Okay, I’m braced for your laughter and derision as I admit that I have purchased and read the QaF paperback Every Nine Seconds. I didn’t expect much more than a light pulp fiction book with some steamy sex scenes. I wasn’t disappointed. However, I do expect continuity between the show and the novels. And last night there was a big discrepancy.
In the novel, Brian’s sea-shell braclet is a gift from Michael for his 18th birthday. Last night, Justin said Brian bought it in Mexico. So which is it?
Now with that out of the way, anybody want to discuss that episode? In particular I was annoyed by the storyline with Brian’s nephew. The resolution seemed a little too easy. I acknowledge this show is pure entertainment and is not too heavy, but the story of a gay man being falsely accused of child molestation is a powerful issue and was dealt with too quickly. I know a straight man who spent time in prison after a McMartin-style presecution so I’ve seen the drama this issue creates and it refuses to go away that easily.
On the other plots. I think Ted and Emmett will end up killing each other if they get a house together. I missed Ethan. Too much Mel and Lindsey. Michael is an idiot and Ben should be smarter than to do what he’s doing.
I’m not too disappointed with the quick resolution of the molestation storyline. QaF has a history of wrapping up most of its non-core arc in single episodes (from last season: Michael’s father, Gus’s preschool discrimination). Only broader themes tend to play out over the course of the season, with occasional two- or three-episode arcs (the John Doe story or Justin’s quitting school from last season, for example).
Ted and Emmett çould be all right as long as they manage to buy something with enough room to be able to do their own things. I’m still ambivalent about Ethan…he’s beautiful, but I was pulling for Justin and Brian managing a successful polyamorous relationship (although some of Justin’s rules from last season annoyed me). I can tolerate Mel and Linz…the new baby storyline is interesting, especially now that they’ve chosen Captain Astro (or is he Astro Boy?) as the father.
I can also understand what’s going on in Ben’s mind. Your body holds a ticking time bomb and you don’t know when it’s going to finally go off. You believe that you have a way of keeping that bomb from exploding, but a fellow bomb-holder just died despite the fact that he was doing just the same thing you are to hold it in check. You see a moderately dangerous way to help make your defenses stronger…do you go for the moderate amount of danger and long-term damage (which may be totally irrelevant to you, since you don’t have any guarantee of being around for the long term) or do you just patiently wait for your bomb to go off? Even intelligent people can have clouded judgment, and I think that an HIV+ status would cloud mine damn fast.
Overall, I’m still not 100% set in my opinion of this season. I like it but I can’t decide whether I like it more than S2 or not.
If they keep developing Brian as a real person rather than an archtype, then this season will be the best so far. Brian has shown some real growth, such as when he let Justin take the computer and kept his side of the committment to pay for college. That was noble.
Haven’t read the novel, but from previous discussions of canon (mostly for Star Trek and its various incarnations) the rule is that if it’s not on-screen, it’s not canon. Thus, it’s canon that Brian bought the bracelet in Mexico and any reference to Michael having given it to him is in error and doesn’t count anyway. If it bothers you that much, then pretend that Brian lost the bracelet Michael bought him and bought a replacement in Mexico. Or that Justin was mistaken in thinking that the bracelet was bought in Mexico.
As to the ep itself, I didn’t mind at all that the molestation thing was wrapped up in a single ep. We had a two- or three-ep arc of Brian in legal trouble already with the sexual harassment suit and this would have been a rehash of that had it gone on. I like that it was Justin who got Brian out of the jam, just like Brian’s gotten Justin out of jams in the past. It shows that Justin is maturing and that he is capable of moving past the hurt of Brian’s coldness and into an adult friendship with him. I liked that Horvath was involved in clearing Brian as well. Character development is always welcome even if it is an ancillary character.
I agree that too much time is being spent on Lindsay and Melanie but only because I have no interest in another baby storyline. I really wish the writers would have come up with something else for the lesbians to do besides pumping out another kid. Maybe Mel could get fired for being a lesbian and fight it. Or she could be forced to quit for refusing to represent an anti-gay client and set up her own shop. Maybe Lindsay could actually start using that studio they built last season and get discovered as an artist. I can’t blame the women for wanting a detailed deal with Michael before starting the process. Michael acted like a whiny brat about it and Mel and Lindsay should have stuck to their guns about it.
I’m going to enjoy watching Ted and Emmett house hunting because I just started a new relationship and in about a year or so I’m sure I’ll find myself in the same position and I’m sure as I’m touring houses I’ll look back on Ted and Emmett and laugh and laugh.
Ben’s panicking over the death of the guy who infected him. It looks like next week we’re going to see some roid rage and then maybe he’ll stop. Is there rehab for steroid abuse?