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Gays of Our Lives: Feels Like The First Time

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Neighbours  (Australia)

So not only did the show rush through Aaron’s issues with his mom and resolve it in one episode, they couldn’t even be bothered to let them have an actual conversation about it but handled it in a montage with music playing over the heart to heart?

What was the point at all, especially since we’d never heard about these issues before now?   Besides, as the show explained, Aaron actually stayed with his mother after he’d already come out.  Given that he’s not one to hide his feelings, it makes no sense this wasn’t already dealt with years ago.

I did like Aaron and David being there for each other.  But after spending months getting together, the I love you stuff should have been built up to and a big scene rather than nearly done in an offhanded fashion.  They dragged all this stuff out to this point, why rush it now?   Sometimes the pacing on this show makes no sense.


People of the Valley  (Wales)

Okay, I admit I didn’t see this ‘baby left on the doorstep’ story twist and now I have no idea where it’s going.  But I do think that Tyler and Iolo (and Kelly too) will become consumed with this mystery child and put off having a baby until the mother or father of this kid shows up and there’s all sorts of drama.  I still think when this is all over, Iolo will wind up with no baby and no husband.  Just curious how we get there from here.


Shortland Street  (New Zealand)

I’m not quite sure of the point of this Jason plot arc.  He’s definitely not a love interest for Jack as both of Jack’s beaus are back in this coming week. So is it a story about the struggle gay men have with self image?  It could be a story about how effeminate gay men are viewed and treated.  On the other hand, I don’t think Jason’s accusations about Jack being self hating or not liking fems are fair or justified by anything Jack said or did.  But I guess that was Jason being defensive.

However, it could be a lesson that the audience needs to learn.  I know some of the commentary about Jason was less than positive — and this was from gay fans of the show from what I gather.  If gay viewers are uneasy with seeing men like Jason on screen, what should we expect from straight viewers?

I know some of the complaints were that Jason was a stereotype and he may be, but men like Jason do exist in the gay community.  We all know them.  We may be them.  And this show has depicted all types of gay men since I’ve been watching.  So there should be room for Jack and Charlie and Darryl and Jason, just like in real life.


The Man in the Orange Shirt  (U.K.)

Hot British guys in period clothes is my sweet spot.  Make them queer and I’m stampeding to the television set.  So I was definitely looking forward to this mini-series.  We’ve seen this story so many times before from the Brits.  Guys meet at a time when being gay was illegal, they fall in love, one of them gets married and they don’t get their happy ending even though they are clearly in love.

The acting was wonderful, the cinematography was fantastic and beautifully shot.  I think the leads had chemistry and I felt their pain and understood why they made the decisions they thought would make them happy.  For them, in that time, it was right.

I really enjoyed the romantic scenes at the cabin, even though they had a sense of doom because we knew it could never last.  But if I had a problem with this was that the falling in love part never really happened on screen.  They met when Thomas was dying and there were a few scenes while Michael nursed him back to health.  Then on the day that Michael was to return to war, they shared a kiss (in a ‘can you zip up my pants for me’ scene that was really odd and awkward), but for me there nothing that would make you think that they had the strong feelings that they did.

I wished we’d seen more of those ‘getting to know you’ moments.  Nevertheless I went with it anyway because the rest of it was so wonderful.  I’m looking forward to the conclusion set in modern day, but it’s going to have to go far to make me love it as much as I did this.

Two final things: yay, to no manscaping.  I appreciated the lush, hairy chests on these men.  And two, I was surprised by the random nudity in the movie and wondered why it as where it was.  Seemed odd and out of place.


Unter Uns  (Germany)

The Germans soaps always have the best gay kisses don’t they?

Given that the show already has a bisexual character why are they making Easy has to be either gay or straight?  Why can’t he realize he’s attracted to men and women and be bi?  Why is the show trying to explain why his previous relationships with women didn’t work?  

I’m just struggling with the story point that a man Easy’s age who has only dated women and never been into men would suddenly realize he’s gay.  It just seems a stretch.  Bisexuality is the easiest answer given the character’s history.   And even that is hard to buy given that Easy has never been into men in his entire history on the show.   My point is, Finn says Easy shouldn’t put a label on it, but it seems that’s what the show is doing.

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Anthony D. Langford
I watch a lot of television, probably too much. But can you really watch too much TV? I've yet to find out. Anyway, I especially love TV when they give us positive portrayals of gays, something that has gotten better but we're still fighting for. I've written about gays in television for many years first at the much missed After Elton, then New Now Next and now at TV Source. It's kind of a passion of mine and I look forward to sharing it with you.

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7 Comments

  1. I have a feeling that the Pobol story will go this way:.Iolo and Tyler couldn’t handle a baby in the house for the thirty minutes before the ambulance/police arrived. Then Iolo obsessed in the hospital.over the infant’s health. The boys will re-evaluate their desire to have a baby and tell Kelly that the heroin orphan was just too much of a wake-up call about parenting. All will be well – until Kelly finds out that the last test she took was a false negative and that she is indeed pregnant. Hijinx will ensue. I do like that currently the three major arcs of the show are about the evils of breeding.

  2. I don’t think that they’re going to put Jack and Jason together on Shorty. I’m guessing that Jason is going to be involved in another storyline *hint hint* which means his time at SS will be limited. Though I could be wrong

  3. When Ste said he stopped taking his medication, I thought it was to deter other inmates from messing with him because they wouldn’t risk contracting HIV themselves. But that might have made sense, and this is Hollyoaks.

    Ste hooking up with Ryan? Please, God, no! I have a man crush on Ryan and really like his partner-in-crime relationship with James but don’t think they would make a good couple. Does James even know that Ryan is bisexual? I can’t remember if he knows about Kyle or not.

    Harry is about to work my last nerve, and now I hope he is the killer so he will leave the show. Ste’s absence has been a nice break and would be even better if Harry could talk about anything else.

    Never thought I’d say this, but I kind of like this turn in Scott’s story and the new blood coming into the show. No doubt there will be drama when Damon finds out Scott is his half-brother, but I like the character and hope the show doesn’t muck it up. Once the new characters get woven into the community, I think it’s time for the Lomax family to go.

    On People of the Valley, I have so much empathy for Tyler. He didn’t sign up for Kelly to be part of his marriage, and that is exactly what will happen if they continue with this baby garbage because Kelly is lonely and desperate. I hope there is a good explanation for that baby in their backyard.

  4. Hey there. How come we can’t watch the Man in the Orange Shirt?

  5. I don’t have any problem about Adam and Paddy being unfriendly to Robert because it isn’t based primarily on the infidelity. Adam is mostly enforcing Aaron’s wish to be left alone, and Paddy was expressing that he would no longer be ignoring what Robert had done to him and his family now that he didn’t have to make nice for Aaron’s sake.

    I’m glad Ronnie left Lawrence. Like with Aaron and Robert, a pairing of a ruthless schemer and someone who is not comfortable with it isn’t going to work out. I wish more characters stood up for themselves.

    It’s great seeing scheming Robert again, especially now that Aaron isn’t inherently dragged into everything Robert does. Unlike a lot of the show’s other villains, Robert has the charisma to make me want to see him succeed, at least from time to time.

  6. Finn and Easy have this chemistry and watching them together is so cute..

  7. I think jack is going to choose Charlie then realise he was wrong and Darryl will be gone by then

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