As the show opens, Spurlock asks “Will he (Ryan) hold on to his conviction that homosexuality is a sin, or will he shake his beliefs free once he’s immersed in his new life?”

What happens when a right-biased Michigan farm boy collides with the gayest place on earth should have made for spectacular fireworks. Instead, the show is Michael Moore-lite, more bark than bite; a few sparks, but no fire.

Ryan arrives at Ed’s modest apartment believing homosexuality to be a sin and a personal choice. Several times during the show, he equates homosexuals with murderers. Ed welcomes Ryan into his home with a tour, a champagne toast, and an all-you-can-eat entrée of good will.

Just for the record: farm-boy Ryan is a total babe; gay Ed is average looking. Ryan informs us that he’s never had a gay friend, although he admits to several gay acquaintances. Once Ryan arrives, Ed doesn’t pull punches or waste time introducing this homophobic roomy to Castro’s queer folk. Ryan’s first full day starts with a visit to the gym, or “gay church,” as he calls it. The filmmaker-narrator tells us that while the Old Testament condemns homosexuality, Jesus never mentions it.

Shortly after visiting the metaphorical gay church, Ryan attends the real thing: an MCC service presided over by Reverend Dr. G. Peggy Nixon. Throughout the episode, Ryan listens patiently to almost everyone without shifting his original position.

One reason the fireworks don’t ignite this 30 Days is that Ryan is not the smartest apple in Michigan’s barrel. He’s unaccustomed to thinking for himself. Accepting the hand-me-down beliefs of others without question or self-examination formed his conservative belief system. Pity.

One can only speculate how exciting this episode would have been if the homophobe had been someone who came to his beliefs through experience and analysis. As it happens, Ryan admits readily that homophobia was “beat into me.” Presumably, when a filmmaker asks people to live their worst nightmare, the volunteer pickings are slim.

Because Ryan’s homophobia is largely linked to his religious upbringing, he consults privately with MCC’s Reverend Dr. G. Penny Nixon. They volley beliefs to and fro, neither of them changing the other’s mind. It’s always interesting when people discuss their personal beliefs as if they were irrevocable facts of life. The reverend believes that Ryan needs diversity, maturity, and seasoning. He believes that her lifestyle puts her in the Express Lane to Hell. Both views reflect personal beliefs, not irrevocable facts. Do they even know the difference? She gives him a book What the Bible Really Has to Say about Homosexuality.

During the program, Ryan and Reverend Penny meet two more times. In each of their meetings, her pragmatic wisdom sails high over Ryan’s pretty, mostly passive, head.

As if to remind us that religious fanaticism is not the exclusive domain of one religion, Spurlock interviews Reverend Fred Phelps, a former civil rights attorney from Kansas, who frequently preaches against homosexuality in sidewalk demonstrations. The interview segment is preceded by a scene of a man carrying a sign that reads: GOD: USA’S TERRORIST. “These people (homosexuals) are going to hell and they deserve to be told that,” Phelps tells the filmmaker. “They have every right in the world to hear me tell them, ‘You’re going to hell. There’s nothing you can do about it. But have a nice day.” He continues: “Homosexuality is not a civil right. It’s a monstrous sin against God Almighty.”

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