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It's a Sin (II)

 In its second hour, "It's a Sin" becomes dazzling.

One way to understand Davies's work is through the lens of dramatic irony. This term refers to any moment when we know things the characters do not know. ("Mad Men" was also a major factory for dramatic irony.) 

So--for example--we see one character rejecting another's blow-job offer when London enters the picture. ("You're from London? That's dangerous...." As if HIV would not have traveled to smaller towns.) The scene becomes odder still when the London boy makes a bold claim: "HIV is only in New York. People from London are fine."

In another corner of Davies's world, a young woman struggles to help a friend with HIV. Should she shatter the mug this friend was drinking from? Should she wrap the mug's shards in a towel -- and bury the towel? Should she always be wearing rubber gloves? You feel the sense of panic when the friend's sister visits: She cannot begin to have a civil conversation with a well-meaning stranger. She begins a ruminative spiral: "Should I wear gloves right now? Why didn't anyone tell me to wear gloves?"

A third bit of dramatic irony: Colin, my favorite character, does not recognize that there are wolves around him. Even though an elderly colleague tries to assault him, Colin later consents to travel to New York City with this same elderly colleague. In a stand-out scene, the elderly predator attempts a second assault: "Do you smell clean? It's important to smell clean if you're conducting business....Let me check...." Colin has a pile of news articles about AIDS--a friend has requested these--and he can't begin to imagine that his predator-colleague might use this discovery against him. Within a few short scenes, Colin is brutally dismissed from his job.

There are so many strange and wonderful moments in the margins. A young woman with a certain type of British accent believes that "Stella" is actually "Stellar" -- and she chooses to name her new child "Stellar." A middle-aged woman asserts that Barry Manilow can't be gay -- because "look how the ladies respond to him....." Our somewhat insufferable protagonists--and Davies isn't afraid to make someone insufferable--giggle cruelly over breakfast. "We would NEVER sleep with Gladys. He is ANCIENT. He is THIRTY-FOUR YEARS OLD...."

Every scene seems to capture some bit of lived experience, and the writer is "on fire." I no longer feel certain I can anticipate what is coming--a nice and unusual sensation, if you're watching a TV show.
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