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QUEER AS FOLK: Season One
(USA - 2000/2001)
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
TV soundtrack: Stereo
"The thing you need to know is, it's all about sex."
That's the first line of dialogue, spoken in voiceover at the beginning of "Queer as Folk", a sprawling, impressively realized drama about the lives of several working-class gay men living in Pittsburgh at the turn of the 21st century. And, indeed, this 22-episode series - based on the British original which ran for eight episodes in 1999 before spawning a brief sequel the following year - presents a visual celebration of gay sex in all its forms, launching headfirst into NC-17 territory with unapologetic abandon. Some parts are raunchy and liberating, while others are soulless and ugly, yet the script never preaches or condemns, merely observes without judgment.
Using the narrative template established by writer Russell T. Davies in the UK version, many of QAF's initial episodes will be familiar to anyone who's already seen the original - same characters and situations, same dramatic arc - but it eventually finds its own feet, employing a defiantly American approach in terms of mood and execution, whilst remaining true to the spirit of Davies' initial concept. As might be expected, the show touches on a variety of pressing social issues including HIV and AIDS, homophobia and ex-gay ministries, whilst also confronting some ugly home truths, most notably the casual (and not-so-casual) drug use which enhances some people's lives whilst ruining others. This is ambitious, warts-and-all stuff, portrayed with integrity and passion.
Much of the show's success is due principally to the casting of Gale Harold, making a staggeringly assured screen debut as ultra-sexy Brian Kinney, an elemental force of nature whose actions and reactions inform the lives of virtually every other character in the show. A sexual predator by nature, his cold-hearted vanity and selfish bravado may seem a little obnoxious at first, but this incredibly complex character - terrified of growing older and turning into his overbearing father - is eventually exposed as a decent, loving man whose withering cynicism ("There's only two kinds of straight people in this world - the ones that hate you to your face, and the ones that hate you behind your back") masks a soul in crisis. How appropriate that the first season should end on a closeup of his beautiful face, the mask completely (albeit forcibly) removed.
Other stand-outs in an exceptional cast include comedian Hal Sparks as Brian's lovable best friend Michael, the indomitable Sharon ("I love my gay son!") Gless as Sparks' over-the-top mom Debbie, and Michelle Clunie as Melanie, a no-nonsense lawyer whose hostility towards Brian allows plenty of room for dramatic conflict (Clunie and Thea Gill play a loving couple whose lives are central to the proceedings, unlike the British original where the female characters seemed almost surplus to requirements). Scott Lowell (Ted) and Peter Paige (Emmett) complete the core group, which is bolstered by the arrival of 17 year old Justin (played by the astonishingly young-looking 23 year old, Randy Harrison), coming out of the closet with a vengeance while his worried mom (Sherry Miller) hovers on the sidelines, maintaining an anxious vigil. Along with Gale Harold, Harrison is involved in some of the show's most graphic sex scenes, and both actors display a level of bravery and commitment that goes way beyond the call of duty. Hats off to both of them.
Look out for a wealth of memorable scenes and set-pieces, such as the hilarious whirlwind romance between Emmett and his 'soulmate' which crams a lifetime of gay cliches into a two-hour relationship (!); Brian coming out to his father (a powerful cameo by experienced character actor Lawrence Dane); Melanie's reaction to a bigoted nurse during a moment of crisis; Debbie's jaw-dropping description of Brie cheese (!); and Justin becoming, shall we say, REALLY acquainted with handsome young football jock Chris Hobbs (a small but hugely significant role, played by Alec McClure) in the school's athletic room... All gay life is here, as the old saying goes.
To the accompaniment of a thumping musical soundtrack, the season culminates in a deeply moving season finale (directed by Alex Chapple), which contains the show's most outstanding scene of all, a glorious, life-affirming sequence in which most of Justin's hopes and dreams are realized at the school prom, set to the haunting, melancholy strains of Ben E. King's classic, 'Save the Last Dance for Me'. Which, of course, leaves us totally unprepared for the devastation that follows...
Afterwards, during the show's closing moments, the audience is abruptly reminded of the fragile humanity which underpins these extraordinary characters, and how much they've captured our hearts. In the end, as raunchy as it is, the show isn't really about sex at all - it's about PEOPLE, and the way our lives are defined by our relationships with family and loved ones. This episode, more than any other, amounts to a near-perfect combination of music, character development and dramatic action, and is without question the most heartbreaking hour of television this reviewer has ever seen.
Though prompted by its excellent British counterpart, the US version of QAF is arguably one of the most significant events in the history of gay film and television in America because, crucially, it's financed and exhibited from within the mainstream arena. It isn't low-budget and marginalized - it's empowering, intelligent and uproariously funny, and it's in-your-face like nothing you've ever seen on TV before. After this, the representation of gay people in American art can never be the same again, because QAF has set the standard against which all future offerings must surely be measured. Absolutely magnificent.
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