Other Factors (The Why I Love QaFUK remix)

[out_there]

Relative Status of Characters

The basic set up of the main trio is very different in the two shows. In the US version, Mikey and Justin are shown as equals, and Brian is raised above them. In the UK version, Stuart and Vince are equals, with Nathan below them.

It's a very different set-up. Nathan is less experience and less knowledgeable. He's just finding out about the queer world and it shows. Through his immaturity and lack of confidence, he's given a lower status than Stuart and Vince, who. Regardless of Vince's low opinion of himself, both he and Stuart are basically equals, who have been on the scene for a long time and have been friends for even longer. Not once is it intimated that Nathan is more knowledgeable or more observant than Stuart and Vince. There are occasions when Nathan thinks he knows Stuart, when he suddenly sees through Stuart's manipulations, but Stuart and Vince basically retain the upper hand, always. They are the main stars of the show and the focus is on telling the story of their lives. The other intriguing thing is that Stuart and Vince set the tone for the other older characters; they're generally treated as knowledgeable and interesting, rather than aging and pathetic.

In the US version, Justin is elevated to the status of sexual/romantic interest. He's presented as a main rival and competition to Mikey, and as his approximate equal (albeit younger, sexier and far more confident). To do this, the series had to either make Justin far more knowledgeable, confident and aware than his general age-group, to essentially raise him to Mikey's level, or alternatively, lower Mikey to the level of a fresh seventeen year old. They did a little of both. They managed to make Justin extremely confident and mature for a teenager while stripping Mikey of his maturity, forcing him to whine like a powerless teenager over many issues such as having to share his possessions and his friends. (Don't get me wrong, it's clear that Vince isn't too keen on the idea either, but it's more a case of Vince resents being pushed to be responsible for Nathan. It's also clear that Vince is genuinely concerned about Nathan and doesn't wish him any harm. The same can't be said of Mikey.) The series also uses Mikey's interest in comics to make him seem childish, and even his nickname "Mikey" infantises him. In the end, Mikey seems more immature and juvenile than Justin. The balance is wrong and it’s unbelievable.

Having them both compete over Brian brings Brian up to a higher status than either of them. Brian reigns over them as the "King of Babylon", just as he reigns over the rest of the characters. He is revered and adored by his subjects, regardless of his flaws. As much as Brian screws up, as cruel and manipulative as he can be, the basic tenet of the series is that Brian Is Better than Everyone. Brian is not merely human; he’s Superslut Triumphant.*

* To borrow a phrase from an Aestheticism review.

Perception versus Reality

Another big distinction between the two shows is the subtlety of the UK version, which simply isn't in the US version. As far as I can see, this comes down to the difference between reality and perception.

In the UK version, it's clear how both Stuart and Vince see themselves and each other. Vince doesn't see himself as overly successful, attractive or interesting. He doesn't see himself as particularly unsuccessful either, just as generally average and normal. At the start of the series, it's clear that he doesn't see himself at Stuart's social level. He accepts Stuart as more attractive, more confident and more sexual. He also sees Stuarts as selfish, self-centred and irresponsible about how his actions affect others (in Vince's own words, "Stuart's a cunt"). As much as he is aware of his flaws, Vince doesn't put Stuart on a pedestal either.

Stuart basically considers himself a big fish in a small pond. Stuart considers himself very clever and generally the most attractive person in the room. His ego is huge but so is charm. However, Stuart also sees Vince as a good friend and a good person. It's clear that as much as he mocks Vince, he actually values him very highly.

The reality is somewhere between the two. As the audience, we know that Vince is far more valuable than he realises, that he does have low self-esteem and simply doesn't recognise what a great guy he is. We also know that Stuart isn't as attractive as he acts, and there are some scenes where he's downright unattractive. (His drunken pass at Vince's accountant boyfriend, Cameron, shows how attractive he thinks he's being, and just how unattractive he actually appears.) As an audience, we're also charmed by Stuart and can see just how he can convince people that he's more attractive than he actually is.

In comparison, QaFUS doesn't have this contrast. As an audience, we can see that both Mikey and Brian have a pretty firm grip on reality. Brian does consider himself the most attractive guy in the room, and in most scenes, he is. Mikey doesn't value himself, but really, neither does Brian. Unfortunately, neither does the audience. He's supposedly a sympathetic character but he's shown to be immature, petty, and very dislikeable. Brian is the one who is treated as far more successful and is actually the main focus of the show. As the rest of the characters show us, if you don’t want to sleep with Brian, you should at least want to be him.

The problem is that by the series using these characterisations it reduces the interest for the audience and the opportunities for the actors. There is no hidden depth to them. We don't need to know them well to understand the dynamic between them; it's obvious from the way that everyone sees them. The audience is intrigued by the way that Vince and Stuart both see a situation differently and we love getting inside their heads, trying to understand what motivates them. We don't need to do this with Brian and Mikey. It's self-evident why Brian is so popular, just as it's self-evident why Mikey isn't.

The unfortunate thing is that the friendship and fondness between them suffers for this. When the characters views seem to reflect reality so well, and there is so little obvious physical affection between the characters, it's hard to believe that the characters feel anything more than they show. They're almost plastic figurines, going through the motions of the story, just pretty faces to say the lines. On QaFUK, there is such a difference between reality (as the audience knows it) and reality as each of the characters perceive it, that it’s obvious that what they think and feel is not always portrayed in an apparent way. This in turn allows the characters stronger interaction, a greater depth of meaning and a wider range of emotions to play with. As any viewer knows, most of the meaning of a conversation comes not from the words said, but how the words are said.

When Stuart acts badly towards Vince, we're touched and concerned, waiting to see what happens, trying to understand it from everyone's point of view. When Brian acts badly towards Mikey, we understand it fairly easily. In fact, it's almost hard to be sympathetic towards Mikey because in a very simple way, the treatment almost seems justified by the fact that this is reality. Brian is better than Mikey and Mikey is irritating, so why should Brian put up with him? Honestly, as an audience, why should we care how Brian treats Mikey? Where's the motivation for us to be concerned, why should we think less of Brian for it? There's the problem. By reducing Mikey's status, by making him the loser that Vince almost believes himself to be, you've also reduced his role and importance in the story. Accordingly, we're encouraged to care for Brian, to forgive him anything, to support him always.

I dislike being manipulated into supporting a character that is unapologetically rude, selfish and manipulative. I object to being told to support him and care about him, regardless of his actions. I hate the way that Brian's nastiness is presented as part of the fact that Brian is Better than Everyone and the way that he is justified using overly emotional background information to try to gain my sympathy. It’s patronising and it's an insulting way to treat an audience. If I'm going to support a bastard of a character, like Stuart, allow him to be accepted by those around him as a bastard. Allow him to be petty and irritating, unattractive, uncertain and apologetic. Don't treat him like a saint while he takes the actions of a villain. Let him be the villain, let him be honest, and let me love him as a fully-fleshed person.

Mind you, all this is my opinion and nothing more. I'm just trying to explain why I adore Stuart and loathe Brian. They are supposed to be the same character, but it's the way that they are treated and presented to us, the way that they are forced to act. Part of it is just the way that the US has treated the series. It's been spun into a show All About Brian, instead of a show about two friends and just how complicated friendship can be. It's been changed from a drama about people who happen to be gay and happen to live this particular lifestyle, to a soap opera which is highly concerned about representation and dressed up public service announcements. (As a comparison, how often do we see safe sex references in the US version? Sure, we had the occasional condom wrapper shown in QaFUK, but there was no emphasis on the series to always show precisely when it was used. How many of us are sick of Debbie frequently pimping PFLAG and other organisations, and prefer Hazel's simple enjoyment of the scene? Read dammitcarl's blog comments here for a little more detail on what I mean.) It's basically a pity that such a good show was copied and altered until it lost all traces of quality. Of course, with such a good show, it’s not as if you needed another version of it anyway.

Comments

[erilyn.livejournal.com]

You've raised many interesting points in your posts, but for me, comparing the two shows became difficult after the first half dozen or so eps of QaF US, because after that, they aren't the same show anymore. I think the original is better in many ways, but I like a lot about the US version (including Brian), and I don't equate the characters anymore :)