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It's a Sin (III)

 In its final hours, "It's a Sin" continues to feel like a revelation. It's like someone carried these stories for years--and he has finally allowed himself to sit in front of a computer and write.

One character--Colin--is like Beth in "Little Women." At least for a while. We think he is going to have a decorous valedictory scene--he is such a saint!--but then the writer shocks us. Colin's condition means that he can't think clearly, and he begins ranting about his erotic fixation on one particular hospital guest. "I used to think about you and wank off," he says. Then: He actually begins fondling himself right there in public. This is like the writer's calling card: I'm not going to make things easy for you.

Elsewhere, the character Roscoe becomes a high-paid rent boy for a conservative politician. Bizarrely, the politician reveals he has a "hard-on for Margaret Thatcher." Roscoe responds reasonably: "Nonsense. You're gay." And the elderly man says: "What I do with you doesn't make me gay. You have to bury your face in shit sometimes if you're going to really learn to appreciate the flowers...." This scene--which seems to be happening on some planet other than Earth--ends with Roscoe pissing in Margaret Thatcher's coffee.

And the ending stays within the realm of greatness. (Russell Davies sticks the landing!) The character Jill has been waiting on the Isle of Wight for her friend's homophobic mother to begin allowing death-bed visitations. (Our complicated star, Ritchie, is dying.) We're led to think that the mother relents; we see the mother standing by the water, finally consenting to speak with Jill. Then, Russell Davies drops the hammer: "Ritchie died yesterday." One of the more shocking moments I can recall from any TV series.

People are comparing Davies to Tony Kushner--and, with both writers, you have the sense that one singular mind could take you anywhere. Davies tosses off a "Les Miserables" musical parody in the midst of relentless seriousness. (The activation of the guillotine is spliced into a scene where Ritchie confers with his doctor, presumably to learn if he has AIDS.) Later, we get a "Legend of Zelda" sequence; it's on-set for a terrible fantasy show that Ritchie takes in some news from his makeup artist...."Something is wrong with your skin.....The color isn't healthy...."

I realize I'm dwelling on craft--when this is a show that directly confronts a few moments I personally have lived through. (Painful comings-out, awkward moments at work...There is even a startling scene dealing with teachers at a high school.) Well, personal stuff can get aired out later. For now: I really liked this show.
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