I was recently recommended this show by a friend, as somehow it had slipped under my radar when it first aired. On the surface, it seemed like something I'd love. I know a lot about the AIDS crisis, have volunteered at an HIV/AIDS charity, and have a degree in biology so viruses have always been interesting to me. Reflecting on pandemics of the past (and present, since AIDS is an ongoing issue) seems especially prescient due to the current crisis we face with covid. I also happen to be gay, which I'm only stating so that the rest of my review isn't waved off as bigotry or something stupid like that.
This show, frankly, baffled me. The tone is really bizarre. It handles an extremely heavy topic with all the flippancy of a soap opera. There are a bunch of weird montages with fourth wall-rupturing soliloquies that made me feel like I was watching a production meant for the stage. I half-expected the characters to break out in song during these moments, which mercifully did not happen. The acting is generally sub-par, with many of the scenes that should be poignant, upsetting, and probably even terrifying instead being tinged with an unshakeable sense of melodrama. It just didn't work for me.
Aside from the confusing tone, the characters were mostly ridiculous stereotypes... were it not for the director being a gay guy himself, I'd probably go as far as calling them homophobic caricatures. Almost every single one of the core group of gay men is a lisping, gender-bending diva, all of whom talked more like Zoomers than 80s youths (the "LA" call and response thing they do is the most cringeworthy thing I've seen in recent memory.) They were incredibly flat and one-dimensional, with so little humanity given to them that I simply couldn't connect with them. Most of them also seemed to be afflicted by some sort of neuroses resembling narcissistic personality disorder and, frankly, were insufferable. The only characters I thought had any redeeming qualities were Jill and Colin. Jill was sort of puzzling because over the entire decade we follow her around, she doesn't seem to have any significant other of her own or any clear career goals other than being a full-time f*g-hag. Colin, though sweet and sympathetic, felt shoehorned in, and his eventual doom felt unearned and manipulative on the writer's part.
Worst of all, however, is Olly Alexander's character, Ritchie, who unfortunately for us all is supposed to be the lead role. I was unfamiliar with Olly and all I can say is... this dude not only cannot act but is also almost impressively annoying. Once I realized that he was going to be the final death, the gut-punch that the whole train wreck had been building up to, I couldn't believe it. I think the point where it finally completely jumped the shark for me was when he put on his little ballerina dance in front of his friend's car... barf. His closing monologue to his mom was incredible cringe-inducing, and the following exchange between his mom and Jill was probably even worse. Terrible, terrible stuff.
What's more is that this show's structure is almost a complete ripoff of the FAR superior film "Longtime Companion" (1989). That movie came out when the AIDS crisis was still at its peak, and the characters act like actual gay men from the 80s instead of annoying Zoomers playing fashion show. Seriously, whether or not you like this show, do yourself a favor and watch that one. The characters are multi-dimensional beings who you will genuinely care about, the tone is just as dark as it should be, and above all it is genuinely SCARY. It's criminal how few people seem to be aware of that great film.
(NOTE: This would be a 1-star review, but I'm awarding the extra star due to Neil Patrick Harris and the prospect of raising awareness about details of the AIDS crisis that the textbooks gloss over.)
This show, frankly, baffled me. The tone is really bizarre. It handles an extremely heavy topic with all the flippancy of a soap opera. There are a bunch of weird montages with fourth wall-rupturing soliloquies that made me feel like I was watching a production meant for the stage. I half-expected the characters to break out in song during these moments, which mercifully did not happen. The acting is generally sub-par, with many of the scenes that should be poignant, upsetting, and probably even terrifying instead being tinged with an unshakeable sense of melodrama. It just didn't work for me.
Aside from the confusing tone, the characters were mostly ridiculous stereotypes... were it not for the director being a gay guy himself, I'd probably go as far as calling them homophobic caricatures. Almost every single one of the core group of gay men is a lisping, gender-bending diva, all of whom talked more like Zoomers than 80s youths (the "LA" call and response thing they do is the most cringeworthy thing I've seen in recent memory.) They were incredibly flat and one-dimensional, with so little humanity given to them that I simply couldn't connect with them. Most of them also seemed to be afflicted by some sort of neuroses resembling narcissistic personality disorder and, frankly, were insufferable. The only characters I thought had any redeeming qualities were Jill and Colin. Jill was sort of puzzling because over the entire decade we follow her around, she doesn't seem to have any significant other of her own or any clear career goals other than being a full-time f*g-hag. Colin, though sweet and sympathetic, felt shoehorned in, and his eventual doom felt unearned and manipulative on the writer's part.
Worst of all, however, is Olly Alexander's character, Ritchie, who unfortunately for us all is supposed to be the lead role. I was unfamiliar with Olly and all I can say is... this dude not only cannot act but is also almost impressively annoying. Once I realized that he was going to be the final death, the gut-punch that the whole train wreck had been building up to, I couldn't believe it. I think the point where it finally completely jumped the shark for me was when he put on his little ballerina dance in front of his friend's car... barf. His closing monologue to his mom was incredible cringe-inducing, and the following exchange between his mom and Jill was probably even worse. Terrible, terrible stuff.
What's more is that this show's structure is almost a complete ripoff of the FAR superior film "Longtime Companion" (1989). That movie came out when the AIDS crisis was still at its peak, and the characters act like actual gay men from the 80s instead of annoying Zoomers playing fashion show. Seriously, whether or not you like this show, do yourself a favor and watch that one. The characters are multi-dimensional beings who you will genuinely care about, the tone is just as dark as it should be, and above all it is genuinely SCARY. It's criminal how few people seem to be aware of that great film.
(NOTE: This would be a 1-star review, but I'm awarding the extra star due to Neil Patrick Harris and the prospect of raising awareness about details of the AIDS crisis that the textbooks gloss over.)