This one hit home. I'm 68 and spent my career in DC. Although 1950s DC was before my time, I had many older friends of that era who relayed stories that matched these exactly. There was an entire gay underground. In Episode 1, the character, George, mentioned he was spotted leaving "The Chicken Hut." That is the name of a long-gone gay bar in DC. As a side note, it had another name but no one called it anything BUT the "chicken hut." That's because the building was at one time a fried-chicken place. It had a fiberglass chicken on the roof that no one bothered to take down. Hence, the name, "The Chicken Hut," came into common usage. Those of us "of a certain age" remember the stories of that time. This will be a journey for me to go through this period. When I arrived in DC in 1979, I had to obtain a top-secret clearance. I went through all kinds of questions. But, by then the only real concern was whether I could be blackmailed. I had been published in the local gay and straight newspapers as being associated with Gay Hotline and Whitman-Walker Clinic, so blackmailing me was ludicrous. I only wish young people today could see this series and grasp what we went through, and especially what the generation before me endured through the Lavender Scare. I don't think they have any idea how bad it was. I worked with many of those born in the 1940s and before. They were the original activists. I tip my hat to all of them for what they went through to gain the freedoms and rights we enjoy today. With any kind of luck, we will retain our rights despite the Far Right haters here in the USA and their goal to "take back America" which really means to turn back the clock to the 1950s. As an older gay activist told me when I was a young man, "Civil Rights need to be taught to every generation." He was correct. We can become complacent. We do so at our own peril.
Thank you for sharing your experience and for the look back into a part of history. Work for civil rights is never ending and this is a great reminder of both how far we have come and what are at stakes if you don't continue.
Thank you for sharing this! Rest assured, some of us make an effort to learn about these stories. I pretty much devour everything I can find, because I think understanding where we come from is crucial to moving forward and never letting it slide back. We need more people like you to talk or write about what you lived through so that we don't lose our history. And I don't just mean in the US, because one of the really interesting things about being gay is how our experiences transcend borders and how similarly we have been treated by pretty much every society. We really do have a global community, if we want to see it.
@@KitConnor512 If this is a profile of the actual Kit Connor from "Heartstopper," then I would like to thank you, the other actors, the author, and all involved in this production. Those of us from my era (and I am certain others) cried a river watching this series. All we ever wanted was to be able to date our boyfriends, go to the prom, and be happy. Unfortunately, that was impossible for me during my 1973 prom. I particularly like the positivity of the series. It was about falling in love, coming out to oneself, and navigating teen life. That is a far cry from the very negative depictions of the LGBTQ+ community leading up to the present day. I am so pleased that young people overwhelmingly accept LGBTQ+ relationships and think no more of it than a person having blue eyes or being left-handed. It's a wonderful series, a wonderful story, lovingly portrayed, by very talented young people. Thank you. I hope you realize that this series, because it is on Netflix and can reach virtually all homes, I no doubt has touched many of those young people in very rural areas, especially the very oppressive far-right ultra-religious areas of the USA. Those kids will see they are not alone. Back when I worked on the Hotline, we would get telephone calls from phone booths in these areas - you dare not call from home and have a long-distance charge on the phone bill. I recall answering the phone, "Good evening, Gay Hotline." Often, there'd be silence, and maybe some sniffles, and sometimes a hang-up. They just wanted to hear there was someone else out there with whom they could talk. "Heartstopper" reached more of those kids than we ever could have dreamed of. So, from one old activist - thank you for all you have done. It is greatly appreciated.
I came out and grew up in the 80s, when AIDS was killing us. My mom had several friends who had been blacklisted by Joe McCarthy and his henchmen in the 1950s. Both eras were a craven low point for America. We need to remember our history or we are doomed to repeat it. This show is amazing and is doing a great job of taking us back to both of those awful decades. Thank you both for taking us along with you on this ride. Many gasps, tears, and pearl-clutchings ahead!
I am still recovering from RWRB and now this series is going to push me over the edge...lol. When i watch it, i find myself holding my breath, it is just so intense. You can almost see the sparks flying when Hawk and Tim are in the same room.
I am very impressed with the show so far (I’m two episodes in). I’ve read a fair amount about this time period, which is not so far from a part of my life, since I was born only for years after the earliest scenes in the show. The attention to detail is very impressive, as is the writing, cinematography, acting, etc. It’s not going to be an easy show to watch, but very worthwhile in dramatizing the difficulties of gay life in the 50s (and 60s and 70s, I believe). It was difficult enough when I was growing up and in my young adulthood in the 70s and 80s. And frighteningly, there are plenty of people out there who seem to want to take us back to that kind of a world.
To me Tim comes across like a true believer (doesn't matter the flavor of religion ) who is deconstructing . Those usually fall out of religion fast and far, while Hawk is the guy who goes to church on sunday because that's also where the community's movers and shakers are and where business deals are made . He doesn't believe in theology or doctrine and will gladly use any loophole. He made the situation work for him and so never questions why he needs to go to church in the first place. Tim can't understand how Hawk can put himself into multiple boxes at the same time and Hawk can't understand why Tim can't
Hawk has been doing it for so long he probably doesn't realise that he does this . We do this as humans all the time we criticise behaviours in others that we reflect ourselves .
I am so glad you two are discussing how people, even today, are living in places where being outed can be a death sentence. I came of age in the 80s and it is only by luck and circumstance that I did not die of AIDS like so many others of my generation. I learned too late about the plight of my fellow travellers and did too little to make a difference. At the same time, so many of my generation have survivours guilt because it is only because we did too little that helped us live. And, you are right, I feel that every episode of this series will cause me to sob. Perhaps because you are watching with a friend and you are so young and you are doing a critique that you can be more detached but I hope you can both find time to watch again, alone, and fully immersed in what the characters are feeling. It is impossible to know our history, know of the time of AIDS and of persecution, and not have your heart break.
I have already seen the first two episodes and I can say with certainty that, in my opinion, is the most representative series I have seen so far. The historical context makes you ponder about a lot of things like why they behave in certain way, the fear they felt all the time, how was so crucial that someone else tried to stand up for itself or the entire community and more. I really think it'll be a great series 🤍
This show has been giving me... emotions that i will not explain! But the acting and Plot is amazing. I cant wait to watch more of your reactions to this.
I had to prepare myself mentally to watch the first episode, and I've got to regather what's left of my braincells to watch it again with you 😂 Also Josh's "We're going to need a cow!" and Alex's screaming just killed me HAHAHAHA nice to go through this journey with you, hope to see you alive at the end of this (I don't think I'll survive asdfghjkl *dying potato noises*)
AAHHH Thank you for finally doing Fellow Travelers!! I was a gonner for this show from just the trailer and after watching the first episode and the second on Monday I've been on a hunt for content on them.. Hawk and Skippy have me in such a chokehold😣🤧
That was really good, the nuances of feelings regarding the situation of timing in the past with the timing of them in the 80's where they had to do the work where it was publicly acceptable. He wished it was him when he was young but it's all about timing and that is the sadness of life, finding love, finding acceptance.
This show had me sobbing for HOURS! 😭😭 Also, I’m pretty sure Jonathan Bailey is also going to be guest starring in Heartstopper so you’ll get even more of him 👀
I really love the fact you spoke about what is happening around them because that really plays into Hawk’s behavior. He has to be careful to achieve what he wants to achieve in that time. People blame him a lot because Tim is innocent and wide eyed. But Hawk’s major crime is being realistic
15:26 Yes, people like Tim, the people who fought are the reason we have what we have now, they were needed and still are needed and I think many people would hope that if they were in that situation they would fight for what is right. But (while not excusing some of Hawks actions) I don't think everybody HAS to be a fighter, or can be. Some people just want to survive in the world that has been created for them, whether that is right or not, or will bring them happiness or not. I don't think everyone has the capability to be a fighter for social justice, it takes a lot. Which is why we are so thankful for the people who did.
from an african homophobic country and it is still like this in 2023. and even worse it is your gay lovers who will end up hurting you the most which is what i think hawk will do to tim in the coming episodes. They will be intimate with you and ignore and will cheat on you and say well it was a phase what were expecting. I've met so many guys and it was perfectly normal for me to think I like him but I am also afraid of him. I know it is set in the past but this show is painfully too real. even in 2023. IDK. Just my 2 cents. Sex scenes are hot though
Boys (I say boys since I'm 62 and you're like 21 or something obscene LOL), I grew up in Mormon Utah in the 1970s, which was prime "Smear the queer" era, and do remember whispers of scandal back in the 60s even. Replace the idolatrous version of Catholicism (Mary images etc) with the mercenary $$ centered Mormon religion and man do I identify with Jonathan's character. Add to that me entering the US Navy in 1984, and hiding for 8 years. I lost out on at least 3 potential lifemates because we could link up, get married and get stationed together. "And the Band PLayed On" and "Conduct Unbecoming" are critical Must-reads if one wants to understand what my generation went thru in the 80s especially.
Helloooo from Australia. I'm enjoying this series, but it's so sad. Just watched E4, and I'm preparing to cry more in the upcoming episodes.such great acting from the two leads.
Hawk was super selfish. Period. Yes, he and Tim were under the weight of the crushing societal norms of their time. But their relationship took place in their own personal space and time. At least Tim was honest and vulnerable and fought for their togetherness. Hawk just tried to have his cake and eat it too all the time. Infuriating.
9:12, 15:14, 15:16 we both said the exact same thing that's not the only reason I'm going to subscribe 15:39 I hope you'll have thoroughly changed your mind by now (E5 aired last night). I thought a lot about this the past few weeks. How each one dealt with their situation. Hawk is a sociopath. He only cared about himself and with each lie dug deeper. He hurt everyone around him, including those he loved deeply just so he could achieve his ambitions. He literally threw that innocent boy under the bus. It's one thing to hide your truth, another when you drag everyone in just so that you can get ahead. Not even all the trauma he survived justifies his actions. And for what? How happy is he in his life built on lies. I'm with Skippy on this one, Hawk is a coward.
I absolutely loved your reactions to this series. It's very enlightening, indeed. I came of age in the 1980s at the height of the AIDS epidemic. I was your age then and my generation was so focused on the epidemic that we aligned gay rights movements along side the race for a cure and more government accountability. But, at that time I did have friends that were 20+ years older that often spoke of that time in the late 1950s to early 1960s and what it was like. Their stories were all I knew about gay life in that time period. I always recall several of them we're oftentimes self-loathing and unhappy even when they were now free to live their lives openly. I could tell how uneasy that was for them. They'd become so accustomed to looking over their shoulder. A constant distrust. And even though it seemed as if once the Stonewall riots and Gay Liberation Movement happened here in the U.S. in the early 1970s it all became a mad rush to where we were in the 1980s. And, it needed to be so. With that said I can see how your generation can't even begin to imagine what all that was like in the 1950s-60s in what would have been your grandparents day. It must seem like something out of a fiction novel. I'm so happy that it's like that for you. It should be. And, I'm glad to see stories like this being brought to life for everyone to learn more about OUR HISTORY. It's a history that belongs to us all regardless of age. Just because we may not have been alive in those years back then doesn't mean it's not our history as well. Let's all own it and never let it fade away. -- As always you two do a great job! Thank you all you do.
Matt Bomer is just such a phenomenal actor ! I've heard a lot about this show I'll deffo watch it Someone I know was like " Antonia just be aware ... its very hot! " 😂🔥🔥💋
I’m absolutely torturing myself. Just started watching “Fellow Travelers” and I’m reading “My Policeman.” Double dose of 50s gay hell. Hey, you guys should really really do the Netflix movie of “Boys in the Band” with Matt Bomer and so many great gay actors. It’s an interesting point in between the hell of the 50s and the coming of the Stonewall era. The gays are still repressed, but they’re getting better at forming their own chosen families and standing together. And it’s so well done and well acted.
Martin of London. I really admire and value your comments on so many of your series. So guys, you have to make it clear to those fans of yours under 25; the 1950s laws and rules meant even in an environment of gay men, blokes HAD to make sure they followed certain rules...14.00 in, because they were putting everyone at risk if/when the cops busted in. I fell in love with a guy I loved when I was 18, and he was 30. He could have been prosecuted for loving me and being with me until I turned 21 in 1977. That was the law then. Today's youth need to understand facts and history, regardless if they feel triggered. That was the reality we lived with and we got very good at subverting the law. Especially if, like me, they were madly in love. I stayed with my hubby for 22 years and his loved saved me from all the hate during the NF and BMP age and Maggot Thatcher’s wretchedness in Clause 28 in 1988 - 2003.
Series is so damn good. What I love most about is that it is unafraid to be adult and explicit. We’ve been getting a lot more great representation the last few years, but it tends to be so damn chaste.
I am enjoying your reaction to this series, thanks. I lived some of it, although my time was the 1970s (got kicked out of Disneyland for dancing with another boy, our college GSU did it as a protest). I’m sure you don’t need yet another suggestion, but I just watched episode 3 of The Last of Us and it was one of the most touching shows I’ve seen about an older man’s gay relationship. Highly recommended.
There is a book, "The Evening Crowd at Kirmser's" that tells the true story of a bar in St. Paul, MN in the years after WW2; it became an underground gay bar in the evening with the tacit approval of the owners. The author was dishonorably discharged in 1945 from the Navy for being gay.
I think Hawkins very much is giving Queer as Folk’s Brian Kinney. He’s got the duality of being both toxic but utterly sweet in contrast, with his person, slowly. He’s got the public persona down pat, excellent at lying, while also being very clearly proud and fully in ownership of his sexuality in private. I see more similarities as well bit that’s the gist I could think of off the top of my head
Just finished ur reaction ! I know this is like the 1950's but Tbh this is how it is in some countries even in 2023..... I'm not a queer man but Unfortunately my country is still like this towards queer people ,queer men still have to see eachother not so openly because the judgement can be so vile and it's also ilegal to be gay here ... Nice reaction though ❤️. I'm really enjoying the show too 😊 but I do feel like it's going to have a sad ending .
It must have been so anxiety inducing to work so close to politics in this time while also being gay while also being sexually active with complete strangers, not knowing who you can trust. You never know who is trying to get information on you and private details about your life that they can use as proof that they know you when they turn you in. I think Hawk's issue was mostly him being generally afraid to get too close to people after losing his first lover, but I think he knows in the back of his mind that it's never safe to open up too much with his sex partners. It's so unfortunate but understandbale that he picked the life that didn't suit him because it was the life that would keep him safe. Wild to see that he lived through seeing all of the crap he did as an adult in the 50s but also get to witness other queer people be happily out....even with a new wave of horror in that decade.
How interesting watching the show through your eyes! I really love this show and it touches me indeed. I try to imagine how life could be, hiding yourself and pretending and wasting your love. It's such a big injustice, I can't believe that there are people who still think that being gay, or lesbian, or whatever it's wrong because of God or who knows what. And I'm glad that nowaday there are shows like this, to explain how the LGBT+ community had to get by and how they deserve to be proud. 😊
Right. One of the first. Bless Bogarde for doing it. I took my godmother with me to see it! Bogarde was also terrific in The Servant, a Robin Maugham and Harold Pinter film from the same period that, while not specifically homosexual in theme, deals with power dynamics and exploitation.
Great review. This series is going to be emotional in so many ways.😢 Hawk and Tim are very sweet caughtnin a terrible and hateful time in history.😢😢 It reminds of "My Policeman" that came out last year on Prime. It was based in 1950s when gay were jailed if caught. The book was so good. The director insisted on an all gay cast. It is a sad, yet beautiful story of two men who just wanted to love each other. I hope you get to review it.
The first episode emotionally *devastated* me. The second episode was oddly uplifting for me, or at least imbued the series with a kind of statement of purpose despite what are clearly dark circumstances.
This episode is freaking amazing .Matt n Jonathan's chemistry was spicy n crispy tbh I didn't expect in initially they show such a steamy scene I must say every time the two of them their eyes meet into each other's eye.I can feel the sexual tension there .I like about this show where they're not focusing only two character or romance but they create an environment through we get to know what was happening on the political landscape. How gay guys manage living in society during that in time n I will definitely keep prepare fan 😂😂entertaining watching your reaction 🌟
I was born an illegal in the 1950’s, I lived in New York and London in the 70’s era of hyper liberation. I then lost two lovers to AIDS and many friends. You simply have NO idea of LGBTQ life then in any of those decades I lived in real-time. No film or novel has really captured our life then. I knew Quentin Crisp and Danny la Rue and so many of our fellow GLF heroes of that era. I was on the first march to Trafalgar Square in 1972. We are the medal-less rainbow veterans of a vicious war. AIDS was the slaughter of beautiful hedonism and our human rights legacy. Then came Thatcher....
But sadly in 2023 people are still persecuted for their sexual preference, instead of the focus being on are you a good person adding positivity to your & others lives…
I’m 87, and I’m a homosexual person. I love your wacky approach to most things you review, but I think your approach to this series needs an adjustment. Can’t say I’m shocked that most of this history is new to you, but I am a bit surprised. You could say I have much too serious an approach to this subject. I only came out, but not completely, in the late 70s, early eighties. I was in the army, stationed in Washington, in the early 60s, just into the Kennedy years. But the atmosphere then in regard to sexual “deviance” was as thick as the air often gets in Washington during the summer. It’s the stuff of melodrama if not tragedy. For a hetero version of the matter, see DeNiro’s film The Good Shepherd with Matt Damon and Angelina Jolie. I love what you’re doing, by the way.
After watching "Fellow Travelers" (twice), and reading Thomas Mallon's 2007 novel which was the basis for the series (which greatly expands the book's scope in so many wonderful ways), I'm now reading James Kirchick's "Secret City" (2022), a terrific non-fiction history of "gay Washington" in the 20th century. And I can only echo what you said, and say that if anyone thinks that the series is exaggerating the horror of the situation for gay men and lesbians for most of that period, they should read Kirchick's meticulously researched and written tome (600 pp + notes). Thank you.
@@AStoryWorthTelling I am really happy. Because this series is considered a revolution in the film industry! And it elevates queer series to a higher level. It is no longer a story about a high school boy who is still struggling with whether he is gay or not. Or he is worried that his family and friends will hate him if he come out.. (However I still think it's important to make series to show those teen struggle with their sexuality....) A very mature story. The choice of actors is great, Because both are actually gay. And I'm here for it...
You’re lucky to be young enough to not have to have been through anything similar. Probably also lucky to be in the UK. Things are still dire for queer people in much of the world & even in here in the beautiful, advanced US 🙄🤣, things are feeling uncertain, on the verge of backsliding, slightly terrifying. 2 years ago I was so cocky: wearing my “Your Prayers Make Me Gayer” shirt just wherever. Now I’m afraid I might get shot. I DO live in SC. If you ever feel yourself getting lulled into complacency, just remember that Alan Turing was only pardoned by the Queen in 2013. That said, this show is amazing. I want to wait & binge, but I can’t. Very intense. Sexier than I was expecting. 🖤
I'm so curious how they will show hawkxlucy relationship. There are so many examples of stories where it's perceived only one way by general audience. How hurtful it is towards WOMEN. of course it's dramatic situation and both sides are really wronged here, but yeah, that's exactly what id like to see. How and why does it happen, and why there's no answer, it's not black or white. In other spheres theyre doing great job so far when it comes to creating that narrative, so im really excited. Great show, immaculate acting, great aesthetic, beautiful music, and important issues. As a Pole I'm not really familiar with what was happening in the US back then, I'm glad i get a chance to get to know that important chapter in history for our community.
I thought the Hawk-Lucy relationship was shown with great sensitivity to what both characters go through and the choices they make. You really have to see all 8 episodes to fully understand what a great achievement this show is! Incidentally, in Thomas Mallon's 2007 novel, Lucy is entirely a background figure. One of the many benefits of Ron Nyswaner's expansion of the original is that Lucy has a chance to develop as an important presence.
We are so excited to go on this journey with you all! hope you are too ;) what did you think of episode 1? crying or sweating? lol x
a loooot of sweating from all different places lol
@@LeJournaldeSoso yup hahaha
Absolutely intrigued and invested.
@@AStoryWorthTellingHottie Matt Bomer - say no more 🥰🥰🥰🥰
I've brought two cushions! I'm ready.
This one hit home. I'm 68 and spent my career in DC. Although 1950s DC was before my time, I had many older friends of that era who relayed stories that matched these exactly. There was an entire gay underground. In Episode 1, the character, George, mentioned he was spotted leaving "The Chicken Hut." That is the name of a long-gone gay bar in DC. As a side note, it had another name but no one called it anything BUT the "chicken hut." That's because the building was at one time a fried-chicken place. It had a fiberglass chicken on the roof that no one bothered to take down. Hence, the name, "The Chicken Hut," came into common usage. Those of us "of a certain age" remember the stories of that time.
This will be a journey for me to go through this period. When I arrived in DC in 1979, I had to obtain a top-secret clearance. I went through all kinds of questions. But, by then the only real concern was whether I could be blackmailed. I had been published in the local gay and straight newspapers as being associated with Gay Hotline and Whitman-Walker Clinic, so blackmailing me was ludicrous.
I only wish young people today could see this series and grasp what we went through, and especially what the generation before me endured through the Lavender Scare. I don't think they have any idea how bad it was. I worked with many of those born in the 1940s and before. They were the original activists. I tip my hat to all of them for what they went through to gain the freedoms and rights we enjoy today.
With any kind of luck, we will retain our rights despite the Far Right haters here in the USA and their goal to "take back America" which really means to turn back the clock to the 1950s. As an older gay activist told me when I was a young man, "Civil Rights need to be taught to every generation." He was correct. We can become complacent. We do so at our own peril.
Thank you for sharing your experience with us :)
Thank you for sharing your experience and for the look back into a part of history. Work for civil rights is never ending and this is a great reminder of both how far we have come and what are at stakes if you don't continue.
Thank you for sharing this! Rest assured, some of us make an effort to learn about these stories. I pretty much devour everything I can find, because I think understanding where we come from is crucial to moving forward and never letting it slide back. We need more people like you to talk or write about what you lived through so that we don't lose our history. And I don't just mean in the US, because one of the really interesting things about being gay is how our experiences transcend borders and how similarly we have been treated by pretty much every society. We really do have a global community, if we want to see it.
Thank you for this. Thank you for sharing ❤
@@KitConnor512 If this is a profile of the actual Kit Connor from "Heartstopper," then I would like to thank you, the other actors, the author, and all involved in this production. Those of us from my era (and I am certain others) cried a river watching this series. All we ever wanted was to be able to date our boyfriends, go to the prom, and be happy. Unfortunately, that was impossible for me during my 1973 prom.
I particularly like the positivity of the series. It was about falling in love, coming out to oneself, and navigating teen life. That is a far cry from the very negative depictions of the LGBTQ+ community leading up to the present day. I am so pleased that young people overwhelmingly accept LGBTQ+ relationships and think no more of it than a person having blue eyes or being left-handed.
It's a wonderful series, a wonderful story, lovingly portrayed, by very talented young people. Thank you.
I hope you realize that this series, because it is on Netflix and can reach virtually all homes, I no doubt has touched many of those young people in very rural areas, especially the very oppressive far-right ultra-religious areas of the USA. Those kids will see they are not alone. Back when I worked on the Hotline, we would get telephone calls from phone booths in these areas - you dare not call from home and have a long-distance charge on the phone bill. I recall answering the phone, "Good evening, Gay Hotline." Often, there'd be silence, and maybe some sniffles, and sometimes a hang-up. They just wanted to hear there was someone else out there with whom they could talk.
"Heartstopper" reached more of those kids than we ever could have dreamed of. So, from one old activist - thank you for all you have done. It is greatly appreciated.
I came out and grew up in the 80s, when AIDS was killing us. My mom had several friends who had been blacklisted by Joe McCarthy and his henchmen in the 1950s. Both eras were a craven low point for America. We need to remember our history or we are doomed to repeat it. This show is amazing and is doing a great job of taking us back to both of those awful decades. Thank you both for taking us along with you on this ride. Many gasps, tears, and pearl-clutchings ahead!
I am still recovering from RWRB and now this series is going to push me over the edge...lol. When i watch it, i find myself holding my breath, it is just so intense. You can almost see the sparks flying when Hawk and Tim are in the same room.
Totally agree! It's so good but also so much to digest. Imagine this and RWRB back to back! Emotional overload 😱🤯
@@AStoryWorthTellingyou two are total hotties 🥰🥰🥰🥰
What's RWRB?? Pretty Please someone tell me.
@@tinashe9616 Red, White & Royal Blue movie and the book by Casey McQuiston. Both are highly recommended.
@AStoryWorthTelli ng i was turned on by the i am. Coming bit
50 shades of lavender gays 😂 y’all, this show is incredible, the depth - so good ❤
I am very impressed with the show so far (I’m two episodes in). I’ve read a fair amount about this time period, which is not so far from a part of my life, since I was born only for years after the earliest scenes in the show. The attention to detail is very impressive, as is the writing, cinematography, acting, etc. It’s not going to be an easy show to watch, but very worthwhile in dramatizing the difficulties of gay life in the 50s (and 60s and 70s, I believe). It was difficult enough when I was growing up and in my young adulthood in the 70s and 80s. And frighteningly, there are plenty of people out there who seem to want to take us back to that kind of a world.
To me Tim comes across like a true believer (doesn't matter the flavor of religion ) who is deconstructing . Those usually fall out of religion fast and far, while Hawk is the guy who goes to church on sunday because that's also where the community's movers and shakers are and where business deals are made . He doesn't believe in theology or doctrine and will gladly use any loophole. He made the situation work for him and so never questions why he needs to go to church in the first place. Tim can't understand how Hawk can put himself into multiple boxes at the same time and Hawk can't understand why Tim can't
Hawk has been doing it for so long he probably doesn't realise that he does this . We do this as humans all the time we criticise behaviours in others that we reflect ourselves .
Just finished sobbing my eyes out to the finale after bingeing it all afternoon, so now I can watch all the reactions finally.
I am so glad you two are discussing how people, even today, are living in places where being outed can be a death sentence. I came of age in the 80s and it is only by luck and circumstance that I did not die of AIDS like so many others of my generation. I learned too late about the plight of my fellow travellers and did too little to make a difference. At the same time, so many of my generation have survivours guilt because it is only because we did too little that helped us live. And, you are right, I feel that every episode of this series will cause me to sob. Perhaps because you are watching with a friend and you are so young and you are doing a critique that you can be more detached but I hope you can both find time to watch again, alone, and fully immersed in what the characters are feeling. It is impossible to know our history, know of the time of AIDS and of persecution, and not have your heart break.
A great reminder to all as to where we have come from as a society
10000% very good reminder. Know your history!
I have already seen the first two episodes and I can say with certainty that, in my opinion, is the most representative series I have seen so far.
The historical context makes you ponder about a lot of things like why they behave in certain way, the fear they felt all the time, how was so crucial that someone else tried to stand up for itself or the entire community and more.
I really think it'll be a great series 🤍
That first sx scene made me lower the volume so fast lmao jumpscare
haha yeah, that took us by surprise too lol
This show has been giving me... emotions that i will not explain! But the acting and Plot is amazing. I cant wait to watch more of your reactions to this.
Alex and Josh , once again you did not disappoint! Great reaction and fun editing. Thanks so much Guys
I made the decision to watch the reaction before the show and I loved it! It’s so good. The cast, the costumes, production design, cinematography etc
It is brilliantly made for sure!
Please watch it ❤
same I was being stubborn and not pay for Paramount but finally broke down and got a subscription. so glad I did.
You should watch the show before watching reactions, you will not surprise or maybe less surprise of how the scenes are going
this reaction is gonna wild,. I'm 2 episodes in and Im sweating needing to call my priest
Hahahaha yeah... we are thinking the same 🤣
you guys are gonna love this series
already in love with it!
I had to prepare myself mentally to watch the first episode, and I've got to regather what's left of my braincells to watch it again with you 😂
Also Josh's "We're going to need a cow!" and Alex's screaming just killed me HAHAHAHA nice to go through this journey with you, hope to see you alive at the end of this (I don't think I'll survive asdfghjkl *dying potato noises*)
Alex's cup " I can't Adult today "
Me: Do you ever though?
Don't worry that is why I am here for your shenanigans
Hahahahah Alex doesn't know what ADULT even means 😂😂😂
Omg I’m so beyond ready for this reaction!
haha not sure we were lol
4:07 when I literally choked on my own saliva…. You two are the best ‘reactors’ I swear!!
AAHHH Thank you for finally doing Fellow Travelers!! I was a gonner for this show from just the trailer and after watching the first episode and the second on Monday I've been on a hunt for content on them.. Hawk and Skippy have me in such a chokehold😣🤧
Your faces!😄😄😄
Oh my god! I can't stop commenting!!!
I'm sure you both are gonna need a fan for the rest of this serie...😉
Oh we are sure of that too haha
oh i've been waiting for your reaction FINALLYY. tsm i love your comments, cant for u to watch the next episodes
That was really good, the nuances of feelings regarding the situation of timing in the past with the timing of them in the 80's where they had to do the work where it was publicly acceptable. He wished it was him when he was young but it's all about timing and that is the sadness of life, finding love, finding acceptance.
Dorothy, Golden Girls and Fleabag - chefs kiss 💜
I finished watching it now (3am in Italy). Crying like a baby. SOBBING
This show had me sobbing for HOURS! 😭😭
Also, I’m pretty sure Jonathan Bailey is also going to be guest starring in Heartstopper so you’ll get even more of him 👀
I saw it yesterday for the first time, but l got more emotional seeing it again through your eyes 😢❤
I really love the fact you spoke about what is happening around them because that really plays into Hawk’s behavior. He has to be careful to achieve what he wants to achieve in that time. People blame him a lot because Tim is innocent and wide eyed. But Hawk’s major crime is being realistic
We need this for every episode 😭😭
y'all captured my experience of watching this so well. I thoroughly enjoyed your vid and can't wait for more!
15:26 Yes, people like Tim, the people who fought are the reason we have what we have now, they were needed and still are needed and I think many people would hope that if they were in that situation they would fight for what is right. But (while not excusing some of Hawks actions) I don't think everybody HAS to be a fighter, or can be. Some people just want to survive in the world that has been created for them, whether that is right or not, or will bring them happiness or not. I don't think everyone has the capability to be a fighter for social justice, it takes a lot. Which is why we are so thankful for the people who did.
Loved the show so much! It's great to see it once more through your eyes. :-)
I usually don't watch shows set in this time period anymore bc i find it too sad, but I couldn't resist after seeing you were going to react to it.
from an african homophobic country and it is still like this in 2023. and even worse it is your gay lovers who will end up hurting you the most which is what i think hawk will do to tim in the coming episodes. They will be intimate with you and ignore and will cheat on you and say well it was a phase what were expecting. I've met so many guys and it was perfectly normal for me to think I like him but I am also afraid of him. I know it is set in the past but this show is painfully too real. even in 2023. IDK. Just my 2 cents. Sex scenes are hot though
Love y’all reactions!! I feel like our emotions are going to go through a lot of rollercoasters this season.
As ALWAYS! You guys knock it out of the park!!! 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 Your reactions are THE BEST!!! 🌈✨🦄✨🌈
Yep, I’m watching again this afternoon!! 🪭🪭🪭
Love you guys!!! So funny and campy😂😂😂.. btw love the commentary and everything British.
Boys (I say boys since I'm 62 and you're like 21 or something obscene LOL), I grew up in Mormon Utah in the 1970s, which was prime "Smear the queer" era, and do remember whispers of scandal back in the 60s even. Replace the idolatrous version of Catholicism (Mary images etc) with the mercenary $$ centered Mormon religion and man do I identify with Jonathan's character. Add to that me entering the US Navy in 1984, and hiding for 8 years. I lost out on at least 3 potential lifemates because we could link up, get married and get stationed together. "And the Band PLayed On" and "Conduct Unbecoming" are critical Must-reads if one wants to understand what my generation went thru in the 80s especially.
Helloooo from Australia. I'm enjoying this series, but it's so sad. Just watched E4, and I'm preparing to cry more in the upcoming episodes.such great acting from the two leads.
Hawk was super selfish. Period. Yes, he and Tim were under the weight of the crushing societal norms of their time. But their relationship took place in their own personal space and time. At least Tim was honest and vulnerable and fought for their togetherness. Hawk just tried to have his cake and eat it too all the time. Infuriating.
9:12, 15:14, 15:16 we both said the exact same thing
that's not the only reason I'm going to subscribe
15:39 I hope you'll have thoroughly changed your mind by now (E5 aired last night). I thought a lot about this the past few weeks. How each one dealt with their situation. Hawk is a sociopath. He only cared about himself and with each lie dug deeper. He hurt everyone around him, including those he loved deeply just so he could achieve his ambitions. He literally threw that innocent boy under the bus. It's one thing to hide your truth, another when you drag everyone in just so that you can get ahead. Not even all the trauma he survived justifies his actions. And for what? How happy is he in his life built on lies. I'm with Skippy on this one, Hawk is a coward.
Fun rewatching this with you guys! Just subed waiting on E2! 👍
I lost it at "Who's a good boy?" 😂🤣🤣🤣
I absolutely loved your reactions to this series. It's very enlightening, indeed. I came of age in the 1980s at the height of the AIDS epidemic. I was your age then and my generation was so focused on the epidemic that we aligned gay rights movements along side the race for a cure and more government accountability. But, at that time I did have friends that were 20+ years older that often spoke of that time in the late 1950s to early 1960s and what it was like. Their stories were all I knew about gay life in that time period. I always recall several of them we're oftentimes self-loathing and unhappy even when they were now free to live their lives openly. I could tell how uneasy that was for them. They'd become so accustomed to looking over their shoulder. A constant distrust. And even though it seemed as if once the Stonewall riots and Gay Liberation Movement happened here in the U.S. in the early 1970s it all became a mad rush to where we were in the 1980s. And, it needed to be so. With that said I can see how your generation can't even begin to imagine what all that was like in the 1950s-60s in what would have been your grandparents day. It must seem like something out of a fiction novel. I'm so happy that it's like that for you. It should be. And, I'm glad to see stories like this being brought to life for everyone to learn more about OUR HISTORY. It's a history that belongs to us all regardless of age. Just because we may not have been alive in those years back then doesn't mean it's not our history as well. Let's all own it and never let it fade away. -- As always you two do a great job! Thank you all you do.
This show is the Matt's "Fifty Shades" that everyone was waiting for.
Matt Bomer is just such a phenomenal actor ! I've heard a lot about this show I'll deffo watch it
Someone I know was like " Antonia just be aware ... its very hot! " 😂🔥🔥💋
You two are so insightful! Loved your reaction.
Loved the analysis and perspectives eh!
It's going to be quite a Rollercoaster ride, looking forward to it!❤
9:56 “he needs some milk” 😂
i couldn't wait for you guys to review "fellow travelers."
We are so glad we did!
I’m absolutely torturing myself. Just started watching “Fellow Travelers” and I’m reading “My Policeman.” Double dose of 50s gay hell. Hey, you guys should really really do the Netflix movie of “Boys in the Band” with Matt Bomer and so many great gay actors. It’s an interesting point in between the hell of the 50s and the coming of the Stonewall era. The gays are still repressed, but they’re getting better at forming their own chosen families and standing together. And it’s so well done and well acted.
Martin of London. I really admire and value your comments on so many of your series. So guys, you have to make it clear to those fans of yours under 25; the 1950s laws and rules meant even in an environment of gay men, blokes HAD to make sure they followed certain rules...14.00 in, because they were putting everyone at risk if/when the cops busted in. I fell in love with a guy I loved when I was 18, and he was 30. He could have been prosecuted for loving me and being with me until I turned 21 in 1977. That was the law then. Today's youth need to understand facts and history, regardless if they feel triggered. That was the reality we lived with and we got very good at subverting the law. Especially if, like me, they were madly in love. I stayed with my hubby for 22 years and his loved saved me from all the hate during the NF and BMP age and Maggot Thatcher’s wretchedness in Clause 28 in 1988 - 2003.
Now I'm convinced. I will definitely watch it. But first I need to dig out my fan 🤣🤣🤣🤣
50 shades of lavender gay 😂😂😂 that was perfect
You guys are great. I so like your energy and your reviews too.
If it wasn’t illegal, they wouldn’t be “susceptible to coercion” 😡🤬😭
I love this series so much & can’t wait for Episode 3 tomorrow (I’m in UK).. I love your review & have just subscribed ❤
5:44 the blush😍😂😂😂
I would love to see you guys watch all three of “The Falls” movies. They are so good and y’all’s commentary would be on point. 🤞
It's like a gay version of Mad Men meets House of Cards AND I AM HERE FOR IT AND EVERY SINGLE SEX SCENE YES PLEASE!!!
Omg yes! I was comparing it to those two shows in my head the whole time. It's so well done. I have a feeling I'm in for an emotional ride though 😢😢😢
Imagine my horror as I realised that the show is not available in my region and no, I’m not doing illegal torrenting.
oh no! thats not okay! you can watch along with us though! :) x
Get a VPN
I watched along with you guys on Patreon to see the full episode
@@ThatsMyUsborneBook that’s one way to do it until they get a notice about it
VPN it girl. I have to...I use a unicorn one that's free and works. Get your gay life.
I cried 3 times the first episode...
I was literally just about to type in 'fellow travellers reaction' then this pops up
Literally the reactions on the both of you was exactly like mine on the spicy scenes! I was clutching my pearls! Lol
Series is so damn good. What I love most about is that it is unafraid to be adult and explicit. We’ve been getting a lot more great representation the last few years, but it tends to be so damn chaste.
FYI, This is dropping in 39 minutes, not tomorrow. haha
I am enjoying your reaction to this series, thanks. I lived some of it, although my time was the 1970s (got kicked out of Disneyland for dancing with another boy, our college GSU did it as a protest).
I’m sure you don’t need yet another suggestion, but I just watched episode 3 of The Last of Us and it was one of the most touching shows I’ve seen about an older man’s gay relationship. Highly recommended.
PS. I apologize if this has been suggested before, I’m sure I miss lots of things.
I have no idea why your reaction didn’t show up on my feed, but I’m watching it now. 😁
no dsoubt you are the best reactores on YT- you, fellow reactors...🥰
You guys are superstars.. love and hugs from Australia 🇦🇺 ❤
There is a book, "The Evening Crowd at Kirmser's" that tells the true story of a bar in St. Paul, MN in the years after WW2; it became an underground gay bar in the evening with the tacit approval of the owners. The author was dishonorably discharged in 1945 from the Navy for being gay.
I think Hawkins very much is giving Queer as Folk’s Brian Kinney. He’s got the duality of being both toxic but utterly sweet in contrast, with his person, slowly. He’s got the public persona down pat, excellent at lying, while also being very clearly proud and fully in ownership of his sexuality in private. I see more similarities as well bit that’s the gist I could think of off the top of my head
Omg your reactions are everything 😂❤
I find it extremely ironic that McCarthy, Cohn and Schine met untimely ends. McCarthy of Hepatitis, Cohn of AIDS and Schine from an airplane crash!
Just finished ur reaction ! I know this is like the 1950's but Tbh this is how it is in some countries even in 2023..... I'm not a queer man but Unfortunately my country is still like this towards queer people ,queer men still have to see eachother not so openly because the judgement can be so vile and it's also ilegal to be gay here ... Nice reaction though ❤️. I'm really enjoying the show too 😊 but I do feel like it's going to have a sad ending .
It must have been so anxiety inducing to work so close to politics in this time while also being gay while also being sexually active with complete strangers, not knowing who you can trust. You never know who is trying to get information on you and private details about your life that they can use as proof that they know you when they turn you in. I think Hawk's issue was mostly him being generally afraid to get too close to people after losing his first lover, but I think he knows in the back of his mind that it's never safe to open up too much with his sex partners. It's so unfortunate but understandbale that he picked the life that didn't suit him because it was the life that would keep him safe. Wild to see that he lived through seeing all of the crap he did as an adult in the 50s but also get to witness other queer people be happily out....even with a new wave of horror in that decade.
How interesting watching the show through your eyes!
I really love this show and it touches me indeed. I try to imagine how life could be, hiding yourself and pretending and wasting your love. It's such a big injustice, I can't believe that there are people who still think that being gay, or lesbian, or whatever it's wrong because of God or who knows what.
And I'm glad that nowaday there are shows like this, to explain how the LGBT+ community had to get by and how they deserve to be proud. 😊
had a feeling the fan was going to make another appearance
I really recommend that you watch the film Victim (1961)!!
Right. One of the first. Bless Bogarde for doing it. I took my godmother with me to see it! Bogarde was also terrific in The Servant, a Robin Maugham and Harold Pinter film from the same period that, while not specifically homosexual in theme, deals with power dynamics and exploitation.
Great review. This series is going to be emotional in so many ways.😢 Hawk and Tim are very sweet caughtnin a terrible and hateful time in history.😢😢
It reminds of "My Policeman" that came out last year on Prime. It was based in 1950s when gay were jailed if caught. The book was so good. The director insisted on an all gay cast. It is a sad, yet beautiful story of two men who just wanted to love each other. I hope you get to review it.
The first episode emotionally *devastated* me. The second episode was oddly uplifting for me, or at least imbued the series with a kind of statement of purpose despite what are clearly dark circumstances.
This episode is freaking amazing .Matt n Jonathan's chemistry was spicy n crispy tbh I didn't expect in initially they show such a steamy scene I must say every time the two of them their eyes meet into each other's eye.I can feel the sexual tension there .I like about this show where they're not focusing only two character or romance but they create an environment through we get to know what was happening on the political landscape. How gay guys manage living in society during that in time n I will definitely keep prepare fan 😂😂entertaining watching your reaction 🌟
I don't have showmax or paramount so I will subscribe to you lovely people so whenever you react I will know ❤I will watch it here with you !!!
Matt could name me anything he wanted…😮
Here for it, and the big fan lol 😂
I was born an illegal in the 1950’s, I lived in New York and London in the 70’s era of hyper liberation. I then lost two lovers to AIDS and many friends. You simply have NO idea of LGBTQ life then in any of those decades I lived in real-time. No film or novel has really captured our life then. I knew Quentin Crisp and Danny la Rue and so many of our fellow GLF heroes of that era. I was on the first march to Trafalgar Square in 1972. We are the medal-less rainbow veterans of a vicious war. AIDS was the slaughter of beautiful hedonism and our human rights legacy. Then came Thatcher....
I have seen the latest episode and am so glad we live in this modern life now😢
But sadly in 2023 people are still persecuted for their sexual preference, instead of the focus being on are you a good person adding positivity to your & others lives…
Ikr😢😢😢😢😢@@raqueldobson1
I’m already on episode 4 😭
I am so happy that we didn't get all the episodes at once ... it is A LOT emotionally
I’m 87, and I’m a homosexual person. I love your wacky approach to most things you review, but I think your approach to this series needs an adjustment. Can’t say I’m shocked that most of this history is new to you, but I am a bit surprised. You could say I have much too serious an approach to this subject. I only came out, but not completely, in the late 70s, early eighties. I was in the army, stationed in Washington, in the early 60s, just into the Kennedy years. But the atmosphere then in regard to sexual “deviance” was as thick as the air often gets in Washington during the summer. It’s the stuff of melodrama if not tragedy. For a hetero version of the matter, see DeNiro’s film The Good Shepherd with Matt Damon and Angelina Jolie. I love what you’re doing, by the way.
An adjustment? Care to elaborate?
After watching "Fellow Travelers" (twice), and reading Thomas Mallon's 2007 novel which was the basis for the series (which greatly expands the book's scope in so many wonderful ways), I'm now reading James Kirchick's "Secret City" (2022), a terrific non-fiction history of "gay Washington" in the 20th century. And I can only echo what you said, and say that if anyone thinks that the series is exaggerating the horror of the situation for gay men and lesbians for most of that period, they should read Kirchick's meticulously researched and written tome (600 pp + notes). Thank you.
There is an amazing podcast by NPR about thia story. Its incredible.
Hey, can you share the link please. I can't seem to find it.
Plz share the link!!!
Let's watch together i don't wanna be depressed alone.
I don't think I can make it to the last episode!!!
Yeah neither do we 😆 😂 😆
@@AStoryWorthTelling I am really happy. Because this series is considered a revolution in the film industry! And it elevates queer series to a higher level.
It is no longer a story about a high school boy who is still struggling with whether he is gay or not. Or he is worried that his family and friends will hate him if he come out..
(However I still think it's important to make series to show those teen struggle with their sexuality....)
A very mature story. The choice of actors is great, Because both are actually gay.
And I'm here for it...
I'm going to have to disagree with you. Matt Bomer looks incredible at any age. The gray hair works for him.
Can't wait for your reaction 😁🔥😋
haha its a spicy one!
@@AStoryWorthTelling 😋🥰😉
You’re lucky to be young enough to not have to have been through anything similar. Probably also lucky to be in the UK. Things are still dire for queer people in much of the world & even in here in the beautiful, advanced US 🙄🤣, things are feeling uncertain, on the verge of backsliding, slightly terrifying. 2 years ago I was so cocky: wearing my “Your Prayers Make Me Gayer” shirt just wherever. Now I’m afraid I might get shot. I DO live in SC. If you ever feel yourself getting lulled into complacency, just remember that Alan Turing was only pardoned by the Queen in 2013. That said, this show is amazing. I want to wait & binge, but I can’t. Very intense. Sexier than I was expecting. 🖤
I'm so curious how they will show hawkxlucy relationship. There are so many examples of stories where it's perceived only one way by general audience. How hurtful it is towards WOMEN. of course it's dramatic situation and both sides are really wronged here, but yeah, that's exactly what id like to see. How and why does it happen, and why there's no answer, it's not black or white. In other spheres theyre doing great job so far when it comes to creating that narrative, so im really excited.
Great show, immaculate acting, great aesthetic, beautiful music, and important issues. As a Pole I'm not really familiar with what was happening in the US back then, I'm glad i get a chance to get to know that important chapter in history for our community.
I thought the Hawk-Lucy relationship was shown with great sensitivity to what both characters go through and the choices they make. You really have to see all 8 episodes to fully understand what a great achievement this show is! Incidentally, in Thomas Mallon's 2007 novel, Lucy is entirely a background figure. One of the many benefits of Ron Nyswaner's expansion of the original is that Lucy has a chance to develop as an important presence.