Discussion: Episodes 311 and 312
I dunno if I'm getting sick of this or if these episodes are just not up to much (except for much ice!Ted and much boring!Ben/M/Hunter), but it was hard to find anything to say this week.
For 311, the director was Chris Grismer, who IMO is Bruce MacDonald's sockpuppet. All those shots of Debbie's lip gloss and one of Brian's eyebrows in the dope-smoking scene...very Bruce. To add insult to injury, the writer was Brad Fraser.
David Wellington and Michael MacLennon are responsible for 312.
311
Questions:
1. When Justin tells Brian "You could be Dr Evil", is he deliberately trying to lead him astray, or does he think Brian is already casting about for evil deeds?
2. Stockwell patronises Justin's little posse at the GLC by calling them "Concerned Citizens". Is Brian snarking at that when he chooses the name of his lobby group?
3. When Brian comes home for coitus interruptus with Justin, he appears to be wearing the same clothes he was wearing in the pool-playing scene. But Justin was also at the bar on that occasion, not at home producing posters. Can anyone explain, or has the continuity got to the point where they can't keep an idea straight for 20 minutes?
4. When Vance asks Stockwell why Brian would do such a thing, Stockwell replies, "Because he's a fag". Vance frowns disapprovingly and the music stops so we can think, "Bad homophobic person, bad." However, when Vance asks Brian why he did it, it emerges that that's his answer too. Only now it's OK. Does anyone understand what message Cowlip is trying to give us?
5. I have a similar problem with Brian's phobia about fucking in his bed. Serious question: was exhibitionism always an important part of Brian's sexuality?
Up till now, I thought the clubbing was more about getting a good choice of prey and then knocking them off quickly and not having to be bothered about them the rest of the night, rather than about wanting to be seen having sex. In S2 when he's doing it with Justin, it's a manoeuvre to not let Justin feel like they're a conventional couple. But the need to be out having sex with Justin in public just for the thrill of it is, IMO, something that only conveniently descended upon him just now when it lines up with the storyline. The whole "political" thing about fags needing to be able to have back rooms to have sex in public and thus not appear married is so stupid I can't believe even Cowlip is serious. I can, unfortunately, believe Brad Fraser is.
6. Debbie was at Woodstock getting laid by 3 guys called Julio when she was 16? Because if Michael turned 30 in 2000, and Woodstock was in 1969, then it had to be the year before she had him. Or, depending on when his birthday is, the year she was pregnant with him. Brad Fraser hasn't seen the Divina Devor episode, has he?
7. Does everybody else think Justin is being a prick the way he talks to Brian in the scene where they're crossing the road and discussing Brian's future? It's as if Justin, like Randy, just isn't taking the situation seriously. He's like, "Oh well, you blew your career but hey, it was in a good cause, where do you reckon we should fuck tonight?" There's no admiration, no gratitude, no guilt. Brian was pulp just this afternoon, people. Where's the love?
No wonder sad!Brian starts laying about him with a sledgehammer.
Observations:
A. In the scene where Brian is playing pool, he is playing alone until Michael arrives. Nobody in the show seems to think this is odd. (Nobody watching cares, because Gale looks exceptionally young and slim in this scene and no opponent means no-one to get between him and the camera.)
B. When Debbie hears Brian has been fired and comes over to bring him a tuna casserole and wise words, one of Gale's greatest moments in the series is the look Brian gives the door when she knocks. (Not that he's bothered to lock it, though.) Gale is great throughout this scene. He often looks amused at Debbie, yet without once looking less than miserable.
C. Patrick Antosh swears the matching black undies were coincidence. He says they always gave the actors a variety of underwear to choose from, and on that day Gale and Randy completely coincidentally both went with black. ('Course, it's one of the very few (only?) scenes in S3 where you get to see them full length in a sex scene with their underwear on, so I guess the idea could have occurred to each of them separately that black hides...a lot.)
312
Ted, Ted, Ted, Emmett colluding with cwazy wesbians, Emmett sobbing, Mel & Linz mad at Ted, more Ted, Hunter, Hunter, Hunter, Michael resistant, Michael develops a soft spot for Hunter, Ben makes Hunter eat miso soup. I find MY gag reflex pretty quick. There's just that bright moment when Ted disappears with Gus's money, but you just know he'll be back. Soon, and for a long time.
Seriously, the only thing I wrote down while watching this episode was "Hunter meets Brian". Excellent scene, as is the one where Hunter tries to push Justin aside.
The questions I do have are serious, but in most cases the only real answer is probably "Cowlip is hopeless".
So, because of the paucity of ideas that have occurred to me, I invite you to volunteer your own questions for either one of these episodes. If you have any, I will pick them up from the comments and put them in the main post so new readers see them right away.
Snarky Observations are also welcome, as always.
Questions:
1. Does Hunter know as soon as Brian introduces them that Justin is his boyfriend, not a random trick? (He should, because Michael used Justin's name in the comic earlier store scene as someone who regularly gives Brian blowjobs, but that would entail continuity lasting more than 20 minutes.)
2. Are we supposed to be amused, in the light of Ted's confession that crystal makes him feel like he's Brian, by the cut between Temmett having Energiser bunny!sex and B/J walking purposefully into the bar in matching black leather? I mean, Temmett ARE playing B/J, while B/J play Bogart and Bacall in Raymond Chandler.
3. What's supposed to be the point of Justin not attending the orgy? Why, in the welter of Temmett, didn't we get to see the explanation for this? When he does appear, is Justin disapproving, amused, what?
4. And why isn't he worried that this is the best Brian is doing about being fired? Emmett, to give him credit, would be freaking out if Ted started throwing orgies. (Well, next week he does.) Brian and Justin are now both out of a job. Why don't we see them discuss this important fact?
5. Can somebody explain to me why Brian having sex, alone with his partner in his own bed but in the middle of an orgy, is politically different from Brian having sex in his own bed alone with Justin the previous night?
5. What does Brian think Rikert is going to do when he first checks him out at the bar? He doesn't seem prepared with any clever ruses for getting DNA or anything. (House would've just slipped the barman $20 and snitched his glass.)
For 311, the director was Chris Grismer, who IMO is Bruce MacDonald's sockpuppet. All those shots of Debbie's lip gloss and one of Brian's eyebrows in the dope-smoking scene...very Bruce. To add insult to injury, the writer was Brad Fraser.
David Wellington and Michael MacLennon are responsible for 312.
311
Questions:
1. When Justin tells Brian "You could be Dr Evil", is he deliberately trying to lead him astray, or does he think Brian is already casting about for evil deeds?
2. Stockwell patronises Justin's little posse at the GLC by calling them "Concerned Citizens". Is Brian snarking at that when he chooses the name of his lobby group?
3. When Brian comes home for coitus interruptus with Justin, he appears to be wearing the same clothes he was wearing in the pool-playing scene. But Justin was also at the bar on that occasion, not at home producing posters. Can anyone explain, or has the continuity got to the point where they can't keep an idea straight for 20 minutes?
4. When Vance asks Stockwell why Brian would do such a thing, Stockwell replies, "Because he's a fag". Vance frowns disapprovingly and the music stops so we can think, "Bad homophobic person, bad." However, when Vance asks Brian why he did it, it emerges that that's his answer too. Only now it's OK. Does anyone understand what message Cowlip is trying to give us?
5. I have a similar problem with Brian's phobia about fucking in his bed. Serious question: was exhibitionism always an important part of Brian's sexuality?
Up till now, I thought the clubbing was more about getting a good choice of prey and then knocking them off quickly and not having to be bothered about them the rest of the night, rather than about wanting to be seen having sex. In S2 when he's doing it with Justin, it's a manoeuvre to not let Justin feel like they're a conventional couple. But the need to be out having sex with Justin in public just for the thrill of it is, IMO, something that only conveniently descended upon him just now when it lines up with the storyline. The whole "political" thing about fags needing to be able to have back rooms to have sex in public and thus not appear married is so stupid I can't believe even Cowlip is serious. I can, unfortunately, believe Brad Fraser is.
6. Debbie was at Woodstock getting laid by 3 guys called Julio when she was 16? Because if Michael turned 30 in 2000, and Woodstock was in 1969, then it had to be the year before she had him. Or, depending on when his birthday is, the year she was pregnant with him. Brad Fraser hasn't seen the Divina Devor episode, has he?
7. Does everybody else think Justin is being a prick the way he talks to Brian in the scene where they're crossing the road and discussing Brian's future? It's as if Justin, like Randy, just isn't taking the situation seriously. He's like, "Oh well, you blew your career but hey, it was in a good cause, where do you reckon we should fuck tonight?" There's no admiration, no gratitude, no guilt. Brian was pulp just this afternoon, people. Where's the love?
No wonder sad!Brian starts laying about him with a sledgehammer.
Observations:
A. In the scene where Brian is playing pool, he is playing alone until Michael arrives. Nobody in the show seems to think this is odd. (Nobody watching cares, because Gale looks exceptionally young and slim in this scene and no opponent means no-one to get between him and the camera.)
B. When Debbie hears Brian has been fired and comes over to bring him a tuna casserole and wise words, one of Gale's greatest moments in the series is the look Brian gives the door when she knocks. (Not that he's bothered to lock it, though.) Gale is great throughout this scene. He often looks amused at Debbie, yet without once looking less than miserable.
C. Patrick Antosh swears the matching black undies were coincidence. He says they always gave the actors a variety of underwear to choose from, and on that day Gale and Randy completely coincidentally both went with black. ('Course, it's one of the very few (only?) scenes in S3 where you get to see them full length in a sex scene with their underwear on, so I guess the idea could have occurred to each of them separately that black hides...a lot.)
312
Ted, Ted, Ted, Emmett colluding with cwazy wesbians, Emmett sobbing, Mel & Linz mad at Ted, more Ted, Hunter, Hunter, Hunter, Michael resistant, Michael develops a soft spot for Hunter, Ben makes Hunter eat miso soup. I find MY gag reflex pretty quick. There's just that bright moment when Ted disappears with Gus's money, but you just know he'll be back. Soon, and for a long time.
Seriously, the only thing I wrote down while watching this episode was "Hunter meets Brian". Excellent scene, as is the one where Hunter tries to push Justin aside.
The questions I do have are serious, but in most cases the only real answer is probably "Cowlip is hopeless".
So, because of the paucity of ideas that have occurred to me, I invite you to volunteer your own questions for either one of these episodes. If you have any, I will pick them up from the comments and put them in the main post so new readers see them right away.
Snarky Observations are also welcome, as always.
Questions:
1. Does Hunter know as soon as Brian introduces them that Justin is his boyfriend, not a random trick? (He should, because Michael used Justin's name in the comic earlier store scene as someone who regularly gives Brian blowjobs, but that would entail continuity lasting more than 20 minutes.)
2. Are we supposed to be amused, in the light of Ted's confession that crystal makes him feel like he's Brian, by the cut between Temmett having Energiser bunny!sex and B/J walking purposefully into the bar in matching black leather? I mean, Temmett ARE playing B/J, while B/J play Bogart and Bacall in Raymond Chandler.
3. What's supposed to be the point of Justin not attending the orgy? Why, in the welter of Temmett, didn't we get to see the explanation for this? When he does appear, is Justin disapproving, amused, what?
4. And why isn't he worried that this is the best Brian is doing about being fired? Emmett, to give him credit, would be freaking out if Ted started throwing orgies. (Well, next week he does.) Brian and Justin are now both out of a job. Why don't we see them discuss this important fact?
5. Can somebody explain to me why Brian having sex, alone with his partner in his own bed but in the middle of an orgy, is politically different from Brian having sex in his own bed alone with Justin the previous night?
5. What does Brian think Rikert is going to do when he first checks him out at the bar? He doesn't seem prepared with any clever ruses for getting DNA or anything. (House would've just slipped the barman $20 and snitched his glass.)