............thoughts on ep 115 pt 2
............main points continued.................
The opening shot in Brian's story includes a generous view of Justin's butt as he exits the shower. It has nothing to do with the plot, but so what. Having endured decades of gratuitous female nudity, it's good to get a healthy dose of the same from the men. For some odd reason, have always enjoyed hearing a character's voice before seeing them. This happens here with Lindsay, as she gives Brian seemingly strange instructions that immediately make sense when toward Linds and Brian, who's holding Gus. We soon learn this came about due to a teacher's conference and an out of town Melanie. Was amused if not surprised that Lindsay only left Gus with Brian when she had no other options. But it's pleasantly surprising that Brian is not only confidant in his ability to care for his son, he is looking forward to the idea. But Lindsay definitely has her misgiving, as is quite humorously clear by her fist biting look of concern. Meanwhile Brian seems extraordinarily comfortable with the situation, wiping slobber from Gus' face with his bare hand. Which is actually rather hard to believe as this level of casualness toward baby regurgitation usually comes only after one has logged several months of infant sitting. Was not disappointed in expectations,nor did I find it hard to accept the way coos over Gus to excess when Brian bring him to the diner. And when Deb questions the wisdom of leaving Gus in Brian's hands, he again declares his willingness to forgo his usual activities, including Babylon's leather ball. And as so often happens in television land, this is the cue for an attractive leather clad man to walk by. Of course the two men eye each other, casting doubt on Brian's babysitter resolve.
But resolve shaken or not, Brian is still making a determined go of caring for a crying Gus. And Brian shows genuine pride when he's able to silence the child. And it is a small moment of triumph. But didn't care for Brian putting Gus' pacifier in his mouth. Also find Gus less cute hear than in scenes before or after. Was this a different baby, or did the same child just have an unattractive crying face? A favorite part is the ceiling's eye view of Brian tripping over a baby toy while buzzing in what he thinks is his food delivery. But instead of sesame noodles he gets his father. You can tell even before Brian speaks that this is very, very unexpected. And when Brian exclaims "Jesus.", and Jack Kinney says " You couldn't be more surprised if I was.", there's no doubt this is an absolute truism. Without being to forced, the show illustrates quite well, through his manner and comments, that Brian's dad has never been here before. It also makes you remember ho little interest or knowledge about Brian his father possesses. When Jack spies Gus, Brian tells him it's "Lindsay's kid", only withholding the whole truth after a bit of hesitation. It's not surprising that jack remembers Lindsay. Would hazard to guess that Jack remembers a lot of women. Must mention that despite the awkward and comfortable atmosphere of the moment, can't help but notice what a striking figure Brian cuts in a black sweater, black pants, and bare feet. Seems that no matter how heavy the moment, Brian is still almost distractingly beautiful. Was annoyed that Jack acted slightly offended when Brian asked if he came for money. considering past experience. With the news of Jack's cancer, Brian is subdued but clearly upset. Brian's slight smile fading, all he can manage is a flat voiced "Sorry", as he looks away. But lest we feel too bad for Jack Kinney, we're reminded what a creep he can be when he follows this up by telling Brian he wanted to saddle Brian's mom aka "The warden" with telling his children, but she refused. To the news that Jack only begrudgingly bothered to tell him he's dying, Brian utters only a deadpan "Thanks", but his face is that of someone in quite turmoil. And even the loud abrupt arrival of the delivery boy doesn't alter Brian's demeanor.
The next scene is one of those pleasant family moments with Justin, Vic, and Debbie in their sleep clothes as Justin makes waffles. Appreciate the often forgotten detail of what a mess is made when an overeager teenager does the cooking. And it speaks to how comfortable Brian is with this family, either that or he's simply rude, that he just walks in the door and sits Gus on the kitchen table. And the household not batting an eye at this, says something about their acceptance of Brian as part of the family, or may just their tolerance for his boorish behavior. Brian makes it immediately clear with his complaints that the bloom is off the babysitting rose. And he's way too eager to hand Gus off to Debbie, who gets a big adorable smile from the baby. In them midst of Deb's lavishing affection over the child, Brian offers Deb the favor of babysitting the entire night. Deb of course, brings up the leather ball, to which Brian replies "You're good.". Have to disagree with this, as any twelve year old could have seen Brian's true motive.
But the good easy feel of this scene changes when Deb says she can't babysit and Vic exits the room for more pills. This leads to Brian announcing his dad has cancer. Which in turn lead to Debbie coming up with the incredibly ludicrous notion that Brian should tell his dad he's gay. Deb might be correct that such an admission would be honest, and maybe even good for Brian. But her belief that "It might be a way to get through to him.", makes it appear that Deb's never met Jack Kinney. Either that or she's been living so exclusively among the gay population, she has forgotten what the rest of the world is like. This could be why Deb thinks it's a good idea to tell his dying jerk of a dad that he is gay. But this goes way beyond poor judgement, it borders on delusion. Even a caring parent with only mild objections would need time to come to terms with such a revelation. But for someone who has little time and no real interest in their children, this could be disastrous for both parties.
For Brian, the night goes from good to bad to worse. Like how the sequence of events was presented to show how each led to the next. Was nice to see the comradery of Brian, Ted and Emmett at Babylon's Leather Ball. Having pawned Gus off on Justin, Brian is initially enjoying himself. But later, in a backroom elaborately and impressively redone to continue the leather theme, Brian is accosted by a pushy man who insists on being Brian's daddy. After the clueless guy persists despite strongly worded refusals, Brian gets fed up and leaves. Seems even being reminded about his father in such an offhand way is just to much for him tonight. Favorite thing about this scene is the way Brian says "daddy" as his parting word while holding chewing gum in his teeth. But Brian's evening of troubles continues when he returns home to find an angry Mel at loft, because no misdeed goes undiscovered in tv land. Love the detail of Melanie handing Gus to Justin so she can have both hands free and voice raised tearing into Brian for leaving the baby with an inexperienced teenager on the verge of feeding Gus hot milk. Also like the way Mel later covers the baby's ( a cuter baby this time) ears when Brian responds with an even louder raised voice. Really don't understand how Brian has the nerve to defend himself. His absurd excuse about only being gone a couple of hours was due to a pushy would be Dom rather than a preplanned timetable, was bad enough. But Brian's telling Mel "I'm his father. Who are you?", reminding her that she is nothing to this baby is a particularly low blow, even for Brian. It's especially cruel considering that it's Brian's doing that she is nothing to Gus. It's one of the worst things Brian ever says. As much as Brian ultimately fails at watching his son, it was actually sort of impressive that he made it through a couple of days. Given his initial disinterest in Gus, and complete lack of parenting skills, Brian came pretty close to success. Unfortunately, close isn't good enough. The next day's fallout with Ted and Emmett keeping Brian's secret, albeit with sarcasm and snark, as Deb bragged on Brian for choosing Gus over the leather all, was a good comedown from the tension of the scene before. But this little conversation also serves to remind us how highly Brian covets being in Deb's good graces. Because Brian, always the one to downplay or outright deny his good deeds, actually takes steps to prevent Justin from telling Deb the rest of the babysitting story.
But in this viewer's opinion, Brian puts too much stock in Deb's regard and ideas as he as he decides to take her insipid advice about telling his father he's gay. Brian's timing to deliver the news is pretty good as he comes across his father alone in the garage. Like that the Kinney's house is normal and suitable to a union worker's paycheck. So often television characters live in homes that are unbelievably unconventional or way beyond their means, but not on this show. As he walks into the garage, the thread of the action almost stops as Brian is once again distractingly stunning in a long dark coat and expertly wrapped scarf. The garage is very brightly lit at one end, fully illuminating Brian, but casting half bright and half deep dark chiaroscuro like shadowing on Jack. Think it's rather telling that Jack instantly Brian's come to visit "the warden", an appellation serving to remind his children at all times that he sees them as his prison, and Brian hardly worth his time. Jack seems to have nothing to say to Brian til a bowling ball in one of the boxes he's moving brings memories of a league he played with while Brian watched. Apparently this is what passes for conversation between these two. Remember on first viewing of this that even early on, it seemed to be the most physically cold scene in the whole episode by far. And this chill had a lot more to do with what was happening than the ambient weather. Admire the way Brian tries a couple of times to start an actual sustained conversation. And one can empathized with his probable frustration as all attempts at seguing into what Brian has come to say are deflected by Jack with practiced ease. Was amazed that Brian's patience lasted as long as it did, but everything has it's limits. So finally Brian just blurts out "I'm gay.", as Jack stops dead in the middle of moving boxes. Brian also freezes, waiting with uneasy anticipation for Jack's reaction as the bright lights and heavy shadows seem even more of a presence. Jack remains still, his back to us. Think it was a good choice that we never know his first reaction to Brian's announcement. But as we and Brian expect, Jack is not pleased. Despite Deb's supposed wise words, Brian's father is not appreciative of going to his grave knowing who his son is. Also as expected, Jack rattles odd insults and invectives as Brian just stands there with an unreadable expression. From Brian and the man himself the viewing audience has come to know Jack is quite a dreadful individual in a very short time. But even knowing this, Jack telling his son "You're the one who should be dying instead of me.", was surprising. It certainly shocked Brian, to the point of drawing his fist back to hit his very deserving of a punch father. Believe it says a lot about the character of each man that jack reacts defensively, fully expecting his son to strike him, while Brian, after some hesitation, decides against it. Instead Brian snarls angrily, "But I'm not dying you selfish old prick.", finishing with a calm dispassionate toned "You are.". As he exits into the background, Brian leaves a slightly shaken Jack in the shadows.
But Jack proves to be full of surprises as he later interrupts Lindsay's yelling about Brian's poor babysitting actions to come calling again. Approve of Jack putting his hands up in mock surrender as an acknowledgement of the combative end to their last meeting. Brian hasn't forgotten either, and there's a great shot of him standing squarely in the middle of his living room, back to us, as he faces off against his dad. But Jack Kinney is trying to be contrite, offering up an old photograph of himself and a four month old Brian. Think it's believable that even after what jack said to him, Brian is still guardedly willing suffer his father's efforts at some sort of reconciliation. Unfortunately, it's also believable that Jack admits to only smiling in the picture "that's what you do". Brian quits trying at this point, but jack is unexpectedly persistent as he actually tries to smooths things over by both praising Brian and calling him a fairy in the same sentence. Also find this completely believable, because even when he is trying to make amends, Jack is still Jack. The dynamic of what's happening changes completely when Jack sees Lindsay, his face brightens noticeably and he becomes something close to charming as thy share small talk. This seems to stop Jack's momentum. It's at this point that Brian takes the incredibly charitable step of telling Jack that Gus is his grandson. Brian's partial forgiveness of his dad rewards us with the contrived but pleasant image of Jack holding Gus while Brian looks at the retrieved photo of Jack and himself and then at Jack with his grandson. The scene and episode ends here as Brian, gorgeous even in tight close up, turns right and walks out of frame.
It's a little hard to swallow that Jack would apparently come to terms with Brian's homosexuality and try to make peace, particularly in such a short time. But this is made acceptable because the slipshod way he does it is still true to who Jack is. It's highly commendable that the show doesn't try to rehabilitate Jack's character much at all. This deserves extra praise because redeeming bad people before they die is a pit fall so many shows and movies fall into. But not here, Jack might be trying to make amends, but Jack is still Jack. And Brian, despite often being an ass, has great capacity to forgive, especially regarding his father, who's love an acceptance Brian's always wanted. These final moments might not be much, but they are probably all a man like Jack is capable of giving. And as little as it is, it is probably better than nothing and all Brian will get from his father. Not at all sure Jack deserves to be in Brian's good graces even to this small extent. But am glad what passes for a reconciliation happens, if only for Brian's sake.
end part 2 of 3
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dergil27
10 years ago
...................thoughts on ep 115 pt 3 of 3
..................main points continued
Love the scene that opens Ted's story way out of proportion to it's relevance. This is mainly due to the setting's look, with Ted and Emmett seen coming downstairs from a low vantage point. This nets a very pretty picture of several flights of stairs opening to a skylight that gives a gorgeous view of the city sky, while large windows give a wonderful glimpse of the city street. The briefcases almost everyone carries tells us this is an office building. Ted disparaging Emmett's loud clothes and shooting down all of Em's lunch suggestions is just the beginning of an episode full of "boring Ted" examples. Like Michael's story, Ted's tale is set up quickly when he recites his one and only food order and gets recognized by an old business schoolmate from Mr. Schmidt's menu alone. The set up comes in earnest with Ted's old colleague Dale Wexler revealed to be a millionaire before he was thirty, a continued success, and wanting to try out a new Indonesian restaurant. This standing in not very subtle contrast to Ted still being with the same firm, definitely not a millionaire, and Emmett scoffing at the idea of Ted visiting an exotic eating establishment. This pretty much telegraphs almost all you need to know about our players, boring stuck in a rut Ted with his never changing menu, and rich successful Dale with his willingness to try new foods. This has all the nuance of a billboard and is way to obvious even for this show. But despite the irritation at being force fed the plot line with an over sized serving spoon, I really did enjoy this opening setting. After all, there is something to be said for leaving no room for confusion on the viewer's part. And the cityscape backdrop with the foreground's open staircase really is a pleasurable visual.
Later, the leather ball at Babylon has it's own kind of beauty with a generous number of well built leather clad men bathed in green and blue lights on full display. Always love when Babylon does themes, and having the patrons dress for them is an added bonus. In the midst of this is Ted, his dullness in fore force as he not only refuses to dress for the occasion, but criticizes Emmett when he does. It was always a mild irritation that this program was always propagating the erroneous idea that Emmett's ass was one of his"best assets". Many of us love Emmett, but this does not blind some of us to the fact that his backside leaves something to be desired. This scene also offers the happy change of Emmett greeting Brian in a friendly manner, as Em commonly seems to merely tolerate Brian's company And think it's truly hilarious that Brian is smoking and chewing gum at the same time. But this show has a story to tell, so these little bits of fun recede as Ted unfortunately reclaims the focus with his continued crabbing about the weirdness of everybody. Was relieved that Ted's whining was quickly cut off by spontaneous applause, the floor show beneath them now having everyone's attention. Doubt that a flogging exhibition ever looked prettier, with two hooded leather clad men of impressive physical presence acting out a common bdsm fantasy while bathed in eerie blue light. The whole club is into the leather show, with varying degrees on interests, but most are still somewhat detached. Ted however is completely transfixed, his expression seeming to convey both repulsion and fascination with what he is witnessing. Like the way the camera highlights and isolates Ted with sound and lighting changes, as his heightened interest in the performance separates him from his friends on the platform. Since it was clear from the beginning that Ted's old classmate Dale was going to figure into this episode, it shouldn't be a surprise that Dale is revealed as the guy with the whip. But, embarrassed to say that this rather nonobservant viewer found it a little unexpected. Just how different Ted and Em's thoughts are at this time is made very clear as Emmett makes a playful remark about Ted now knowing one of Dale's secrets of success. But all this while, Ted merely stares silently, his thoughts likely on discovering his new found interests embodied in someone he actually knows. In a later Babylon scene, with the passage of time somehow conveyed despite no obvious markers, Ted is still hanging around. And just in case his continued presence and the earlier look on his face didn't convince you, Ted's toying around with a cat o nine tails leaves no doubt he's truly intrigued with the BDSM concept. Liked the look of pleasant surprise on Dale's face when he assumes Ted is already part of that life. Also liked the disbelief in Dale's voice when Ted claimed he's only interested as an observer. And loved the flirtatious, friendly, and persuasive way Dale invites Ted to go with his curiosities about the lifestyle. Was there ever any doubt Ted would accept the invitation for drinks later?
Dale's living quarters, low key and done in pale neutrals, contrasts nicely with the bondage trappings of earlier. And that, along with the very ordinary white robe he wears while offering Ted a drink, seems to serve as a visual cue for the separation of dale's leather and professional lifestyles. Enjoyed the floor's eye view as a sitting Dale is shot at an upward angle with particular focus on his hand, which appears huge. And while not actually enjoying it, found Ted's increasing discomfort a little enthralling is somewhat overblown. Ted seems only slightly off his game at first, just a little nervous as he expresses surprise at eh vast gulf between Dale's two worlds. But when Dale sits next to Ted, telling the man his alternate lifestyle has helped him in other areas of life, Mr. Wexler's close proximity seems to unnerve Ted, who begins stammering and pokes light fun at Dale's leather practices. As Dale speaks of the liberty that comes with total surrender and begins messaging Ted's shoulder, clearly an invitation, Ted's stammer gets a lot worse as he makes a run for it in the guise of going to the bathroom.
The bathroom trip entails a journey down another long, long, staircase. This time it's a spiral walk with impressive iron railing that is once again seen from the bottom up. But this time an artificially elongated look is created along with an eerie glow of contrast between the dark railing and the yellowish lights. Even given the deliberate lengthening effect, the walk is steep, tightly wound, and seems to go on forever. On this show the creators often tried to bring a bit of beauty to the proceedings, even if said beauty was a difficult fit within the story. So might be the case here, where an impossibly long staircase is supposed to be part of a person's private dwelling. But for this viewer, the visual is so striking, I really don't care. Besides, one can always assume Dale is living in a lighthouse. At journey's end, Ted stands before two doors and of course he chooses wrong, coming face to face with Dale's playroom. Not sure if this is an accident or on purpose, but since Dale is right behind Ted, my bet would be on the deliberate side. Dale's playroom is a sight to behold. Tan walls with an earthy accent surround an array of bdsm paraphernalia nearly all in black. The black candelabra by the door is of particular note, with the room's most prominent features being a sling and a whipping post. An assortment of black chains and straps seem to serve for ambiance as well as utility. Most clever of all are the electric lights positioned in the wall to resemble torches. You can't help but admire the detail and effort this show puts into the sets even dealing with lesser story lines. Also admire, though somewhat guardedly, the way Dale calmly but aggressively tries getting Ted's agreement for "A little demonstration." , right then and there. Dale moving forward as Ted retreats, running into things and continuing to stammer, is almost like physical comedy. And with Dale's "Allow me to introduce you to yourself. To the real Ted Schmidt.", it's like physical comedy meets melodramatic theater. Was not surprised that Ted seemed almost ready for what Dale had to offer. But it was unexpected that Dale was the one to break the spell, as he's been given to be good at sizing people up. What follows diminishes the scene a little bit as Ted's stammer and clumsiness is ramped up and Dale alludes to Ted's never changing menu in relation to his fear of new things, both hearkening to this program's trademark overkill. Still, I was very happy with this scene overall.
Regrettably, this show is not done beating the dead horse that is Ted's never changing menu. But must admit the idea of everyone reciting bits of Ted's food order at eh diner had it's charm. And when Ted begins making an issue of it, with words like "reliable" and "predictable" flying around, Ted's own quick phrasing change from " I never put my ass in a sling" to "on the line", got a laugh. How often can the sling reference be taken literally? It is Brian who finally puts Ted's "tuna on white bread" to rest in his usual insulting way, pointing out that Ted's menu is the symptom, not the problem.
Next time we see Ted, he's back in Dale's playroom having decided to finally try something new. Dale is waiting in appropriate attire, and have to say, though a burly man, he fills out his outfit nicely. Like that of the three times we see Dale engage in his hobby, he's wearing different leather gear. No skimping on wardrobe here. And the show's even managed a slight hint of complexity with Ted nervous and frightened but still determined. Like the moment of hesitation right before he agrees to "surrender" to the experience. And it's made clear that this will be played out rigorously by with Dale donning his mask, by the chastisement of the "slave" for speaking out of turn, and the continued use of somewhat theatrical, (for lack of a better term) language. The background music is a constant repetitive beat played at low register at first barely discernable, becoming louder but never so noticeable that it does anything more than add and enhance the tense atmosphere of anticipation. Despite the nature of the activity, there's a real effort to present it's sensual aspect. And there's just something about Dale undressing Ted from behind that makes it more enticing. And for an added bonus, there's a quick glance at a full frontal nude Ted as Dale leads him to the post in semi soft focused light. Erotism abounds as Ted's is strapping down is shot completely in profile closeups of Ted's featuring Ted's back in close quarters with Dale's front. The pleasure part of the pleasure/pain aspect of bdsm continues to be well represented as the binding of Ted is accompanied with a stroking to his shoulders and back. All still shot in semi soft focus side view closeup. Love the detail of Ted still wearing his watch. Not sure if the watch has a purpose or is merely intended as an interesting visual, but it reminds me of how different this experience is for him. When the actual flogging begins, it's presented as a closeup on Ted's face and shoulder, with the whip barely in the frame. As the focus is on Ted's face, the bdsm toy almost incidental, the suggestion seems to be that the act is not the point, but that Ted has had the courage to try something new, exciting and even kind of scary. And probably see so little of the actual s&m play, with Ted's reaction so hard to read, because it was a means to an end. We don't know, nor does it matter how Ted found the actual experience in Dale's playroom. It was all about predictable, reliable Ted taking a chance. Just getting here was the triumph.
......................Other things of note...............
Gus wears a lot of baby hats in this episode. But none are as flamboyant or as interesting as the headgear we had been seeing in the past.
Love the way Babylon always goes the extra mile when it's theme night, outfitting the go go boys and the backroom to match any given occasion. In the real world, this sort of excess would probably bankrupt such a club, even with packed attendance and business write offs. But in the qaf universe, these elaborate displays are an almost bi monthly event. It's good to be a gay club goer in Brian's Pittsburgh.
Was slightly distracted during the scene in Deb's kitchen by the way Gus would be asleep one second, awake again the next and then asleep once more an instant later. Realize that babies can't be told and nothing was to be done, but it still takes you out of the moment a little bit.
Notice the air kiss goodbye David gives Michael when he goes off to treat an injured hockey player. Can only assume this is due to the couple being out in the straight world.
Don't expect the writers to be exceedingly well versed in all things Pittsburgh, but they could at least be troubled to look at a map once in a while. The Susquehanna River is nowhere near Pittsburgh.
Despise divorce custody laws that allow one parent, usually the mother, to move their child anywhere they please. No matter that the other parent may have joint custody, if they don't have the time and/or money to visit long distances, too bad. This is vile.
There are an awful lot of stairs Ted featured in Ted and Michael's stories. Ted's plot even begins on a large well lit public stairway. And later, there are Dale Wexler's improbably winding spiral steps leading to both the bathroom and the playroom. The stairs in the house where David and Michael live are always present, either as part of the action or as part of the background. And outdoors, Michael can be seen lagging behind on an escalator and off the steps of a bridge.
Brian says that he was "!*cking" the CEO of a corporation "for a while" who liked to wear diapers. This clearly implies that Brian and a guy with a diaper fetish were having sex a number of times. So not only was Justin not Brian's first repeat, he wasn't even Brian's first serial sex partner.
With the bathroom and playroom right next to each other, one wonders if Ted is the only person to wonder into the "wrong" room.
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Golden_Gardenia
10 years ago
A few thoughts om 115, really, I think you guys said it all. I hope I have the time to comment on your review soon, dergil!
Episode 115 (or like I prefer to call it: How many babies ?)
This episode is about Brian and Michael facing the challenges of parenthood.
There are sweet moments in the first scene. I love to see Justin showering at Brian’s. That means he often spends the night there, like a boyfriend! What to say about Brian feeding Gus? And what about that gentle kiss Justin gives Gus?
OK. I have a feeling they used at least 3 different babies in this episode. Take a good look at BABY 1 (small baby), in the first scene. Then ,BABY 2, in Debbie’s house (huge baby, by the way). Finally BABY 3 (medium size baby), in the last scene, when Brian’s Dad holds him. I’m pretty sure the baby in the diner is BABY 1 again. The crying baby who makes Brian crazy might be BABY 1, but he looks so tiny to me, I’m not sure.
I was wondering if Brian ditched work to take care of Gus. If Justin is going to school, it's a school day, it’s not Saturday or Sunday or holiday…
What a gorgeous guy in leather who comes in the diner!
Until his father comes over, Brian is being a great father. Except he couldn’t have left Gus on that baby chair on the counter when he answers the door! Babies move a lot, Gus could have fallen off the counter. Anyway, I like the way Brian runs to Gus and holds him, as if to protect him from his father, when he comes in. Brian always looks so vulnerable and helpless when his father is around him. And Gale’s expression when Jack tells Brian he has cancer. Great performance, Gale.
If you keep your eye on that big baby at Debbie’s house, you’ll see that sometimes he’s asleep, on the next cut he’s awake, next, asleep again. Justin loves the baby so much. I can picture him taking care of his own baby (luckily with Brian at Britin). Randy shows he is familiar with holding babies (Gale looks less expert on thematter). Well, once more Debbie is the only one who can get through Brian, see his soul. And he always ends up doing whatever she says. It was a good thing he told his father he’s gay, and after the first shock, I think Jack decided he wouldn’t go to his grave mad at his son for being who he is. I thought it was sweet of him to give Brian that picture. An even sweeter of Brian to tell him Gus is his grandson.
As always, Brian tries to fill his voids with sex, it didn’t work this time and he goes home to find an angry Mel who tells him off! Boy, she was mad! And she was right. I felt so bad for her when Brian says: “I’m his father, who are you?” Again, she feels totally excluded from the parenthood process.
Does Brian have a middle name? Or the boys were kidding when they said his middle name starts with an A? Just guessing here… Could it be Adam, or Andrew, or Aidan???
Boy, Ted learned a lot in this episode! Too bad after the spanking experience he came back to his old self of being predictable. Emmett has the most beautiful butt in this show, by the way!
Michael does a great job being a parent, even better than David. And David seems to treat Michael the same way he treats his son, including the tap on Michael's behind!
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dergil27
10 years ago
Once again, thank your for taking the time to review this episode,
Wondered about the changes in the babies too. And they probably did use more than one pair. But babies can change so much from day to day as to appear to be different people.
I got the idea that most of the action took place between sometime Friday a through Sunday, with Jack's final visit on Monday.
The guy in leather did look good. And even though it wouldn't have been very likely, it was a little disappointing that we didn't catch sight of him at the Leather Ball.
It does appear that neither the writers nor Gale Harold have a lot of experience dealing with infants.
Harold does indeed do a great acting job in this episode. His subtle but devastated look when he hears of his dad's cancer is especially notable.
I also noticed the baby in Deb's kitchen being awake one minute and asleep the next, mentioned it in my review as well.
I was pleased that Jack gave Brian the old picture, but found it a bit unbelievable that he'd come round so quickly. But I'm glad he did for Brian's sake.
Don't think Brian was at Babylon to fill his voids with sex. He went there for the pleasure of it. It was the handsome guy in leather that made him want to go. Brian only got put off when someone used the word "Daddy" to him, forcing him to remember his problematic father/ son situation.
Don't think Brian had any business telling Mel "Who are you?", particularly after he'd left Gus with someone else just to go out and have a good time.
Michael does show signs that he'd be a good father. And thought it was an eye opener that David treats his son so similar to the way he treats Michael.
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clofa
10 years ago
As the focus is on Ted's face, the bdsm toy almost incidental, the suggestion seems to be that the act is not the point, but that Ted has had the courage to try something new, exciting and even kind of scary. And probably see so little of the actual s&m play, with Ted's reaction so hard to read, because it was a means to an end. We don't know, nor does it matter how Ted found the actual experience in Dale's playroom. It was all about predictable, reliable Ted taking a chance. Just getting here was the triumph.
Again, very well said. I've never thought about it this way.
What I also find interesting in this storyline is the contrast between best friends Ted and Emmett. When seeing BDSM through their eyes, Emmett's reaction makes me feel it's fun, almost childish, even non-sexual fun- while Ted's reaction makes me feel it's a daunting experience, a challenge that needs a lot of emotional preparation.
Brianwashed!
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clofa
10 years ago
You posted this on my birthday and I had read it then (but didn't comment because it had been a long time since I'd watch the episode and I needed to refresh my memory). So thank you for the nice birthday present
It was really fun reading your description in the first paragraph, and I love how you linked it with the second paragraph, though the story gets sadder here. And I especially enjoyed your description of the scene between Brian and his father in the garage.
The only thing I see differently is Brian's motive for "giving up" on being a good father for the weekend. I partly agree with Golden Gardenia and I also think that the encounter with his father had a lot to do with it.
What I agree with you about is this:
But Brian's telling Mel "I'm his father. Who are you?", reminding her that she is nothing to this baby is a particularly low blow, even for Brian. It's especially cruel considering that it's Brian's doing that she is nothing to Gus. It's one of the worst things Brian ever says.
Brian's behavior rarely annoys me, and even though he and Melanie are used to being unpleasant to each other and even though he's drunk and being defensive, what he says to Melanie is uncalled for and very cruel. Regardless of of blood relations and the law, she's as much Gus' parent as Lindsey and Brian. And because he's Brian -anti-establishment personified- this thought shouldn't have even occurred to him, even if he didn't mean it and only said it to spite/hurt Melanie.
The next scene is one of those pleasant family moments with Justin, Vic, and Debbie in their sleep clothes as Justin makes waffles.
Although I like Vic, I thought his comments to Justin about the waffles and the sauce a bit creepy.
I think it's really cute how the baby is genuinely smiling to Sharon Gless in this scene. It always makes me smile.
Which in turn lead to Debbie coming up with the incredibly ludicrous notion that Brian should tell his dad he's gay
Because of the way she begun by suggesting taking her advice because she'd known him longer than he'd known himself, I thought this was believable because she's insinuating that it's something that Brian had been struggling with and his dad dying without knowing is something that Brian would find hard to cope with. It seemed to me that her advice was more for Brian's sake (than his father's).
Brianwashed!
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dergil27
10 years ago
Brian does seem to want it both ways in regard to Gus and Mel. He's all about no rule and how artificial hetero lifestyles are. But when such traditions benefit him, such as his rights as the father despite Melanie's place in the baby's life, he fine with taking advantage of it.
I thought the scene with Vic, Justin and the waffles creepy too. It looks like Vic is leering at Justin. Meant to mention it in the end notes, but must have forgot.
I'm sure Deb's advice to tell his dad he's gay is for Brian's sake. Just don't think it was very good advice at all. Even though he might have come around somewhat in the end, still think Brian could have done without that conversation in the garage, especially what Jack said to him when he was told.
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