Fellow Travelers - Paramount+

[MikeThomas]

… with Matt Bomer and Jonathan Bailey.  Pretty good show with lots of sex scenes bordering on soft porn.  Not sure I’m liking Matt Bomer’s character, but I’m only one episode in.  Recommend.

 

[KrisParr]

Indeed - the toe-sucking scene (yes, you read that correctly) is blistering.

[TonyDown]

On 10/28/2023 at 9:32 AM, MikeThomas said:

… with Matt Bomer and Jonathan Bailey.  Pretty good show with lots of sex scenes bordering on soft porn.  Not sure I’m liking Matt Bomer’s character, but I’m only one episode in.  Recommend.

 

I agree, Matt Bomer's character is not exactly a noble fellow.

I will definitely continue watching.

 

 

[dutchal]

Considering that Matt Bomer is 46, he's in gorgeous, mouth watering shape.  And Jonathan Bailey does a very convincing job with the sexy nerd type.

[+ poolboy48220]

I enjoyed the first episode, although the nitpicker in me is trying to figure out the timeline of how old these guys are at each point in the story.  I suppose I should just enjoy seeing Matt & Jonathan in sexy scenes.

[+ stevenkesslar]

On 10/30/2023 at 7:32 PM, TonyDown said:

I agree, Matt Bomer's character is not exactly a noble fellow.

We've come a long way from Philadelphia.

This interview with writer/creator Ron Nyswamer, which doesn't contain any spoilers,  was helpful to me in terms of understanding why the characters may have been developed the way they are.  This part in particular jumped off the page: 

Quote

Then there's also the AIDS crisis, which isn't in the book, but I wanted to address it because it was such an important part of my life. These two parallel times are very dark times in LGBTQ history.

It's very important for me to say this: These are dark times that we survived.

I find Bomer's character to be morally ambiguous, at best.  But I think that may be the point.

Nyswamer was nominated for an Oscar way back in 1994 for writing Philadelphia.  That was clearly an effort to bring The Gays into the mainstream and create sympathy.  How could anyone not open their heart to Tom Hanks, with AIDS?  And it worked.  But my point is that it was also kind of one-dimensional.  We were moving victims.  Not the guys with the adorable boyfriends in romcoms.

What I am loving about LGBTQ cinema now is that we can be multi-dimensional, and all kinds of things.  Heroes, and assholes, and morally ambiguous people just trying to get by.  I loved Red White and Royal Blue because it was a sweet, if shallow, fairy tale about what the future for young Gay and Bi men can now be.  Fellow Travelers is anything but.  More like the opposite.  I think part of the statement Nyswamer was trying to make, which is okay to say now, is "Here's the shit we had to put up with.  Here's how it kind of warped people.  And yet, we were not beaten down.  We survived."

If that is part of his message, I find it noble in a very realistic way.  It's an emotionally piercing exploration of what McCarthyite homophobia and hypocrisy, and AIDS, did to our past.  And, proudly, we survived.  I'm looking forward to seeing where this goes.  Even if it is not as easy on the heart as Bomer and Bailey are on the eyes.  😉

 

 

[TonyDown]

20 hours ago, stevenkesslar said:

We've come a long way from Philadelphia.

This interview with writer/creator Ron Nyswamer, which doesn't contain any spoilers,  was helpful to me in terms of understanding why the characters may have been developed the way they are.  This part in particular jumped off the page: 

I find Bomer's character to be morally ambiguous, at best.  But I think that may be the point.

Nyswamer was nominated for an Oscar way back in 1994 for writing Philadelphia.  That was clearly an effort to bring The Gays into the mainstream and create sympathy.  How could anyone not open their heart to Tom Hanks, with AIDS?  And it worked.  But my point is that it was also kind of one-dimensional.  We were moving victims.  Not the guys with the adorable boyfriends in romcoms.

What I am loving about LGBTQ cinema now is that we can be multi-dimensional, and all kinds of things.  Heroes, and assholes, and morally ambiguous people just trying to get by.  I loved Red White and Royal Blue because it was a sweet, if shallow, fairy tale about what the future for young Gay and Bi men can now be.  Fellow Travelers is anything but.  More like the opposite.  I think part of the statement Nyswamer was trying to make, which is okay to say now, is "Here's the shit we had to put up with.  Here's how it kind of warped people.  And yet, we were not beaten down.  We survived."

If that is part of his message, I find it noble in a very realistic way.  It's an emotionally piercing exploration of what McCarthyite homophobia and hypocrisy, and AIDS, did to our past.  And, proudly, we survived.  I'm looking forward to seeing where this goes.  Even if it is not as easy on the heart as Bomer and Bailey are on the eyes.  😉

 

 

I also see the story as realistic.

For example the portrayals show how these men are often on the prowl for anonymous sex, yet also have capacity at times to bond with each other.

There is so much food for thought, and so many reveals in just the first episode.   Too much?

But I don't want to judge until a few more episodes.

James Ivory once said that good looking actors make a good movie even better.  Fellow Travelers is an example.   ❤

 

[Phlmuscle]

Is anyone watching the series "Fellow Travelers on Paramount/Showtime starring Matt Bomer. Gay theme with lots of nudity and sex.

 

 

[+ azdr0710]

https://www.companyofmen.org/topic/146849-fellow-travelers-paramount/

[Phlmuscle]

Thanks for the link. I missed that. 

[dutchal]

On 10/30/2023 at 10:32 PM, TonyDown said:

I agree, Matt Bomer's character is not exactly a noble fellow.

 

But he looks gorgeous.

[Rod Hagen]

I wish the acting were better.  It's an interesting subject.  I purchased the memoir of the showcreator's obsession with an escort (haven't read it yet).  But the acting, meh.  I'm trying!  Always when confronted with this period I ask myself, how the heck could Roy Cohen have done that to his own people?  How?

[TonyDown]

9 hours ago, dutchal said:

But he looks gorgeous.

A nice looking handsome man, yes!

Jonathan Bailey is easy on the eyes as well!  Adorable.

4 hours ago, Rod Hagen said:

I wish the acting were better.  It's an interesting subject.  I purchased the memoir of the showcreator's obsession with an escort (haven't read it yet).  But the acting, meh.  I'm trying!  Always when confronted with this period I ask myself, how the heck could Roy Cohen have done that to his own people?  How?

The story is a bit uneven for me.  

I'm good with the acting.  I especially like Baily.  

I'll keep watching.

 

 

[Ali Gator]

Canadian actor David Tomlinson seems to have taken all the attention from the series. He's developed quite a following, but there are viewers who have some questions - why was an actor with a gym body and  'shaved pubes' cast as the character from the 1950s ?  This is a period drama, and one would be hard pressed to find a guy like that in the 1950s. (Gym bodies and shaved pubes didn't really start until the 1980s). Of course, no complaints from me - Tomlinson is a beautiful ginger with a great penis...

Read the comments at the end of this blog...

OMG, he's naked: Actor David Tomlinson in 'Fellow Travelers' - OMG.BLOG

OMG.BLOG

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Fire in the hole! Ginger actor David Tomlinson in ‘Fellow Travelers’ guest stars on Fellow Travelers and leaves a lasting impression with audiences. Check him...

 

 

[Ali Gator]

I finished binging the first four episodes today, and must say this is one of the better streamers out there (and not for the gratuitous gay sex). The stories are intriguing, the acting is impeccable. I'd be shocked if the show - and especially Bailey and Bomer - aren't nominated for Emmys next year. The supporting cast is also outstanding. 

[Ali Gator]

On 11/1/2023 at 8:26 AM, poolboy48220 said:

I enjoyed the first episode, although the nitpicker in me is trying to figure out the timeline of how old these guys are at each point in the story.  I suppose I should just enjoy seeing Matt & Jonathan in sexy scenes.

Something was said in episode 4 from 'Senator Smith' which gave Hawk's character to be born in 1922, which makes him 31 in the 'past scenes' (which take place in 1953). In the present, it is 1986 - so he's supposed to be 64, though he looks 20 years younger (as does his wife). I think the dialogue was when Smith said he hears questions all the time why 'this handsome young man in my office' is not married and 31 was given as his age. 

 

Every time I see Bowman on screen, I see a younger Gregory Harrison - he looks so much like Harrison did in the 80s and 90s.  Too bad they didn't cast Harrison to be his father in the one scene they had together.

[Ali Gator]

Episode 5 is the best episode so far - the series could've ended with 5.  I'm curious where they're going to go over the next three weeks. 

[pubic_assistance]

On 10/31/2023 at 9:54 AM, dutchal said:

Considering that Matt Bomer is 46, he's in gorgeous, mouth watering shape.  And Jonathan Bailey does a very convincing job with the sexy nerd type.

I find Bailey far more sexy than Bomer (and a better actor)

[Ali Gator]

Bailey and Bomer are going to be guests on "The View" this THURSDAY, according to their promotions this morning.  

Edited December 6, 2023 by Ali Gator

[Ali Gator]

What a great interview these two did on 'The View' today (it's available on YouTube). I never realized how shy Bomer is in real life. Bailey is as cute and sexy as ever. They make such a great couple. 

[MikeThomas]

Tonight’s episode was really good.  Brought back a lot of memories.

[MikeThomas]

 

[+ Axiom2001]

On 12/8/2023 at 5:23 PM, MikeThomas said:

Tonight’s episode was really good.  Brought back a lot of memories.

Last night's episode (12.11.23) brought back lots of memories: Harvey Milk's assassination along with the aftermaths that followed in 1977.  In 1978, I was in San Francisco as a member of some club for gay men.  

After we had eaten our pot luck dinner, we assembled on Market Street, with candles in hand, and marched down Market Street to stand in front of City Hall to pay honor to our fallen brother.

Next week the final episode will conclude this series.  I'm patiently awaiting.

 

[TonyDown]

There was so much going on and so much to take away from Fellow Travelers.

Too much?

One aspect I think about is the bad wrought by gay men against other gay men.  I'm not judging.  But perhaps it is food for thought how we might choose to treat each other now.

What struck me the most was the conversation between Tim and Mary, when Mary quotes from "Catcher in the Rye".  How that applied to Tim and Mary was terribly poignant. 

Watch the final epi and see what you think about that.  😉

Edited December 17, 2023 by TonyDown

[Becket]

Damn this show rips your heart out. It makes me so angry. All these people forced to live double lives, harassed for who and how they love. Some of it is so hard to watch. But so many beautiful scenes. In one episode Hawk and Skippy are naked in the living room, slow dancing to their favorite song. Gorgeous. Took my breath away. Seeing the series makes me wanna go read the book. I don't want to miss a single thing.