Dante's Cove

I've read all the reviews and posts on the site, and it's quite an interesting mix of opinions.

To me, DANTE'S COVE is a cool and innovating show as I've never seen any single episode of the others TV-Series mentioned here as 'Buffy the vampire slayer - The OC's -or- Charmed'. I must say that generally, I'm not that much attracted by supernatural genre. It bores me a lot. But not for DANTE'S COVE. I retrieve what I've appreciated in 'Queer As Folk & Tales of the City' : a community spirit combined with mutual help, fun (and venomous tongues !).

I think the writing's just fine (even if the red-eyes thing is far too much !) and for sure some of the actors really CAN act (as Tracy Scoggins, Thea Gill & Charlie David for firsts). I find in this show what I search on TV - well for this kind of stuff : something entertaining, eyes-candy and refreshing. (My on-screen-witchcraft knowledge mostly is limited to Elvira's, I guess !) so I like what I see on the 13 episodes of this Series (I include the 'Unaired Pilot'). And Goash, Charlie David is a Hunk ! I hope so much that one day we'll get the chance to see the Fourth Season : I know I'll go back to this Cove with a delighted (and non-guilty) pleasure again...

Someone mentioned 3 parts; I just got the DVD set which is 2 parts. Fortunately the second part redeemed it, because the first part was pretty bad: it's about half softcore porn (going beyond QAF even), and the writing is pretty rough, as is some of the acting.

The second part improves just about everywhere, though some of the writing and acting still leaves a little to be desired. It actually gets gripping and leaves me wanting more, and I certainly don't mind seeing lots of bare chested hunks, especially Gregory Michael! I just wish they'd make up their mind: one minute, they're showing a sex scene out of a soft core porn video, and the next they have the actors contorted in a gruesomely unnatural position in order to avoid showing a body part that they already had on camera early on in the first episode. If they shot it naturally, even though we'd see "everything", the scene would still be far less sexual than the one that preceded it, and would flow much better.

Anyway, if it continues to improve at the rate the 2nd episode did over the first one, I'm looking forward to seeing it continue.

I loved Queer As folk because the characters were complex: it was not simply about gay characters but about flesh and blood people. Besides, all the actors were excellent. But Dante's Cove is so ridiculous and funny, though not voluntarily...

The Gothic background is a caricature, with witches having red, glaring eyes when they curse their victims, and people turning into dust all of a sudden. Harry Potter sounds like Kierkegaard compared to that rubbish of hidden manuscripts, pentagrams and undead people... The acting is below awful, so much so that I couldn't help laughing most of the time. And the sex scenes so conventional, the men looking all more or less alike. A real waste of time! (and money if you have been unfortunate enough to buy this series)

Make no mistake: Dante's Cove is targeted primarily for the gay male audience. Its young, cute, hunky and beautiful male actors aren't cast by accident. While their acting doesn't quite hit the mark, the main characters, Kevin and Toby, do well, and I suspect may improve further in the remaining segments. In their scenes together, they represent a plausible young gay couple in love–refreshing and what most gay (and straight) people need to see. Sure, the great bodies and handsome faces are wonderful, but we all want love, and this show provides the chance to vicariously jump head first into more than just sex.

For those not tuning in to see guys, take heart--there are lesbian scenes; beautiful, scantily-clad young women, and just a nice bunch of young people kind of lazing around white, sandy beaches doing what most of us would enjoy: not much and having a hell of a good time. There's also a strong Gothic and macabre element reminiscent of Dark Shadows from '70s television.

Roll all of the show's elements together, and you have an entertaining, albeit exaggerated plot, that adheres to the show's preternatural basis. Dante's Cove is not about BEING gay, but more pointedly that gay people find themselves in everyday AND extraordinary situations--trying to navigate life's labyrinth and survive (Wow! exactly like straight people do!).

Take a look at Here!'s new miniseries. This genre and its audiences are here to stay; get used to it, folks.

DANTE'S COVE is a two disc DVD release of a TV series for Here! TV that had everyone on the waiting list to see just how far the 'new television' market would/could go. Now that the mystery is over with the public release of the DVDs, the comments and responses are bound to be mixed: there are those who whoop that gay themed and photographed stories are finally on television, and there are those who will wonder why a series could make it through the year with little to no storyline and a production that is essentially soft porn - for both men and women! The 'plot' is based on the traditional haunted house with a mysterious history dating back to 1840: the 'story' revolves around the folk who inhabit the house cum hotel in present day time and the aftershocks of lifting the door off the secrets hidden with the subsequent effects of the 'curse' on the inhabitants. Sounds like a 'been there, done that' bit? Well, it is. The difference lies in the fact that the main characters are gay and the hotel inhabitants are pretty guys and gals who spend the majority of their time topless, swimming or en flagrante.

The cast is attractive (and we see a LOT of them!) but the lack of plausible story and the mercilessly poor writing and quality of acting keep the show grounded. This is a film for a special audience and one that would benefit from watching it with sound turned off. Maybe next season will improve....