It's A Sin

[Hiyo]

Quote

Some people like it a little rough.

True, though there is a fine line between rough and violent...

Also worth remembering is that some people are just shy and introverts by nature. Not everyone can be as confident and self-assured as say, Ritchie, when it comes to dating and hook-ups.

 

[sistermagpie]

7 hours ago, sugarbaker design said:

Some people like it a little rough.

He was desperate to leave the house because he was lonely.  Then he meets this cute young guy with whom he finds himself instantly smitten.  Then he gets a chance not only to share an apartment with the object of his affections, but he also gets an instant posse of besties.

 

7 hours ago, Hiyo said:

Also worth remembering is that some people are just shy and introverts by nature. Not everyone can be as confident and self-assured as say, Ritchie, when it comes to dating and hook-ups.

 

Yeah, we know from his conversation with Henry that he wanted a relationship and whether or not he enjoyed the sex as much as he could have, there's nothing for him to enjoy in the relationship he had with that guy. The sex might actually have been the only good part there, even if it wasn't the kind of sex Colin himself would really choose. I didn't get the impression he'd started going out on Thursday nights, for instance, in order to avoid it.

[lasu]

On 2/28/2021 at 1:20 AM, iwantcookies said:

Them saying La to each other is what got to me.as they kept dying La became sadder and sadder as the group kept shrinking.

My nickname is La, and I certainly became sadder and sadder as the group kept shrinking.

I don't think Colin was raped, but I definitely don't think it was a great experience.  I'm sure that the landlady's son explicitly was clear what would happen if Colin ever said anything.  It wasn't a great situation at all, and I'm glad Colin found another place to go.  Even if he did enjoy the sex, it was still an overall hostile place for him to be, and I think he finally recognized that.

[greekmom]

Finally saw this. Binged all 5 episodes last night.

In regards to Colin, I agree that he was into the sex but I think eventually he wanted what Henry had.  A loving stable relationship.  His boss was super creepy and I also wonder what happened in the hotel room in NY.  I assume Colin refused to have sex with him so he got sacked.  Glad the boss was busted in the public men's rooms.

I loved Colin's mom, Jill's parents and the woman in the hospital who told off Ritchie's mom. 

Ritchie's attitude towards AIDS when he's giving his speech on how it's not a real disease gave me chills of people today believing that COVID isn't real, made up and masks are not necessaries.  Oh how we people like to believe what we like to believe. 

Jill was an interesting character. I wonder why they never expanded on her at least having a love interest for support and just being the hen mom of the group.  Just watching her watch her friends die was giving me all the feels.

George/Glady's was another sad story. Hiding so no one finds out to have his parents find out and then burn all his things after he died to erase him from existence. 

Would have liked at least the group watching tv on how Princess Di hugged or made AIDS her cause by visiting hospitals and sitting with AIDS patients.  The throw away line wasn't enough.

Roscoe was another great character. I am super shocked his dad did a 180 and accepted him in the end. 

Would have liked to see at least 1 scene in a jump forward to the 2000's (say 2016) on how Jill and the remaining guys were doing.

[Lillith]

I finally watched this and agree it was brilliant but "triggering". I am just a few years younger than the characters portrayed in the show. So I remember the music well (it was a high point) and I also remember the fear. And how it brought out the worst in a lot of people, just as portrayed. Poor sweet Colin, that was a gut punch. I didn't love Ritchie but I felt for him, he was a very "real" character to me. Flawed and conflicted and scared. Roscoe was probably my favorite. Ash was just sort of there, it was too bad. The actor was very good (they all were) but they did very little with his character. 

I get Jill because I've always been the girl who has lots of gay male friends and I often "mother" them. Though I've never been roommates, just close friends. 

The family portrayals were realistic I thought. Not aspirational, just realistic for that time and place. Hell, it's realisitic for this time sadly. Overall it brought a lot of the sadness of that time back for me. We had fun, lots of it, but there was that constant spectre looming close by. 

I noticed other posters mentioned the documentary "We Were Here" and the film "Longtime Companion". Please watch them if you haven't yet. Both are utterly brilliant and utterly devastating at the same time. 

And as for the wonderful character who gave Ritchie's Mum a good slap of reality; she was portrayed by Ruth Sheen who's often in Mike Leigh movies. That's where I knew her from. If you enjoyed (such as it was) the style of this and you're not familair with Mike Leigh, check out his movies. Especially from the late 80's into the mid 90s. You'll recognize actors like Timothy Spall, Jane Horrocks, and David Thewlis who all got worked with him. 

[biakbiak]

On 3/7/2021 at 6:11 AM, greekmom said:

I also wonder what happened in the hotel room in NY.  I assume Colin refused to have sex with him so he got sacked.

They show the boss seeing all the articles and information Colin had gathered about AlDs and quickly making up an excuse to leave before attempting anything. 

[Jessa]

On 3/1/2021 at 1:33 AM, ruby24 said:

Was he enjoying it in every scene though? I got the impression that he liked it at first, but then the guy was becoming violent. And he was clearly desperate to then leave that house and he didn't sleep with anyone else or even try to, so something must have gone badly enough for him to close himself off afterwards.

I do think he did enjoy it. The last bit in the last scene is Colin moaning “yeah!” I more got the impression that football shirt was having trouble accepting his own sexuality, and hated himself for enjoying sex with men. He wanted the room dark, and kept his clothes on, and called Colin a “bender,” as if he wasn’t gay himself. I do think he was rough, but I don’t think I would use the word violent for what was shown on screen. Colin seemed to really want a boyfriend, and football shirt was not going to be that for him. Also, the rules of the house were strict including doors locked at 10pm. No wonder Colin wanted to move! 

Colin really seemed to be hung up on Ritchie, so maybe he didn’t want casual sex with other people once he had met the one person he wanted to be his boyfriend, even though it was not reciprocated. 

Edited March 17, 2021 by Jessa

[sugarbaker design]

15 hours ago, Jessa said:

Colin really seemed to be hung up on Ritchie, so maybe he didn’t want casual sex with other people once he had met the one person he wanted to be his boyfriend, even though it was not reciprocated. 

Exactly.  Imagine having a huge crush on someone and seeing them walk to the bathroom every morning in various states of undress!

[JustHereForFood]

I finally watched this and what a rollercoaster of emotions! I agree that it was very tough to watch, but at the same time didn't feel too depressing. I liked all those little moments of victory, such as Roscoe getting to piss in the former PM's coffee.

I understand that this was filmed pre-covid, but God were those unintended parallels painful to watch! How Richie was so dismissive of the whole situation at the beginning and then later trying all those desparate things to keep the disease from progressing. With the obvious difference that back then there just wasn't information available, even when people wanted it. When Jill's doctor refused to tell her anything, that was just horrible.

Jill's parents and Colin's mother were great, but the rest of the parents we saw were just garbage. Starting with Roscoe's father being ready to take him to Nigeria to have him killed there and the rest of his family (save for his sister) just uselessly sitting and going along with it. To all those parents who decided to control their adult children's lives and keeping them away from their friends and partners, even keeping those away from funerals. And I'm sure they got to keep all the inheritance as well. I know this is what was a reality for a lot of families and seriously, fuck all of those parents.

Ultimately I felt sorry for Richie. I was often feeling quite frustrated with him, especially as he kept having unprotected sex knowing he was infected (which is a crime), but I liked how Jill pointed out in the last conversation with his mother that it was a result of his upbringing and the shame he was feeling as a result of that. So sad to see. I hoped Jill would be a lot more harsh with her, after she and her husband treated her like crap, but Jill must have been much better person than I am and I guess it was important for her to keep it cool or something like that.

The music was A++.

 

[JustHereForFood]

I don't think this was mentioned previously, this article goes a bit into details of the Doctor Who cameo. Apparently they were inspired by an actor that RTD knew, who appeared in a Doctor Who episode and sadly also later died of AIDS.

https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/a35347177/its-a-sin-doctor-who-crossover-scene/

[Hiyo]

Nice Easter Egg of sorts.

[AngieBee1]

I absolutely loved IT'S A SIN - if one can love something that is about an extremely painful era.  While I loved it I knew it wasn't going to get any awards love but thankfully The Critics Choice Awards have recognized the production.

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN MOVIES, MINISERIES OR SPECIALS
“Bo Burnham: Inside” – Netflix
“The Good Lord Bird” – Showtime
“I May Destroy You” – HBO
“It’s a Sin” – HBO Max
“Mare of Easttown” – HBO
“The Queen’s Gambit” – Netflix
“The Underground Railroad” – Amazon
“WandaVision” – Disney+

[Hiyo]

I do wish it got some love from the Emmy awards, but oh well.

[Hiyo]

It’s a Sin leads the way in 2022 TV Bafta nominations.

The show’s 11 nominations, comprising five in the craft categories and six in the television awards categories, include nods for Davies in the writer drama category, as well as a leading actor nomination for singer Olly Alexander for his role as Ritchie Tozer.

His co-star Lydia West has been nominated in the leading actress category.

[heckkitty]

Quote

They did a good job at showing how gradually AIDS creeped into the gay community and then mainstream society and how long it took for people to really understand what AIDS was and how it was spreading, and the issues surrounding it.

Yeah I worked in a hospital in 1983-84, near a gay neighborhood in Chicago. I was very young and very, very ignorant. I just remember all these men coming in for lots and lots of tests and everyone being pretty confused about what was going on (I wasn't doing healthcare; I would check them in for their visits). I think back on that time sometimes, and especially while watching this, and I get so sad that probably none of those young men survived.