Queer as Folk (UK) -- Episode One

[butterfly]

One of the things that I'm paying particular attention to this time around are Stuart's reactions (partly because I'm attempting to make a Stuart vid).

The show makes Vince's feelings obvious. If you only watch the series once, it's easy to believe that Vince's story of How Things Are is correct, is the way that Stuart feels as well.

But in the rewatching, lines and looks stick out more and more. The subtext is brought out of the shadows.

Series One: Episode One

First, a brief thought on something that Stuart says about Nathan in the deleted scenes -- "In the end, he saved me." Being such a huge Vince/Stuart 'shipper, I immediately thought of the K9 connection. If Nathan hadn't taken K9 to Vince, we have no clue how long it would have taken one of them to cave. Additionally, Nathan was instrumental in Stuart keeping his place in Alfred's life as well. Very well done on Nathan's part.

The first person that we ever see or hear in the series is Vince.

We're introduced to three characters by monologue -- Vince Tyler, Stuart Alan Jones, and Nathan Maloney. Tellingly, Stuart reflects about his own sex life and Nathan babbles about Stuart. Vince, however, talks about the experience of being a gay man in Manchester as a whole and sets up the introductions for both Stuart and Nathan.

Having set the mood, Vince passes on the ball to our next player, Stuart.

After having introduced both Stuart and Phil (whose death will serve as another catalyst to shake up Vince and Stuart's relationship), we go back to Vince, narrating. This time, it's to introduce Nathan.

And then the first turning point of the series, the one that Vince references in his opening, happens -- Stuart passes Nathan on the street, pauses, then turns back to chat him up.

So, next we get to hear Stuart tell us about his first sexual experience. It's almost a shame that Nathan didn't get to hear that, because it would put his claims of being 'Mozart' to shame. Because Stuart was twelve when he climbed into a shower with his PE teacher. Two years before he met Vince. Stuart tells the story in such an off-hand way that I find it a bit horrifying, to tell the truth.

Nathan is fifteen and sleeps with the 'King of Canal Street' his first night out. There's an ego-boost.

And we get to hear all about it, in our third and final character-introducing monologue. It's clear from the way that the opening is structured that the journey is going to be about these three guys. So, Nathan is telling us all about Stuart. Alan. Jones. Charlie Hunham did such a good job portraying a realistic fifteen year old. I wanted to smack him upside the head for most of the series.

After seeing Stuart pull Nathan, we're introduced to another key aspect of the series -- Vince's mad shags.

We get our first hint at how rich Stuart is when we see his flat. The man has a vending machine in his living room. Utterly insane, I can see why he likes Vince. The nutters all like Vince -- Stuart is just crazy in a way that comes off well.

Just after he's gotten Nathan's clothes off, has him on the bed, and is about to do fun naked things with him, we get The Phonecall. We don't find out here what the call is about, but it's enough for Stuart not to care about getting off, so it has to be important.

In fact, it's something to call Vince about. Vince and Stuart are forever on the phone to each other. Anything important happens, they have to call each other. It's sweet, in a co-dependent kind of way. Which they are -- the performer needs the audience as much as the fan needs the show.

Vince uses his standard lie to get out of shagging his (mad) one-off, and goes to meet Stuart at hospital.

And we find out what the drama was about -- Stuart's fathered a child. Like Stuart says shortly, Alfred is a clock, one that proclaims that Stuart is, indeed, getting older.

Stuart is the one who finally chooses the kid's name -- after running it by Vince and Nathan (still a bit confuzzled from his first orgasm in someone else's presence).

We met three important people in this scene -- Romey, the mother; Lisa, the girlfriend; and Alfred, the baby. We also meet two nameless lesbians.

Nathan is doing Stuart's bidding (and now I'm imagining Stuart ordering Vince to find flowers for Romey... and immediately, up pops the image of Vince telling Stuart to fuck off, which he does on more than one occasion).

While Nathan is making a fool of himself, Vince and Stuart are having that first big moment on the roof of the hospital.

Vince makes the comment "I'm always Kate Winslet." As a complaint, it's an interesting one, as Kate's Rose is the Desired Object of the movie Titanic, as well as being the narrator. She's the chased, not the chaser. Like Vince, Rose has to break out of the boxes that her lifestyle has her trapped in, in order to take a chance with the person who is living life moment by moment. Both Rose and Vince are English, while Jack and Stuart aren't. And both Rose and Vince do end up going to America and become more fearless because of the person who loves them. As far as comparisons go, it's an interesting one. Because QaF isn't a disaster flick, Stuart doesn't die (thank God) -- he does, however, kill the 'King of Canal Street' image, at least for Nathan.

Meta-wise, making Vince 'Kate Winslet' tells us that he's the adored one who doesn't quite realise what he's being offered at first. And that Stuart is a free spirit and a talented man, but that's obvious enough (there's also the artist=ad exec connection).

Seeing Nathan and Stuart kissing clearly bothers Vince. It's interesting, because we never see Vince show that sort of disapproval with any of Stuart's other shags. In fact, in the very next episode, we see Vince's clear delight at Stuart being able to pull two hot guys at the same time.

Vince goes home and watches comfort television. For him, this is Doctor Who.

So, when Vince wakes up in the morning, it's to the alarm on Stuart's car going off. Vince lives in a neighborhood where kids vandalise the cars of queers. Even as early as here, we can see the vast differences in Vince's and Stuart's lifestyles.

And then Vince comes over in the morning to pick Stuart up.

Let's say that again, shall we? Vince comes over, in the morning, to take Stuart to work... in Stuart's company car. So, to sum up -- Stuart is rich. Stuart has a beautiful company car that he lets Vince take home to his bad neighborhood. Stuart appears to take Vince to work often, because we know that Vince doesn't have a car at this point in the series (and Phil lets us know that Stuart handing the keys off to Vince is a regular occurrence). My god, they are so co-dependent. Why do I find that adorable with them when I find it so annoying with other pairings?

When rewatching the first episode, in light of knowing just how much Stuart falls apart without Vince, it's actually pretty easy to see how much he depends on Vince. He depends on Vince to drive him home safely and to bring back his car. He depends on Vince to be there the instant that he needs Vince -- the first phone call we see is Stuart to Vince, not vice versa.

Comments

[-grievousangel.livejournal.com]

Fascinating post!

For me, I've always thought of it this way: Vince has loved Stuart most of his life but he's more or less accustomed to the idea that it will be forever unrequited - he's out of Stuart's league, he's relegated to the position of 'best mate'. But I think what he doesn't realise is just how much Stuart needs him - Vince doesn't have enough self-esteem to understand that Stuart, for all his cockiness and his bravado, keeps coming back to him,whether to discuss shared memories of childhood or to just have a drink and talk about 'stuff'. He doesn't do that with other people, only with Vince. I tend to think Vince is Stuart's anchor, keeps him sane. Nathan's role is that of catalyst, the thing that brings them together.

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

And I completely agree. Nathan's the one that starts them on the process of not taking each other for granted anymore.