Hello, folks! Today’s commission discussion post comes from Jessica, who got me to watch the first “episode” of Jane Espenson’s new show, who she wrote with the creator, Brad Bell. And FINALLY, something that is actually CANONICALLY GAY for me to write about!
So, video first!
The video is located here for download or for streaming only the first 15 minutes
And you can find all my Mark Watches videos indexed in this public Dropbox folder!
- It didn’t take long for me to enjoy Husbands, but I admit I was weary at first. I never quite know whether a gay couple is going to be portrayed well, but I also didn’t know this show was literally just about them.Â
- The charm in Husbands comes from the fact that it’s so willing to both criticize the gay community for their single-minded efforts to address gay marriage and pretty much nothing else while also being able to say that there are serious and necessary issues to discuss about marriage.
- Plus, I’m impressed already that this show cast one of the leads as someone who is visibly queer and effeminate, and then spends time TALKING ABOUT THIS. The whole part where Brady says he’s the “patriarchal” one? Yeah, totally unexpected.
- (Yes, I realize Brad Bell, who plays Cheeks, created and wrote the show, but STILL. That doesn’t mean it isn’t nice to see this represented.)
- I think that unless you have lived in Southern California and had years of experience with the gay scene out there, I’m not sure you would get half the jokes that fly by. Which, for the record, I’m perfectly okay with because I like that this show isn’t catered to everyone. It sort of does expect you to know what they’re talking about. But my god, I cannot tell you how many people I knew from my years in Los Angeles who are BOTH OF THESE MEN. The only complaint I have, which must be given a qualification, is that this hasn’t shown how racially diverse the Southern California gay scene really is. THAT BEING SAID it’s not like you can just plop that into this episode all willy nilly. I’m sure the writers/crew were severely limited in where they could shoot, considering that the only places we ever saw were: Vegas, the inside of a limo, and Cheeks’s house.
- But what I was most surprised by was how… sweet this was??? Like, yes, it’s a great set-up for a ~wacky sitcom~! I get that! And then suddenly it’s a very serious examination of how these two are going to navigate the PR nightmare and the emotional logistics of marriage, and jesus, I DEFINITELY DID NOT SIGN UP FOR THESE FEELINGS.
I’m going to wait to watch season two (which Wikipedia tells me is three 8-minute episodes) in case someone wants to commission me to watch all of that in a single video, because I am down. UNFAIR CLIFFHANGERS ARE UNFAIR. But if you are interested in watching Husbands, the entire first season is available here on their site. Actually, I’m sure the second season is, too, but I haven’t checked because ~spoilers~.
Mark Links Stuff
– I am going on tour in 2013! There are 27 tour dates spread across the eastern half of North America. Please help suggest venues, offer up a place to crash, and RSVP for dates near you!
- I have begun writing posts in advance to compensate for tour. All commissions are open, and I have listed all upcoming Mark Watches posts that are missing commissions.
- You can also commission me to read bad fic/fiction on ANY Mark Does Stuff Tour date. You can claim a specific date to have a live reading right here.
