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In this week’s Gays of Our Lives, we take a look at Australian drama Barracuda, the story of a teenage competitive swimmer seeking Olympic gold — and struggling with his sexuality. Elsewhere, it’s been a few weeks, but Aaron and Robert are back on Emmerdale and of course there’s plenty of drama. Aaron tries to help Lawrence come out of the closet and Robert is faced with prison. But what we really care about is what happens when the boys get caught in the shower together? Meanwhile, Todd and Billy start their new relationship on Coronation Street, but it could be over before it begins. Plus, the latest on People of the Valley, Hollyoaks, The Haves and the Have Nots — and more!
PICKS AND PANS
Animal Kingdom (U.S.)
This was a pretty good episode. I’m loving learning more about this twisted family. And the cliffhanger at the end was totally not expected and a big surprise. I wondered why that teacher would risk her career to hook up with a student, even one as hot as J. Now we see why. Again, love the twist.
I guess Smurf doesn’t define herself by sexuality. She’ll screw anybody of any sex to get what she wants. And while there is a lot of inappropriate sexual chemistry between Smurf and her sons, it’s also between the brothers as well. That scene with Deran and Pope was so intense and rippling with sexual tension that I wondered if the bros would kiss or not.
We got insight into Deran and Adrian’s relationship and it’s far more than just a hook up here and there. There were in love at one time, probably still are. However, I can’t get past the violence in their coupling. Gay men in abusive relationships seems to be a trend we haven’t quite gotten rid of yet and we have it here. Deran beats Adrian up, breaks into Adrian’s house and they have rough sex and later our of jealousy, terrorizes Adrian’s new boyfriend. And it was pretty obvious that Adrian can’t get enough. I guess this is supposed to be dramatic, but violence in a relationship a turn off, especially since we know if this was a straight couple it wouldn’t be acceptable at all.
I did love Adrian teasing Deran and telling him he couldn’t come out because he’s afraid her mother wouldn’t love a son who didn’t want to have sex with her. Disturbing on all sides. And my favorite scene of the week.
Barracuda (Australia)
This mini-series is billed as a competitive swimmer’s struggle with race, class and sexuality. And while there’s plenty of the first two in the first episode, sexuality or any exploration of it takes a back seat, at least in the first episode.
Of course, that could be coming in later episodes, but for now it’s just the depiction of the hyper masculine struggle between swimmers. Really nothing we haven’t seen in any movie or tv show about young men in sport at war with each other. That isn’t to say it’s not well acted and depicted because it’s all very well done. And the race and class stuff is all too realistic.
But if Danny is struggling with his sexuality or attracted to Martin as the reviews and interviewers would lead you to believe, it’s not in the first episode. So far, it’s a slow going, but well packaged first episode that is more about how Danny got his nickname ‘Barracuda’ and earned the respect of his teammates than anything else. I guess we’ll have to give it some time time.
BTW, the boys are cute and have ripped bodies, but Danny’s gravely voiced father and the Hungarian swim coach are the real hotties in the cast if you ask me.
I don’t pay attention to any of his stories, but that ginger Gary is the hottest guy on this show.
Steve’s lack of interest in hearing about the Billy/Sean breakup was hilarious.
Well, I was against Todd and Billy getting together, but only because I didn’t want Todd going after a man of Sean’s again. But that’s not what happened. Sean and Billy were done before Todd and Billy got together. And Todd was actually concerned about hurting Sean. Todd has grown in that respect. I loved their push/pull scenes and the kiss was pretty hot. My favorite part was Todd reminding Billy that he was trouble right before things really got steamy.
There was some really good acting between Daniel Brockleback and Antony Cotton in the breakup scene. Cotton was excellent. I’ve never cared for Sean, but I feel sorry for him. He didn’t do anything to drive Billy away, but he wound up losing him anyway. It’s not going to be pretty when Sean and everyone else find out about Billy and Todd. They’ll assume they were sleeping together behind Sean’s back when they weren’t.
I love Ben and Paul being there for each other and enjoying their couple status. They deserve it after all they’ve been through. Of course, we know they are doomed and there is disaster right around the corner. For now though it’s nice.
On one hand, I get why the show would make such a big deal about Peggy’s funeral, she was the leading lady of the show for many years. She deserves that kind of sendoff. But didn’t Peggy die weeks ago? Why are they just now getting around to burying her?
It’s wrong that Jay wasn’t allowed to be part Peggy’s funeral. I felt so sorry for him, he doesn’t deserve to be cut off from his family like this. Phil treating Jay like this is really contrived. I just don’t buy that Phil wouldn’t give Jay the benefit of the doubt.
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The dialogue was kind of cheesy, but that kiss with Todd and Billy was surprisingly hot, especially for Corrie. It reminded me of Rupert Graves and James Wilby in Maurice. Then again, Todd and Marcus were also surprisingly intimate, so maybe they’ve updated with the times. Daniel and Bruno seem very committed to playing up the need for touch (the way that Billy kept putting his hands on Todd’s neck on this Monday’s episode), which I appreciate.
Dailymotion or Youtube. Just put in the couple names.
Where can I watch these storylines online?
Re: Your question about Peggy’s funeral … They’re just getting around to burying Peggy on EastEnders, because she committed suicide under somewhat questionable circumstances (the pills, etc.), so the police took her body and the authorities apparently held it until they were done. We heard Sharon say they were done with it when the planning started several days before the funeral.
Deran’s assault of his boyfriend in the bathroom made me wary. Having his brother drop his romantic rival into the ocean was really disturbing. That water isn’t as warm as you would think. I might have gotten past a panicked assault like I did with Aaron and Jackson, but having someone almost killed is premeditated and a whole other level.
I’m looking forward to the Aaron/Lawrence scenes. They set the connection when Aaron returned, and it will be interesting to see it finally pay off. I’m also curious about how I’ll feel about Robert’s return to scheming. I did enjoy the plot he hatched with Charity, but I suspect that his kidnapping Ryan will reaffirm my belief that Aaron shouldn’t be around him.
Since you spoke approvingly of the Lawrence/Ronnie story on Emmerdale last week, I went back and did some catch up watching. The most remarkable thing I noticed was the more adventurous camera work since the new producer took over. It made the show feel a little fresher. This upcoming arc between Lawrence and Aaron is just the kind of interaction that makes me like Aaron. It’s a shame it’s taken this long for the two of them to have scenes together, but I’m looking forward to it. Aaron’s scenes with Edna when he returned from France are still some of my favorites.
Now that Ben and Paul seem stable on EastEnders, I’m becoming invested in the pairing even knowing that something unpleasant is on the horizon.
Holby City is doing a good job making me feel for Dom since Arthur died. That’s always a tough road for me because Dom is the kind of person I would avoid in real life.
I’m still enchanted with Iolo and Tyler and am a little surprised that it’s taking Iolo so long to put 2 and 2 together and realize there’s something wrong with Tyler. I understand at first he thought it was the proposal, but it became obvious over the week that there’s another problem. He’s such a loyal character that it’s inevitable he will feel guilty about whatever it is. I’m just hoping it’s something that can be resolved and they stay together for a while.