108 - Sin

 Had all gone according to plan, as mentioned, yesterday's post would have been about the first episode of Russell T Davies new show, It's A Sin. But other events got in the way. 

So, I sat down yesterday to watch the first episode, and then realised the whole thing would be up on the All4player straight after the first episode ended... so when it did, I turned to the All4player, and ended up watching the whole series - all five episodes - one after the other in a big ol' binge, finishing just before 2AM...

It's A Sin is in many ways a companion piece to RTD's earlier shows, Queer as Folk and Cucumber. Both these shows were contemporary in nature, with QAF showing a group of gay men in the 90s, and C showing a settled gay couple in the 21st century. And, due to the decisions made as to what the shows were concentrating, HIV and AIDS were largely absent. In QAF, for example, its influence was there in the background, with even the most promiscuous of characters being seen to be using condoms; but it hasn't been at the core of an RTD drama until now. 

In IAS we follow a trio of young gay men after they arrive in London in 1981, and as the episodes progress we go through a decade until 1991. We see the initial wild partying, the rumours of a new deadly virus, and its growing impact on the trio and their friends as the decade progresses.

Although filming for iAS was completed late 2019, there are parallels with the current situation the whole world is in now with Covid-19; there's one scene, for example, where one of the main characters rubbishes the whole notion of this new virus, and underplays its impact. It's so very reminiscent of the mask refusers and anti-vaccine idiots around these days that it's hard to believe it's all a coincidence. 

I remember much of 1981-1991, and how the HIV/AIDS situation developed. The lens through which I observed the unfolding pandemic was rather different from the characters here (and I was exactly 10 years younger than the main characters, too), as I was a straight boy living in a small town, and it was a time when there was rampant homophobia in all parts of society. From comments in school when someone saw someone they perceived to be gay, "bums against the wall, lads", right up to the highest echelons of government and Thatcher's incredibly damaging Clause 28, which prohibited anything in schools that could be deemed to be promoting homosexuality. No wonder so many boys (and girls) would have kept themselves firmly in the closet.

Then, on top of this, you have a virus spreading that for a while was only thought to affect gay men... and you have a recipe for disaster. 

As the decade progressed, HIV and AIDS were used as a stick to beat gay men with, and the sense of fear there was increased seemingly exponentially. The "don't die of ignorance" advert spread a huge amount of fear, and then when it became obvious (as it should always have been) that it wasn't just restricted to the gay population this fear rocketed. Especially with all the talk of the many different ways you could catch it; and there were many different ways mentioned that were just utter nonsense. But so much of the nonsense was believed. 

So, for me IAS shows me a whole new perspective of this time that I just wasn't previously aware of. So many details. I wasn't aware that when so many of the boys died of HIV or AIDS that their families often lied and said it was cancer or something else, or the burning of all their possessions, or the locked isolation wards. So many things.

IAS opened my eyes to all this; but that in itself wouldn't have been enough if the drama wasn't any good. And, boy, is this good. What we have here is five absolutely stunning episodes of television. It starts off with the trio each having a great deal of fun, in their own ways, in 1981 London. It's so joyous, and happy, and heart warming. 

But then the virus slowly arrives, and works its way in to their lives. It's almost incidental to start with, but by the end it's absolutely at the core of all their lives. Even before you start watchin it you know you are going to be put through the wringer. There are so many moments, even from the first episode, that will have tears in your eyes. Oh, there's a moment very close to the end of part 5 that you know is coming, it has to come, it's inevitable; but when it does, the nature of it, how it actually happens... it's like a punch to the guts. 

The drama doesn't just deal with the core characters and their reactions to HIV/AIDS, but also how their parents react to it, too. A picture is painted here of people who just don't understand the illness, and are often struggling to come to terms with it and its implications, coupled with the latent homophobia that (as noted earlier) was present in the decade. Their struggle is very real. 

But it's not all grim. There are moments of brilliant comedy in there, too; there's a very notable moment in part 4 involving coffee that not only made me laugh uproariously, but was also a clear message from RTD to the individual concerned.

(Just as an aside; I am trying very hard here to avoid spoilers, but this next paragraph might be deemed too spoilery by some.)

One scene in the final episode, where a character is on his death bed, is particularly poignant; he's looking back at all the fun he had, the time he spent partying, the boys he's had, and despite this lifestyle contributing to his early death he doesn't regret it. It's a terrific piece of writing from RTD. As is the whole show. The details. The character moments. No-one does it quite like him. A character talking about a bit of mould on the wall should be dull, but here it's entrancing. The show's full of these little moments. 

This is a show that everyone should watch, it is absolutely brilliant. I would imagine if you were gay and lived through this period it will have an extra level of resonance that it doesn't have for people like me. For me it's an insight in to a part of the world I didn't really know about, things going on elsewhere. 

Everything about this show is just brilliant. The performances, the direction - there's a sequence in one episode with Keeley Hawes going up and down a corridor from one room to another and back that is visually stunning (I know it doesn't sound it, but it is; trust me), with a style I've not seen before. The supporting cast is full of great performances, the aforementioned Keeley Hawes, Shaun Dooley, Stephen Fry, and the legen-wait for it-dary Neil Patrick Harris spring most to mind. 

But it's the trio at the core of the show, Callum Scott-Howells, Roscoe Babatunde, and Olly Alexander that the whole thing hinges on, and all are absolutely brilliant. The performances totally convince, and as the three of them go through the good and bad times you get totally drawn in to them, come to enjoy their company, and hope that all three survive to the end and all live... of course, not all do (really; it's no spoiler to say that, as it's obvious from the get go that not all will live), and as they're put through the wringer you feel every emotion with them. 

I think this is a show I'll probably end up watching several times, and get the Blu-Ray when it's out (hopefully with an RTD commentary), and find it just as affecting each time. 

There's actually lots more I could say about this show, so many aspects I've not touched on. One day I might write another, spoiler filled, piece about various things I've only hinted at. But for the moment, I've waffled on for long enough, so I'll just end with;

I actually think that IAS is quite probably the best thing he has ever written, and will be regarded as a masterpiece of television. To my mind it's the best piece of British television this century. The more stuff he writes the more convinced he should be regarded as one of this country's greatest TV writers, up there with Dennis Potter I would say. He's that good. 

I just can't wait to see what he does next...