monanotlisa

Still at the parents' but carpooling home tonight. Obviously, I've got Things To Do, but let's just jot down a few thoughts on QAF, S 1 up to Ep 15--

I'd forgotten how much I like them, and how much they draw me in--Queer as Folk (US) is such a soap, but it still works for me because from episode One, the *characters* have done so, their genuine and messed-up selves. It's very much the pull of the ensemble again, the attraction of their interpersonal dynamics and relationships in the face of internal and external pressure. Would I watch a show just about Brian Kinney? Alpha Bastard Extraordinaire, and compelling lead character? No, I wouldn't. ::ignores the shocked gasps from ljfriends like chase820:: Would I watch a show about Mikey? Everyman (or, really, everyboy) you can't help but root for? No, I wouldn't. Justin? Sunshine, indeed, with an attraction that lies in his brazen, stubborn, teenage courage, but I do want to spank him for his thoughtless and cocky behaviour so often that--no. Emmett? You know, I just *might* because Em's my darling, outgoing, sweet, and too queer to be true. Ted? I'm on a Ted!Love high right now--see below--but the undeserved self-loathing would grate on me after a while. Debbie? No way. Melanie? Hey, after these last few eps, I appreciate her a lot (OMGthelesbianshavegottentheirowncharacterarc!11!!) but, no. Lindsay? She's cooler than she seems ("Don't you get tired of being perky all the time?" "You have NO idea.") but a bit too bland, which most likely is not the actress's fault. Daphne? Hey, maybe. Where's the girl?! I miss her!

Anyway, a show about all of them? Any time, any place. Obviously, it's best not to touch upon hot topics like "clichés" and "authenticity", but as QAF is in no way meant to be a realistic depiction of teh gay, I'm perfectly fine with it. This is written as over-the-top drama but, thankfully, performed with heart and soul. Sometimes, it's dangerously close to the edge--Emmett's mini-arc about drug hallucinations, his stint with See The Light--and starts trembling...but doesn't tumble into the "unwilling farce" category.

The momentary depth of a show that's so unapologetically shallow never fails to surprise me, though. Mikey and Brian, come to mind--after half a dozen eps, we get the thing between Mikey and Brian and, at the same time, don't get it. Remember the scene in Brian's loft, when Brian's been sued for sexual harassment and is uncharacteristically down--nicely underlined by him lying on the floor, rather...limp, which, truly, ain't our Mr. Kinney--and Mikey comforts him the way only he can, by being his friend, buddy, reminder of things that have been and will stay with him? I'm not much of shipper, but...whoa. Fans, I'm certain, are frustrated, sad, angry, or annoyed with it...which is quite what the writers are going for because, really, who can be unaffected by so much need and love and idealisation of the past and the unwillingness/inability to let go? Or, different relationship, non-romantic, think of the speech Ted gives to Emmett at the See the Light gathering. God loves every faggot*. And as for mother-son dynamics--yes, I do think that this is well-captured. I don't much like Debbie, it's true, but the love for her biological son and the non-biological ones rings true. As a viewer who has developed a taste for familiy and pseudo-family relationships (re: Angel, re: Alias), this, as well as the Kinney senior revelation, are pretty nifty--although, really, as soon as I meet one of the writers, I'll be sure to give them a piece of my mind with regards to Justin's mother. What, pray tell, was *that* supposed to be? Could you possibly paint a broader, more stereotypical picture of an ungodly patient, long-suffering mother with a gay teenage son and a husband who's homophobic?

In any case, to add a little meta thought that harkens back to something I've said ages ago after a conversation with one of my friends in the Indian restaurant down the street from my office when he, in a discussion about sexuality in the media, suggested we, my female friends and I, try some of the "new porn geared toward women"--I don't want a bit of plot in my porn, I want a bit of porn in my plot, in the midst of characters I like, in the midst of story lines I am invested in.

QAF can deliver, and for that, I'm thankful.

rusty_halo, I'm a dork who forgot to bookmark your excellent QAF recommendation post! (I may have saved it to some computer, but not this one...) Care to share the link, or the time frame?


* Speaking of--thebratqueen reminds me once more why I love her when she writes two open letters to the Baptist in the church on the way to Trader Joe's--the one that put up that Defend Your Marriage and Your Family Against Homosexuals sign.
First letter
Second letter

P.S. (heh): I'm afraid I can't properly appreciate Dan Brown right now--sure, The Da Vinci Code is a solidly suspenseful novel, but if you, too, had just read a multi-layered, excellently researched eco-thriller of one thousand pages with characters you've grown fond of and whom you don't want to leave...
More detailed reviews of Der Schwarm (The Swarm) and Da Vinci Code will follow once I've finished the latter; there are intriguing parallels, after all. Cool to see how authors tackle certain subjects so differently.

P.P.S.: Dan Brown has totally stolen *my* idea of a structured scavenger hunt after historical clues!!