The downfall of Queer as Folk
This is just some stuff I really needed to get off of my chest, although it isn't a rant.
In my opinion, Cowlip has been consistently dropping the ball with their show since season three. The quality of the story lines, writing, and characterization has suffered dramatically, and I believe there are numerous reasons for this. The shortening of the seasons is probably the biggest, but the extreme political agenda and sloppy writing is also part of the problem.
When the Queer as Folk season was shortened to fourteen episodes, the show seems to have crippled itself. With such a short season there just isn’t enough time to give large story arcs to the large ensemble cast of the show, let alone to introduce several new characters and have story arcs for them as well. The result ends up feeling rushed, confusing, and out of character.
With many of the story arcs that the show has attempted, such as the Pink Posse and the fundraising bike ride and Ted’s addiction, far more build-up and resolution is required than we are ever given. It is very difficult to connect with and understand the sort of mental process that would cause Justin to put a gun in someone’s mouth, when in the next episode he is perfectly fine, with all post-traumatic stress forgotten. Why does Brian suddenly care about raising money for an AIDS hospice? It certainly could be believable, but given what most viewers have seen of his character and his feelings about the Gay and Lesbian Center, it seems unlikely that he would actively champion the cause without more motivation than we are shown. Why would Ted, someone who has seen the problems that come with a meth addiction, actively pursue that sort of lifestyle for himself? That seems to be the main problem with the shortened season - while attempting to give all the characters something to do, the reasons that they are doing it are lost in the shuffle.
This is also a good indication that introducing characters should have been drastically reduced. Hunter is good examples of this. When there is less time to spend on main characters, the amount of time required to flesh out new characters just isn’t there without further sacrificing the development of main characters. For example, the amount of time used by the show to give Hunter a reason for being there, not to mention a reason to live with Ben and Michael, still didn’t leave enough time to make him likable. The only way that he actually contributed to the storyline was in helping to catch the crooked, hustler-killing cop. He could have easily done this without being in Michael and Ben’s home permanently, or becoming a regular character.
The number of political storylines is also a detriment to the show. While there are many, many issues that the gay and lesbian community must face, the issues have to be secondary to the characters. Gay marriage is an important issue, but there seems to be very little point in rehashing it when we watched Lindsey and Melanie get married in season two. Ben and Michael’s marriage isn’t any more legal in Pittsburg than Lindsey and Melanie’s, so what purpose did that development serve, other than to drag out a hot button issue and preach to choir about it? What purpose did the Pink Posse serve, other than to show a group of gay men that could be as hateful as the people they were “protecting” themselves from? Why must HIV be a constant anvil for the producers and Ben to beat the viewers with? How many times is the meth storyline going to be brought out, just because it is a growing problem in the gay community? All of these issues are very important, but when they don’t serve the story, or the characters, they become superfluous and more of an annoyance than a learning experience.
The main problem is that for many viewers, this isn’t the show we signed on for. We wanted to watch a group of friends growing, changing, and interacting with each other. By removing the focus from a smaller core ensemble, into an ever-growing cast of characters and political issues du jour, the show is losing the main reason that people watched: to be entertained.
In my opinion, Cowlip has been consistently dropping the ball with their show since season three. The quality of the story lines, writing, and characterization has suffered dramatically, and I believe there are numerous reasons for this. The shortening of the seasons is probably the biggest, but the extreme political agenda and sloppy writing is also part of the problem.
When the Queer as Folk season was shortened to fourteen episodes, the show seems to have crippled itself. With such a short season there just isn’t enough time to give large story arcs to the large ensemble cast of the show, let alone to introduce several new characters and have story arcs for them as well. The result ends up feeling rushed, confusing, and out of character.
With many of the story arcs that the show has attempted, such as the Pink Posse and the fundraising bike ride and Ted’s addiction, far more build-up and resolution is required than we are ever given. It is very difficult to connect with and understand the sort of mental process that would cause Justin to put a gun in someone’s mouth, when in the next episode he is perfectly fine, with all post-traumatic stress forgotten. Why does Brian suddenly care about raising money for an AIDS hospice? It certainly could be believable, but given what most viewers have seen of his character and his feelings about the Gay and Lesbian Center, it seems unlikely that he would actively champion the cause without more motivation than we are shown. Why would Ted, someone who has seen the problems that come with a meth addiction, actively pursue that sort of lifestyle for himself? That seems to be the main problem with the shortened season - while attempting to give all the characters something to do, the reasons that they are doing it are lost in the shuffle.
This is also a good indication that introducing characters should have been drastically reduced. Hunter is good examples of this. When there is less time to spend on main characters, the amount of time required to flesh out new characters just isn’t there without further sacrificing the development of main characters. For example, the amount of time used by the show to give Hunter a reason for being there, not to mention a reason to live with Ben and Michael, still didn’t leave enough time to make him likable. The only way that he actually contributed to the storyline was in helping to catch the crooked, hustler-killing cop. He could have easily done this without being in Michael and Ben’s home permanently, or becoming a regular character.
The number of political storylines is also a detriment to the show. While there are many, many issues that the gay and lesbian community must face, the issues have to be secondary to the characters. Gay marriage is an important issue, but there seems to be very little point in rehashing it when we watched Lindsey and Melanie get married in season two. Ben and Michael’s marriage isn’t any more legal in Pittsburg than Lindsey and Melanie’s, so what purpose did that development serve, other than to drag out a hot button issue and preach to choir about it? What purpose did the Pink Posse serve, other than to show a group of gay men that could be as hateful as the people they were “protecting” themselves from? Why must HIV be a constant anvil for the producers and Ben to beat the viewers with? How many times is the meth storyline going to be brought out, just because it is a growing problem in the gay community? All of these issues are very important, but when they don’t serve the story, or the characters, they become superfluous and more of an annoyance than a learning experience.
The main problem is that for many viewers, this isn’t the show we signed on for. We wanted to watch a group of friends growing, changing, and interacting with each other. By removing the focus from a smaller core ensemble, into an ever-growing cast of characters and political issues du jour, the show is losing the main reason that people watched: to be entertained.