Queer As Folk Series Finale (oh, there will be spoilers)

Cafe Society
1

I thought the final episode needed it’s own thread, rather than bumping that old one.

During the discussion I’m sure we’ll have spoilers, so you’re warned. However, the OP won’t. I’m just going to quote what may have been the best quote from the series and perhaps ever on Showtime and maybe even television. Of course I’ve had over 400 ml of vodka in the last two hours, so that may be warping my POV.

When Justin is preparing to leave for New York, Brian (of course) has an awesome line:

Whether we see each other this weekend, next month or never again, it doesn’t matter. It’s only time.

I am satisfied with the ending. I like that they humanized Mikey again. They re-Brianed Brian. Justin actually realized what it is about Brian he loves, rather than the het-lite Brian. And Mikey’s repeating of that line: You’re Brian Kinney for fuck’s sake.

Yeah, it ended well. And, really, it was time, too.

2

I was just on my way here to start this very thread.

Ted: Somehow I expected that it would turn out that Tad had some bizarre bi-polar disorder. Ted would find out about it, hum a few bars of “Stand By Your Man” and take him back. ted was always the neediest of the main characters so his modified serenity prayer was a nice send-off for him. Did not expect to see Blake and I’m not quite sure how I feel about it, mostly because I don’t remember why they broke up the last time. The evolution of Ted, Blake and their relationship has been an interesting one, stretching all the way back to S1. They were always unequal before, now that they’ve both gotten to a similar maturity and success level in their lives they’ve become much better matches for each other. But it did feel a bit forced to have Blake happen to wander past at just that moment.

Emmett: They pretty much finished up Emmett last week when he sent Drew off. Pairing him off with his old high school crush came off completely forced. The creators wanted everyone inclined to couplehood to have a happy ending (read: “boyfriend”) so up popped swimmer boy.

Mel and Lindsey: Also pretty much finished off last week. I’ve never been a big fan of closing out series by including flashbacks to previous episodes so about 60% of their scenes were pretty pointless for me.

Justin: Obviously he wasn’t going to be marrying Brian. I’m glad after calling off the wedding he and Brian didn’t do some sappy ring exchange before he left. I liked his disappearance shot.

Brian: Hey, who knew the show was really all about Brian all along!

Michael: Nothing really new for Michael, no big sudden revelations of character, just another speech for the heteros and another pep talk for Brian. Yawn.

I’m wondering if Babylon was really rebuilt at the end or if it was all Brian and/or Michael’s fantasy. Either way works for me.

Overall, I’m okay with how the show ended but it’s hardly going to go down among the memorable TV final episodes. It was time for it to end.

3

I have pretty mixed feelings about the last episode.

First, the negative…

The whole thing felt forced and rushed to me, especially how they wrapped up Emmit and Ted in one scene. The most creative idea they could come up with is they both find the man of their dreams at the same place within minutes of each other? It seems that Showtime could have at least done a two-hour finale so that they had a little more time to bring more closure to everything.

As for the positive, I liked the ending dance scene. I also liked that they were ambiguous about whether Babylon was rebuilt for real or just in Michael and Brian’s imagination.

Overall, I felt relieved that they ended before the show got worse. Maybe I’m being harsh but if this was the best the writers could come up with for a grand finale, then they probably didn’t have another season in them. Still, it was like saying goodbye to a lot of old friends and there was a certain melancholy when they faded to credits. It’s a show that I will miss. Oh well, maybe I’ll start at Season One again and relive the whole thing. :slight_smile:

4

I think it was real because Ted is there with Blake.

The more I think about it, the more I really liked that the show ended without unnecessary melodrama. Instead of a “dramatic” ending, it’s more of “life goes on”. Perfect ending to a soap opera.

5

To me, Babylon was always a symbolic place. It doesn’t have to physically exist. It’s the gay heartbeat. The gay spirit. It’s always been there, and it will always be there, so long as there is a gay heartbeat, and a gay spirit.

Despite the concentration camps, or bombs, or bashings, or AIDS, or backwards leaning religious administrations, the gay heartbeat survives, and so long as it does, Babylon is there, for everyone who shares the gay spirit.

6

Am I the only one who thinks that Brian and Justin stay together? Not married, no, but continue on in the same no-ties honest way they have for the last 5 years? Yeah Justin will be in NY at least for a while, but I’m sure they’ll still see each other…

I felt slightly deflated after seeing the finale. Don’t know what I expected, but somehow I guess I just wanted more.

7

It would be ridiculous if they didn’t. Pittsburgh to NY isn’t that far, especially by plane. Brian seems pretty well off, and Justin looks to be pretty wealthy soon. Plus, Brian is this hot-shot ad exec, I’ve always wondered why he didn’t just pick up and move to NY himself. He’s always bitching about getting out of PA. He acts like he’s trapped in PA, but from what I can see, he never has been.

8

Of course they will always be together in some fashion, hence the “it’s only time” quote.

At the end of IIRC season 1 Brian thought he had a job at a NY agency but it fell through. He didn’t after that make too much more noise about leaving Pittsburgh, and now that he’s the shit in Pittsburgh agencies he probably wouldn’t. Brian was always a big fish in a little pond sort of guy anyway. He may be Lord of Pittsburgh but in NYC he’s a dime a dozen.

9

Well, as I expected, it all wrapped with a pretty rainbow bow. And a pretty boring bow to be blunt.

Why the hell did they bother to bring Tad in for that little burp in plot? Wasted a good 10 minutes of the last episode for nothing.

Mel and Lins are quiters. Not good. Running away to Canada, and she is supposed to be the high powered human rights advocate lawyer? I really expected them to say, “we’re here for the good fight” instead of sneaking off to drink Starbucks in Toronto. Wimps.

And Emmett…meeting an old high school heartthrob at the last minute and hooking up in three sentences. Happens all the time. Yeah…right.

And Ted…well, I still wish he would have just OD’d in Season 1 like he was supposed to. Never liked his character and found it hard to believe the others would put up with that much crap over the years considering nobody really liked him all that well to begin with.

Michael, Ben and Hunter…Ward, June and the Beaver…sure can’t wait to get their photcopied Christmas letter this year. I’ll bet Hunter gets accepted to Yale and Ben gets tenure and Michael’s Tupperware parties are a big hit. Oh, look! They enclosed a picture of Wally - isn’t that the cutest little lab puppy you have ever seen? And where ever did they get those reindeer antlers they put on its head?

Debbie schlepped some food and smiled a lot.

And then Brian and Justin…the only part of the last episode that had a ring of truth to it. Finally showing lovers parting - not in a snit, not throwing beer bottles across a bar, not out of jealous rage - but parting as good friends. As true lovers who part, but know they will be friends for life. That does happen. A sad, melancholy rite of passage in Gay life.

And that pretty much sums up the feeling I have for Queer As Folk…a trite soap opera, with a few good moments, a few laughs, some hot guys, and some silly plots. I will miss the ritual of tuning in on Sundays, but it was time to go. I will remember watching the show with friends, and at Gay bars, and sometimes home alone. For better or for worse, it is now a part of Gay history.

10

Hah! Despite that hard, bitter facade you put on, you’re a romantic!

Mission success.

11

I was blah about the whole ending. It was definately time to end the show, though.

The first year(s) had such life and vibrance to them (not to mention the hot sex scenes). It was cutting edge and new and different. It pushed boundaries.

Lately, it’s been tired. I kept waiting for the spark to show, but it didn’t.

Too bad, though. Now I have to cancel Showtime. It’ll save me a couple bucks. There just aren’t any other shows on it anymore that I want to see. “Weeds” looks interesting, but I can rent the whole seasons on DVD at a later date and not have to deal with the weekly spoon-feed.

I will, however, be keeping an eye out for any movies/series members of this cast do in the future. Especially Gale Harold.

12

I agree with the bored people. It was an awfully vanilla finale. I already don’t remember most of it.