Queer as Folk

Darn that Colin! He keeps getting me hooked on great TV series! First Buffy, then Angel, and the Gilmore Girls (still working on that one), and now Queer As Folk. I had heard good things about all of them, but tried to start watching too late in the series to figure out who was who. Now that they are all available on DVD, we can go back to the beginning and see them they way they should be watched. No commercials, and no waiting for next week!

We've watched the first 3 episodes of season one, and I'm hooked. I love the characters, although I want to shake some self-esteem into some of them. So far I know the 4 main characters, all gay men, along with Sharon Gless' Debbie Novotny, the supportive, funny and profane mother, 17-year old Justin and his high-school friend Daphne, and the lesbian couple Mel and Lindsey. Brian is definitely the leader of the pack, the alpha male vibrating with attractive sexuality. He says to heart-broken Justin, "I don't believe in love, I believe in fucking. It's honest, it's efficient - you get in and out with a maximum of pleasure and a minimum of bullshit. Love is a lie straight people tell themselves they're in, so they can get laid. And then they end up hurting each other because it's all based on lies." Yeah, Brian has no issues!

Michael the narrator is the son of Debbie, and still in love with Brian, his life-long best friend. Closeted-at-work Ted and flamboyant Emmett round out the crew of regular characters. Yes, this is a soap, and sure, almost everybody is gay. However, in my opinion, it's really about the American idea of consumerism battling with our human need for connection with those we love. This show is for everybody. Warning for young viewers, though - the sex is graphic, although the penises are usually under wraps.


Anyone who keeps the ability to see beauty never grows old. - Franz Kafka