I also just started watching the series for the second time (saw S1 and S2 on YouTube, then broke down and bought the series on DVD). I just finished Season 1 for the second time, and so many thoughts!
Brian, Brian, Brian. God, I love him even more now, if that's even possible! How is it that I can love a fictional character so much, whom I'd probably not like that much in real life. Let's face it, as physically gorgeous as he is (and Gale is so totally my 'type'), he's extremely cynical, materialistic, somewhat narcissistic, can be mean to his friends, callous, is mostly inconsiderate of others, is often loud and obnoxious. But that's only on the surface. Truthfully, he cares a whole lot more than he's like to admit; cares what his friends think of him and cares what happens to them. He's generous to a fault when it comes to those he loves, but heaven forbid anyone find out about it.
I was surprised to see how much softer Brian comes off at the beginning of the series on second viewing, especially in the first several episodes of S1. I love his talk with Lindsay at the hospital after he sees Gus for the first time. He's so sweet and endearing (while still showing his dry wit), and you can tell how much he cares for Linds and even his new son, whom even he admits later in the season that he didn't expect to love so much, if at all. He's actually really sweet to Justin on their first night together, and it's fun to see him beginning to care so much about Justin, fighting it the whole way, and having to deal with emotions of love and jealousy, that he never really experienced before (Justin as the King of Babylon comes to mind).
Anyway, the Brian/Mikey relationship, hoo boy! So much there, and so much sub-text! I absolutely love these two together, and was amazed at how much heartbreak I felt for both of them during the Season 5 breakup of their friendship. Even the fact that Brian and Justin were probably broken up for good didn't bother me as much as Brian thinking he had lost Michael, one of his only true friends, and the one person who knew him better than anyone else. Michael is the only one he lets see him cry (after he visited his dad and was afraid he was just like him; when his dad died and he finally let him go, in the form of a bowling ball down the street; after Justin had been bashed and Mikey came to the hospital, sitting next to him and stroking his hair). Mikey is the only one he's not afraid to show weakness in front of. Mikey is the one he knows will always be there for him, no matter how much of a *beep* he's being. To see that all come crashing down on him in S5 was just devastating.
I also noticed how much more Brian was stringing Michael along in S1, as far as Mikey's unrequited crush on him. As soon as Michael told him about his date with David, he was there with many compliments about how hot Mikey is, etc. He easily manipulated Mikey, whether consciously or not, in many situations. It's kind of fun now to watch Brian's subtle manipulations of Michael when it comes to the whole David thing, especially knowing how that relationship ends.
The one thing I noticed more than anything is that Brian doesn't do well alone. He needs people around him constantly to validate himself.
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12 years ago
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katiedyd
12 years ago
*SpoilersSpoilersSpoilers*
"In the end I think the writers are saying that though Brian and Justin have split up (for good reasons), Brian has finally grown up. He can live his life without being overly dependent on one person, and he can be emotionally honest and open with those he loves. (An OK ending for Brian I guess, but I wanted a more romantic one)."
You know Fairpenguin that is exactly the conclusion I WISH I would have had from the last episode. Even though Brian and Justin didn't get married I would have been ok if I had felt that Brian's character had ended up like this because it would have been a very positive thing. I've tried so hard to think this way but I just don't see it. Part of what haunts me so deeply about the last episode is that I felt so strongly that Brian was a broken man. Their parting wasn't strong or optimistic. Brian did not look mature and in control of himself. His hands and breathing were shaky, he looked like a zombie walking around the loft in their last scene together and clutches Justin with such desperation that even though his words weren't saying it his body and eyes were SCREAMING "don't leave me." I just can't see a positive in that for Brian and don't think we were given enough of a Brian on his own to see if he could make it through ok. Of course I had no doubt that he'd survive, but at what cost to himself? What kind of a person will he be from the moment Justin walks out of his loft? And if it eventually happens that Justin walks out of his life soon after, how will Brian take it? He went into such a downward spiral after Justin told him he was staying in California longer, and then again when Justin leaves him in Season 5 that Brian just came off as still way too emotionally, physically and sexually dependent on Justin.
I felt so proud of him when he took a major step forward and confessed his feelings for Justin, yet in the last scene when he lies naked alone and essentially broken I can't help feeling a horrible sense of dread for his future. I suppose the writers realized this and so added the peppy final scene of Brian dancing seemingly happy at Babylon on his own yet, there is no denying that the scene is simply WAY too symbolic and dreamlandish to mean anything concrete about the trajectory of Brian's life. I wanted NOT to be left feeling sad about Brian in the end and yet their final moments together created one of the most hauntingly beautiful visuals of what it means to truly love someone and the real meaning of sacrifice. Totally trumped Romeo and Juliet. When faced with a negative future one might find it easy to drink poison or put a bullet in yourself if it brings you closer to what you want. It's NOT easy to face a life of memories and wanting or pining for something or someone you once had and lost. And that leaves me achingly satisfied in a stick you in the gut, leave a lasting impression sort of way. Love hurts right?
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luvmesomegmh
12 years ago
Again....*SpoilersSpoilersSpoilers*
Sad endings to movies always stick with me for a long, long time. The sad, quiet, simple ending to Brokeback Mountain left me in shreds. I was sobbing for days. The ending of QAF left me in a similar place. A nice ending would be good, but would it stick with you and keep us talking about the show for years after it wrapped? The ending set off a slew of fan-fiction writers hungry for more of their story because the ending left us (me) empty. I agree that Brian did not look mature and in control of himself. His hands and breathing were shaky, he looked like a zombie walking around the loft in their last scene together and clutches Justin with such desperation that even though his words weren't saying it his body and eyes were SCREAMING "don't leave me." Gale did an amazing job to show us such raw emotions. Gale was Brian at that moment. I was just drawn into his eyes in that scene and felt so much sadness for him.
yet in the last scene when he lies naked alone and essentially broken I can't help feeling a horrible sense of dread for his future. I suppose the writers realized this and so added the peppy final scene of Brian dancing seemingly happy at Babylon on his own
Add to that the scenes of him seeming so alone in the loft, day after day, sitting on his bed, lying on his bed, smoking a cigarette while staring off into space in total quiet is a shell of the Brian we had in out lives for five years. Spending nights working instead of going to Babylon shows me a man who is just existing and going thru the motions of life. I think the last scene progressed from the ruins (of Brian and Babylon) to the reopening of the club and having Brian dancing alone in slow motion so we can get a good look at how he “survived” it all will only give us a starting place for life after Justin. He doesn’t look “happy” but just “ok” because that’s all he can be at that moment.
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KatrinaW
12 years ago
Great thoughts, all! Don't get me wrong, I love Justin and Brian together. They're the core relationship of the show, of course, but I also love the dynamic of Brian and Michael.
I think what it boils down to is, even though Justin told Brian he loved him many times, Brian's self-esteem wouldn't allow him to let his guard down totally with Justin, as he could with Michael, who he had so much history with. He and Mikey were practically brothers (strange, beautiful, slightly disfunctional brothers who make out every so often, much to my delight). It took many seasons, and many instances of almost losing Justin for good, to get it through his thick skull that he was worth loving (and that Justin did in fact love him), and showing weakness (e.g. his cancer) wasn't going to make Justin run for the hills. I'll admit, Justin's character annoyed me a bit in the beginning of S1, but by mid-season he had evolved into the spunky, mature, talented, intelligent, knows-what-he-wants, isn't-going-to-take-crap-from-anyone Sunshine that I ended up falling in love with, just as Brian was falling in love. Justin has many, many qualities that Brian respects in a person, in addition to being his physical type (which, since Justin is totally unlike the kind of guy Brian usually went for, I'm sure was a surprise to him).
Although I haven't technically watched the final episode of the series, I've been spoiled as to what happens. I'm sure I'll have lots of thoughts and impressions once I actually bring myself to watch it. As with other shows/movies that have bittersweet endings, I'm sure this one will stay with me for a long time.
But, I'll say this... in my mind, I often like to create happy eventual endings for beloved characters, so I like to think that Brian eventually follows Justin to NYC. But that's just me.
Gale did an amazing job to show us such raw emotions. Gale was Brian at that moment. I was just drawn into his eyes in that scene and felt so much sadness for him.
Holy cr*p, this is for sure! What an amazing actor Gale is... and to think that two months ago, I didn't even know who he was!!! The man is just absolutely brilliant in this role. I can't say enough about him.
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dergil27
12 years ago
Don't feel the need to defend your love of Brian and Michael's friendship. Their relationship may not be the centerpiece of this show, but it is the foundation.
To that end if I were going to create an eventual ending with Brian and Justin together, I would let Justin do the relocating. This way Brian would continue to have have both of these men in his life.
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dergil27
10 years ago
responce to luvmesomegmh Sep 26
Sounds like you are suggesting that the not so happy ending, leaving many fans unsatisfied, might have given the show a longer post broadcast life than it may have had otherwise. Never thought of it that way before. Perhaps the creators were not quite as stupid as they appeared to be.
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luvmesomegmh
10 years ago
Merry Christmas dergil - and everyone else out there
They left us with an 'open ended' last episode knowing that they didn't want the happily ever after ending that would wrap up everything nice and tidy. Let it end where it wasn't all good and it wasn't all bad and have the world then have continuous discussion forever and ever as to what happened with Brian and Justin.
If they did continue into a sixth season, what would they have done with the story lines? It would have been anticlimactic to even 'peak' into the future after that last episode and it wouldn't have left us with the hunger of wanting to know more about the Folks after the show ended, thus fan-fic had to happen to satisfy our yearning to continue their lives in any way possible.
I don't think a movie would do justice to the story returning 10 years later in their lives. The specialness ended with the series finale. I appreciated the pre-series books and maybe the same authors could make one at 5 years and then ten years after just to keep it going for us fans. Some fan-fic writers are fantastic writers and give us that world but to give us an actual book would be something to think about. On the other hand, this may be an unappealing thought to some fans and we should just leave things as they stand.
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dergil27
10 years ago
The idea of a couple of post series books is interesting. Since the creators need to sign off on them, they'd have some credence. And this would also give some idea as to what the writers invision, yet be a complete story, not just a statement of what could happen. The rub might be that some wouldn't care for what the creators do with the characters in the future. Of course this is the problem with any type of "The return of qaf" story. But a companion book is more of a choice than any sort of broadcast, which means fans might feel free to accept or reject them according to their personal preferences. So if there were ever to be an update, think the books would be the best way to go.
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