let's go straight to number one
I got the whole Queer as Folk UK on DVD for my birthday. Finally I don't have to rely on YouTube or spam my harddrive with downloads. I prefer QAF US to QAF UK, but since the US version is based on QAF UK, I have to respect the source. And it's not like I don't love it! Cause I do. A lot. It's just...I prefer the US version. It's better acted, better directed, better written, has a better soundtrack, has more character depth, though I will admit that the UK version is somewhat more controversial.
US vs UK:
I love Brian a hell of a lot more than I love Stuart (though I do love Stuart); I love Michael more, though Vince is much more of a sweetheart while Michael is kinda like a whiny little brother; love Justin much more, though I love Nathan a lot too; I don't really like Hazel, but I love Debbie; love Daphne way more than Donna, Emmett a lot more than Alexander, Ted way more than Phil, Vic more so than Bernie, Melanie more than Lisa, Lindsay way more than Romey, Jennifer so much more than Janice; and as for David and Cameron, I hate them equally.
I was going somewhere with this, I know I was...
Right. When I said that the UK version is somewhat more controversial, I meant that in the sense that they changed the ages in QAF US. Brian and Michael are still 29, but Justin is 17 whereas Nathan was 15. Also, Brian was 14 with the gym coach, while Stuart was 12. Still, I think QAF US made up for Justin's age with making him a lot more naïve than Nathan, so you could say that Brian took advantage of Justin more so than Stuart did of Nathan. (And this might just be me, but I'd say that they made up for the age difference in Brian/Stuart's tryst with the gym coach with making Brian a lot more vulnerable than Stuart.)
The biggest difference between QAF US and QAF UK, though, if you ask me, is that the heart and soul of the US version is Brian/Justin (Stuart/Nathan), while Stuart/Vince (Brian/Michael) is what makes QAF UK QAF UK. And how much do I love that? Seriously. Brian/Justin is my OTP, of course, it's untouchable and that's just that, but I have a very soft spot for Brian/Michael (Brian and Michael are way more dysfunctional than Stuart and Vince are, btw) any way I can get them, so to have two shows dedicated to my two OTPs? Is pretty much my definition of heaven.
(Also, RTD? You are such a fucking tease. You promised me a Vince/Stuart/Nathan threesome in S2E02! You did! And then you didn't follow through! Tease, I tell you. I don't have a lot of OT3s, but Vince/Stuart/Nathan is my OT3 for QAF UK, while Michael/Brian/Justin is my OT3 for QAF US. My OT3 in Heroes would be Nathan/Peter/Sylar--or possibly Nathan/Peter/Claire--, while in Oz it's Chris/Toby/Ryan. And--)
If I'm going to compare every scene it would take forever, so I'll only do a few.
S1E01, Brian first sees Justin vs Stuart first sees Nathan:
The moment when Brian catches a glance of Justin is perfect in every possible way. The music (Sandstorm by Darude), the directing, the coloring, the acting, how Brian just freezes, Justin's posture and face as he sees Brian looking then coming towards him, Michael's look as he watches and thinks, "That's when it happened - when he came along." It's much more ambiguous in the US version if it was love or lust at first sight, while in the UK version it was obvious that Stuart just caught a scent of fresh meat. Vince also thought "When he came along - the one-night-stand that wouldn't end" (quoted from memory) which for me again illustrates that Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman knew from the beginning that they were going to make Brian/Justin the OTP of QAF US.
S1E01, Brian and Justin's first kiss vs Stuart and Nathan's first kiss:
Again, the Brian/Justin first kiss scene is perfect in every possible way (it's one of the best scenes on TV, for me--rates up there with Chris and Toby's first kiss; the truck slamming into the Impala; Nathan flying away with Peter, etc). The music (You Think You're a Man by Full Frontal), the directing (I fucking love how this show is directed), the acting, Brian's "So are you coming or going? Or coming and then going? Or coming and staying?" vs Stuart's "Are we doing this or not?" (quoted from memory). And then (and this is cheating, because it's not the first kiss scene, it's the first-time-they-have-sex scene), Brian's "I want you to always remember this, so that no matter who you're ever with, I'll always be there" vs Stuart rambling while he's high (something about a football team, I think). (Of course, that entire scene was probably the biggest clue for the UK version-watchers-that-started-watching-the US version that QAF US was going to be about Brian/Justin [Stuart/Nathan].)
S1E02, Brian telling Justin exactly what it was and was not, then watching as Justin drives away vs Stuart telling Nathan exactly what it was and was not, then watching as Nathan drives away:
Heartbreaking, but so perfect (again). The music (Sleep by Dandy Warhols--so perfect and so haunting and I can never hear that song without thinking of the look on Brian's face as Justin drives away), the acting, the coloring, Brian leaving a trick alone in his apartment and going out barefoot after Justin, Brian's monologuing and how it establishes his character so brilliantly. And you know what else is so perfect? In the UK version, you get to see Stuart going inside and telling the trick that it wasn't going to happen, while in the US version, you don't need to see that; the look on Brian's face tells you everything you need to know. And while it is possible that Brian fucked the trick, you know that if so, it was on principle, nothing else.
S1E04, Justin blows Brian in Michael's old room vs Stuart jerks Nathan off; Nathan blows Stuart:
How much do I love this scene? So perfect. The music (Straight To...Number One by Touch and Go--it gives the scene such a dreamlike quality), the acting, the coloring (the blue and twilight hues make not only for dreamlike quality that goes with the music, but it also invokes a sense of "us against the world" which feels so appropriate for this couple, then adding to that there's the standard meanings of alienation and wistfulness), the directing (sooo fucking perfect), the acting, Justin's "Waiting for you", the lyrics let's go straight to number one as Justin slides down to his knees, Michael's look as he realizes what Brian and Justin are doing up there. Now, the UK version of this scene is rather different. I like how Nathan stands there looking at those pictures while Stuart is standing behind him and Nathan is panting with all that sexual tension and then Stuart grabs him and turns him around. I do like that. Then there's the wanking and the blowjob. But...comparing these scenes, it doesn't get more obvious how different the characters and the pairings are. (And I'm not even talking about Brian gently holding Justin's head vs Stuart roughly fucking Nathan's mouth.) The Brian/Justin scene is so dreamlike and gentle and just so characteristic, while the Stuart/Nathan scene is raw and awkward and you get the feeling that they're horny and can't keep their hands off each other but it's is strictly physical, their secretive smiles notwithstanding. Also? The Brian/Justin scene was during the night, Stuart/Nathan during broad daylight. Don't know what to make of that, though I'm sure there's plenty of food for thought hidden there somewhere.
And this is just me trying to keep track of my thoughts. (I'll probably edit to make this more coherent at some point.) To sum it up, Queer as Folk UK is great and I love it a lot, but Queer as Folk US owns my heart and soul and is my safe haven.
ETA: Note to self: stay away from TWoP. You know it'll just depress you. They can make you hate anything. They're like the DLPers, without the coolness. Okay? So, they hate on QAF. Are you actually surprised? No? SO WHY DO YOU GO OVER THERE? Jeez, masochistic much? If you want meta, for fuck's sake, head over to LJ.
US vs UK:
I love Brian a hell of a lot more than I love Stuart (though I do love Stuart); I love Michael more, though Vince is much more of a sweetheart while Michael is kinda like a whiny little brother; love Justin much more, though I love Nathan a lot too; I don't really like Hazel, but I love Debbie; love Daphne way more than Donna, Emmett a lot more than Alexander, Ted way more than Phil, Vic more so than Bernie, Melanie more than Lisa, Lindsay way more than Romey, Jennifer so much more than Janice; and as for David and Cameron, I hate them equally.
I was going somewhere with this, I know I was...
Right. When I said that the UK version is somewhat more controversial, I meant that in the sense that they changed the ages in QAF US. Brian and Michael are still 29, but Justin is 17 whereas Nathan was 15. Also, Brian was 14 with the gym coach, while Stuart was 12. Still, I think QAF US made up for Justin's age with making him a lot more naïve than Nathan, so you could say that Brian took advantage of Justin more so than Stuart did of Nathan. (And this might just be me, but I'd say that they made up for the age difference in Brian/Stuart's tryst with the gym coach with making Brian a lot more vulnerable than Stuart.)
The biggest difference between QAF US and QAF UK, though, if you ask me, is that the heart and soul of the US version is Brian/Justin (Stuart/Nathan), while Stuart/Vince (Brian/Michael) is what makes QAF UK QAF UK. And how much do I love that? Seriously. Brian/Justin is my OTP, of course, it's untouchable and that's just that, but I have a very soft spot for Brian/Michael (Brian and Michael are way more dysfunctional than Stuart and Vince are, btw) any way I can get them, so to have two shows dedicated to my two OTPs? Is pretty much my definition of heaven.
(Also, RTD? You are such a fucking tease. You promised me a Vince/Stuart/Nathan threesome in S2E02! You did! And then you didn't follow through! Tease, I tell you. I don't have a lot of OT3s, but Vince/Stuart/Nathan is my OT3 for QAF UK, while Michael/Brian/Justin is my OT3 for QAF US. My OT3 in Heroes would be Nathan/Peter/Sylar--or possibly Nathan/Peter/Claire--, while in Oz it's Chris/Toby/Ryan. And--)
If I'm going to compare every scene it would take forever, so I'll only do a few.
S1E01, Brian first sees Justin vs Stuart first sees Nathan:
The moment when Brian catches a glance of Justin is perfect in every possible way. The music (Sandstorm by Darude), the directing, the coloring, the acting, how Brian just freezes, Justin's posture and face as he sees Brian looking then coming towards him, Michael's look as he watches and thinks, "That's when it happened - when he came along." It's much more ambiguous in the US version if it was love or lust at first sight, while in the UK version it was obvious that Stuart just caught a scent of fresh meat. Vince also thought "When he came along - the one-night-stand that wouldn't end" (quoted from memory) which for me again illustrates that Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman knew from the beginning that they were going to make Brian/Justin the OTP of QAF US.
S1E01, Brian and Justin's first kiss vs Stuart and Nathan's first kiss:
Again, the Brian/Justin first kiss scene is perfect in every possible way (it's one of the best scenes on TV, for me--rates up there with Chris and Toby's first kiss; the truck slamming into the Impala; Nathan flying away with Peter, etc). The music (You Think You're a Man by Full Frontal), the directing (I fucking love how this show is directed), the acting, Brian's "So are you coming or going? Or coming and then going? Or coming and staying?" vs Stuart's "Are we doing this or not?" (quoted from memory). And then (and this is cheating, because it's not the first kiss scene, it's the first-time-they-have-sex scene), Brian's "I want you to always remember this, so that no matter who you're ever with, I'll always be there" vs Stuart rambling while he's high (something about a football team, I think). (Of course, that entire scene was probably the biggest clue for the UK version-watchers-that-started-watching-the US version that QAF US was going to be about Brian/Justin [Stuart/Nathan].)
S1E02, Brian telling Justin exactly what it was and was not, then watching as Justin drives away vs Stuart telling Nathan exactly what it was and was not, then watching as Nathan drives away:
Heartbreaking, but so perfect (again). The music (Sleep by Dandy Warhols--so perfect and so haunting and I can never hear that song without thinking of the look on Brian's face as Justin drives away), the acting, the coloring, Brian leaving a trick alone in his apartment and going out barefoot after Justin, Brian's monologuing and how it establishes his character so brilliantly. And you know what else is so perfect? In the UK version, you get to see Stuart going inside and telling the trick that it wasn't going to happen, while in the US version, you don't need to see that; the look on Brian's face tells you everything you need to know. And while it is possible that Brian fucked the trick, you know that if so, it was on principle, nothing else.
S1E04, Justin blows Brian in Michael's old room vs Stuart jerks Nathan off; Nathan blows Stuart:
How much do I love this scene? So perfect. The music (Straight To...Number One by Touch and Go--it gives the scene such a dreamlike quality), the acting, the coloring (the blue and twilight hues make not only for dreamlike quality that goes with the music, but it also invokes a sense of "us against the world" which feels so appropriate for this couple, then adding to that there's the standard meanings of alienation and wistfulness), the directing (sooo fucking perfect), the acting, Justin's "Waiting for you", the lyrics let's go straight to number one as Justin slides down to his knees, Michael's look as he realizes what Brian and Justin are doing up there. Now, the UK version of this scene is rather different. I like how Nathan stands there looking at those pictures while Stuart is standing behind him and Nathan is panting with all that sexual tension and then Stuart grabs him and turns him around. I do like that. Then there's the wanking and the blowjob. But...comparing these scenes, it doesn't get more obvious how different the characters and the pairings are. (And I'm not even talking about Brian gently holding Justin's head vs Stuart roughly fucking Nathan's mouth.) The Brian/Justin scene is so dreamlike and gentle and just so characteristic, while the Stuart/Nathan scene is raw and awkward and you get the feeling that they're horny and can't keep their hands off each other but it's is strictly physical, their secretive smiles notwithstanding. Also? The Brian/Justin scene was during the night, Stuart/Nathan during broad daylight. Don't know what to make of that, though I'm sure there's plenty of food for thought hidden there somewhere.
And this is just me trying to keep track of my thoughts. (I'll probably edit to make this more coherent at some point.) To sum it up, Queer as Folk UK is great and I love it a lot, but Queer as Folk US owns my heart and soul and is my safe haven.
ETA: Note to self: stay away from TWoP. You know it'll just depress you. They can make you hate anything. They're like the DLPers, without the coolness. Okay? So, they hate on QAF. Are you actually surprised? No? SO WHY DO YOU GO OVER THERE? Jeez, masochistic much? If you want meta, for fuck's sake, head over to LJ.
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