the awesome/terrifying freedom

what happened to lisa on six feet under?? my personal belief is that she walked straight into the ocean, which would be kind of a cop-out. the best thing about six feet under this season is that it has dealt with nate's conflicting feelings about the two women in his life in a very real way.. to just drop lisa off the face of the earth is such a guest-star convenient death to pave the way for brenda to become a regular cast member again. argh. i have faith in the show though. i'm hoping she's not dead. i'm hoping it's something brilliant that none of us would ever have thought of..

which brings me to the rancid piece of tv trash that is 'queer as folk.' this show began as a guilty pleasure has since descended to an unapologetic travesty.

and the problem with the show is not the sleazy content or crass characters, the problem is in concept and execution. week after week, we are treated to plotlines usually reserved for half hour sitcoms, complete with non-threatening wrapups that happily restore all the characters to the exact same place they were at when we met them. conceptually, the show's problem is that it is 'about being gay.' it's unfortunate, because the original british version of the show was about average-looking, working class gay men and the realistic struggles and adventures they faced. the glossy american version however is about how couple of bitter forty-something hack-writer queens wanted to revolutionize television by splashing as much 'controversial' crap onto it as possible. if the show were about straight people it would have as much dramatic content as an average episode of skinemax's 'passion cove,' complete with lame head bobbing simulated blow jobs.

the unfortunate thing about 'queer as folk' is that it has become critic-proof. anyone criticizing the show is deemed either a right wing conservative, or if you're gay, a log cabin republican. the producers truly believe they are doing a service to television, and on some level they are; it is refreshing to see male relationships depicted on screen - but when we can flip a few channels and see the depth and honesty with which we are treated to david and keith on 'six feet under,' do we really need an all male 'passion cove?'

another problem with 'queer as folk' is the treatment of the lesbians. these women are not lesbians. these women are what gay men wish lesbians were: glamorous, attractive, perfect single working mothers who come together as units and raise the children that gay men don't want to have and run corporations together. WHERE ARE THE MULLETS?? where are the court-side seats at the WNBA? where are the lesbian sports bars? where are these lesbian equivalents to all of the effemenent gays? it's a simple answer: to deal honestly with the lesbian community would mean the gay writers would actually have to know something about it, and it would also mean that the show would no longer appeal to it's core audience of gay men (i guess lesbians don't watch tv). the inclusion of two peripheral lesbian characters on the show is a telling sign of the weak links between the gay and lesbian communities; we are fundamentally on opposite ends of a sexual and cultural spectrum. however, we face similar prejudices and difficulties, so it looks better for the greater community if we appear to be united. michael moore makes a similar case for why he is glad there are no black people on 'friends.' they don't belong on 'friends' because none of the people on 'friends' would ever be friends with a black person! (unless it's aisha tyler, who's fine because she acts white). so i say either cut the lesbians or be brave and deal with them honestly. whip out that trimmer, give lindsey a 'high and tight,' a flannel shirt and a fanny pack.