Uncoupled (2022)
Posted: November 28th, 2023, 9:35 am
Kingrat kicked off a discussion of Neil Patrick Harris's miniseries Uncoupled, which was on Netflix. In that thread, we got caught up in a wider discussion, and I do want to respond with my thoughts about Uncoupled.
I watched the entire series. It was very entertaining and dealt quite frankly with certain aspects of the gay community and even (as kingrat pointed out) the mechanics of gay male sex. I'm afraid I found it kind of offensive, though I was not offended by the frank discussions of sex. The stereotypes were way over the top. The series was written by two openly gay New York writers.
The only gay characters I liked and whom I felt represented positive depictions of gay characters were the characters played by Andre De Shields, and the young man who turns up late in the series. I think part of the problem was the need to be sensationalist and titillating in television today, to entice and shock viewers. The frankness of the series in dealing with sex did not offend me, only the inanity of the characters and the ridiculous way the main character (Michael Lawson, played by NPH) responds to situations. Even the straight characters, including Michael's parents, are ludicrous stereotypes, although I did enjoy Marcia Gay Harden's performance and character as a woman who has been left by her husband.
The whole thrust of the series is that Michael is left by his partner (Colin), just as he (Michael) is throwing a birthday party for Colin, setting the scene for the totally shocked Michael's entrance onto the gay singles scene in NYC. Michael is neurotic, too emotional, and way too sensitive. He ditches one of his potential boyfriends simply because the guy passes gas too early in the relationship. As I recall, Michael seems to think you need to be dating for a month before you fart in the presence of your partner.
SPOILER: The six-episode series ends with Michael returning to his apartment one evening to find Colin waiting for him. Colin wants Michael back. I found that ending disappointing and stupid. Obviously, it was meant as a cliffhanger which would be addressed in Series 2. I hate when that happens. The playwright Peter Shaffer has talked about how audiences need release and pointed out that Shakespeare always gave his audiences release. The ending of Uncoupled denied us that release. Netflix did not pick up the series for Season 2 anyway. I read that Showtime picked it up, but I don't subscribe to Showtime, so I won't see it. (I felt that the British series Queer as Folk was a seminal and brilliant series about gay life in Manchester, England, and I was thrilled when Showtime announced that they would be producing an American version. I subscribed to Showtime but cancelled after seeing the first two episodes of the American Queer as Folk. That's a subject for another thread.)
But to get back to kingrat's point about gay sex, and to the scene he mentions, I have to confess that I did not know that Botox could be used in that manner!
I watched the entire series. It was very entertaining and dealt quite frankly with certain aspects of the gay community and even (as kingrat pointed out) the mechanics of gay male sex. I'm afraid I found it kind of offensive, though I was not offended by the frank discussions of sex. The stereotypes were way over the top. The series was written by two openly gay New York writers.
The only gay characters I liked and whom I felt represented positive depictions of gay characters were the characters played by Andre De Shields, and the young man who turns up late in the series. I think part of the problem was the need to be sensationalist and titillating in television today, to entice and shock viewers. The frankness of the series in dealing with sex did not offend me, only the inanity of the characters and the ridiculous way the main character (Michael Lawson, played by NPH) responds to situations. Even the straight characters, including Michael's parents, are ludicrous stereotypes, although I did enjoy Marcia Gay Harden's performance and character as a woman who has been left by her husband.
The whole thrust of the series is that Michael is left by his partner (Colin), just as he (Michael) is throwing a birthday party for Colin, setting the scene for the totally shocked Michael's entrance onto the gay singles scene in NYC. Michael is neurotic, too emotional, and way too sensitive. He ditches one of his potential boyfriends simply because the guy passes gas too early in the relationship. As I recall, Michael seems to think you need to be dating for a month before you fart in the presence of your partner.
SPOILER: The six-episode series ends with Michael returning to his apartment one evening to find Colin waiting for him. Colin wants Michael back. I found that ending disappointing and stupid. Obviously, it was meant as a cliffhanger which would be addressed in Series 2. I hate when that happens. The playwright Peter Shaffer has talked about how audiences need release and pointed out that Shakespeare always gave his audiences release. The ending of Uncoupled denied us that release. Netflix did not pick up the series for Season 2 anyway. I read that Showtime picked it up, but I don't subscribe to Showtime, so I won't see it. (I felt that the British series Queer as Folk was a seminal and brilliant series about gay life in Manchester, England, and I was thrilled when Showtime announced that they would be producing an American version. I subscribed to Showtime but cancelled after seeing the first two episodes of the American Queer as Folk. That's a subject for another thread.)
But to get back to kingrat's point about gay sex, and to the scene he mentions, I have to confess that I did not know that Botox could be used in that manner!