Customer Reviews

Queer as Folk

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(17)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

QUEER AS FOLK is still one of the most amazing TV Shows ever and is a landmark as the show for the new millennium. This New Queer As Folk Season 4 DVD Box Set has all 14 episodes of the fourth season which still happens to be one of the most controversial and bravest series on television today. The BOX SET includes Bonus features such as: Behind-the-scenes with Peter Paige's directorial debut; Sneak peek at Michelle Clunie and Gale harold's latest movie; Behind the Babylon tour; Wardrobe closet; Photo gallery; Biographies; plus Previews and promotions. I have seen all 14 episodes of Season 4 and it is another great and very emotional season. Like before I am a little upset that this season is very short (like season 3) when compared to season 1 and 2. Either way season 4 is still a good season. I am still amazed at how honest this show is on dealing with gay life. Queer As Folk ia about the life of a group of gay guys and a lesbian couple living in Pittsburgh. Queer As Folk makes no apologies and thats what is so great about this series. From the graphic sex scenes to the drama of dealing with the prejudice that still haunts America, this show is so brave and I give Showtime a big thumbs up for having the balls to take on such a big risk as Queer As Folk. This show has some issues that are far more real for some than others. This is not a show just for gay people, but for ALL people. It deals with human emotion and thats something that we can all relate to whether we be straight, gay, bisexual, black, white, brown or in between. With season 5 rumored to be the final season I encourage you all to enjoy this great show because very few shows can touch your heart yet push the limit as far as this show has. I encourage anyone who has a open mind and a open heart to BUY this amazing DVD collection as it will inspire you and if nothing else open your mind to a lifestyle not as uncommon as you may think. Watch more than one episode before you judge this amazing series. I would just like to say Queer As Folk Season 1 and 2 and 3 are also great to own. I will be in line when they release Season 4 of Queer As Folk on DVD in April 2005

This was a good season for the characters. Ted, who was considered the wallflower, started becoming a stronger person through each episode. He kicked his drug addiction, dropped those druggies, renewed his friendship with the gang, and gained a job in Brian's new company Kinetic.
I was also glad that Cowlip decided to focus more on Michael and Ben's relationship. The previous season showed less of them and too much of Brian and Justin whose relationship is an "open door policy". In the wake of presidential elections, gay marriages caused a furor between "family value" groups and the GLBT community. Cowlip had to step up to the plate on Michael and Ben showing them tackle parenting Hunter, a street kid who was forced to do tricks to feed his mother's drug habit, and resolving relationship conflicts.
I was sorry to see Victor pass on. He was just life on his own with his new partner and getting out from under Debbie's grasp. He is the mirror of the past and the future of gay men. He survived amidst the politics of sexuality and civil rights. His extravagant lifestyle forced him to lay low just as he was getting himself back on track (working with Emmett and his newfound love), he had to die. I thought that was a blow, but it was also the beginning of the end of the series.
The relationship between Melanie and Lindsay has experienced highs and lows, but it takes another turn. Melanie, carrying a child, tries to juggle a career and maintain the household. They both dote very much on Gus.
Debbie, Michael's mother, is always full of mouth. She and Horvath get back together. Good. She and Emmett share a house since both of them can't live alone. Speaking of which, Emmett can never live by himself. He lived with Michael; then he lived with Ted. But he's always enjoyable to watch. His business is doing well but he tanks in the relationship. He gets himself involved with a football player who is engaged to be married. Oh what a tangled web we weave!
Let's not forget Brian and Justin. Although I get tired of seeing them in their sexual escapades, which is what fans love, I am glad that they didn't try to watershed Brian too much. He wanted to get more involved in his son's life which is touching. Seeing Justin negotiate a deal on the Rage movie proved very much that he is able to make it on his own without Brian. But will both of them ever decide to be monogamous?
Relatively new to the series, I see that the show does exemplify the gay culture socially, politically, and economically.

As an avid view of the show, I urge anyone to at least RENT this series on DVD! This is such a good show. The first couple of seasons are really hard for people to get past because of the "graphic" sex scenes (I only use quotations because, to me, now they aren't so graphic). As the program has continued on and the characters have aged, the sex has died down (thus ending the shock-factor to draw in audiences), and the storylines have matured.

You can honestly look at these characters and relate them to everyday people in your life. They have such emotion and depth to them that the crazy situations that they continuously find themselves in start to become believable.

Don't get me wrong, this is a nighttime soap opera with gay characters, but it's not cheesy or fashion-centered. Even though it is highly unlikely that a group of friends would go through all of the things this group does, you don't feel as if it is too fake while watching. Actually, many of the plotlines are funny--even if only for an episode.

The point of the program is to show that love and friendship is universal--no matter what your orientation. Give it a chance, and I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

I'm sure as most you have read in the previous comments, the packaging to this season is nowhere NEAR as good as the previous seasons. That's extremely true. The packaging is VERY fragile and basically four large DVD covers in a paper-thin box. The other seasons came with more bonus features, more thought behind the look of the boxes, and a lot more thought in general. Some have speculated that Showtime is setting aside the money that was saved from this season's box set so that the fifth (and final) DVD would be much more extravagant and worth the money.

The content (excluding bonus features) is absolutely amazing. The shows are great, the plot is fantastic, and the characters are as real and unpredictable as everyday life. So if you love the show, buy the set, it'll be worth it. Don't get it for the packaging or the non-existent bonus features, get it for what the box set is all about this season, the show.

Well, I'll begin with an admission: I'm a newbie to the US version of Queer as Folk, having only got into it from the third series. They were showing it late night over here, and I'd always refrained because I expected it be like any other show that had made its way over the pond (either way, not just UK->US) to be insipid and a badly made rehash of the original. Oh, how I was wrong. The US version of Queer as Folk is so much better than the UK original its difficult to quantify in words. Where Russell T Davies' original had dialogue that was ham-fisted and over-the-top, Queer as Folk consistently hit the mark with the right amount of emotion and understatement.

So, why not 5 stars? Well, having literally just finished watching the final episode of the series (I had to have it imported, series three has just finished here!), I can say I am a little disappointed overall with this series as opposed to the third. During the third, every episode would either move me with laughter, or with empathy/sympathy. Series 4 just didn't as much. (Note, I'm trying not to spoil it for those that may have not seen the series yet, unlike some of the other reviews here that divulge every single major point in the series, so be warned).

These are some of the things that made the series for me:

1. Emmett Honeycutt (Peter Paige). This guy is wonderful. Each and every one of the funny moments during the series has involved this guy. It is impossible to find him endearing and utterly loveable.
2. Debbie (Sharon Gless). Where we had the hairdresser from Coronation St, you get half of Cagney and Lacey. She's a star, and equally as colourful in this series as she was the last. Every one of her t-shirts made me laugh, and I just wish my mother wore them!
3. Brian does have a scare during the series, and even though some suggest that this in some way emasculates him, I disagree. He goes from strength to strength, and proves himself to be more human, even though he still stays beautifully distant and aloof. It's nice to see some sensitivity there, even just a glimour.
4. The handling of some of the more contentious issues was done very delicately (if a bit rushed throughout). I do agree with one of the other reviews that it sometimes felt like a wheel of fortune had been spun to decide what would be the next confrontation. However, on the whole it came off brilliantly.

Now, onto the bits I liked less:

1. Rage. Sorry, it's farcical. As is Justin's Nick Cave Lookalike buddy in "the bizz". This ruined it for me a bit. Especially after such a wonderful scene as the marriage (not giving away who) it breaks to a set which is acted even worse than the worst of porn. Simply awful and I wish they'd drop it. Looks like they won't though.
2. The ghettoism of gay people throughout. Don't any gay people in America have straight friends (Justin's flatmate being the exception, but she's a throwback from the UK original)? Sorry, but this was exacerbated by the Pink Posse thing (which was hideous, insulting and contrived), with the "them and us" attitude. This show is hard hitting, but was originally aimed at helping to bring gay issues to the mainstream, not make the situation worse.
3. Justin. This character, with each series, becomes more and more annoyingly self-absorbed and narcissistic. Where in series 3 he is promoting sacrifice for that you love most, he's willing to give it all up for his five minutes of fame. Always self-righteous, he gets right on my.... [insert expletive here].

However, even with these flaws aside, this series is a bastion for what TV should try to be - confrontational and direct. In these times of reality TV making every good show step aside, I'm surprised it hasn't been cancelled, after all we're only 10% of the population and it can't realistically appeal to the mainstream on the whole (and it's nigh on impossible to buy over here, where it is, in fact, immensely popular), so I'm grateful that it's there. Superbly acted, superbly realised, and (mostly) superbly written - let's hope the fifth and final series goes out with a bang.

Oh, and one final thing: the music throughout is superb (I'm mot talking Babylon here, who'd have expected a gay-oriented series to have bands such as Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and Snow Patrol featured? I was chuffed, to say the least; there's more to gay life than Kylie!)

Enjoy.

I am in total awe of this show! This has got to be some of the finest acting I've ever seen. How a straight guy can pull off the sex scenes with such intensity is amazing! These guys (although not all straight) deserve acadamy awards not just emmy's!!! I know that it is almost impossible that one group of friends would experience all of the situations in this show, but most gays and friends of gays will "know about" someone that has been in each situation.
As the mom of a young gay man, I think these shows point out the problems that gays face. It gives young people (gay and straight)insight into a lifestyle that has many problems and many, many prejudices. I think that if straight people had to watch this show that they would realize that gays are "normal" people with the same feelings and problems as any other group of people. It would change some of the problems that gays face because it would change the outlook that straights have.

After three great, innovative seasons featuring some terrific writing and acting, QAF in its 4th season is starting to show some rust on its hinges. In its attempt to be more thoughtful and mature, it's also zapped the life out of such major firecrackers as Brian and Debbie. The plot lines in this season are borderline ridiculous: the "Rage" Hollywood drama is so left field its hardly believable; the Melanie court battle goes nowhere; the breakup of Melanie and Lindsay over Lindsay's affair makes no sense since Melanie had previously cheated on her in season 2; Brian's cancer is handled so melodramatically it literally zaps the life out of the character; and the resolution between Emmett and Ted is undernourished to say the least, and very unsatisfying. The edginess and anything-can-happen vibe of the first three seasons is mostly absent in this season, an unfortunate turn for a once-fabulous series. However, the acting remains top notch (with the exception of Robert Gant who emotes with bug eyed indifference) and there's hope that the final season will deliver the goods. Let's keep our fingers crossed for season 5.

I love Queer As Folk! I find it extremely entertaining to watch. I also love the characters and the story-lines. But why am I paying almost 100$ for only 13 episodes? I think it's an outragous price for basically a half season order. I can appreciate the special features, but honestly I'd rather have more meat(no pun). The same idea I apply for the first, second and third seasons as well. Many DVDs series containing 22 episodes are usually under 80$ with tax included. Anyways I've got nothing against Queer As Folk or anything like that, I just think it's a rip-off. Well there is my rant. Cheers!!

When "Queer As Folk" originally debuted in The UK in 1999, it earned massive critical acclaim. Unlike other sitcoms that came before it, this tackled controversial issues that many unfortunately do not accept. Many people began talking. A year later, The US version aired on Showtime, and the reaction was the same. This gave millions from the GLBT community and their allies something to relate. Its powerful storylines grabbed many audiences' attention. Before its debut, only two other sitcoms tackled GLBT issues to this magnitude: "Will And Grace" and "Ellen". This earns the cast and crew tremendous respect for doing what few others have dared and result successfully. It has since earned many award nominations and wins, including four consecutive GLAAD (Gay, Lesbians, and Allies Against Defamination) nominations for Outstanding TV Drama.

Season four is no acception. Though it has toned down its sexually graphic nature, the subject matter remains as powerful and attention-grabbing as since its debut. It maintains its "in your face" and its unapologetic theme wonderfully. Nobody could ask for more. It expresses issues dealing with HIV/ AIDS, cancer, standing up for ones' rights, gays in professional sports, same-sex marriage, same-sex parenting, and others. This well-written and produced season shows some growth in certain plots and characters. Though there's less major plots compared to the previous seasons, it proves that the show has come a long way since its debut. This season beautifully presents how everything has evolved to where it is now, especially the flashbacks to the beginning.

Season four awaits many plot surprises. It begins by answering questions about season three's cliffhanger: Does Ted complete rehab? Will Ted regain the trust lost from his friends? Will Michael get arrested for protecting Hunter from his abusive mother? Meanwhile, viewers will witness Justin briefly joining the violent street-watching group Pink Posse (hence his dramatic change in hairstyle), Ben encountering a disturbed student hunting for the HIV virus, a dating revolution in Hunter, a death within the group, a change in Lindsay and Mel's relationship, and a surprising maturing point in Brian while still maintaining his signature "no-bullshit" reputation. Such powerful storylines are only part of what keeps this show running strong after four years. Everything combined leads to a conclusion that keeps audiences anxiously awaiting for season five.

Through these storylines, the cast performs their roles wonderfully. Through their angry scenes, passionate scenes, disturbing scenes, despressing scenes, and celebrating scenes, they maintain their talents. All express their unique personalities through the characters beautifully, giving the show its variety that makes it more enjoyable. Brian's bluntness, Emmitt's flamboyance, Michael's child-like charm, Debbie's eccentricness, and others fit beautifully as one masterpiece thanks to the cast. The chemistry within everyone remains strong as since its debut, namely the trio of romantic relationships. Despite, Sharon Gless and Peter Paige state their performances the strongest.

The enjoyable bonus features are great for after having watched every episode. The trailers of two films featuring certain cast members await audiences for their release dates: "Say Uncle" and "The Unseen". Peter Paige makes his directorial debut in "Say Uncle", which explores a man who comes out of the closet and is immediately accused of being a pedophile. "The Unseen", starring Gale Howard and Michelle Clunie explores a town that is threatened by severe racism. Also included are a behind-the-scenes of the Babylon Tour and the wardrobe designing. All these short clips make for interesting viewing beyond the show.

Such show quality makes "Queer As Folk: Season Four" essential for show fans. This is sure to please many of its audiences GLBT or straight. Those interested in this must watch the previous seasons first in order. Otherwise, nobody will know what's occurring.

Cast: Gale Howard (Brian), Hal Sparks (Michael), Randy Harrison (Justin), Peter Paige (Emmitt), Scott Lowell (Ted), Robert Gant (Ben), Thea Gill (Lindsay), Michelle Clunie (Mel), and Sharon Gless (Debbie)

I hadn't had the money to complete my boxed set series of the show, so i finally got season 4 i excitedly opened the plastic and looked at the cheap packaging and said "what the hell!!!" the packaging isn't as nice as the other 3 seasons, and that kind of bothered me since now my seasons do not match. I have 3 seasons in beautiful boxed sets with fold out areas for the disks and I can SEE what i am paying so much for (i spent over 100 dollars for the first season's set).
well the season 4 shows in my eyes were not as good as previous years but i still enjoy the show. so it is a MUST HAVE for any QAF fan.
I was bummed by not having as many "extras" as other seasons which was really a let down, since I had gotten so used to be spoiled by extras.
But like i said this set is a must have for those who are truly into QAF and need to own every single ep.

I can't wait to see season 5's dvd set hopefully they are back to the beautiful packaging and have tons of extras.