Queer as Folk

As an older man (55), I'm amazed at the level of graphic nudity, the frankness of the sexual couplings whether gay or lesbian sex is involved, and it struck me as astonishing that the reason I would sometimes be uncomfortable viewing these scenes, is that there are virtually no images for gay people on TV that are comparable to those in QAF. I'm no prude, and thank goodness I've stopped squirming. My normal reaction is that if a series is good in its original British guise, the Americanization will be awful. Not so here. QAF started for me as a superficial soap about gay life. But once the first season was half over, I was hooked. I found I cared deeply about these characters. Their insular gay world in Pittsburgh was refreshing. The relationships work beautifully and you see a fairly representative slice of gay life on this series. Sure everyone always seems to be showing up at the big gay club with its go-go dancers and steamy back room. But how wonderful to have a show all about gay people where nobody gets killed for being gay, or commits suicide or is in some sort of depression or any other negative situations that have been such a feature of films showing gay characters as life's losers.

Gale Harold's Brian took me totally by surprise. His no gamesmanship attitude towards sex and relationships makes total sense. What I responded to is his character's absolute refusal to be liked, unlike the very likable Michael (Hal Sparks) whose insecurity demands that he be liked. Brian's a stunning bad boy, confident of his looks, his talent, his ability to spot bullshit a mile away. He wants to be appreciated for his worth. Nothing wrong with that. He's unapologetic about his sexuality and is not obsessed with settling down into domestic bliss the way Michael is. Michael is a child, but a sweet one with his love of comic books, and his unresolved longing for Brian. His character's worry about everything has finally become endearing. Peter Paige's Emmett is adorable and heartbreaking. I love that he's always picking himself up after every romantic disaster, dusting himself off and heading towards the next with high hopes. Scott Lowell has a natural affinity for Ted Schmidt's insecure and manipulative accountant. I'd like him to settle down for awhile. I sometimes weary of his travails.

At first I thought Randy Harrison's sweetly beautiful Justin was going to be a fluffy love toy for Brian, but Justin's own problems have shown Brian's caring side, and you get to see that Justin is no dummy. He goes after what he wants. Nothing wrong with that. Sharon Gless's working Mom waitress can be abrasively grating at times, but she presents a loving mother to a gay son, and that's a good thing. Michelle Clunie as Melanie and Thea Gill as Lindsay strike me as an appealing, smart, and caring lesbian couple Their stability as a couple shows what is possible without proselytizing.

Now in its fifth season, I've come to appreciate the show in big gulps since I rent each season from Netflix. It's a real wallow, and I'm always sorry that it's over. Right now I'm deep into season four and I can't wait to find out what happens next. QAF is excellent series TV, vastly entertaining. Best of all it won't make you feel dumb.

This show, has brought the best five years to my life. I started watching the show when I was 13, and was the backbone for my coming out. Without this show, I don't think I would have had the courage to come out when I did. It was like home to me when things got rough. Now 17, I have developed a connection with the characters based on the lifestyle they led and the one I lead. Through the whole last episode, I cried, it was like a part of me had died, remembering that it was the biggest reason why I came out. I already miss the show, and I am anticipating buying the rest of the box sets I'm missing, the two Cd's I'm missing, and the book, to keep in my collection of the greatest t.v show to be aired and the greatest backbone support to gay people around the world. That's all folks!

It's about time that filmmakers created a series that doesn't revolve around the trivial and comic relationships of heterosexual couples - many of the sitcoms these days seem to have that theme in there somewhere do they not? It's controversial, often quite graphic and rarely comic - it's an adult 'soap opera' with alot more content than your average. Apart from anything else, Queer As Folk has thrown a revealing light onto the trials and tribulations of gay relationships - proving to those unfamiliar with the subject that they are not relationships that should be ridiculed or discriminated against. Regardless of the moral merits, it's just a really good series. The acting is great and the storyline keeps you watching week after week. The series explores numerous relationships that all differ in some way or another - yet in many ways they are also very much alike. This series can be enjoyed by anyone, despite some of the reviews I've read in the past. In fact, I'd encourage anyone to try it out at least once - you may be presently suprised.

What can I say about the show? It has incredible characterisation (capable of drawing even a straight man into the lives of the characters), beautiful cinematography, great acting and compelling writing. I have seen the first two seasons and I am currently watching the third on VHS because I lost showtime in the process. I have 3 episodes left of season 3 and, barring a few rather flagrant showings of male nudity (which although arguably contextually appropriate did seem a bit over the top), the shows have continued the quality of the first two seasons. What is great about the show is the fact that you really do care what happens to the characters, you can see an element of yourself in them (well maybe not all of them but you can find something in at least one of the characters that you relate to--I really relate to Ted myself, particularly in the middle of the first season and most of the third season). The show has tackled a lot of touchy topics (HIV, gay marriages, homophobic politicians) and, barring Emmett's brief fling with quack therapy in an attempt to be straight, they have been dealt with in a thoughtful, intelligent and sensitive manner (although how can you deal with reparative therapy seriously?), and, in a real stretch, showing that the gay community has its own flaws, which i think is what really sets the show apart, it says that the gay community isn't perfect and the gay characters aren't perfect.

And even though all my straight friends who have never seen the show may laugh and ask me if I have started to play for the other team, I will continue to watch as long as the quality is kept up like this. Besides Six Feet Under, Monk and MI-5, this is one of the few shows I would go out of my way to see. Bring on season 4 and let Ben die already (the second part is only a personal opinion, I just never cared for his character although I think Robert Gant does an excellent job of portraying him, I would rather have seen Michael with David).

And I have seen the second series of the British version and, loath as I am as an anglophile and a purist to say it, the American version has gone further then the British series (although in all fairness they have had a lot more episodes to explore the characters). My only beef is that Gale Harold may seem cold and rather like a jerk (since a stronger term may be censored but one is definately implied), Aidan Gillen was creepy. Gale was the kid in high school that was popular although he never really liked anyone while Aidan was that guy who you would see somewhere and he would just creep you out yet you couldn't take your eyes off him. Two totally different characters and I think one works better for a miniseries and the other works better for a regular series.

It's always fashionable to negatively critique US versions of British material, but I am not always into that fashion.

I loved the first two episodes of this Americanized QUEER AS FOLK. It certainly follows the plot of the British version (so far at least). Yet the pace is more leisurely since the US version takes 45 minutes to do what was done in 30 minutes on the British version.

The US version is also easier to understand -- and it's not just the fact that we aren't getting the British slang in quickly-spoken thick British accents. Maybe it's the more leisurely pace that makes the plot easier to follow.

Hal Sparks has a wonderful dead-pan dry humor as the narrator, Michael. Randy Harrison is sweet as Justin, the newly-out teenager. When he was rejected by his dream-man Brian, his pain looked genuine and touching.

Even though the opening narration indicates "It's all about sex," the show is actually about more than that. The narrator is referring to the fact that gay night life in trendy bars is "all about sex," but we see in Michael and Justin the reality of people searching for a sense of connection in a world that doesn't offer a lot of connection -- especially for gay people.

While the British version was only 8 episodes with a 2 hour finale (which I found disappointing), this US version promises to begin with 22 episodes and possibly go on from there. I look forward to the future developments. So far, I see nothing to complain about.