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| Queer as Folk | | Date Created: Jun 22, 2005, 09:22 AM |
I just finished watching the last episode of the final season of Queer As Folk, the much hated, much talked about, gay soap opera on Showtime. (Is gay soap opera redundant?)
I never understood the extreme negative reaction to this show. Sure the characters are crudely drawn, the plot is lame (even the worst drug addictions are fixed at the end of an episode or two), but that describes most of TV. The "this doesn't represent me crowd" argument doesn't make much sense to me either. Listen, you're not a straight woman living in New York with a closet full of shoes but that doesn't stop you from liking Sex in the City.
I would say, over all, this was a better season than the last couple. It was a little overwrought at the end and I couldn't figure out why it was so polemical -- let's face it, no straight people actually watch the show, and most gay people say that they hate it, so who exactly were the show's writers trying to convince that Bush is an asshole? At the end, it felt like the show just ended, rather than the writers actually having a plan to end the show.
If you really want to know what happens, highlight the inviso-text below. Warning, major spoilers:
Michael: He and Ben have a difficult time with Hunter after Hunter's entire school finds out he has AIDS and how he got it. Hunter eventually runs away. Michael and Ben fight the Melanie and Lindsay for custody of Jenny, the daughter Michael fathered. This fight gets rather annoying, and surprisingly isn't resolved in only one episode. Eventually Lindsay gets so annoyed, she gives up her custody rights. They get everthing worked out eventually. Michael and Ben fight against "Proposition 14" which would deny LGBT people the right to do anything and everything, including apparently go potty. The fight against "Prop 14" eventually precipitates the Babylon bombing. Michael survives his brush with death after the bombing at Babylon.
Brian: Brian buys Babylon at the beginning of the season, though he has some problems getting people to show up. Eventually he gets the fickle queers back from whatever other club in Pittsburg they were going to (Starbucks?) After informing half of Pittsburg that he's got syph, he and Justin break up because Brian won't marry him. Brian blames Michael for infecting Justin with the "stepford fag" syndrome of wanting to get married, have a house with a white picket fence, etc. The "new Brian", an ugly guy named "Brandon" challenges Brian's crown as biggest slut in Pittsburg by initiating a challenge to sleep with the 10 hottest men in town. Brian eventually wins by chasing his #10 onto a plane in order to nab him. Brian's prize is getting Brandon, but he decides it isn't worth it (thank god, the guy was skanky!) After the Babylon bombing, though, Brian realizes that he loves Justin and proposes to him. However, Justin realizes that he can't give up his art career for Brian and decides to move to New York, making him the "best little homosexual he can be."
Emmet: He gets a job on a local TV news show as the local "Queer Guy" after he saves the wedding of the show's producer. Eventually Emmet realizes he's nothing but a "ball-less eunuch" on the show (an amusing little nod from one stereotyped show to another, I guess) and tries to spice things up a bit, which gets him almost fired. His previous relationship with a forgettable football player (can't even remember his name) re-ignites when the footballer is outed. This lasts for a few episodes until Emmet realizes that the guy is just coming out and is therefore a slut. Emmet gets fired from his TV job after footballer kisses him on TV in his coming out interview.
Ted: After dumping a chubby-chaser, Ted has plastic surgery and ends up looking exactly like he did before, though he does the whole "Phantom of the Opera" thing for a while. He starts looking for love through the local synagogue's gay meeting night and falls for a doctor. However, the doctor realizes that Ted doesn't quite make the cut and dumps him. Ted meets up with the guy who gave him a Pride pity-fuck a few seasons ago, but now that Ted is hot (?!) the pity-fuck guy really wants Ted, and has forgotten all about it. Ted exacts revenge on pity-fuck guy. Ted falls in love with a psycho. Ted kicks psycho out. Ted meets up with Blake, the guy who nearly killed him in the very first episode, in a ski resort.
Justin: After returning from Hollywood where his Rage movie fails to get made, he has a major art show. Art critic loves his work, raves about it in a major magazine, and this sets Justin up to go to New York to seek fame and fortune. Justin has a problem with his Mom dating a (total hottie) guy half her age (oh Arturo, Prince of Irony) For more info, see "Brian's" entry....otherwise, he mostly stands around with that slackjawed look on his face. At least they didn't give him another horrible haircut.
Debbie: Still in love with Detective Horvath, still swears a lot. She has to fend off the advances of an amorous Rosy O'Donnell, who she saved from an abusive husband. Gets in trouble with Michael for siding with Lindsay and Melanie in the custody battle over the baby. Has the "once a season" heart-to-heart with Brian about what a tool he is.
Lindsay and Melanie: Fight a lot...bitchier than 10 gay men combined. Fight over their kids, fight over the house, fight over basically everything. They have major fight sex, and suddenly everything's OK and they get together (lesbians are so shallow that way!) They decide to move to Toronto (ha ha) after the Babylon bombing to keep their kids safe because Bush's "'Murika" sucks. This causes consternation for the fathers of their two kids, but they eventually give their blessing to the move.
That's it. |
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