her leaving, he had found a man named Andrew who was everything he thought he would never have. Reconciled to Gwendolyn's move, he promised he would help her with whatever she needed, wherever she might be, and that he would always love her[3].
Appearances[]
Season One[]
Trivia[]
- While presumably reporting to work at the governor's office in Sacramento, California, Gwendolyn comments to Mildred that the Sealight Inn was the "only motel in town" after needing a place to stay following her decision to leave her marriage, suggesting that she and Trevor live in or nearby Lucia, California[2].
- The Briggs' marriage is unusual for its time - not due to being a marriage of convenience, but for being an openly interracial marriage. The state of California wouldn't repeal its anti-miscegenation law until 1948, nearly 3 years after the Briggs' marriage, meaning their marriage and cohabitation was considered illegal for the time.
- However, it is possible with Trevor's knowledge of the law and Gwendolyn's connection to politics that they were able to find a legal loophole to allow the union. Likewise, it is possible that Gwendolyn simply never disclosed Trevor's race to her employer or coworkers, and Trevor, possibly working for a Black firm, would have no need to keep such a thing hidden.
- This may also account for their home in Lucia as opposed to one in a larger city closer to their places of employment.