I'm sort of with you on Season Three, though I think that Ethan's Season Three behavior could have possibly been explained by the growing tension between him and Justin. Not justified by any means, but explained.
So to me, the incident is more than just "Ethan cheated," it calls his whole relationship with Justin into question. When I add that to his (eventual) behaviour over the contract and the things said to and around Justin at that party... I have to question whether Ethan ever really loved Justin, either. Or if he just loved being with Justin, having gorgeous and talented to hang on his arm and play the part of his muse.
*squints* I agree, and then again, I wonder a little. If Ethan's MO for tricking is seduction, the same tried and true method he used with Justin, then that's what it is, an MO--that doesn't necessarily mean that his feelings for Justin were any less because of that, just like Brian's MO for tricking doesn't prove that he doesn't love Justin because that's the way he picked up Justin. That's just a pattern of behavior. I'm not excusing infidelity, just I don't entirely agree that Harrisburg proves that Ethan didn't love Justin.
(Justin's behaviour in season two would be the subject of whole post in and of itself. Let's just say, I don't think there are any angels between the three of 'em, I never have :)
I don't apologize for Brian's behavior--he wanted Justin gone so badly he could taste it, and Ethan, for him, was like bitter salvation of a kind. Ethan gave him a wonderful out, a way to tell himself Justin would be just damned peachy without him, adn things escalated almost instantly from the minute he knew. I don't have a problem with Justin leaving Brian--he stood up to more pressure than Michael did in season one, and without even being aware of the reasons why. But he went about showing dissatisfaction in the absolute worst way possible, that contradicts everything he said he believed in, and everything he was as a person. It was very personal and edged on revenge, both in his method and in his choice of venue--in full view of the public, at a party Brian had for him, surrounded by Brian's friends and semi-family and people who knew *exactly* what they were witnessing. It's that vindictive edge that bothers me most.
It was very personal and edged on revenge, both in his method and in his choice of venue--in full view of the public, at a party Brian had for him, surrounded by Brian's friends and semi-family and people who knew *exactly* what they were witnessing. It's that vindictive edge that bothers me most.
Except the setting was Brian's choice, just as it was Brian's choice to break things off with Michael at Michael's birthday party. Brian claims to hate martyrs, but sometimes he's really, really good at playing one. He told someone, I can't remember who now, that he was looking for Justin, then headed for the backroom. Said someone told Justin, who went looking for Brian, and found him fucking Rage. There's no way you can tell me that wasn't deliberate on Brian's part, and for all his eye-blinking devastation when Justin walks out with Ethan, some part of me still thinks, "You bastard. You engineered this ending, don't you dare act like you didn't see it coming."
Of course, the rest of me is going, "Oh, Brian! Oh, Justin! My poor woobies!" Sometimes, this show makes me really schizophrenic.
Anyway, I don't know that Justin even registered the setting. I think he saw Brian pushing him away once again, and then he saw Ethan coming to him, and he was too hurt not to do exactly what Brian meant for him to do. He walked out.
The choice of venue was Brian's, not Justin's. Just as it was Brian's in s1 with Michael. So really, the moral of the story is: Don't ever let Brian Kinney throw you a party of any kind, because the real throwing will involve a cliff and you at the bottom of it.
It was very personal and edged on revenge, both in his method and in his choice of venue--in full view of the public, at a party Brian had for him, surrounded by Brian's friends and semi-family and people who knew *exactly* what they were witnessing.
Michael says that to Justin too, that he "didn't have to humiliate Brian in front of everybody like that."
I don't buy it. Michael saw what happened and he understood what was going on, but only because he was privy to the circumstances. First of all, we know Michael is the only one of the regulars who knew what happened because he's the one who tells everyone else. And it wasn't like Justin and Brian had some big blowout scene. All that happened was Justin talks to some guy, looks at Brian standing some distance away, Justin leaves with the other guy.
Random tricks witnessing this are going to think, if they think anything of it at all, that it's just business as usual. That's not public humiliation, it's actually really low key. As opposed to, say, the rose tearing, ring throwing, and door slamming of 3x07.
So to me, the incident is more than just "Ethan cheated," it calls his whole relationship with Justin into question. When I add that to his (eventual) behaviour over the contract and the things said to and around Justin at that party... I have to question whether Ethan ever really loved Justin, either. Or if he just loved being with Justin, having gorgeous and talented to hang on his arm and play the part of his muse.
*squints* I agree, and then again, I wonder a little. If Ethan's MO for tricking is seduction, the same tried and true method he used with Justin, then that's what it is, an MO--that doesn't necessarily mean that his feelings for Justin were any less because of that, just like Brian's MO for tricking doesn't prove that he doesn't love Justin because that's the way he picked up Justin. That's just a pattern of behavior. I'm not excusing infidelity, just I don't entirely agree that Harrisburg proves that Ethan didn't love Justin.
(Justin's behaviour in season two would be the subject of whole post in and of itself. Let's just say, I don't think there are any angels between the three of 'em, I never have :)
I don't apologize for Brian's behavior--he wanted Justin gone so badly he could taste it, and Ethan, for him, was like bitter salvation of a kind. Ethan gave him a wonderful out, a way to tell himself Justin would be just damned peachy without him, adn things escalated almost instantly from the minute he knew. I don't have a problem with Justin leaving Brian--he stood up to more pressure than Michael did in season one, and without even being aware of the reasons why. But he went about showing dissatisfaction in the absolute worst way possible, that contradicts everything he said he believed in, and everything he was as a person. It was very personal and edged on revenge, both in his method and in his choice of venue--in full view of the public, at a party Brian had for him, surrounded by Brian's friends and semi-family and people who knew *exactly* what they were witnessing. It's that vindictive edge that bothers me most.
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Except the setting was Brian's choice, just as it was Brian's choice to break things off with Michael at Michael's birthday party. Brian claims to hate martyrs, but sometimes he's really, really good at playing one. He told someone, I can't remember who now, that he was looking for Justin, then headed for the backroom. Said someone told Justin, who went looking for Brian, and found him fucking Rage. There's no way you can tell me that wasn't deliberate on Brian's part, and for all his eye-blinking devastation when Justin walks out with Ethan, some part of me still thinks, "You bastard. You engineered this ending, don't you dare act like you didn't see it coming."
Of course, the rest of me is going, "Oh, Brian! Oh, Justin! My poor woobies!" Sometimes, this show makes me really schizophrenic.
Anyway, I don't know that Justin even registered the setting. I think he saw Brian pushing him away once again, and then he saw Ethan coming to him, and he was too hurt not to do exactly what Brian meant for him to do. He walked out.
The choice of venue was Brian's, not Justin's. Just as it was Brian's in s1 with Michael. So really, the moral of the story is: Don't ever let Brian Kinney throw you a party of any kind, because the real throwing will involve a cliff and you at the bottom of it.
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Michael says that to Justin too, that he "didn't have to humiliate Brian in front of everybody like that."
I don't buy it. Michael saw what happened and he understood what was going on, but only because he was privy to the circumstances. First of all, we know Michael is the only one of the regulars who knew what happened because he's the one who tells everyone else. And it wasn't like Justin and Brian had some big blowout scene. All that happened was Justin talks to some guy, looks at Brian standing some distance away, Justin leaves with the other guy.
Random tricks witnessing this are going to think, if they think anything of it at all, that it's just business as usual. That's not public humiliation, it's actually really low key. As opposed to, say, the rose tearing, ring throwing, and door slamming of 3x07.
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