Showtime and QAF
Well, I read that ShowTime is going to be replaying the QAF S5 come this January. I'm torn about watching it again. Do I want to put myself through this AGAIN? But I have LOVED this show from the very beginning. To say that I've never seen a show quite like this is an understatement. It was raw, honest, and unapologetic. If there's one thing I believe that is true of all who watched and loved this show, is that QAF left itself wide open to so many interpretations and all those interpretations are based not only on what we see on the show, but who we are and how we've experienced the world. It's the main reason why QAF is so obsessive. Much is left to our imagination and we have to use our own experiences to fill in the blanks.........so QAF often was a different story to each person who viewed it.
I admit there were moments in S5 that I enjoyed. It wasn't all bad but as the season went along, it became clear to me that it was no longer about Brian, Justin, Michael, Emmett, Ted, and company. The authenticity of these characters got high jacked and were cast to the wind for Cow/Lip's own personal political soap box. I can't fault their agenda (we are living in a scary political time where tolerance especially seems to be a rare commodity) or their desire to educate the public, but the way they choose to go about it is what I find hard to swallow. To use Brian as their scapegoat was truly unforgivable. Jesus, it wasn't enough in S4 that they cut off Brian's ball, but in S5 they go and cut him off at the knees. To put him back where he started in S1 is pretty damn cold and cruel. Nobody could could possibly want to see him remain aloof and alone after all the things he's been through in the last five years and call that growth. They tore down Brian's defensive walls that protected him from heartbreak, only for all of us to watch his heart be broken - by Michael turning against him, by Lindsay ripping away his son, and by having Justin leave him for NY. And Justin who had spent 5 long turbulent years chasing Brian to what......to give him up for NY? With his tenacious personality, no fucking way. Justin would have figured out a way to have both and quite honestly, it wouldn't have been hard to do. This is a character who has always grabbed what he wanted if he could get it. He's was never much on self-sacrifice and denial. In the end CowLip did such a grave injustice to these two magnificent characters. The sight of seeing Brian being so tactical and open in that last scene with Justin, making love with him but then leaving Brian naked and left all alone with nothing, well it was nothing short of horrifying to many of us who loved that character. If that wasn't appalling enough, we then get gifted with Michael showing up and dragging Brian who clearly was leaving his club boy days behind back into that life.
My salvation is that there are fandom writers who have come up with great stories to explain away the nonsense we got from the so called "professionals". That's been my sweet relief, that these characters can escape Cowlip and live on in the minds of writers who have found inspiration in them. Which lead me in to the next part of my rant today. I want to give a heads up to a wonderful post S5 story that is completed and available to read on bjfic.net . It's called "All Mistakes are Temporary". On www.valerielewis.net/bj/fic it's known as "The End done Right". (It's the same story just a different title). What I love so much about Vamphile story is she does such a fucking fantastic job of reminding us why we cared so much about the QAF family. She gives justice to everyone. Obviously the heart and soul of her story is Brian and Justin, but again it is not at the expense of the other characters. The character's conversations are so spot on that I swear you could hear them. In fact I often felt like I was watching this story as I was reading it. (I have to be careful here as I don't want to be a spoiler for any who haven't read it). She showed with a bit of imagination and heart that Brian and Justin could evolve in ways that still kept them riveting, emotional, and edgy. In "The End done Right", Brian and Justin's love is complicated but pure. While they might not always choose to be sexually monogamous, they are certainly emotionally monogamous. In Vamphile capable hands, Brian ends up with a truly intimate life not only with Justin but all the people that Cowlip stole from him in S5 finale and does it while keeping him true to his ideals. It is so lovely and hot (HOT! HOT! HOT!) and funny (no one uses humor better than she does) and then there are the small touches that she adds to make this drama absolutely fucking believable. I told her once in a email and I'll say it again. In "The End Done Right" Vamphile does what Cowlip and company refused to do. To remind us that the real challenge is to try and make a relationship succeed in a world that wants to tear it apart.
I can honestly say that the only reason I am even considering re watching S5 muchless spending the money come May for the DVD set is because of her story. Read it and fall in love with QAF all over again!!!!!