Queer as Folk - End of Season

[catscradle]

Well, first off - this season's end really didn't move me in anyway. It wasn't bad, I enjoyed it - but I couldn't get too caught up in the action. I think I just expected all of it to happen as it did, so I wasn't sitting there wondering what I'd be waiting for till next March. Maybe that's why the writers didn't give us a huge cliffhanger - they knew it was unfair to leave everything that unsettled for 8 months.

But I still enjoyed it, so it wasn't a total loss.

Things I liked:

I liked that Ben stayed in Pittsburgh and realized everything he needed wasn't to be found in Tibet. I also liked that Mikey was willing to let him go. I think it was in character given that he was going to let Dr. Dave go back for indertermined time to Seatle (before he found out it was perminent - and then decided to go himself). Given that Mikey was burned pretty bad the last time, I liked how selfless he was here. And it worked that Tibet fell through in the end - I sort of thought it would, given that was last year's hanger, but this was pretty natural. How many of us make huge plans to travel somewhere and then let them fall through. And given that Ben is sick, it made sense that he'd choose to stay. For once I was glad that Debbie butt into their business. Ben needed a little kick to see that he was running and not really going off to find himself. I do hope that Ben gets to really live a lot of life before it's his time though. I like him. I like him with Mikey, and I couldn't say the same for Dr. Dave. I'm really glad that both of Mikey's love interests have been full of dimension though.

A good segue to the B characters, I think - the main character's love interests. I like the way the show has always handled them. We get real people with real hopes and dreams and failings and triumphs. Dr. Dave was an arrogant bastard at times, but he wasn't a monster - just a little on the tyrant side. He certainly wasn't as bad as Brian, and I liked that. I love that he fought for Mikey and I loved that he lost him, not because of Brian, but because he really wasn't right for Mikey. They tried, they failed.

Now Ben I love. I'm not sure I love the AIDS angle, but I guess as it's played, it's not bad. We get a better look at AIDS in the 21st century that isn't the same as AIDS looked in the 80s or mid 90s - there's been a little progress and that's showing here. I really do love that - but in the story, it's being used as plot point for Debbie - and I'm not sure if that works for me. It's been a little too anvil-y at some points. First Debbie's brother, now her "son-in-law" - The story was wearing thin for me and if she treated him like shit one more time because it was hard for her to cope, I was going to shoot Sharon Gless - and it's not her fault. Sharon's handled her role beautifully. I appreciate her as an actor no matter what the writers give to her.

Getting back to Ben, I love all his facets. He seems too good to be true at times, heroicly getting on with his life in the face of adversity - or so it seems. At some points he seems 2 dimensional - too perfect a person - but then that fits with how Mikey sees the people he associates with. He always seems to idealize them first, then get pissed off when they don't live up to the standards he thought they fit. But then we get to see Ben down - we get to see that he gets pissed and is capable of just being down right mean. He's essetially just a good person who can sometimes be bested by what life is dishing out. He's scared, he's trying to run away and disguise it as seeking enlightenment. I can appreciate that.

Ethan. Oh, I think Ethan is going to have a lot to offer. Ethan may seem to be the answer to all of Justin's problems - he certainly is pretty to look at - I'd venture to say he is the most beautiful man on the show - but the audience has been given quite a few glimpses into what Ethan might be like. He's emotional and has an artist's temperment. Might be interesting to see how two hot tempered artists live together in squalor while going through school. I somehow thing Brian is going to look like the good fairy godmother after a few month of J/E shacking up. I like Ethan, I think there's going to be a lot of spice there. I do agree with TBQ though - when Ethan turned from Justin and cut into that mad violinsts music, I had to laugh. What the hell? It sounded like Schubert's Death and the Maiden, but it probably wasn't. But I couldn't help thinking "What a BRAT!" - just a new version of the "I can't hear you, I can't hear you! NAHNAHNAHNAHNAH!!!!"

But still - it was not shock how the episode was going to end. The last half of the season was heading up to this and Justin is too 19 not to let it happen.

Brain - was Brian. He handled himself as true to character as he's always been. He pulled a stunt to piss off both Justin and Ethan - one that I actually thought was hilarious. Maybe my bad, but both Justin and Ethan deserved it for fooling around on him behind his back. Love him or hate him, bruise him or lose him, no one is ever going to outwit him.

Is it just me or is Justin more stero-typically gay-er than Emmett? He may not dress in the same queen fashions, but . . . damn. It's hard to see Brian sticking with him and I have to wonder if the producers are hoping we don't look at that little fact. I do like the actor for Justin, and I think there is serious physical chemistry between Justin and Brian (like last week's floor show - WOW) - but I can see where these two would never last very long as a couple. I like the angst here, but I'm one of those that isn't looking forward to when they get back together.

Ted and Emmett - What was in the purple drink? And I like that Ted ordered two more. It at least acknowledged that this relationship didn't seem natural at all. It was a great kiss, though - loved the scene - but I'm not sure I can see those two as a couple. I'm not looking forward to the "test of friendship" arc next season. But I"ve got to say those two actors did a great job with the material.

Mel and Lindsey - I too was disappointed that they cleaned up the threesome so neatly. But I guess given Mel and Lindsey's characters, it's not out of the norm for them to sweep things under the carpet as quickly as possible. This strikes me as a situation they could find themselves in and then get squicked enough to ignore it ever happened. Lindsey more than Mel though. She even admits that Mel handles bad situations much better than she does - I liked that line last week. Lindsey doesn't talk, she ignores if she can get away with it. So while it wasn't great story writing, it was at least in characer.

Debbie - glad she's gotten over herself and embraced Ben finally. Now lets see her have a good life with Cop guy. I actually like him for some reason. He's like a gruff teddy bear that has a bigger heart than he initially let on. If nothing else, he's trying to understand.

So overall I liked the show, but I wasn't swept up in it like last season. I guess that's not bad given the wait. I'd give this cliffhanger a B+.