A List of Things Recently Seen:

[butterfly]

1. On the Way Home -- Real Life
So, every night when I drive home from work, I pass a church. Said church has one of those outside billboard things that changes regularly. Recently, it has been saying 'few people have ever repented of silence'.

This strikes me as a horribly short-sighted thing to say. There are many occasions when silence is the wrong response. If something immoral/unethical/illegal is going on, it is wrong to stay silent about it. I mean, hello, 'all that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing'.

I mean, they probably don't mean "don't rock the boat" there, but that's still how it sounds to me every time that I read it.


2. Straight Bar -- Queer as Folk (UK)
There is a moment of perfect music on QaF (UK). Well, more than one, but this one is priceless. So, Vince goes to a straight bar and it is his first time in a straight bar. And the song that is playing? Game of Love.

I will quote the relevant lyric for you: The purpose of a man is to love a woman and the purpose of a woman is to love a man.

How perfect is that? Vince is in the straight bar, everyone assumes that he's straight, too, because he's in the closet at work, and, of course, as the song reminds us -- the natural assumption is that he's straight. Because that's 'normal' and that's, well, the way it is. The purpose of a man is to love a woman. And Vince's presence there reminds us that the song is complete bullshit.


3. Last Six Minutes -- Queer as Folk (US)
So, I've downloaded and watched what I've been told is the last six minutes of QaF (US) ever.

As someone who quit watching because the Brian and Justin show was making her roll her eyes so hard they were getting stuck (and because she really did hate Debbie that much), I was pretty happy. I mean, it's no QaF (UK), but it never was. It was a soap. And I do like soaps when, well, I like the characters. I find Brian interesting, I really like Michael, and think that Emmett is all kinds of adorable.

I never liked Justin. And I've since discovered that this is not Nathan bleed over, because I do like Nathan in Series 2 of QaF (UK). Because he grows up and gets over his crush and discovers that who he is may be a bit of a prick, but a cute one. Now, I've no idea if Justin managed this before the final episode of QaF (US) because, to my immense delight, he isn't in the last six minutes at all. Still, he hadn't managed to get anywhere in the episodes that I did watch.

I was also pleased not to see Debbie (if she is there, she's subtle... and that makes me doubt that she's there, because of the many things that Debbie is, she's very much not subtle). Because I really did hate her. God, so much. I wanted to go back in time and have someone take Michael away from her as a child so that he wouldn't have so many self-esteem issues and wouldn't have a 'mommy' who treats him like a very dumb five year old (and who prefers young twinks to her own son... seriously, flames on the side of my face. Any mom who does shit like that hits the bottom of the list in my book. Unless your child is actually a spawn of evil, you damn well should love him best, thank you. And maybe even then. And this is not something that I am at all rational about.). I just... so much hate.

So, all the Michael/Brian stuff was so sweet and BFF! Just. Adorable. This time around, Michael was the one to pull Brian up! Mirroring the roof scene in the first season! Aw! And the kiss. And then Michael leaves Brian to be king and goes and kisses Ben, and it was cute! And I loved the song (which is probably relevant in a way that I've forgotten). And Brian ends the way we met him! Dancing in Babylon. Aw!

*is such a sucker for closed circles*

So, much love for the last six minutes. No idea what happens before that, but I'm fine with that.

Comments

[wolfling]

Haven't seen the last six minutes of QaF US yet, or indeed been really watching the show at all this season, but just have to say, you are not alone in your Debbie issues.

Of all the character translatons from the UK version (and granted we're years later now so maybe not so important but this was a big part of my first impressions of the US characters) Debbie was one of the worst. It's like they just saw the surface stuff of Hazel -- the loud hair and manner and all -- and totally missed the heart of her character.

I adore Hazel and her quirkiness and fierceness and caring. Consequently, I've never really been able to warm to Debbie at all because she's so missing the heart of what she could/should have been.

In a lot of ways that sums up my feelings about the two series and why I am solidly a fan of the UK version where I never really became much more than a casual watcher of the US version.

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

Hazel really did kick so much ass. And one of the big things about Hazel is that she understood the Stuart/Vince thing, was possibly the one person who actually understood both sides of it. And Debbie didn't understand either side, at least not in the bits that I saw.

It's like they took Hazel's introduction and ignored everything after that.

[jic]

1) I know the one you mean. And you know, I had the same thing as my second thought (But there's so many times when silence is bad!) I'm sure what they were going for was "If you can't say something nice, best say nothing at all," but the generalization they used way misses the mark.

3) Babylon. The thing I miss most is Babylon. I didn't like Brian because he was an ass (and unlike some, I didn't see his assness as a cover for caring and vulnerability -- seriously, WTF?). I liked Michael in drag but not as a person because he was a pouty wuss. I didn't like Justin because he was pushy. I did like Debbie, because I didn't see her as loving others more than her son, just "also" (and her irritation with Mikey was similar to mine, so, yeah). I loved Emmett, but we didn't see him enough. Ted annoyed me because he was a coward -- and dude, opera?

At any rate, these opinions are all at least three years old, and may be colored by the fact that I spent a year with digital cable and Showtime just so I could still have QAF Night with two particular people (one of whom had been the previous supplier but then couldn't afford it) who Never. Came. Over.

Ever.

*sigh*

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

Do you dislike opera?

*considers the fact that opera is basically musicals turned up to eleven*

Huh, guess I should have guessed that one.

[jic]

Given that the primary criterion for whether I like a piece of music is whether I can sing along, and that I'm unaware of any opera in English (and if there is, I bet it's out of my range), there isn't a whole lot about opera for me to like. I don't actively dislike it, though.

Have you noticed I even sing along to the Angel credits and Path/Full Circle? Bach's piano concertos may be the only known exception to my sing-along rule.

[noorie.livejournal.com]

re #2, wow, never noticed that before. i just love how i keep 'discovering' new things about QAFUK even after watching every ep many times...

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

I know! That's one of the things that I love about it. There's so much new stuff to notice, even after you've seen it tons.

[patientalien.livejournal.com]

The last song was a techno-fied version of the song playing on the hospital roof scene in 101. :)

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

Aw... that's sweet.

[patientalien.livejournal.com]

Hence my crying like a baby for the last ten minutes. *snerk*