![Queer As Folk: The Complete Series [USA] [DVD] [2009]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61ypYOAeoWL.__AC_SX300_SY300_QL70_ML2_.jpg)
![Queer As Folk: Series 1 [DVD]](https://images-eu.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51GM0BNZP4L._AC_UL165_SR165,165_.jpg)
Michael: This is where it all began...
Brian: ...and ended.
Have to admit I was sad when I reached the last episode in this great series. I've never been a fan of soap operas, although these days the distinction between "soap opera" and the more standard "TV drama series" is minimal. But this definitely had a hold on me. I was conflicted by wanting to do a marathon viewing of episodes on the one hand and wanting to pace them out to put off reaching the final episode too soon. During the first three seasons there were quite a few cliff hangers and that really drew you into the next episode to see how the characters would manage to extricate themselves from the dilemmas they faced at the end of the current show. And even though you could easily see almost every disaster looming on the horizon, and you felt pretty certain it would be resolved, it was still compelling to see that Brian or Justin or whoever managed to "survive" whatever mess (generally of their own making)they found themselves in.
Having watched the short-lived British version of QAF, I was initially put off by the actors who played Brian and Justin when compared to the British Stuart and Nathan, but Gale Harold/Brian Kinney quickly won me over and I suppose much of the suspense for me throughout the series was concerning whether Brian and Justin would ever settle together.
All the characters, just like real people often do, alternatively caused annoyance or redeemed themselves in my estimation. For the most part their behavior was fairly consistent, but again like real people they seemed sometimes to act out of character. At times their behavior seemed excessively cloddish and insensitive, helping to provoke the next inter-relational crisis, but that is the stuff of life and soap operas. There were times, however, when their oafishness seemed a bit difficult to accept. Justin, for example, seemed a pretty intelligent, insightful person, but sometimes came across as being incredibly gullible, naïve or plain dull-witted. I guess Brian remained the most true-to-character throughout.
I would sometimes fast forward through the more intimate lesbian scenes, just as I assume some viewers may have replayed those and skipped some of the male soft porn, but the lesbian inclusion added greater breadth to the story and to the sense of community. My main complaint in this area was that they seemed to become too much of the story line in the fourth season and most of that was the central lesbian couple getting pissed off with one another almost continuously. Just about everyone in the show managed to have fallings out with others, but usually the issues were resolved fairly quickly. Not so with these two.
Throughout the series, Michael's mother, Sharon Glass/Debbie Novotny was a supporting character, as were Justin's mother, Sherry Miller/Jennifer Taylor and some others of the straight persuasion. But by the fourth season Sharon really became an intrusive, often obnoxious, presence in virtually every story development. Not sure if her increased role was in response to some expressed viewer interest after the first three years, but for awhile it seemed that the production had evolved into the Debbie Knows Best Show with Sharon dispensing her hetero wisdom to the gay community whether or not it was solicited. My favorite line came in the fifth season when Michael's partner Ben tells her, "This isn't about you. Now sit down." If only the show's producers had thought similarly sooner, there might have been a sixth season.
Anyway, I hope this was "where it all began" in terms of meaningful gay drama, as opposed to gays being used to provide comic relief in supporting roles or dying of AIDS or worse.
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A absolute must for QAF lovers.
So what if it's a series that evolves around the lives of gay people, anyone can enjoy it. Trust me, I've been watching this show since it started, when I was still a schoolgirl. It's a brilliant show, the actors are fantastic and they all have such great chemistry between them. I absolutely encourage anyone to buy this boxset, especially now that the price is so good!
Top reviews from United Kingdom
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- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 25 October 2013
- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 1 April 2013
- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 18 December 2010
Top reviews from other countries
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- bobbi mtlReviewed in Canada on 26 June 2017
i didin't remember it being that good!! funny
- StiffmeisterloverReviewed in Germany on 16 June 2021
Promptly delivered, great series!
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