busy, busy, busy...
i can't even remember the last time i journalled. i mean, i know it couldn't have been *that* long ago; i just can't remember. and so much has happened -- in the world, anyway, my life is still almost exactly the same -- that i don't even know where to begin.
most important to mention, i think, maybe even "discuss", is peter jennings passing away. (you thought i was gonna say queer as folk, huh? well, sucks to be you, yo.) i've never been an enormous fan of television news -- i always thought it was a symbol of how hypocritical our culture was that they can show horrific violence on network news, at dinner time most of all, and yet have issues with sex or language -- but for a while, anyway, i made a very strong effort to watch the news as often as i could at night. and the only news i would watch was world news tonight, and only if peter jennings wasn't being filled in for, because i trusted him. i don't know what it was about him. it could've been any number of things -- his age, his willingness to admit mistakes, his seemingly genuine *interest* in the things he was reporting on -- but i trusted him more than anyone else. and when i heard that he had passed away this weekend, i was incredibly sad. i mean, i had stopped watching world news tonight almost completely when it was announced (earlier this year? late last year?) that he was leaving, but somehow i didn't *hear* about the fact that he was sick. no, i don't know how that could've eluded me either, but it did. so it was a *complete* shock to me when i woke up monday morning and the news of his passing was everywhere. and now abc is doing this tribute special, and it's been going for an hour and will be on for an hour more, and they're not doing any commercials, and it's just so moving. because apparently, i'm not the only one who trusted him. and apparently, there were good reasons *to* trust him beyond what my ten year old brain could fathom when i started watching. he changed *lives*. he changed whole countries. that's amazing. that's incredible. that *will* be missed.
and kudos to abc *for* this special, without commercials (well, mostly -- i mean, there are things like "the walt disney company tributes blahblahfishcakes"). in this age of commercialism, that's a ballsy thing to do, airing programs without commercials, whenever it happens, and even more so when it's not like, a movie or a show that's being "sponsored" by a corporate sponsor. i mean, they've essentially lost all commercial revenue that these two hours would've brought in -- and on what i *think* is currently their biggest night of the week (lost and alias) besides. so kudos.
next things next: queer as folk. sammy and i did our post-show wrapup on sunday night, which was both refreshing and therapeutic, as i'm sure that i probably would've cried much longer than i did if it wasn't for her and our silliness. as usual between me and sammy, many quoteworthy things were said, and as is also usual, i can't remember a single damn one of them. oh! sammy! wasn't there something with boning?? yeah. appropriate, right? we thought so.
at any rate, i was almost completely spoiled for the final episode -- as spoiled as you can get without actually *watching* it (which i could've done, since i had it on my computer and everything, but managed to keep myself from doing), anyway. but the spoilers didn't do it justice, and it was just......beautiful. excruciatingly sad, don't get me wrong. i mean, seriously, queer as folk was "the original", as last season's promos kept saying. (shit, were they last season or this season? i so don't even remember now). and many other people said it much better and more eloquently than i will, which is why i'm going to, at the end of this, link to and quote *several* beautiful reviews of the episode and the season and the show as a whole (just so you're forewarned). so yes, it was remarkably sad, and i was cried almost through the saying goodbye retrospective beforehand, and then stopped crying until linds & mel left and all that (well, okay, i burst into tears *very* briefly a little before that), and cried practically straight through to the end.
* * *
damn this fucking peter jennings special. just for the record: in four years, i have, in fact, managed to never before see the world trade center towers collapsing. i have (damnit) since 9/11 seen the planes hit, thanks to fahrenheit 9/11. but to my recollection, even if it was *in* fahrenheit 9/11, i have managed to never see the towers collapsing. i suppose i should've been prepared for it, tonight, considering, but i wasn't. they showed the second tower fall, and i wasn't ready. and then once i'd seen the one, i just watched the other.
so......yeah.
* * *
anyway. recovery time over. what was i talking about? yeah, queer as folk. it was beautiful and good and much MUCH more open-ended than i'd heard it would be, and maybe it's just that i've now read an assload of post-finale fic (and meta to boot), but i have much faith in brian and justin. and i'm so glad that mikey and brian didn't end the way people were saying it did, and i'm just content in general. it's not the happy ending i would've liked, but then, what is?
so here are the article i wanted to quote. the first is from tvguide.com.
Dear Queer,
So this is it, huh? Five years and goodbye. Fine. Be that way. It's not like there won't be another like you to come along. Because, to crib your theme song, you cued the pulse to begin showing gays in a way previously rare on scripted television: As real people. Real fabulous. Real flawed. And real fun. Fittingly, Pittsburgh's favorite Friends of Dorothy went out with everything they were looking for. Brian found the heart to back out of the wedding so Justin could follow his rising art-world star in New York (though I never thought a band of gold was the kind of ring Mr. Kinney favored, anyway). And how about Ted drumming up the courage to bounce his bonkers, boundary-challenged AA beau and hit the slopes with Emmett instead? Or Mel and Lindsay heading for Canada to give their kids a better future? Brave move, bold statement. But it's Michael I'll miss the most: Not only did he have the brains to stop the human-rights campaigners from keeping Deb off camera during his press conference, he also knew that once he and Ben adopted Hunter, there'd be no place like home. So as our Liberty Ave. posse fills that fantasy-sequence Babylon for one last night of the thumpa-thumpa, as Mikey would say, I say thank you. It wasn't always perfect, but you tried. And for that, you should be proud. Just as you have helped so many others to be.
See you on the dance floor,
Damian
the second is from gaywired.com.
Queer as Folk Season 5 in Review
Episode XIII: Fade to black
08.08.05
By Regina Avalos
Note: For those in Canada, the party isn't over for you yet. Check back for last week's review for your currently airing episode.
In December 1999, Queer as Folk broke onto the airwaves and revolutionized television by having openly gay characters that were different than anything that had been seen before on the small screen. These characters were gritty and honest. The story of their lives held nothing back. It was real. Queer as Folk opened the doors for many shows to follow. On Sunday, the journey of the last five years came to an end.
The night began with a retrospective look at the show over the last five years going back to the very beginning with a thirty minute documentary called "Saying Good-bye". The program contained footage and interviews with all the major cast members, and they themselves also said good-bye. These actors over the last five years have lived and breathed this show, and in the process became a family.
Queer as Folk was often ahead of its time with the way it dealt with the issues affecting those in the GLBT community. Lindsay and Melanie got married long before any laws were passed anywhere in the world, and Michael and Ben also found themselves getting married in Canada before laws were officially passed in that country, as they were in recent months.
This season we had a proposition proposed that is similar to laws being proposed elsewhere to make gays and lesbians second class citizens with no rights in the state they live in. In a dramatic episode this season, Babylon was bombed, a plot twist eerily echoing recent attacks at gay night clubs, even though the episode was written many months ago.
Queer as Folk paved the way for shows such as The L Word, and it is sad to see it go. Especially now where so much is happening politically in regard the GLBT community. Seeing this show leave the airwaves now at a time when it could probably do so much more good by continuing to be on the air is saddening. However, all good things do come to an end.
The final episode wrapped everything loose ties and brought closure to most of the major storylines that had captivated audiences throughout the series run. By the end of the episode, we knew where everyone would be. However, there were some surprises. Some that not even I expected after five years as a loyal fan.
Let's begin with Brian and Justin. Last episode, they were announcing their engagement. This episode, they are planning for the ceremony. However, something doesn't set right with Justin the more things progress. At the Stag party thrown for Brian, he doesn't go off to have a last wild fling with the hired stripper. When Justin comes to him wanting to fool around, Brian suggests they cuddle.
Brian Kinney cuddling? I can't even imagine it. This sets Justin off, and starts things in motion for the shocking end to the show that I'm not sure anyone saw coming. Brian admits to Justin he was doing all of this make Justin happy, and the two of them realize they are both sacrificing who they are to make the other happy.
Because of this, Brian and Justin call off the wedding, and Justin decides to go off to New York City to pursue his art career, leaving Brian to his company. They aren't broken up, but they aren't together. Once again as they had over the last five years, they have an understanding. That's all they need. No wedding vows or rings on their fingers. Just one last hot round of sex and off Justin goes.
No matter how shocking this was, it works for these two characters, and what they have been to each other. They have been just fine the way they have been. The only difference now is they know they love each other. It actually returns them to their former selves. The men we knew and loved before this season.
Next let's talk about Michael, Ben and Hunter. Michael takes the form of narrator for this episode, as he had in the show's opener, which to me is as nice way to wrap things up. In this episode, Ben notices that Hunter is playing around with his last name in his notebook, and shows Michael. This gives the couple the courage to ask Hunter if they could adopt him, which Hunter quickly agrees to. I've adored Hunter from the very beginning of this season, and this makes a good end for him.
In this episode, we also see a impassioned Michael speak in front of a crowded press conference as part of the fight to stop Pproposition 14. Michael is never one for public speaking, leaving those duties usually to his mother Debbie and husband Ben, but he does wonderfully here in a speech that talks about how no matter who you are - gay, straight, or anything in between - we're the same, but we're also different. It is those differences that make us special.
Now onto Melanie and Lindsay. The two spend most of this episode packing up their house, and then driving away to Canada. One scene that was especially touching was the couple reminiscing about the times spent in the home they are leaving behind. This is similar to a scene in last episode where Brian and Justin do the same.
Watching them drive off, just as knowing Justin left for New York, was particularly saddening to see. The family in a sense is really no longer together. If they had all stayed in one place, we, the fans, could see them continuing on as they had over the last few years. Things have changed, and that is shown clearly with the departure of these three from the fold.
Next, let's discuss Ted. Okay, we all know they haven't done the best by this character this season, but I think they finally did it right by Ted. Ted finally realized he had to love himself in order to have someone else love him. He breaks up with Tad, and at the end of the episode, a surprise pops up when he is on a ski vacation with Emmett. Blake returns, and Ted and him go off. We all know how Blake and him have been on and off for years, but now maybe things will work for Ted.
Emmett meets up with someone as well during this ski vacation. Someone from his home town, and Emmett being Emmett drags him off to his room. Some things will never change. Debbie is even happy with Carl. All the major characters are set in whatever they are going to do. The only drawback to total happiness is that Brian and Justin are not truly together at the point the credits roll as Brian dances alone in the center of Babylon.
Brian does have his best friend back. Just as he had his best friend when the show began. Brian and Mikey had a lot of quality time spent together in this episode, and this episode just felt right. This is how things were meant to be. This episode was a fitting end to this show, even as surprising as it was.
Queer as Folk as a show has touched the lives of so many people. Not only in the GLBT community, but out of it. Impressive for a show that it wasn't all too clear when it began if it would be accepted. This show has allowed many to feel comfortable in their own sexuality. It's helped those with gay and lesbians in their lives be more accepting because this program showed them what the life is like. Gays and lesbians are no different than anyone else. The only difference is in who they love. Love should know no gender. It's not about what body parts you may have, but the love inside you. That is all that should matter.
I began watching Queer as Folk shortly after it premiered. I caught a marathon on New Year's Eve 2000, and as a viewer I was immediately hooked by the story. Before watching Queer as Folk, I had my own reservations because of my limited experience with the GLBT community. Before the show, I denied things about myself.
Because of this show, I now have broadened my own outlook, and I am sad to see this program come to an end. Thank you Queer as Folk, all those involved with the show, from the actors to the behind the scenes crew, I can tell you with certainty you will be missed by many.
© 2005 Regina Avalos, All Rights Reserved
the gaywired one, not so surprising that it's positive, but the tvguide one was exciting. most of the mainstream press coverage, like the nytimes article i'll quote in a sec, has been respectfully negative -- that is, all about the criticisms and the ways in which the show didn't live up to the hype. well, of course it didn't -- it was the original!
so, finally (and longest), the article from nytimes.com.
August 6, 2005
An End to Notches on the Headboard
By NED MARTEL
"Queer as Folk," which has its finale on Showtime tomorrow night, was just a more honest "Sex and the City." Carrie Bradshaw and company enjoyed a turnover of partners that seemed more appropriate to gay culture, and those women discussed the tawdry details of their escapades in gay-worthy repartee. The writers even winked to the connection by naming Carrie's most eligible prospect after a gay-pornography legend.
So it stood to reason that television audiences were ready for an all-male version. And when Showtime came out with the gay ensemble drama "Queer as Folk" five years ago, the initial shock was really not because of all the restroom-stall sex. Instead it was a revelation that real gay men could speak their minds on television instead of having their thoughts channeled through babes in asymmetrical skirts or, to go back a decade, through the silver foxes of "The Golden Girls."
Overnight, Brian Kinney (played by Gale Harold), the überstud of "Queer as Folk," became an accumulator of headboard notches that would put Samantha Jones to shame and that made her double-entendres seem like an also-ran's at a drag contest. A gay coterie in Pittsburgh followed Brian's lead: Emmett, the shop girl who dreams of stardom; Ted, the repressed accountant who loves Callas; Michael, the comic-book enthusiast and doormat; Justin, the boy wonder who just might be an Important Artist.
In short order the woes of this clique found a predictable rhythm. The shows introduced new loves (a gazillionaire sugar daddy, a classical music virtuoso, a closeted football star), each of whom upset the balance among this ersatz family of friends. Each satellite romance met some resolution, always with a rainbow-bannered lesson.
The show was always tackling this subtheme or that. Of course, there was an incident of gay bashing, a romance wrecked by crystal-meth abuse, a probate dispute when a dead man's family attacked the surviving partner, an Internet-pornography addiction that led to a business prospect, and most tediously, the sharing of biological children with a lesbian couple. Imagine the possible complications, and they all basically showed up in the scripts, never with as much depth or surprise as befits the newness of this subject matter. The adolescent dialogue was too often rushing toward a dramatic climax, sounding unbelievably oratorical, and then sashaying on to another crise de coeur.
Like its all-female precursor, "Queer as Folk" delighted in its own wordplay, losing its audience with groaners. (A straight mom tells her embittered son, "By the look of your face, I should have ordered a sour-apple martini.") To their credit, the "Queer" guys were much less afraid of the dark side than the "Sex" gals had been. Of course, parental acceptance is an issue throughout gay and lesbian life, and we saw the humiliatingly loud embrace of gay culture in Michael's case and unwavering hostility in Justin's.
The men were always wedging themselves too far into each other's business, both personal and professional. Toward the end of this final season, the coldhearted Brian balks when Ted insists on consoling him. But it's not as if Brian doesn't have a grasp on his own damage: "The fact that I drink like a fish, abuse drugs and have more or less redefined promiscuity doesn't help - much. As a result I've lost the two people in my life that mean the most to me."
"There," Ted says. "Don't you feel better?"
"No," Brian replies. "But I'm sure you do."
All along, Brian has served his purpose in tamping down the irrational exuberance of gay liberation. He's a smug sourpuss, and he gets away with that because he's butch and sexy and could fly to Mardi Gras in Sydney on a whim. What he lacks in self-doubt he makes up in a chilly, informed cynicism. This season has become, in a way, Brian's song as he rebounded from cancer and felt his own acute losses. He knows where he made mistakes, but the force he really blames is none other than the gay-rights movement.
The more the gay world has made its demands known about assimilation, the more its quirks and freedoms and faults have come into fuller view (on shows like "Queer as Folk," when you think about it). Brian says he doesn't want the juicers and Ginsu knives that come with marriage. He accuses his gay friends who do of defection.
All this leads to an incendiary ending, one that toys with a main character's life, as I guess all series finales must these days. The last episode begins with typical opening credits - a silly, swishy Gap ad of gay life - and ends with nut cases and histrionics and "I should have told you this before" hugs. In this sad denouement, the show proves it has moved past its initial usefulness, except that it helped "The L Word" get a time slot. In fact many in the gay audience now watch "Queer as Folk" as a civic duty and also to howl in mortification at the countless stereotypes.
It's too bad that pioneering productions don't know how to bow out gracefully, that hits often hang on too long. (Not true of the original British version, whose brief run is still revered for its élan and impact.)
Above all there's an impulse to thank the straight actors in the "Queer as Folk" cast, although it's never completely clear which are heterosexual, for doing things that didn't come naturally. It couldn't have been easy to put bodies through such motions. But of course, swimming against the behavioral stream is familiar to the gay legions who tried not to be gay, who groped for answers, who learned their orientation by acts that went against their instincts. For that artistic challenge, the cast deserves spirited applause, if not a call for "Encore."
okay. i know, i know, i disappear for almost a week, and then i clutter your friends' page with completely nonpersonal crap. well....i don't have much personal crap to share. work is hard, busy, and hectic. i was up at 4.45 this morning to go to nyc and print out questions for the presenters at our event today and pass them along to someone else. (no, i'm not joking.) i was home by 15.00, and an hour later my landlord accidentally cut my cable connection while he was doing something else. i almost died, and called the cable company, who said they could have someone out here tomorrow, but then i passed out at some point a short while later and when i woke up, he had fixed it. what else? oh, yeah, my girlfriend and i are good, and she needs to make her reservations so she can come visit me, for fuck's sake. because not only do i want to see her, but ohmygodiamunbelievablyhorny. (yes, i admit it. deal.) oh, yeah, and because of the event today and how tired i knew i'd be, i couldn't go to the 20-somethings group in westchester county that i went to last month. which means i can't go again until next month. which i would be upset about, probably, if i wasn't fucking exhausted.
finally, weeds is promising.
mwah and hugs.
~a
most important to mention, i think, maybe even "discuss", is peter jennings passing away. (you thought i was gonna say queer as folk, huh? well, sucks to be you, yo.) i've never been an enormous fan of television news -- i always thought it was a symbol of how hypocritical our culture was that they can show horrific violence on network news, at dinner time most of all, and yet have issues with sex or language -- but for a while, anyway, i made a very strong effort to watch the news as often as i could at night. and the only news i would watch was world news tonight, and only if peter jennings wasn't being filled in for, because i trusted him. i don't know what it was about him. it could've been any number of things -- his age, his willingness to admit mistakes, his seemingly genuine *interest* in the things he was reporting on -- but i trusted him more than anyone else. and when i heard that he had passed away this weekend, i was incredibly sad. i mean, i had stopped watching world news tonight almost completely when it was announced (earlier this year? late last year?) that he was leaving, but somehow i didn't *hear* about the fact that he was sick. no, i don't know how that could've eluded me either, but it did. so it was a *complete* shock to me when i woke up monday morning and the news of his passing was everywhere. and now abc is doing this tribute special, and it's been going for an hour and will be on for an hour more, and they're not doing any commercials, and it's just so moving. because apparently, i'm not the only one who trusted him. and apparently, there were good reasons *to* trust him beyond what my ten year old brain could fathom when i started watching. he changed *lives*. he changed whole countries. that's amazing. that's incredible. that *will* be missed.
and kudos to abc *for* this special, without commercials (well, mostly -- i mean, there are things like "the walt disney company tributes blahblahfishcakes"). in this age of commercialism, that's a ballsy thing to do, airing programs without commercials, whenever it happens, and even more so when it's not like, a movie or a show that's being "sponsored" by a corporate sponsor. i mean, they've essentially lost all commercial revenue that these two hours would've brought in -- and on what i *think* is currently their biggest night of the week (lost and alias) besides. so kudos.
next things next: queer as folk. sammy and i did our post-show wrapup on sunday night, which was both refreshing and therapeutic, as i'm sure that i probably would've cried much longer than i did if it wasn't for her and our silliness. as usual between me and sammy, many quoteworthy things were said, and as is also usual, i can't remember a single damn one of them. oh! sammy! wasn't there something with boning?? yeah. appropriate, right? we thought so.
at any rate, i was almost completely spoiled for the final episode -- as spoiled as you can get without actually *watching* it (which i could've done, since i had it on my computer and everything, but managed to keep myself from doing), anyway. but the spoilers didn't do it justice, and it was just......beautiful. excruciatingly sad, don't get me wrong. i mean, seriously, queer as folk was "the original", as last season's promos kept saying. (shit, were they last season or this season? i so don't even remember now). and many other people said it much better and more eloquently than i will, which is why i'm going to, at the end of this, link to and quote *several* beautiful reviews of the episode and the season and the show as a whole (just so you're forewarned). so yes, it was remarkably sad, and i was cried almost through the saying goodbye retrospective beforehand, and then stopped crying until linds & mel left and all that (well, okay, i burst into tears *very* briefly a little before that), and cried practically straight through to the end.
* * *
damn this fucking peter jennings special. just for the record: in four years, i have, in fact, managed to never before see the world trade center towers collapsing. i have (damnit) since 9/11 seen the planes hit, thanks to fahrenheit 9/11. but to my recollection, even if it was *in* fahrenheit 9/11, i have managed to never see the towers collapsing. i suppose i should've been prepared for it, tonight, considering, but i wasn't. they showed the second tower fall, and i wasn't ready. and then once i'd seen the one, i just watched the other.
so......yeah.
* * *
anyway. recovery time over. what was i talking about? yeah, queer as folk. it was beautiful and good and much MUCH more open-ended than i'd heard it would be, and maybe it's just that i've now read an assload of post-finale fic (and meta to boot), but i have much faith in brian and justin. and i'm so glad that mikey and brian didn't end the way people were saying it did, and i'm just content in general. it's not the happy ending i would've liked, but then, what is?
so here are the article i wanted to quote. the first is from tvguide.com.
Dear Queer,
So this is it, huh? Five years and goodbye. Fine. Be that way. It's not like there won't be another like you to come along. Because, to crib your theme song, you cued the pulse to begin showing gays in a way previously rare on scripted television: As real people. Real fabulous. Real flawed. And real fun. Fittingly, Pittsburgh's favorite Friends of Dorothy went out with everything they were looking for. Brian found the heart to back out of the wedding so Justin could follow his rising art-world star in New York (though I never thought a band of gold was the kind of ring Mr. Kinney favored, anyway). And how about Ted drumming up the courage to bounce his bonkers, boundary-challenged AA beau and hit the slopes with Emmett instead? Or Mel and Lindsay heading for Canada to give their kids a better future? Brave move, bold statement. But it's Michael I'll miss the most: Not only did he have the brains to stop the human-rights campaigners from keeping Deb off camera during his press conference, he also knew that once he and Ben adopted Hunter, there'd be no place like home. So as our Liberty Ave. posse fills that fantasy-sequence Babylon for one last night of the thumpa-thumpa, as Mikey would say, I say thank you. It wasn't always perfect, but you tried. And for that, you should be proud. Just as you have helped so many others to be.
See you on the dance floor,
Damian
the second is from gaywired.com.
Queer as Folk Season 5 in Review
Episode XIII: Fade to black
08.08.05
By Regina Avalos
Note: For those in Canada, the party isn't over for you yet. Check back for last week's review for your currently airing episode.
In December 1999, Queer as Folk broke onto the airwaves and revolutionized television by having openly gay characters that were different than anything that had been seen before on the small screen. These characters were gritty and honest. The story of their lives held nothing back. It was real. Queer as Folk opened the doors for many shows to follow. On Sunday, the journey of the last five years came to an end.
The night began with a retrospective look at the show over the last five years going back to the very beginning with a thirty minute documentary called "Saying Good-bye". The program contained footage and interviews with all the major cast members, and they themselves also said good-bye. These actors over the last five years have lived and breathed this show, and in the process became a family.
Queer as Folk was often ahead of its time with the way it dealt with the issues affecting those in the GLBT community. Lindsay and Melanie got married long before any laws were passed anywhere in the world, and Michael and Ben also found themselves getting married in Canada before laws were officially passed in that country, as they were in recent months.
This season we had a proposition proposed that is similar to laws being proposed elsewhere to make gays and lesbians second class citizens with no rights in the state they live in. In a dramatic episode this season, Babylon was bombed, a plot twist eerily echoing recent attacks at gay night clubs, even though the episode was written many months ago.
Queer as Folk paved the way for shows such as The L Word, and it is sad to see it go. Especially now where so much is happening politically in regard the GLBT community. Seeing this show leave the airwaves now at a time when it could probably do so much more good by continuing to be on the air is saddening. However, all good things do come to an end.
The final episode wrapped everything loose ties and brought closure to most of the major storylines that had captivated audiences throughout the series run. By the end of the episode, we knew where everyone would be. However, there were some surprises. Some that not even I expected after five years as a loyal fan.
Let's begin with Brian and Justin. Last episode, they were announcing their engagement. This episode, they are planning for the ceremony. However, something doesn't set right with Justin the more things progress. At the Stag party thrown for Brian, he doesn't go off to have a last wild fling with the hired stripper. When Justin comes to him wanting to fool around, Brian suggests they cuddle.
Brian Kinney cuddling? I can't even imagine it. This sets Justin off, and starts things in motion for the shocking end to the show that I'm not sure anyone saw coming. Brian admits to Justin he was doing all of this make Justin happy, and the two of them realize they are both sacrificing who they are to make the other happy.
Because of this, Brian and Justin call off the wedding, and Justin decides to go off to New York City to pursue his art career, leaving Brian to his company. They aren't broken up, but they aren't together. Once again as they had over the last five years, they have an understanding. That's all they need. No wedding vows or rings on their fingers. Just one last hot round of sex and off Justin goes.
No matter how shocking this was, it works for these two characters, and what they have been to each other. They have been just fine the way they have been. The only difference now is they know they love each other. It actually returns them to their former selves. The men we knew and loved before this season.
Next let's talk about Michael, Ben and Hunter. Michael takes the form of narrator for this episode, as he had in the show's opener, which to me is as nice way to wrap things up. In this episode, Ben notices that Hunter is playing around with his last name in his notebook, and shows Michael. This gives the couple the courage to ask Hunter if they could adopt him, which Hunter quickly agrees to. I've adored Hunter from the very beginning of this season, and this makes a good end for him.
In this episode, we also see a impassioned Michael speak in front of a crowded press conference as part of the fight to stop Pproposition 14. Michael is never one for public speaking, leaving those duties usually to his mother Debbie and husband Ben, but he does wonderfully here in a speech that talks about how no matter who you are - gay, straight, or anything in between - we're the same, but we're also different. It is those differences that make us special.
Now onto Melanie and Lindsay. The two spend most of this episode packing up their house, and then driving away to Canada. One scene that was especially touching was the couple reminiscing about the times spent in the home they are leaving behind. This is similar to a scene in last episode where Brian and Justin do the same.
Watching them drive off, just as knowing Justin left for New York, was particularly saddening to see. The family in a sense is really no longer together. If they had all stayed in one place, we, the fans, could see them continuing on as they had over the last few years. Things have changed, and that is shown clearly with the departure of these three from the fold.
Next, let's discuss Ted. Okay, we all know they haven't done the best by this character this season, but I think they finally did it right by Ted. Ted finally realized he had to love himself in order to have someone else love him. He breaks up with Tad, and at the end of the episode, a surprise pops up when he is on a ski vacation with Emmett. Blake returns, and Ted and him go off. We all know how Blake and him have been on and off for years, but now maybe things will work for Ted.
Emmett meets up with someone as well during this ski vacation. Someone from his home town, and Emmett being Emmett drags him off to his room. Some things will never change. Debbie is even happy with Carl. All the major characters are set in whatever they are going to do. The only drawback to total happiness is that Brian and Justin are not truly together at the point the credits roll as Brian dances alone in the center of Babylon.
Brian does have his best friend back. Just as he had his best friend when the show began. Brian and Mikey had a lot of quality time spent together in this episode, and this episode just felt right. This is how things were meant to be. This episode was a fitting end to this show, even as surprising as it was.
Queer as Folk as a show has touched the lives of so many people. Not only in the GLBT community, but out of it. Impressive for a show that it wasn't all too clear when it began if it would be accepted. This show has allowed many to feel comfortable in their own sexuality. It's helped those with gay and lesbians in their lives be more accepting because this program showed them what the life is like. Gays and lesbians are no different than anyone else. The only difference is in who they love. Love should know no gender. It's not about what body parts you may have, but the love inside you. That is all that should matter.
I began watching Queer as Folk shortly after it premiered. I caught a marathon on New Year's Eve 2000, and as a viewer I was immediately hooked by the story. Before watching Queer as Folk, I had my own reservations because of my limited experience with the GLBT community. Before the show, I denied things about myself.
Because of this show, I now have broadened my own outlook, and I am sad to see this program come to an end. Thank you Queer as Folk, all those involved with the show, from the actors to the behind the scenes crew, I can tell you with certainty you will be missed by many.
© 2005 Regina Avalos, All Rights Reserved
the gaywired one, not so surprising that it's positive, but the tvguide one was exciting. most of the mainstream press coverage, like the nytimes article i'll quote in a sec, has been respectfully negative -- that is, all about the criticisms and the ways in which the show didn't live up to the hype. well, of course it didn't -- it was the original!
so, finally (and longest), the article from nytimes.com.
August 6, 2005
An End to Notches on the Headboard
By NED MARTEL
"Queer as Folk," which has its finale on Showtime tomorrow night, was just a more honest "Sex and the City." Carrie Bradshaw and company enjoyed a turnover of partners that seemed more appropriate to gay culture, and those women discussed the tawdry details of their escapades in gay-worthy repartee. The writers even winked to the connection by naming Carrie's most eligible prospect after a gay-pornography legend.
So it stood to reason that television audiences were ready for an all-male version. And when Showtime came out with the gay ensemble drama "Queer as Folk" five years ago, the initial shock was really not because of all the restroom-stall sex. Instead it was a revelation that real gay men could speak their minds on television instead of having their thoughts channeled through babes in asymmetrical skirts or, to go back a decade, through the silver foxes of "The Golden Girls."
Overnight, Brian Kinney (played by Gale Harold), the überstud of "Queer as Folk," became an accumulator of headboard notches that would put Samantha Jones to shame and that made her double-entendres seem like an also-ran's at a drag contest. A gay coterie in Pittsburgh followed Brian's lead: Emmett, the shop girl who dreams of stardom; Ted, the repressed accountant who loves Callas; Michael, the comic-book enthusiast and doormat; Justin, the boy wonder who just might be an Important Artist.
In short order the woes of this clique found a predictable rhythm. The shows introduced new loves (a gazillionaire sugar daddy, a classical music virtuoso, a closeted football star), each of whom upset the balance among this ersatz family of friends. Each satellite romance met some resolution, always with a rainbow-bannered lesson.
The show was always tackling this subtheme or that. Of course, there was an incident of gay bashing, a romance wrecked by crystal-meth abuse, a probate dispute when a dead man's family attacked the surviving partner, an Internet-pornography addiction that led to a business prospect, and most tediously, the sharing of biological children with a lesbian couple. Imagine the possible complications, and they all basically showed up in the scripts, never with as much depth or surprise as befits the newness of this subject matter. The adolescent dialogue was too often rushing toward a dramatic climax, sounding unbelievably oratorical, and then sashaying on to another crise de coeur.
Like its all-female precursor, "Queer as Folk" delighted in its own wordplay, losing its audience with groaners. (A straight mom tells her embittered son, "By the look of your face, I should have ordered a sour-apple martini.") To their credit, the "Queer" guys were much less afraid of the dark side than the "Sex" gals had been. Of course, parental acceptance is an issue throughout gay and lesbian life, and we saw the humiliatingly loud embrace of gay culture in Michael's case and unwavering hostility in Justin's.
The men were always wedging themselves too far into each other's business, both personal and professional. Toward the end of this final season, the coldhearted Brian balks when Ted insists on consoling him. But it's not as if Brian doesn't have a grasp on his own damage: "The fact that I drink like a fish, abuse drugs and have more or less redefined promiscuity doesn't help - much. As a result I've lost the two people in my life that mean the most to me."
"There," Ted says. "Don't you feel better?"
"No," Brian replies. "But I'm sure you do."
All along, Brian has served his purpose in tamping down the irrational exuberance of gay liberation. He's a smug sourpuss, and he gets away with that because he's butch and sexy and could fly to Mardi Gras in Sydney on a whim. What he lacks in self-doubt he makes up in a chilly, informed cynicism. This season has become, in a way, Brian's song as he rebounded from cancer and felt his own acute losses. He knows where he made mistakes, but the force he really blames is none other than the gay-rights movement.
The more the gay world has made its demands known about assimilation, the more its quirks and freedoms and faults have come into fuller view (on shows like "Queer as Folk," when you think about it). Brian says he doesn't want the juicers and Ginsu knives that come with marriage. He accuses his gay friends who do of defection.
All this leads to an incendiary ending, one that toys with a main character's life, as I guess all series finales must these days. The last episode begins with typical opening credits - a silly, swishy Gap ad of gay life - and ends with nut cases and histrionics and "I should have told you this before" hugs. In this sad denouement, the show proves it has moved past its initial usefulness, except that it helped "The L Word" get a time slot. In fact many in the gay audience now watch "Queer as Folk" as a civic duty and also to howl in mortification at the countless stereotypes.
It's too bad that pioneering productions don't know how to bow out gracefully, that hits often hang on too long. (Not true of the original British version, whose brief run is still revered for its élan and impact.)
Above all there's an impulse to thank the straight actors in the "Queer as Folk" cast, although it's never completely clear which are heterosexual, for doing things that didn't come naturally. It couldn't have been easy to put bodies through such motions. But of course, swimming against the behavioral stream is familiar to the gay legions who tried not to be gay, who groped for answers, who learned their orientation by acts that went against their instincts. For that artistic challenge, the cast deserves spirited applause, if not a call for "Encore."
okay. i know, i know, i disappear for almost a week, and then i clutter your friends' page with completely nonpersonal crap. well....i don't have much personal crap to share. work is hard, busy, and hectic. i was up at 4.45 this morning to go to nyc and print out questions for the presenters at our event today and pass them along to someone else. (no, i'm not joking.) i was home by 15.00, and an hour later my landlord accidentally cut my cable connection while he was doing something else. i almost died, and called the cable company, who said they could have someone out here tomorrow, but then i passed out at some point a short while later and when i woke up, he had fixed it. what else? oh, yeah, my girlfriend and i are good, and she needs to make her reservations so she can come visit me, for fuck's sake. because not only do i want to see her, but ohmygodiamunbelievablyhorny. (yes, i admit it. deal.) oh, yeah, and because of the event today and how tired i knew i'd be, i couldn't go to the 20-somethings group in westchester county that i went to last month. which means i can't go again until next month. which i would be upset about, probably, if i wasn't fucking exhausted.
finally, weeds is promising.
mwah and hugs.
~a