Queer as Folk (2 Viewers)

[Mark-W]

I think any critics that might want to criticize
the show would fear either seeming homophobic,
(siding with homophobes after all) or be suspected
of being gay themselves for calling in to question
how far removed from "reality" this show really is.
I mean do any of you know people like the guys in
the show? The only ones I ever saw at the bar like
them were considered the total losers you'd never
sleep with in a million years...even Brian.
By bar standards, Brian's body is not ALL that.
And his attitude, plus his link to the blatant
losers would "taint" what good things people would
have to say about him.
I know, I hung out with the gay, "A list" in
Portland, OR for many years...
Mark

 

[Jarode]

Aren't some of you people taking this show TOO seriously? It's a soap opera not a documentary on the compassion and sensibilities of the every gay man. Sex and City is about a bunch of shallow unrealistic straight women in New York, but it's entertaining comedy. I'm sick of all this politically correct crap some people feel should be spoon fed to the nation. If you don't like the show then don't watch it. I"m sure I would hate the type of gay TV shows you would want to watch but I sure as hell wouldn't try to get it changed or cancelled. I would look elsewhere for entertainment. Turn the damn show off if you don't like it.

 

[Michael Allred]

"QAF" is the first major gay series ever on american TV. it brought with it high hopes of not only good entertainment but also an opportunity to show a wide variety of gay men and women. something young gay kids could watch......
I don't know about you but I got awfully tired of watching drag queens and "swishy" types always being portrayed in the film medium. We could've gotten something showing the entire rainbow....the show was so hyped so everybody wanted to check it out but what did we get?
No drag queens but something equally annoying (if not more so than) the sexually obsessed, no life, shallow "bar fag". it seems as if we've moved from one stereotype in entertainment to another.
With a show reaching as many people as it does, word-of-mouth you know, straights get the wrong idea yet again.
Negative portrayals of gay men (such as the older man seducing a teenager) is something that affects ALL of the gay community and further cheapens us to the world. For one to suggest we just shut up about it and stick our heads in the sand is equal to telling black people to look the other way when black characters are portrayed as drug dealing pimps.
I mean.....it's just TV....how much harm could it do?
Aside all that, if the series could've actually been any good, my criticism might not have been so strong.
"QAF" is just poor TV.

 

[Jeff Kleist]

The UK version had believable characters, and was lighthearted and charming. I don't believe 1 of the actors in the US version are gay(even the gay ones, except Emmett). Justin drives me crazy with his stereotypical lisp, and I find the whole thing very very rushed. Brian is confused, and they can't decide whether he has a concience or not, and Michael, while appearing totally straight. His mother is weak compared to her UK counterpart, as is Bernie's replacement. While the US version might eventually have more substance, the UK version will always be superior
Jeff Kleist

 

[Mark-W]

I am with Gerry, Jeff, and Micheal on this.
The Brit show presetned someone's reality.
It seemed very realistic and NOT overblown.
Sure young adults 15+ have sex with adults,
that is NOT always a predatory relationship.
I never had a problem with them showing
THAT reality.
The US show has been on nearly 8 hours now,
and the characters are STILL not nearly as
mulitfacted as their Brit counterparts were in
the first 2 hours.
I cannot help but feel sorry for the US show,
because unlike the Brit one, it had expectations
laid on it before it was even filmed.
I think that they thought, "We have to push more,"
and in doing so lost any sense of a realistic presentation.
They might as well present the show as some
acid trip, because it bears no resemblence to ANYONE'S reality.
Last nights episode again left me liking ONLY the women,
who now seem like the most "normal" of the characters.
Considering I used to hate Melanie, this is a real
step up!
Mark

 

[Alan Light]

The British version will always be superior, but I LOVE this series. Episode 7 was terrific. I really like the way the series is diverging from the British version.
I notice that episodes #9 and #12 are to be directed by John Greyson, who directed LILIES and ZERO PATIENCE and UNCUT. That should be interesting.

 

[Mark-W]

Jarode-
In regards to one of your comments, I don't
think anyone is saying they want to the show
to be Politically Correct, we just want it
to seem based on someone's reality.
The Brit version had:
a true-to-life gay setting
true-to-life consequences
true-to-life actions/reactions
true-to-life multi-dimensional characters
Replace the words, "true-to-life" with
"overblown" and you have the US version.
Jeff K-
As for Justin, as I said before
his character isn't bothersome to me, personally.
And his "lisp," which isn't quite the right
word for his noticeably gay vocalizations,
are probably real,
since the actor playing Justin is openly gay himself,
and is probably not "amping up" his "gay accent."
Episode 7 was decent.
The confrontation
between David and Brian (at the end) seemed real;
other good things were the dynamics between
Justin and his father. I also liked that Michael
was afraid that when David really got to spend time
with him, he wouldn't like him.
The catty fighting and snide comments
between Brian and Ted were good, but again,
if Brian is such an asshole,
(which is constantly reinforced on the show)
why does ANYONE congregate around him?
With Michael out of town, why would Ted
even hang out near Brian? He wouldn't.
Brian is so unlovable, unlikable,
yet the show presents Pittsburgh like it is some
HUGE gay metropolis where crappy behavior
like Brian's would remain a tiny blip on the
gaydar screen, instead of something every gay
person at the PA clubs would be well aware of.
Hell, even I had a "reputation" that I couldn't
escape. I would start talking to someone I had never
met before and they would not only know who I was
but my dick size and recent sexual history...
(I don't mean to sound egocentric, it happened
to everyone here who regularly went to the bars
and hung out in the group I circulated with.)
I had one boyfriend who did only did one William Higgins'
porn video, and when the news hit the bar,
he literally had to go to bars in Seattle
to escape the constant chatter about it.
EVERY gay guy in the Portland bar scene knew about.
I was playing pool with him one night about
two weeks after the video was released
(it took a year after it was filmed)
and people either made video-related suggestive
comments to him,
or pointed to him and whispered to their buddies.
Even in Portland OR, which probably has a larger
gay population and more bars the Pittsburgh,
you cannot get away with being an A-hole,
and not having it circulated through entire
bar community gossip chain by the next weekend.
I am glad that Brian's character is going to
get softened in upcoming episodes, but again,
it is way too late. If he has been going to
Babylon for nearly NINE years, and acts the way he
does, NO ONE would EVER hang around him. PERIOD.
Mark

 

[Michael Allred]

Mark, you've certainly lead an interesting life
We'll have to have a drink one of these days and give me more details, lol.

 

[Mark-W]

Thanks, Michael-

I am certain many of us feel our lives
(especially us gay guys) would be well-suited
to celluloid, but it is sad, when I honestly look at
a show like the US version of QAF and think,
"Hell, my life has been more scandalous and
interesting than all four these four dolts combined
any day of the week!"
Then again, I know several gay men whose lives
are more cinematic than those presented in the
US QAF.
(Now that we all know my Leo ego is seriously
overinflated, I'll call it a night!)

Mark

 

[Alan Light]

Here's an article from the Chicago Sun Times about what a hit the show is in local gay bars. http://www.suntimes.com/output/steinberg/stein311.html

 

[Jarode]

According to that article there are some gay people who can identify with it. Michael, Showtime is an adult pay channel, it's programming is not meant for young kids, gay or straight. Why would you think a show on that station would or should be suitable to that crowd? It also has a very small audience compared to regular TV programs, it's hardly being watched by everyone. As I said, the show is more fantasy than reality, like a soap. Also, how many TV shows accurately depict heterosexuals? Not many, why should this be any different? It's ENTERTAINMENT, that's all.

 

[Mark-W]

Jarode-
I agree with some of your comments. For example,
Queer As Folk is never shown earlier
than 10pm, clearly indicating Showtime intends the
show for a mature audience ONLY.
However, you make one comment that I have take
major exception to: "It is ENTERTAINMENT, that's
all."
Film and television is much more than "entertainment."
In one of my film classes we have been talking
about the complex relationship between
films, television and the audience.
All of our behavior regarding films and television
clearly fly in the face of anyone who discounts
it as nothing more than "entertainment."
That is like saying that "it is just carved stone"
when talking about Michelangelo's David,
or it is "just paint on plaster" when talking about
the Sistine Chapel Ceiling.
Film and television, even when done poorly, elicits
feelings, thoughts, and reactions.
Our society invests a lot of time and energy
into this "entertainment" because
it gives us something very real
and valuable in return.
Is that not clear to you?
As a side note, has anyone been partaking of the
live chats Showtime has been offering?
Gale (Brian) chatted last week,
and Justin is scheduled to chat this coming Sunday.
8pm West Coast, 11pm East Coast.
Mark

 

[Michael Allred]

and when has "for mature audiences only" EVER stopped a teenager from watching it? gay kids all over the country are fawning over it..articles in the gay youth magazine "XY" state that they want ALL bars to allow 18 year olds in. why? these kids are seeing the bars portrayed as this fun, sex fantasyland with no worries or problems.
if you think enertainment/the media can't affect how kids think then i strongly suggest you watch MTV and then go to your local mall.

 

[Mark-W]

Michael-
As I am sure you realize, I didn't mean "kids" to
imply children of around 3-11 years old.
(I am guessing you didn't intend "kids" to
mean those below the age of 10 either.)
Frankly, I would not want children seeing
either version of Queer As Folk until
they were mature enough to appreciate it. For some
kids that would be 11 years old, for others it might
be as late as 15, 16, or 17.
That's all I was saying (as you've probably guessed).

Mark

 

[Alan Light]

Time to eat a little crow. After watching episode 8 last night it's becoming harder for me to defend or justify the show, I'm afraid. I'm starting to agree with the critics. Last night's episode was at times painful to watch. I thought the scene where Brian drove through the car dealer's window was not done as well as the original BBC broadcast, but when have they ever gotten previous scenes right? I think the strongest part of the show
surprisingly is coming from Justin's mom. I can't figure out why they are not putting Justin in Debbie's house? I guess that might come later, but I can't help thinking "Stuart would never have let Nathan move in and make jambalaya!" Another odd moment to me was when Debbie actually did not wear her red wig. I thought her natural hair looked a lot better, and I don't understand why she feels the need as a waitress to wear a wig. But I guess it's just a choice they made for her.
People who have not seen the original UK version seem to be more pleased with this one, so maybe I'm still unfairly comparing it to perfection. I sure hope it gets better fast, though, because in its present condition I'm becoming discouraged.

 

[Mark-W]

Alan-
Funny that you should mention that Episode 8 was
not a good one. The car scene was very very wooden.
I agree that Justin's mom is really compelling.
And I liked what they did with Debbie, but did
it have to be in the same episode as when
Justin's dad beats the crap out of Brian?
IF I could forget Brian's performance
to this date, I would really like who he was last night.
But this "turn around" in his behavior is not believeable.
I wish they would've shown earlier on that he
had hints of being compassionate, because while
I like him now, to get from where he was last night
to where he was a few weeks ago is not logical.
Still, I will probably develop Alzheimer's.

Mark

 

[Mark-W]

In response to the rest of your post (Alan),
--I am waiting for an eBay auction to end and
have time to kill--
I also found Debbie much more attractive without
the wig.
Also, Justin living with Brian makes no sense
to me, but I did love it when they used Madonna's
Don't Tell Me (to Stop) to get Justin to
head for Brian's bed. I found that scene very wonderful.
However, the scene with Justin and his parents
should NOT have included Brian, as again, reality
dictates that Justin's dad wouldn't have let Brian
sit anywhere in the house. (Maybe have him lingering
in the hallway at the most???) I mean, a father
would NOT let a man sit in his chair while making
the statements the father made; It was just too
inconsistant.
Still, the move-in that would make the most sense
for this version would be for him to move in with
Lindsey and Melanie, who (after hating Melanie's
lines the first 4 episodes) are really growing on me.
And then they would have a live-in babysitter.
Also, if the US version follows the British version
in the one activity that alligned Melanie with Brian,
Justin would give that added merit...(trying not to
give anything away to those who haven't seen the Brit
version.)
I also like what they are doing with Micheal
at the store. It reminds me a bit of when I was working
security (very testosterone envioronment) during
one summer break from school.
And my years at The Gap,
I actually dated my female bosses best female friend
to prevent being found out and subsequently terminated.
I think the show might be heading in the right
direction, but someone really needs to start asking,
"Would this really happen?"
Mark

 

[Alan Light]

Mark, you're exactly right in everything you say.
I was grousing with an acquaintance who is good friends with the producers and sees the shows ahead of time and he tells me next weeks's episode is "a bit better."

 

[Mark-W]

Gee, Alan, ya' wanna watch my head swell up?

Thanks! Too bad you cannot get your friends
to get the producers to read this thread!
Cheers,
Mark

 

[Trace Downing]

I don't agree about the believability of Justin moving in with Lindsay and Melanie. If it were up to them, or in a stretch even Justin, that would be understandable, and even plausable. However, this was Brian's decision, and if I reading him right, he wouldn't either...impose on the two by just dumping Justin on them, or wouldn't subject him to having to live with a dragonlady such as Melanie, or he just doesn't think Justin should be exposed to "munchers". His bringing Justin home with him is entirely plausible.
Brian brought Justin back home. Although it is a stretch that his dad would let Brian in the house, his mother would also have veto rights as well, and would be grateful to Brian for bringing Justin back for a reconciliation. So in that respect, his dad may have had little choice in the matter.
Alan and Mark...Again, you both are comparing this story to the brit version, and liking it to butchering/editing original content...This isn't Star Wars, where Han Solo is now defending himself.
...and BTW, every episode that you make comparisons to the brit version, you give still more spoilers away to those of us who haven't seen it. Just a slight rib from me, not a real peeve. I do however know more about the Brit version than I would rather, since I haven't seen it. I don't want to know that Brian and Melanie get closer until I see it on a Sunday night. Please, I implore you, use the blackouts.
Regarding the Gap...I don't think I've ever been in a Gap where at least one sales-guy wasn't gay.

------------------
She say she does her washing in Tide.
And I say, Why you do your washing in Tide?
And she say it's too damn cold Outtide.