Helping Causes and Effecting Hands
The Brian and Justin Saga Continues…
Directed by: Michael DeCarlo
Teleplay by: Brad Fraser
Story By: Ron Cowen, Daniel Lipman & Brad Fraser
Brian - Brian helps Lindsay financially and pisses Michael off because Michael believed that Brian should have supported him. Brian gives backhanded advice to Ted about plastic surgery. This coming from the guy who was pissed at having to get a lawyer in 304 – not because he was being questioned for molestation but because he wanted the money for botox injections. He also gives backhanded advice to Emmett. He didn’t give any help or advice to Deb though, interestingly enough. He didn’t even show up at her going away party. Yes, I know Brian doesn’t do celebrations in general and he was probably at work, but hell, Ted was there. Ben was there. Michael was there. He could have made an appearance. So I chalk up his absence in that scene as something they had to do because Gale was in too many scenes already. Is there a clause in his contract that he’s only being paid for so many scenes or something?
Justin - I kind of view 503 as I do 411 on the Justin issue. Other than the impact he had on Brian regarding Babylon (similar to the impact he had on Brian giving up his Barcelona chair), Justin’s significance in the Brian and Justin saga was minimal in this episode. This episode wasn’t really about Brian and Justin as a couple after all. Of course that doesn’t mean that significant things didn’t happened, but we’ll get to all that. Anyway, lucky for us, they didn’t just have Justin in two tiny scenes moving furniture this time. I think they learned their lesson on that last season. Instead, we get everywhere and everything Justin.
First, there’s helping Justin… At the diner helping Deb with the help wanted sign. At Michael and Ben’s helping them paint. At the loft helping Brian hang up his clothes.
Then there’s supportive Justin… At Babylon playing first mate with Captain Brian, which is definitely not a fun place to be right now. At the diner watching Emmett’s television debut, which also looked to be quite a painful thing for him to go through. And at the diner again for Deb’s going away party. Hell, I’m surprised that he didn’t pitch in to bus tables. He might as well have. He was practically hanging out there all the time anyway. At the loft, reminding Brian that he would survive as he always does… beautifully.
Third, charitable Justin… At the gym pedaling away on the spin cycle just so the hot, sweaty guys can check out his fine, young ass. Allowing himself to be the poster child for the great asses that they aspire to attain for themselves from all their hard work. Now that’s charity! What a guy!
And fourth, wise Justin… at the loft sharing his observations of the LA club scene with Brian.
This was so much more than donating an expensive chair to charity. The amount of his generosity and acts of good deeds in this episode have left me in utter awe. Why, I’d say that he is clearly an angel sent from the good fairy above. It makes you wonder just what in the hell, not only Brian but Liberty Avenue as a whole, did before “he came along”. How did anyone survive without him? ;-)
Ted/Emmett – Emmett’s helping the straight men of Pittsburgh, or trying to anyway and Ted is being his supportive friend. Ted also tries to help Brian by finding a buyer for the piece of shit Babylon.
Deb/Carl – Carl wants to support Deb and in turn help himself. Deb helps the wayward Loretta by giving her a chance even though she doesn’t have any experience.
Michael – He’s pissed that Brian and his mother aren’t supporting and helping him. He sees Brian helping Lindsay and Debbie helping Melanie.
Lindsay/Melanie – Lindsay solicits the help of her own lawyer after Melanie informs her that her lawyer doesn’t want her help or support.
As far as the stories for the rest of the characters… I’m not really going to go into a lot of here in the beginning. I’ll deal with each one as they have scenes with Brian and Justin. But here’s a few thoughts that pertain to scenes without the dynamic duo.
Deb/Carl – First off, I have to say that I hate their kisses this season. I know that Sharon is this superstar Emmy Award winning actress, but just who the hell taught her how to kiss on screen? Every time they kiss, she smiles and pokes her tongue against the back of her teeth which I guess is to give us some tongue action but she doesn’t stop smiling so poor Peter ends up kissing her teeth – the tongue is never even in the mix. Not that I need or want to see them tongue kissing or anything but it’s just weird looking and I don’t remember this being a problem the last 3 seasons. She needs to have some private time with Gale or something. He’ll show her how do it – convincingly kissing your scene partner is a part of acting that he’s got mastered! Tongue or no tongue.
But anyway, the big talk in the kitchen. There’s a message here. I’m still not 100% sure who this message is supposed to be here for but I’m starting to think it may be Brian and Justin. Carl says to Debbie that he doesn’t want to come home to an empty house and dinner. He wants to come home to dinner and her. Old fashioned straight man desires. The man goes to work all day and comes home to his wife, dinner on the table, and his slippers, pipe and newspaper by his favorite chair. The Ozzie and Harriet of the new millennium. I can’t help but think of Brian and Justin’s scene at the loft later in the episode. Brian comes home, puts his briefcase down and immediately greets Justin with a hug and a kiss – Brian does exactly what Carl says he wants. So in a twisted kind of way they are showing Brian acting just like the very straight Carl. Of course he’s Brian so he adds a little nipple tweaking to Justin that Carl wouldn’t dare do to Debbie. But the point is made. You get the picture. Brian is and does what he says he loathes.
Then Carl tells Deb to quit the diner so he can spend more time with her. She says she’s never asked for anything before and she’s not about to start now. He tells her that he’s got money then points out that she’s not asking, he’s offering. Something else that sounds very familiar in the Brian and Justin saga. Remember Justin’s tuition? So… could the Deb/Carl storyline be here to show us a very straight, practically married, couple and how they act so that we could see that Brian, who has a severe aversion against marriage and cloning straight couples, is acting (cloning) just like them? Brian may not have told Justin that he wanted to spend more time with him but he did say that he wouldn’t particularly mind it if Justin was around more. And even as far back as Season Two he said he’d be coming home to him because that’s what he wanted to do. He can belly-ache all he wants, he is soooooo already married! Brian and Carl? Two peas in the same pod? Who knew? Bwahahaha. If Justin starts cooking Sausage Rigatoni and leaving properly rolled joints and a beer by Brian’s chaise lounge, I’m running for the hills!
The battle for JR – Michael’s pissed at Deb because he thinks she’s supporting Mel’s side. He says, “your own son”. Just like with Brian, he doesn’t expect people to make their own choices with what is right or wrong, he just expects them to support HIS choices because they’re his mother and best friend. I understand this to a degree, you are supposed to be supportive to the ones you love but that does not mean that you turn a blind eye to what they are doing and help them when what they are doing is wrong or is to the detriment of someone else. For Debbie, it’s about her granddaughter. For Brian, it’s about Lindsay. This is just Michael thinking only of himself again. Luckily, by the end, he comes around with his mother. But Brian… no.
But I like Debbie’s speech about realizing Michael’s anger at her and how wrong she was to think that they’d done okay being just the two of them. She says she’s sorry that she couldn’t give him everything he wanted but she did give him everything she could. I don’t like it because it’s right, I just like it because it really hits home and Michael needed to hear it.
Lindsay and Melanie meet at the park… why they are meeting there when it’s raining outside I’ll never figure out… Jenny Rebecca is once again sleeping peacefully at the hands of Lindsay. Melanie asks how much Zanax she gave her because JR is still not sleeping for her. So once again they are making a point. They are shoving this fact down our throats. It makes me wonder why they are trying so hard to show Melanie as this incapable mother. I’m not sure that I get their point yet. But the fact remains, Mel still doesn’t get it. She’s too wound up and angry. JR is trying to get her attention but Melanie isn’t reacting. She’s hearing the cries but she’s not listening. The problem is her.
Lindsay’s lawyer – I just have one thing to say about this guy and what his place is in all this drama… and that’s his name. Tom Gabriel. It’s another religious reference. More so from Paradise Lost than it is the Bible but religious in meaning nonetheless. Of all the names they could have picked for this guy, they pick the last name Gabriel. We all know who Gabriel is, right? He’s one of God’s archangels. One of the two highest ranking angels in fact. Now I know you’re thinking how in the world could I compare this sleaze bucket to an angel when he looks and acts more like a devil. Well see for yourself… here’s a little back story on the angel Gabriel. According to the Bible, he is the Archangel of annunciation, humanity, resurrection, heavenly mercy, vengeance, death, revelation, truth and hope. The bringer of news and heralds the revealing of answers. The maker of changes. It has also been suggested that Gabriel is the angel who wrestles with Jacob in the form of a man and that he was involved in the destruction of Sodom and Gommorah. In Paradise Lost, Enoch says that Gabriel was sent to destroy the giant children of the fallen 'watchers' and did so by turning them against each other. Spiritually speaking, Gabriel is the angel of the moon who brings man the gift of hope. He is the spirit of truth and the prince of justice. He is the alchemy of psychism, intuition and receptivity.
And all that is exactly what he does in his office when Lindsay first meets with him and again later in the meeting with the Michael and Melanie and their lawyers. He may be stating the truth to his and Lindsay’s benefit, but he’s not lying. He’s not making anything up. Lindsay says, “but Melanie is my partner” to which he replies the truth – “was”. Lindsay says, “and Michael is dear close friend” to which he again replies with the truth – “who later betrayed you and you can’t trust him”. Not to mention all the things he says about Melanie and Michael during the meeting. There may be reasons behind the truths that explain them away, but they are still the truth, nonetheless. He has been the bringer of news and the revealer of answers. The maker of changes. And by turning Melanie and Lindsay and Michael against each other, he destroyed their cases bringing justice to an unjust situation and giving Lindsay the gift of hope. All of which was just like Gabriel, the archangel.
As he tells Lindsay, she won't have to play dirty, that is what he's for and that’s why she came to him – why Brian sent her to him. Tom Gabriel may not be a real angel, but there should be no doubt that he is most definitely Lindsay’s guardian angel, protecting her interests and why they chose the name that they did for him.
As far as the meeting goes… great scene! I actually watched it several times. Yeah, I know… shockers! Hal did a great job with Michael’s shock and hurt at what was happening. His face said it all… especially when he was called a sperm donor with an over-inflated sense of his own contribution. “HEY,” is right. That was harsh even though I’ve felt the exact same way the last two episodes. And I have to admit when the conversation turned to Hunter being a male prostitute, he delivered the second best line of the scene positively perfectly. “He was abused… BY HIS MOTHER!” Just priceless!
I’m cheering that finally Melanie’s ‘single sexual encounter’ was brought up. But what the hell was Melanie thinking when she said, “that was before they were married”? Doesn’t that kind of negate everything that they meant to each other prior to their commitment ceremony? She was the one in Season 2 that said (at first) they didn’t need to get married… that it was for straight people and that the ceremony wouldn’t mean anything anyway. Excuse me? If her affair was not a big deal because they weren’t married then why the hell did she feel the need to move out of their house because of what she’d done? She, herself, considered it cheating at the time. I’m all for gay marriage and equal rights, but there’s no way that I will agree that without that piece of paper and approval in the eyes of the law that relationship rules and etiquette don’t apply. Just ask Brian. He may be against marriage in general and he may be against monogamy on principle but even he knows that and has experienced a difference between an unlocked-door that allows for tricking and sneaking around behind someone’s back to cheat. She pisses me off and I hate the message that her statement is trying to imply.
Look, I feel for Melanie… people (whether they are your partner or your friend) are trying to take her kid away... her baby… her infant child that she just gave birth to and that is still breastfeeding. That’s HUGE! And to me, that means you do whatever the hell you can to ensure it doesn’t happen (like Lindsay is), but she better check herself. Her arguments are weak and stupid! No wonder everyone says she sucks as a lawyer. She should watch Gabriel. Now that dude’s a lawyer!
After all is said and done with the splitting of JR for now… Lindsay makes the comment about learning from the master. Interesting bit of dialog. While I believe it was partly about learning from Mel since she did say in Season 3 that she couldn’t live with a lawyer for ten years and not pick up a few things, I think it was more so meant to mean that Brian was the master that she learned from. He is a killer when it comes to acting on his beliefs and attaining his goals. Lindsay told Gabriel that she couldn’t be that cruel and worried that Michael and Melanie would never forgive her. He reminded her that it was necessary to achieve what she wanted. She would have to be relentless… just like Brian. But then it switches back to what she learned from Melanie as a lawyer… you don’t have to be relentless yourself if you have a killer for a lawyer. She learned what she did from both of them.
Babylon – Brian, Justin, Ted
The episode begins at Babylon. An act is performing a dance number that reminds me of Cirque de Soleil. Of course we know it’s not because Cirque de Soleil are a bunch of homophobes, right? But anyway, I’ve read the comments about this performance and I guess I’m in the minority again. I liked it. Yes, I could live without them to have more airtime for the boys but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t somewhat fun to watch. The guy was creepy and a rude prima-donna but still, I find the Babylon acts visually appealing. It’s a staple of the show so in a weird way, if they quit doing them, I’d feel like something was missing. I guess you could say that they’re a comfort. Anyway, as the camera pans out from the stage act we see that Babylon is empty again. I’m starting to ache for Brian. He’s actually failing at something! The act finishes and there’s a small whisper of applause. It’s a sad situation. Justin looks less than thrilled – after the hopping night clubs in LA this is like a morgue. He drags himself like a child that’s bored out of his mind over to the bar. Which totally cracks me up. Brian joins him.
Justin: Buy you a drink?
Brian: Grey Goose and arsenic.
Ted: Ah, that should be tomorrow night’s two buck special. We’d make at least, mmmm, six bucks.
Oh my! There’s only three people there? Last week it was twelve. I didn’t think it could get any worse than that! But it could and it did. I think that’s the only reason Brian didn’t balk at Justin offering to buy him a drink. He’s got bigger problems than his control issues right now. Besides he owns the place, Justin could buy him all the drinks in the world and never have to spend a dime of his money.
Brian: I bought a full page spread in OUT. I put window cards into every shop on Liberty Avenue. I even had fucking go-go boys in Speedos passing out flyers.
Justin: With promotions like that there should be lines around the block.
Yeah, there should be. And Brian’s supposed to be an advertising genius. I don’t quite buy the fact that he doesn’t know how to fix this on his own but I can surmise that he’s just not thinking clearly. He got so caught up in playing with his new toy that he quit looking at it as a business. He’s too close to the situation. Sometimes when you’re too close, the obvious isn’t so obvious. So okay, I can live with the idea that he’s at a loss.
Ted: There is… at Popperz.
Circus Act Guy: Drinks on the house… for wasting our time and our talent.
Brian gives him his Grey Goose with arsenic… LOL. Kill the guy! He’s an asshole.
Justin: I don’t get why everyone left.
Ted: That’s one of the mysteries of life. How to buds know when to open? How do birds know how to fly? Why do queers abandon one club for another?
I love Ted but he is a total dork sometimes. Justin must think so too because he rolls his eyes at Ted’s philosophy. Poor miserable and confused Brian throws his drink back in one big gulp as if he’s praying that it is full of arsenic, “Just kill me now”.
Kinnetik - Brian, Lindsay
At Kinnetik, Lindsay is telling Brian about her conversation with Mel at the park. Brian is busying himself with some campaign posters and appears to not be listening. But we know from last week’s scene with Gus and the train that he probably is listening to every word. Do you think Brian has that disorder (can’t remember the name of it right now, ADD maybe)? He can’t seem to sit still and just have a conversation with someone. He’s always got to be doing two things at once. The man just never stops. And he doesn’t seem to need much sleep. I guess it’s true what they say about successful people… they work hard and play hard. Go, go, go. Well anyway, just a fleeting thought… back to Kinnetik and Lindsay’s drama…
Lindsay: She said she and her lawyer talked it over and decided it would be best for me not to be there when they meet with Michael and his lawyer. She says that the fact that we’re not together will only complicate the case and will give Michael more ammunition. But I think that I have as much right to be there as they do. Even if I'm not the biological parent.
Yes but Lindsay… having the right to be there does not mean that you should be there! It’s not about “rights”, it’s about what is best for the case!
Brian: Blue Rooster. The chicken chain. Need a campaign for their new sixteen ounce sandwich. How do you like, "When you’re hungry for a big cock!”
Okay, I have to ask… who in the world would even want to eat a one pound chicken sandwich? Well, my husband would, but besides him and his weirdness, who else? Cripes!
Lindsay looks at him like he’s crazy. Why in the world is he bringing up a stupid ad campaign when she’s clearly distraught? Because he’s not crazy. Remember… it’s all about sex. Being hungry for a big cock is exactly what got Lindsay into this mess and Brian is not so subtly reminding her of that fact. She brought this on herself just like he said last week. She gets what he’s saying and that’s the reason for the pained and speechless look. The cold hard truth, right? Well, the truth hurts, doesn’t it? She doesn’t like it. Not one bit.
Brian: Yeah, they didn't like it either. So what did Melanie say?
Lindsay: She said I should trust her. (Brian smirks at that.) That once everything was settled that she’d share custody with me. That we have a deal.
I do believe that at this point in the game Melanie is being sincere with Lindsay. Her focus is on Michael not Lindsay. I have no reason to think that she wouldn’t do as she says and honor her original agreement with Lindsay for equal time with JR. Lindsay has control over Gus after all. It’s a two-way street. The agreement was made for both kids. She doesn’t stand to gain anything by keeping JR from Lindsay; she only stands to lose. But Michael is a different story. That boils down to the “deal” not being clearly discussed.
Brian : The way she had a deal with Michael.
This rarely happens, but I’m going to disagree with Brian here. Melanie did not break her deal with Michael. She never thought Michael meant to actually take JR when they made the deal and really, that wasn’t Michael’s intent at the time so she was justified to think that. Michael is the one that wants to change things because of the L/M split. He’s the one not abiding by the original deal… not Melanie. And yes, I get that Michael’s view is that they split so therefore the original deal of him fathering a child to live in a home with two loving parents is now null and void. But I still say that his pursuit of JR is clouded by the shiny red truck syndrome and the desire to clone himself to his new surroundings. Melanie never promised Michael that he could have partial custody. The deal was that he could be a father to JR and be a part of her life. Basically, it’s just a big ole mess, but Lindsay’s mistrust of Melanie is unwarranted at this point. But Brian’s view of this situation is based on what Lindsay and Michael have told him which means he’s only hearing their side of the story. They both have indicated to him that Melanie is pushing them out. That’s not true. But that’s why he’s viewing this as Melanie breaking the deal instead of Michael.
Lindsay: I want to believe her. I do. We try to be fair where the kids are concerned. But I'm the one with the most to lose.
Gut instinct Lindsay!! When it comes to trusting Melanie, Brian is the last person you should be listening to!!
Brian: Stop bitching and moaning and do something .
Lindsay: I can always count on you for the cold hard truth.
Well yes, stop bitching and act! But this time, Brian’s cold, hard truth is wrong. He’s got bad information on who’s breaking the Mel/Michael deal. He’s got trust issues. And he’s a strong proponent for thinking of yourself first. Don’t listen to him!
Brian: Here.
Lindsay: Who's he?
Brian: It's a lawyer friend of mine. I'll give him a call first. Stop worrying about how much it's gonna cost.
Ummmm, may I ask if Brian has lawyer friends why did he need Melanie to handle the Kip situation?? Must be a new friend now that he’s Pittsburgh’s most successful gay businessman. ;-)
Lindsay: I guess I have no choice.
Brian: Guess not.
Well, yes and no. If Brian was right… if Melanie can’t be trusted, then yes, Lindsay would have no choice but to protect herself. Just like Michael says he’s doing. But it’s all messed up. She’s reacting out of fear and not following her heart. She said she wanted to believe Mel. Then believe her! Yes, Melanie is angry right now but she’s still the same person that Lindsay has lived with for the past ten years. She should know. And I believe she does know, she’s just listening to Brian’s cold, hard, misguided reality truth, instead of her heart. It’s all just a big huge snowball of bad communication and misguided intentions and it’s getting bigger by the minute.
Brian: Well the queers are about to find out what the breeders have known all along. In a messy divorce nobody stays clean.
Ugh! Brian might as well have just said, “I told you so.” This is why his truth is wrong. He’s basing all his comments on his belief that marriage is bullshit. To him, this is just another mess that Lindsay brought upon herself because she chose to get married and have kids. But the really weird part here is that Lindsay’s predicament was not brought about because of their divorce or dissolution… that really had nothing to do with any of this. It’s not about their marriage or partnership. It’s about Michael’s place in JR’s life. It’s not a messy divorce. It’s a messy child custody case. She’s learning the wrong lessons from Brian here.
Novotny-Bruckner House – Michael, Ben, Justin, Debbie
Justin is painting and we’re left to think “art” until the camera pulls back and we see he’s actually helping to paint the walls at Ben and Michael’s new house. Guess he’s got nothing better to do in the middle of the day while Brian is at work. LOL Guess that also explains why Hunter isn’t there helping. Being a teen and having to go to school and all. But who’s running the comic book store? I have always wondered that… Michael seems to be able to come and go quite easily. Hired help maybe? Or maybe he’s only open during after school hours?? Hmmm.
Justin: When I was in LA thinking I’d come back to Pittsburgh and paint, I didn’t imagine it would be like this.
Michael: Tell you what, you can sign the wall.
Yeah, isn’t Michael funny? Heh. But… Justin WAS thinking about returning to Pittsburgh to paint. So why the hell isn’t he painting… like really painting while Brian isn’t there to distract him?? Guess he’s taking a short vacation from his art. And why the hell do I constantly think of these annoying questions?
Ben: We really appreciate the extra hand and someday when you and Brian get a house, we’ll return the favor.
Justin: Don’t run to the paint store.
Ben: Oh, you never know. Hey, guess what I never did?
Michael: Put rat traps in the attic?
Ben: Carried you over the threshold. That's what married people do. Right, Justin?
Justin: I wouldn’t know!
Okay, for a professor, Ben can be really stupid sometimes. He’s basically telling Justin to get his hopes up. Puh-lease! This little scene is nothing more than proof of Brian’s clone theory. Ben is assuming that eventually Brian will want a house with Justin and that he’ll want to have fun little painting parties because that’s what he wants. In Ben’s mind the only reason that Brian doesn’t want those things is because he hasn’t grown up yet. It’s like it never occurred to him that maybe Brian just doesn’t want those things and that it has nothing to do with growing up or being too old. The threshold comment is the clincher. “That’s what married people do.” Right. Don’t carry Michael over the threshold because you want to. Do it because it’s what you’re supposed to do. It’s tradition. It’s page 192 of the marriage handbook. Don’t make up your own relationship rules, be a clone. **rolls eyes** Seriously… who still does that stuff?
Now do you see where Michael gets this from? Same with Dr. Dave back in Season 1. Michael began to act like what Dave wanted. Ben is the one that started all this nonsense about being too old for their apartment. He’s the one that introduced Michael to Monty and Eli. And now Michael is just molding himself into this role – he’s cloning into what he thinks he’s supposed to be as a married man and for someone of his age. For being a grown-up, Michael is still a very impressionable person. In the beginning of 501, he’s dancing the night away with Brian. By 502 he’s making fun of Brian for doing it. It happened so fast, I got whiplash. And don’t tell me it was because he became a father. That had nothing to do with this one episode U-turn. JR was born long before 501 started and there he was dancing in Babylon. So no… this was Ben and Eli and Monty painting him a picture that got framed when he found out about the girl’s split. Michael is like a chameleon. He changes colors to blend into his surroundings.
Besides all that… does Ben honestly think that even if Brian did get a house that he would let anyone but the very best professional painters paint it? No way in hell would Michael and Ben be allowed to do any such thing.
And what should we make of Justin’s comments? Well… Justin knows Brian. He knows this Mikey and Ben domesticated scene is not Brian and up to this point he’s been fine with that. Should we be worried about these snide comments? Nah… I think his answers are more along the line of being sarcastic toward Ben’s comments because of who his boyfriend is. Brian has made it clear to everyone around him how he feels about marriage and most especially the Stepford Fags club. So yeah, why not say “don’t run to the paint store”, he’s not holding his breath. And “I wouldn’t know”… he sing-songs it. It might as well as been a big ole “DUH! What are you asking me for?”
However… up to this point he wasn’t living with Brian. Partners, yes. (go figure) But not living together. Now they are… because Brian asked him to. Did the traditional thing and popped the question (in the Kinney kind of way, of course!). And we can’t forget that when that request came flying out of Brian’s mouth it was right after Brian said he’d come to some decisions about his life and Justin did immediately ask if it was a proposal. So maybe, just maybe there are “running to the paint store” visions and “you never know” thoughts starting to manifest and simmer just under the surface. After all, it was just a few short years ago that Brian-fucking-Kinney didn’t do boyfriends… and now he’s got a partner that’s living with him at his urging. So for Justin… stranger things have happened. Of course, I don’t think Justin is as impressionable as Michael is but as Brian once said, “it’s easier to do what’s expected than to make your own way” so just in case… please-please-please keep Justin away from the Stepford neighborhood! We don’t need those “easy” simmering thoughts of “what’s expected” to rise to a full boil or anything. Things are going good for Brian and Justin right now. Real good.
Maybe too good? Could that mean? Oh no! First rule of television drama… when things are good you gotta shake things up to maintain the interest and drama.
No! I refuse to think about it. Those kinds of thoughts only give me a headache and an upset stomach.
And another interesting thing in this scene… when Debbie comes in and says “boys” then corrects herself and says “men”… the way she said it, at this point in time, in this particular scene… it leads me to believe that they are no longer boys because they are now married homeowners. She includes Justin in the comment so living together as a couple must also count to make you a man. Hmmm. I guess this means since Ted and Emmett don’t own a home and aren’t married or living with partners, they must still be boys… Again, it’s part of this warped view of what it means to truly cross the threshold from boys to men. I’m not sure I like the connotation. Growing up is more about a state of mind, not where you live or whether or not you’re in a relationship.
Kinnetik - Brian, Ted
Besides the fact that several of the actors have mentioned it, I do believe that TPTB read what the fans say and they know what we want. There are several things we’re getting in Season 5 that we’ve griped about for a long time. One of which is clear and concise dialog from Brian. Maybe this is why I’ve had such a hard time writing the recaps this season. What am I supposed to say for a scene like this one? It’s very clear and concise as to what is going on inside Brian’s head. There’s nothing to interpret. Brian lays it all out so there’s no misunderstanding as to why he’s hanging on. I guess I’ll just squee over the Rage-ian attitude and the snarkiness of the Brian/Ted relationship and be done with it.
Ted barges into Brian's office and declares him to be what we all know already… unless you count the current failure of Babylon or unexpected clients knocking on your door when you’re right in the middle of plundering the Secret Avenger… Brian is Teflon.
Ted: You are the luckiest fuck in Pittsburgh.
Brian: As if that were a reason to barge into my office.
Heh… at work, being the boss, Brian stands on formalities. The cold, hard truth. Ted may be his friend, one of the guys, but at Kinnetik, he’s the accountant and Brian is the owner. He’s demanding respect for his office. That just kills me. The unconventional demands conventionality? I’m starting to think Brian isn’t as unconventional as he claims to be. Of course his office is in a refurbished orgy room so…
Ted : I found you a buyer.
Brian: Hurray! What am I selling?
Ted: Babylon.
Brian is doing his usual... working and listening at the same time while pretending to not be listening. But Ted says Babylon and that warrants his full attention… he looks up. “Babylon?”
Ted: Yeah. A consortium wants to build a galleria and they’re willing to buy out your lease at a very good price.
Brian has no reaction. I think he’s trying to figure out why in the hell Ted would even be looking for a buyer without Brian telling him to.
Ted: Well? Aren't you excited? Relived? Overjoyed? I mean, in another couple of weeks you would’ve had to take out loans against Kinnetik to pay for that fakakta club.
Brian: Yeah unless I turn it around.
Ted: Not even Rage could accomplish that feat.
Oh Theodore. Ye have little faith. As long as Rage has JT, he’s invincible. ;-)
Ted: Oh and the beauty part is we'll write it off. You can use it for a tax deduction.
Brian: Sounds like good practical advice… just walk away and leave it to the developers.
Yes, it is practical, but besides being practical, selling the club and walking away would also be the easy way out and doing what is expected. And well, that is never what Brian does. Like why he’s refusing to walk away. It’s not about the little boy refusing to leave the playground when it’s dinner time as we would expect. No. It’s about not letting the big bad bullies take over and push the little kids around.
Brian: And after they finish turning Babylon into the Mall of America then what? Make Woody's into a Walmart? Torso into Target? The diner into an Olive Garden? I'm sorry Theodore, I'm sure there are millions of faggots who would like nothing more then to walk the straight and narrow… but I'd sooner die then see Liberty Avenue homogenized and de-homo-lized.
Brian says all that while sitting behind a desk, in his office wearing a suit. See? That is Rage. That is the Brian we all know and love. Just like Michael and Justin described him. “Ruthless advertising executive by day. Defender of queers by night.”
However… I still think part of Brian’s problem is that he’s seeing everything in black and white. Woody’s, Torso, the diner and Babylon equal gay. Walmart, Target, Olive Garden and a suburban mall equal straight. Can’t straights enjoy the world of Babylon? Can’t gays enjoy going to the mall? Can’t you live on Stepford Avenue and still frequent Liberty Avenue? Why does it have to be either/or? Michael’s got the same problem only on the opposite end of the color spectrum. That’s merely geography. Just like growing up… it’s really about your state of mind. There’s middle ground somewhere in the gray area.
But I do whole-heartedly agree that Woody’s and Torso and the diner need to be salvaged just like Babylon does. Liberty Avenue needs to exist. It’s part of the history, part of the culture. A safe-haven of sorts. A place for seventeen year old virgins to go to find their way. A place for the unconventional to express themselves without the confines of conventionality. So for that alone, I’m 100% behind Brian in this part of the fight. Doing the practical makes the price way too high.
Diner - Justin, Debbie (Ted, Emmett)
I’m going to squeeze the beginning of Emmett’s story in here. When Emmett was introduced to the news team, he was a tad squealy. I mean, who gets all bent out of shape at their local news crew? I understand that Emmett is just a small town boy from Hazelhurst, Mississippi so in a way this is a big deal to him. Who would have ever thought Emmett Honeycutt would be on television? Or that he’d be getting paid to voice his opinion? Not Emmett, that’s for sure. I can see how this would be a big “wow” for him. He said in Season 3 that he thinks about his ‘trailer trash’ beginnings every day and that obviously weighs on him after their less than excited reception of him. He thought they were looking down on him. And they were. But I think it was more about his over the top excitement in meeting them than what he thought it was.
The thing that really bugs me about Emmett in this episode is the cloning theory and his desire to fit in. Emmett has said repeatedly throughout the series that he’s proud to let his flame burn bright yet over and over he doesn’t act too proud of it. He tells Ted that he wants to fit in (to be a clone). That Ted can pass for straight but he can’t because of his flamboyant nature. And it was that flamboyancy that always left him sitting on the bench instead of being in the game. I most certainly understand the desire to fit in but it’s just weird coming from someone who always claims to be proud of his differences. Just goes to show you that what you feel inside can often times be different than what you project on the outside. (See Brian.) So it’s because of this desire to be part of the team and his deep-seeded insecurities about where he comes from that Emmett begins to clone himself into something he’s not… to do what he thinks is expected of him… mold himself into his new surroundings. It’s a defense mechanism so he won’t get hurt again. Just like a chameleon. Of course, this is Emmett and he always pays dearly when he tries to hide who he is and not let his flame burn bright. As much as he boasts about his flame and as often as he’s miserable without it, you’d think he’d quit trying to blow it out all the time.
But let’s move on to Justin. Lot’s of good stuff in this little conversation.
Deb: Fuck!
Justin: What's wrong, Deb?
Debbie: Uhgg. It's this god-damned sign. My “help’s” alright but I haven't got enough room here for “wanted” and I haven't even gotten around to “inquire within”.
Justin: Here, let me.
Deb: Sure helps to have an artist in the family.
Justin : Who's leaving? Betty? Kiki?
Deb: Me.
Justin: You?
Justin laughs. He doesn’t believe it. It’s the most ludicrous thought in the world. Can you blame him?
Deb: What? Is that so hard to believe?
Justin: You can't leave the diner, Debbie. You are the diner. Besides what will we do without you?
Deb: Still complain that your hash browns aren't crisp enough and your soup isn't hot enough. Don’t think I didn’t hear that! Keep printing.
Justin: There's not something wrong is there?
This is why I love Justin! He’s very concerned and being very sincere about it. But the humorous thing is that to Justin, she is the diner. He really can’t imagine the place without her and he never thought that she would leave so if she is then it must be something bad. She’s a staple of the community. A mark of the status quo. So I like that Justin feels a comfort zone (like Brian does to Babylon) in Deb being at the diner.
Deb: Humm? Oh! Hell no! It's just that I've spent the last twenty five years listening to these boys complain about not finding a man. Well, I finally found one. Except I'm never home with him and how dumb is that?
Well, hmmm. I think it depends on the person, the relationship and the reason for not being home. Brian going out tricking instead of enjoying a floor picnic with his boyfriend. Dumb. Justin going to Hollywood to help bring the world’s first gay superhero to the big screen. Not so dumb.
Justin: But what will you do?
This is probably just my twisted sense of humor but I love that Justin can’t comprehend the “woman of leisure” prospect. In his mind, if you’re not pursuing your interests or working towards a goal then what are you doing? There’s no way he would ever consider just doing nothing but being there for his man and letting him provide for them. The thought has never crossed his mind. To him, you have to be doing something.
Deb: There's always some bright new challenge. Some shiny new adventure. Like you. You went off to fucking Hollywood.
Boy, Deb is setting herself up for a let down. Bright new challenge? Shiny new adventure? In Pittsburgh? She even says it… Justin had to leave to get a bright challenge and shiny adventure. What is she thinking? There’s no way she’s going to be able to handle a life of leisure. And Michael thought she was being a nuisance when Vic moved out… can you imagine now? Carl’s at work and she’s alone all day, every day… Liberty Avenue better brace themselves, she’s going to be in everybody’s business. Kind of like Justin is now. Hahahaha
Justin: And I came back to fucking Pittsburgh.
Do I detect a bit of distain in his voice? Sure he’s upset about the movie falling apart but, dang. It’s not Pittsburgh’s fault. He’s obviously not too thrilled with the city. This sounds like Brian and his quest to get the hell out of the Pitts to go to New York. Neither one of them want to remain there. Interesting. They both see bright challenges and shiny adventures coming from elsewhere. No doubt about it… Justin “came back to fucking Pittsburgh” for one reason and one reason only… Brian. And talk about challenges!
Justin: What if you want to come back but you can't because someone took your place?
Yikes! Does he really truly think that Brian would let someone else in? It appears that Justin might just be a tad worried, that he has an insecurity about leaving Brian for too long. Like Brian was in 501. Hmmm. So neither one of them is feeling very secure. Oh, my head hurts. I never would have thought in a million years that Justin would think Brian would find someone else. But when I think back to 502, maybe I should have seen it. After all, he did ask if the offer stills stands like maybe he thought it wouldn't. If you play it again, he does seem almost a bit apprehensive waiting for Brian’s answer. But on the other hand… when he came home, he didn’t call ahead and tell Brian he was coming, he just walked right into the loft like he had the right to. And isn’t this the way Justin has always been in their relationship? A bit insecure but at the same time relentless in his quest. It explains his tenacity all along… to ensure Brian never found anyone or anything else to replace him, he had to be in his face all the time. Never letting up. Every where Brian turned; there was Justin. LOL And can you blame him? Brian said in 121 that he wouldn’t think of him if he went to New York. That statement was said out loud, it can’t be taken back and it seems it’s been simmering in Justin’s head ever since.
And if all that is the case then him deciding to go to Hollywood for an extended period of time had to be a scary thing for him. In his mind, by going he was taking a chance on losing Brian. It makes his decision to go a lot more ballsy AND makes his reaction to the drawer offer in 414 a lot more dramatic. That offer tipped the scales and made the decision all that much more heavy. Really shows his guts in taking chances to fulfill his own dreams… one of the very things about him that I believe Brian admires. Not to mention something that Brian’s always encouraged him to do… think of himself first.
Deb: Honey, when I'm gone… I'm gone. I'm donating my vest and my t-shirts to the Smithsonian and it is so-long Liberty diner and hello liberty.
Well, I always say, “never say never” so we’ll see about that. Besides, don’t we always return to what we know and what we love? Justin sure does. Debbie knows the diner, it’s her life. Yes, waitressing is hard work despite the misinformed opinions of the general public. It’s physically demanding because you’re on your feet all day and running around like a crazy person. It’s mentally demanding because you have to put up with ungrateful shits, remember orders and be at the beckon call of everyone. And all that’s for very little money or absolutely no recognition. But when you truly love what you do, the stress and hard work are barely noticeable. And Debbie does love it… no doubt about it... despite what she may say to the contrary. Gee, sounds like Brian. Just like the “when I’m gone, I’m gone” sounds like Brian. The exact same message from his 121 speech. “Never look back”… Justin’s hearing it again. This time from Deb. Ugh! Not so sure I like that. Hopefully he won’t learn that lesson and will continue to return to what he knows and loves.
Deb: Wow! That's not a sign, that's a work of art.
Okay, okay. Justin is a great artist. A GREAT ARTIST! Did I get that? Of course I got it. How could I not? They are hitting me over the head with it. He was printing letters for cryin’ out loud, not drawing a picture.
