Link to the dudes
Ready for another comedy-drama about the coming-out experiences of a queer comedian? Starring that guy from The Hunger Games? Ok, Amazon Prime just dropped Single, Out (2022-25). All of the episodes have one or two-word titles: "Single," "Out," "H*ard." Maybe I'll double back to that one later, but we'll start with Episode 1, "Anytime."
Scene 1: October 13, 2023. Wait -- writer/director Lee Galea was born in 1979. No way he was a teenager in 2023. And that guy isn't Josh Hutcherson from The Hunger Games, he's Will Hutchins, Australian, born in 2001, with 10 acting credits on the IMDB. So this is not based on childhood coming-out experiences.
Melbourne teenager Adam (Will Hutchins) photographs his art on the schoolroom wall, goes home to work on it, and looks at cute guys on his computer. Look, he's a fan of "The Boys," an Amazon Prime show. Product placement, anyone?
Ulp -- Brother Clay knocks on the door. They bicker over leaving the seat up. I'm in the "leave it up" camp. It makes it a lot easier to go in the middle of the night.
In other news, Mom is spending the night with her boyfriend, so they're on their own. Brother invited Josh over, and he made pizza.
Adam says that he'll be down in five minutes, using Auslan (Australian Sign Language). Wait -- if Adam is deaf, why doesn't his brother sign to him?
As he continues looking at cute guys, suddenly the hunk on screen turns into Josh. A crush on your brother's friend?
Scene 2: Dinner. One of those boring "Eat" plaques on the wall. Yes, we know what one does in the kitchen. Josh made mushroom pizza, because Brother Clay said Adam likes mushrooms. Psych -- he hates them! But he chokes the pizza down to avoid offending his crush. He's not signing anymore. Maybe he is learning Auslan in school, and just signed for practice?
Trivia Fact: Will Hutchens has come out as the one guy on Earth who doesn't like pizza. At all.
Brother Clay continues to embarrass Adam with stories about his childhood fear of boogers, but Josh is not dissuaded. He opens up to Adam about his plan to become a pro football (soccer) player, praises his art, and invites him to the shop. Dude is into you; ask him out!
Continuing his attempt to push them together, Brother Clay suggests that Josh would make a good artist's model. Josh's eyes light up -- if he poses for Adam he'll be asked out for sure! "I'd love to! Anytime!"
Scene 3: Adam takes a shower (chest shot). When he's done, he has a text message from Josh: "Anytime!"
Adam calls his friend Marco for advice. Marco is annoyed: it's Grey's Anatomy night, and besides, he doesn't need advice. When a cute guy offers to pose for you, and then texts you from the next room, you don't even need to ask him out. Go over there and get your kissing on.
I think the IMDB got mixed up. It says that Marco is Ryan Stewart, but it's obviously Jake Hyde.
Adam is hesitant: dating your brother's friend could get complicated. But he texts and invites Josh out for dessert.
Scene 4: Adam searches in the refrigerator for something to serve. Leave the house, dude. Get ice cream. Josh grabs him -- he shrieks, startled. "Sorry, I didn't realize that I was that scary. So, your brother went off..." He invites his friend for a sleepover, then abandons him? That's rude -- unless he's trying to push the two together.
"Yeah, he's always getting some. I never get any. He got the looks, I got the personality." Hinting for Josh to assure you that you are attractive? You got an inferiority complex or what?
"You're totally hot," Josh says. "So, where's my dessert?"
Whipped cream squirted directly into his mouth? Take him out!
"By the way, I'm pan," Josh continues.
"I'm gay, but not out. Brother doesn't know."
"That's ok, we'll keep this a secret." You don't have a relationship yet, guys.
They kiss. And it's onto the couch for more kissing. Then into the bedroom. Guys, you left the door open. Brother Clay is going to catch you.Scene 5: After they have finished kissing, Adam is dozing, and Josh sneaks out.
Cut to Adam getting dressed in a ridiculous little-boy shirt (horizontal stripes?). He catches the guys playing football in the front yard. They ignore him. When Brother Clay goes into the house, Adam asks Josh if they can get together again: "No, the sneaking-around thing is too 90s. Maybe after you come out."
Scene 6: Adam goes to work at the car wash, and tells his friend Marco about his evening. "So, what does your Brother think about it?" "Um...um...he doesn't know."
The Boss comes around and asks if they want to ride on her bike at the Pride Parade.
"But I'm not a lesbian."
"With that haircut, no one will notice."
They make fun of each other in the standard "gay men and lesbians don't like each other" cliche.
So your boss is a lesbian, you got a gay best friend, and your brother's friend is pan, and you're having trouble coming out? I remember when I was a teenager, there was no one who even acknowledged that "gay" was a thing.
Next the Shy Guy approaches, stumbles, mumbles, and finally gets the courage to ask Marco -- if they have any more car-wash sponges!
More after the break.
The IMDB says that the Shy Guy is Jake Hyde, but it's clearly Joel Nankervis
After he leaves, they discuss how handsome he is. Already planning for your next boyfriend, Adam? Then it's back to the big issue: When is Adam going to come out?
"Maybe after Mum's birthday. She's having a Big, Fancy Dinner, and we're meeting the boyfriend for the first time."
Scene 7: The Big, Fancy Dinner. Hey, it's at home, not in a restaurant. Adam comes in late and tries to shoo Mum away from "his" chair. That's rude, boy.
She tells him to sit somewhere else. Seething, he complies, and Mum starts praising Brother Clay (Steven Christou) for his football expertise: he's playing for the Yarraville Seddon Football Club.
He's also studying sports physiology, so he can become an athletic trainer. Adam insults him. Kind of a jerk, aren't you?
Wait -- Yarraville? A suburb of Melbourne, rated the fifth coolest neighborhood in the world by Time Out magazine. Known for its foodie scene and the art deco Sun Theater. A gay-friendly enclave in a gay-friendly city.
Back to the Big, Fancy Dinner: Brother Clay tries to get Adam some attention by noting that he's getting an arts degree at the RMIT (the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology).
The Boyfriend (Adam Ramzi) is not impressed: "An artist? So you're going to be living at home until you're 30."
Adam seethes. "At least I have my car wash job to fall back on. Mum's last boyfriend stole my car, so I don't have one anymore."
Trying to defuse the tension, Brother Clay tells Adam, "You can always borrow my car, if you need one for...you know, dating or whatever."
The Boyfriend backtracks and complements Adam, but he continues to take offense at everything, and finally bursts out with "I'm gay!" Everyone stares. The end.
In the next episode, we discover that:1. Everyone was staring because it was a non-sequiter. They all thought that he had been out for years.
2. Brother Clay doesn't mind Adam dating Josh (Adam Mountain). This was all a tempest in a teapot.
3. Clay has a job giving massages to blokes.My Grade: I wasn't happy with Adam agonizing over coming out and dating his Brother's friend, a lot of buildup with no payoff. Also, he's rather a jerk, and he acts like a 15 year old, not a grown-up college student.
But I liked that they started the romance immediately, instead of the usual season full of longing looks and hand-touching. And Melbourne's gay scene might be interesting. B.
See also: Overcompensating: Gay college boy wants a hetero relationship to prove his worth. With no plot twists but a lot of cute guys.
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