Queer As Folk (Series)

Queer as Folk , way back when, was one of the shows that introduced me to the whole world of gay movies and TV shows and I never looked back. This is maybe a year before I started writing reviews here. So that will always have a special place in my heart and I hav many find memories. When I heard about this reboot on Peacock TV, I had my reservations and I was both nervous and excited. I was curious to see if this is going to be a rehashed version of the same characters or something totally new. It is new for sure, but they have tried some essence of the original characters. But there is something distant about this version. I tried, but at no point was able to connect to any of the characters. Despite their emotional upheavals, they all felt very self-absorbed, very superficial and very hard to understand beyond the labels and a cover that they all had put on. None of them have enough warmth or depth. More on this later.

Brodie is a 20-something charming yet arrogant and full of himself who has returned to hometown New Orleans after dropping out of med school. He wants to rekindle his love with his ex Noah, unknown to the fact that Noah has actually moved on with Daddius, one of Brodie's best friend. We also meet other main characters of the show: Brodie's brother Julian who has cerebral palsy and is also gay; his best friend Ruthie from school, a trans female and her partner Shar who are about a welcome a baby; and most importantly Mingus, a 17 something wanna drag star, who happens to be Ruthie's student and get obsessed with Brodie. In the every first episode most of these characters in the Babylon club, where a hate crime shooting takes place and the remaining of the show is about these characters and the general LGBTQ+ community trying to come out of it and move on with their lives. This event causes the various characters to spin out in a number of different ways. It will be hard to cover all instances of the story here and you have to watch it to appreciate. But over the next 8 episodes, among other things we get a feel that Brodie may have a point in most things that he says, but he is also a jerk. Teenage Mingus can't make up his mind and donates all his drag after shooting but still very obsessed with Brodie. We get to know a bot about Ruthie's past and her transitioning story in a very emotional episode. And the show also depicts how in the world of social media, ho where are people and institutions who can sometimes mine these tragedies for their personal gains.

The show takes time to grow on you. Honestly, after finishing the first episode, I was very disappointed. I didn't like the characters, I was judging the actors, I was questioning the plot and the need for reboot and the widely shifting tome of the scenes in the very first episode itself. But I'm glad I stuck with it and finished the whole season. First thing that stands out is the diversity (racial, ethnic and all representations of the queer community). We see characters who are queer and Black, queer and disabled, queer and fat and so much more. Sure the original was predominantly all white, but that was also back on 2000. In that sense this reboot feels fresh and more encompassing of the entire queer community. But honestly, and I don't know why, it felt forced. I do appreciate the effort, but like the New version of Tales of the city released a couple of years back on Netflix, in an attempt to make the show extremely diverse, somewhere the story gets muddled. But thats strictly my personal opinion. Besides the diversity, the makers created situations for people to co-exist, but how many of us can confidently say that discrimination doesn't exist within the community. Here the people all happily participated in events but in reality, I don't know anywhere where we still don't discriminate based on race, age, body type, gender, income and disability; and more within gay community. 

Despite the heavy start, the show is pretty light and allow these characters to find joy in everyday moments, whether it's baby showers, walks through the mall, intimate hookups or more. They get messy, sexy, silly but continue with life. By third episode, you finally start to get comfortable with all characters and try to understand where they are coming from. But sadly, I could never make up my mind. They are all so grey. Mingus is constantly confused, Brodie is living an aimless life, Ruthie is not very sure about family and kids and misses the party life, a struggling gay dating scene for disabled men like Julian or another character who is a bilateral amputee. The show tries to empathize with them all but leave sit all soppy and half baked. The tone is jarring with the way it switches between sadness and ecstasy and it left me as an audience quite confused at places. As it runs on, the show’s perpetually shifting attention, skittering from plotline to plotline, echoes its characters’ coping mechanisms; it can feel, too, as though the show is coping with taking on a heavier load than it could bear in its first season. As you can expect there is plenty of sex scenes here. I mean the show starts with a fucking scene and later takes up any opportunity to admire a cute butt, a toned chest or even the occasional schlong.

Overall it is still an enjoyable watch. Lovers of the original show would not be able to help themselves but keep looking for similarities with the original or pointers taken. But for new viewers, it could probably be something interesting. I think this time the show was going for a message. Through a montage of Mingus' celebrating his show, Noah making out with Daddius, Brodie cheering from crowd, Ruthie and Shar with their kids; we see a sharp, poignant summary of what was stolen the night the shooter entered Babylon. But, in its depiction of  flawed, complicated, exasperating characters, it also becomes a reminder of everything that wasn’t. I liked the show but not as much as I hoped it too. Thats my issue though. It doesn't take away from the fact that the show needs to be seen and appreciated. How much ever I may have issues, I am a sucker for shows like these and will keep wanting more and more. Watching such tings in Pride month makes it extra special. (7/10)