Gays of our Lives (December 15, 2008)

It might be tempting to compare Just A Phase to BBC’s Beautiful People as both have a similar set-up. But this series has none of the solid writing, interesting characters or sense of style that makes BP the wonderful show that it is. We’ll never know why ABC Family passed on this. It very well could be that a show about a teenage gay boy was simply too tough a sell, and let’s face it — in the US, it would be. But it's also likely that the network recognized this show just wasn’t very good.

Thanks to TUBEDOUTNOW2 for the video.

IN MY HUMBLE OPINION

Clara Sheller - I had my doubts about the return (and all the recasts) of this series, but they were erased in an episode that hit all the right notes. Charming, funny and emotionally moving, the show and the cast gelled, thanks to a couple of key scenes. When Clara told JP (Patrick Mille) she lied to Gilles about being pregnant, his bitter reaction was perfect, as it brought back all the pain of Clara’s decision to abort his child. He still feels the loss of that child and is angry with her yet, even after 3 years.

Second was the scene where Gilles found out Clara was ‘pregnant. ’ For him, it was a thrilling, romantic, life changing moment. And the horror on her face showed her life was changing as well, but in a way she didn’t want. Even better was that the specter of the past reappeared in that scene, making it even more powerful. One more note, JP and Gilles have great chemistry. They haven’t had many scenes together thus far, but you can feel the heat between these two friends.

Brad: And here I doubted I’d gotten all of it.
You just got it everywhere, didn’t you?

Casualty – Toby’s struggle to deal with his sexuality continued to play out in this emotional and well crafted episode. It’s pretty clear that Toby is attracted to Ben and wants to see him again. But while Ruth is seemingly well intentioned, she clearly has transferred her feelings about her own tryst with her boss and her feelings of betrayal onto Toby and Ben’s situation. That was was the real reason why she reported Ben for breach of medical ethics, setting their lives into upheaval. That intriguing twist adds to this already complex and well-told story.

Also well done was the show’s skillful use of comparing and contrasting the medical drama to the emotional turmoil of the staff. Of special note was a tragic love story that seemed to hit a troubled Toby particularly hard. The ramifications of this left the episode on a very emotionally moving note.

"Sorry, Toby … I’m making your coming out drama all about me."

Brothers & Sisters – This Thanksgiving episode was late, but it was worth the wait. The focus of the episode was on the family dealing with little Elizabeth’s illness, but the show scored points by not forgetting Kevin and Scotty and their relationship. Especially achingly poignant was the scene when Kevin was signing papers in preparation for surgery, and the reality of their situation became clear to both him and Scotty (Luke Macfarlane). It was also an acknowledgment of the role that Scotty has in Kevin’s life as his spouse, and it was done without being preachy or hitting us over the head. This same deft touch was also on display in an earlier scene in which the family learned that Kevin was the biological father of Tommy’s child.

There was much to be thankful for with this episode of Brothers & Sisters