Fellow Travelers

A classic and unbeatable formula: an ardent (to say the least) but forbidden romantic entanglement against the background of thirty years of dramatic social and political upheavals. A sort of The Way We Were but with Bomer and Bailey (both perfectly cast) instead of Streisand and Redford. The McCarthy era episodes are strikingly well done with the good period detail (one carping point: the '50s seem to be in vogue at the moment and every actor is dressed so perfectly in period style that no-one ever seems stepped out of an upmarket clothing store with nary a worn or patched garment to be seen).and fine performances from the troupe of Washington politicians and their cohorts. One glaringly obvious misstep where, because everything else is so well done I indulgently suspend my disbelief, is the almost total lack of effort taken to age the characters. After 30 years Hawk is supposed to have grandchildren yet he appears to have discovered the secret of eternal youth; the secret seems to have been shared with Marcus, who, apart from longer hair and a beard is similarly untouched by time.

My Review - Fellow Travelers Streaming on Paramount My Rating 9/10

It's so encouraging when quality stories of our LGBTQ history like this screen adaptation of Thomas Mallon's highly acclaimed novel Fellow Travellers are transferred to the screen with great skill and integrity.

This is an impressive 8part series produced with great style and sensitivity.

Impressive performances from the entire ensemble cast plus memorable and intimate performances from the 2 main stars Matt Bomer and Jonathan Bailey who play the lovers Hawk Fuller and Tim Laughlin.

Matt and Jonathan certainly got to know each other on this television project but raunchy as some of their lovemaking scenes are they are crucial to show the passion of their on again off again romance that lasted over three decades . This story begins in the 1950's McCarthy witch hunt era that included hunting out closeted homosexuals or sexual subversives as they were referred to back then when monsters like Joel McCarthy, Roy Cohen and J Edgar Hoover caused many a gay man to live lives of desperate and misery that often lead to suicide .

Enter the handsome Washington Department official Hawkins Fuller or Hawk who frequents the underground gay bars of the city for brief sexual liaisons to satisfy his true nature .

The charismatic Hawk is a master of the art of concealing his sexuality even managing to fake a lie detector test in an effort to hold on to and advance his political career.

He meets young eager Timothy Laughlin, a recent Fordham graduate and devout Catholic eager to join the crusade against Communism.

Their passionate encounters lead to Tim's first job in D. C. and his first love affair.

As the climate and pressure in Washington hots up it becomes clear to Hawk that he can have his cake and eat it if he does the expected thing and find a suitable bride.

He marries the very eligible Lucy Smith played by Allison Williams they have what looks like the ideal Washington marriage with children a fabulous lifestyle and a country house . Hawk eventually distances himself from Tim or Skippy as he calls him by his Pet name and goes back to brief occasional encounters.

We then travel forward and back through each episode to observe what has happened over the years to the two lovers .

First to 1986 SanFrancisco where AIDS is ravaging the city and its gay population. Hawk when finding out that Tim who is now an activist and Social Worker is ill wants to be by his side and his wife Lucy who over the years finds out the truth about her husband reluctantly gives him her blessing to go as she knows by then the true nature of her husband.

We see through snapshots of the earlier years like 1968 when Tim who is now an anti war protester then decides to join the priesthood and while on the run from the authorities reconnects up with Hawk needless to say he doesn't become a priest.

Then forward to 1979 when their passion reunites on Fire Island as Hawk takes Tim on a tour of the Gay Paradise .

I really felt that this series was very similar in its emotional intensity and intent to the 1973 movie The Way We Were.

Executive Producer Matt Bomer delivers a career defining performance as Hawk in a series that was obviously a labour of love for him and it deserves to be seen by all audiences over 18 would suggest .

I watched it drip fed over 8 weeks and can't wait to binge watch it now that all 8 episodes are available.

Each of the 4 Directors Uta Briesewitz, Destiny Ekaragha, James Kent and Daniel Minahan have skilfully bought Fellow Travellers to the screen.

Jonathan Baily and Matt Bomer created a epic story. These two actors have brought viewers 0n a journey story of Love that spans 30 years. A story that makes that 30 years history a 3rd character in the story. It is complex and beautifully crafted story. A story that avoids the common stereotypes and demonstrates the reality of being Gay in this country. What life for a gay man as like before gay rights legislation. What the raelity and impact of HIV/AIDS crisis was like. Some of the events in the series I personally witnessed. Jonathan Baily and Matt Bomer give that history a new perspective to the events. Definitely worth watching. Definitely worth sharing. I guarentee you will be affected.

Acting, set design and costume design are magnificent. I'm in awe of how good it gets on each episode.

I'm also surprised in the way they managed to adapt the book and make it so much better in every way, from the treatment of the delicate topics to the sex scenes that are explicit yet never feel exploitive or fetishizing like in many other shows/films "for" the LGBT community.

I can't wait to watch the next episode this week for many reasons but especially because of Jonathan Bailey's fantastic acting, he keeps raising his own bar with each episode and that makes this show a pleasure to watch.

This show is getting ratings bombed, clearly, like many controversial shows tend to be lately. Somewhere there must be a post about poorly reviewing the show to bring down the ratings. 100% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 6 here...

The show is based on a book about 2 men who meet during the McCarthy hearings era and fall for each other. Both work in Washington and have to keep their relationship a secret. It jumps back and forth between the 50's and the 80's, after both men have moved on. Not a groundbreaking story line but the period production work is impeccable.

This is a limited series that has actual M/M passion and doesn't hold back. It's the type of sex and passion usually only seen in heterosexual shows. I wish we had all episodes at once.