Companions of Travelers is not for those who know nothing about history or much about the struggle and plight of gay men in the different eras chronicled in this book-to-screen adaptation. I mention this because I have seen some comments chastising the creators for showing the power imbalance between the two protagonists and it usually comes from people who were born in a world where it was not illegal to be gay, the world they came to was one where equality LGBT was in the spotlight and same-sex marriage was beginning to become legal in many countries around the world, along with the introduction of workplace anti-discrimination laws and hate crime laws in many modern societies.
So, for those people who don't understand this story about the paranoia and hatred that arises from a government in power, a government mired in the mire of a cold war and itself paranoid beyond reason, it is mainly because they are shocked and They expect every gay story to be like Heartstopper or Red, White and Royal Blue, both very funny in their own right, but equally unrealistic and cute.
Creator: Ron Nyswaner
Stars: Matt Bomer, Jonathan Bailey, Noah J. Ricketts
For my part, I like cute stories, but I also like bravery, and Fellow Travelers has a lot of bravery: from the underground gay scene to the dom-sub dynamic between the two leads and then to McCarthy's paranoia. -ism and the horrendous persecution and witch hunt of gay men that all of that entailed. Then, during the '69s and '70s, it reaches the height of the AIDS crisis in the late '80s, spanning the lives of the cast and the struggles of being gay at the time, and it's no surprise that the shy flowers that have never I had those same struggles and believed that it is made up or inappropriate to broadcast. Well I have news for you, that was the harsh reality even if you don't want to believe it.
It is a reality that is conveyed very well in Travel Companions, with splendid production values from the sets to the costumes and the script. To top it all off, we get to see two real gay actors giving incredible performances and I have to say there is a realism to the sex scenes and an animalistic intensity that I don't think two straight actors can pull off so convincingly.
Although it shouldn't matter if an actor is good, gay or not, and I haven't seen lovemaking so convincing since Free Fall, the German gay movie, and as far as I know, that was a straight cast. However, there's something special between Matt Bomer and Jonathan Bailey in Travel Companions, and maybe it's the fact that we know they're both gay men that helps us believe it more.
In the midst of other reviews here about ratings bombing and social media with various complainers who want cute stories, I felt the need to write a review and point out that this production and story is top notch, it is special and it is a rarity to find two men homosexuals. playing two gay characters in a serious drama.
This is, without a doubt, a time when you would be very remiss to believe any of the reviews, including this one, and simply make your own decisions after watching this excellent show. If you like it, it deserves your support, if not, remember that there was a time when a story like this would not even be considered for production and it is the books that have made these television series possible.
More importantly, it is about remembering the persecution and then writing about it, it is those stories that have liberated gay men to the point that they now have the luxury of seeing themselves, and former lives, portrayed on screen by two homosexual actors. That alone is notable. If we want more real gay stories, the equation is simple: lend your support, which will be rewarded with a great story and excellent performances like that of Travel Companions.
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