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It's a Sin

 "It's a Sin" is the work of Russell T. Davies, who also wrote "A Very English Scandal," one of my favorite TV "efforts" in recent years.

Marc and I are only one hour into "It's a Sin"--but it's worthwhile, so far. This is the story of three intersecting journeys--three gay men in their late teens, in England, in the early eighties.

The flashiest guy is an aspiring actor; his move from a remote island to London involves many hours of new and interesting sexual situations, and his major professional ambitions also seem to become a main theme.

Another guy, Roscoe, is in danger of being forced to move to Nigeria with his father; this move would presumably force an "inner conversion" from homosexuality to a more-conventional path. Roscoe rebels via drag; he also finds himself in London.

The third, the one I like best, is a somewhat repressed tailor's-apprentice (?) in a shop--who lies to his parents about colorful nights out and instead spends his weekend in front of the television.

Some of this material flirts with cliche, but, as in "A Very English Scandal," Davies saves the day with quirky details. The flamboyant actor makes a mess with one of his first dates. ("You're Hindu? Buddhist? No...Muslim? Hindu? Hindi? Is it Hindi without a long 'u' --?") Discussions about HIV and AIDS are unsettling and arresting: "If it's cancer, why do I need this mask? Cancer isn't contagious....?" "The mask is not for self-protection....You're protecting the patient...." In a chilling throwaway moment, a father hands a box of condoms to his young son, thinking that that son is heterosexual. The son smirks, and has a secret thought: "Why in the world would I need THESE?" The condoms go sailing into the sea....)

I'm intrigued, and we in this house will keep watching.
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