Freddie: "I have my audition tomorrow. Be honest. Can I pass for 50?"
Stuart: "I'm not even sure you can pass for alive."
This bitchy repartee typifies the razor-sharp dialogue between gay partners Freddie (Sir Ian McKellen) and Stuart (Sir Derek Jacobi), in their mid-70s, who have lived together in London for 48 years, featured in the British ITV series Vicious, showing on PBS, Sunday nights at 10:30 p.m. The final episode airs Aug. 3. Freddie, a marginally successful actor, and Stuart, essentially a male housewife, are joined by Violet (Frances de la Tour), Freddie's feisty, cougar best friend; and their young upstairs neighbor, Ash (Iwan Rheon), who plays the straight man in both senses of the term. Sir Derek is on a third-act renaissance, also starring in the bland domestic soap opera Last Tango in Halifax (preceding Vicious on Sundays), making television history by playing both a gay and straight character on the same night.
The humor here is reminiscent of the brutal verbal jousting of the pre-Stonewall Boys in the Band. The show has been accused of recycling the old gay stereotype of the bitter, swishy old queen. This criticism is not totally off-base. The program uses standard sitcom plot devices such as the couple hosting the wake of a dead friend, or Freddie accusing Stuart of cheating on him (despite asking Violet, "Who would want to shag Stuart?"). But there is no hint of any sexual intimacy between the couple. Consider this characteristic exchange: Stuart: "Your back was cracking so much last night, I thought you were making popcorn in bed." Freddie: "That's because I have to distort myself in ridiculous positions so I can get as far away from you as possible." One shouldn't expect any passionate embraces. But wouldn't it be revolutionary on TV to see two gay men over 60 being sexually active?
The chief problem with the series is that it has no desire to be precedent-setting, as if depicting a long-term gay relationship is sufficiently revelatory. The writing, outside of scintillating putdowns, only hints at why two gay men who, on the surface, detest each other, have survived for five tumultuous decades. But there is a campy undertone that mocks disillusionment with life, satirizing aging, lack of sexual fulfillment, and personal idiosyncrasies.
For 20 minutes each episode, the men eviscerate each other. Freddie: "What is wrong with you, besides that visual horror show your body has become?" Stuart: "I'm just checking that my stomach is still strong enough to stand the sight of you." This is, well, vicious. Then, for the final two minutes, there is a fleeting, tender, feel-good conclusion, with a supportive comment such as, "You don't look as revolting as you normally do." Still they endure, at times attuned to each other's needs and insecurities, often agreeing on issues outside their tempestuous relationship, crossing their legs in unison as they listen to and advise their friends, or express umbrage at modern styles or rude breaches in etiquette, such as in a department store: "Are all these young girls prostitutes?" "No, that is how they dress today. They are all proud of their vaginas." In spite of cynicism with their fractious union, they choose to soldier on, recommitting themselves to each other for yet another emotional rollercoaster day.
Photo: Courtesy ITV
While politically incorrect, Vicious is uproariously funny. Sir Ian and Sir Derek provide perfect comic timing and take-no-prisoners facial expressions while delivering their savage dialogue. Yet here we have the two greatest openly gay actors in the world calling each other a rotting pumpkin or a shrunken old gnome. There is something sad and disquieting in seeing these acting giants reduced to denouncing each other as stinking turd piles. One can only surmise what heights might have been reached if a few real-world issues had been broached. Vicious has been renewed for a second season, so if you need a few laughs to kickstart the work week, by all means watch this series. Perhaps next year, the writers will be more courageous and delve into what's unique about LGBT relationships compared to their straight counterparts, why they survive despite being oppressed, and what it means for two men to forge a bond, despite temptations, in the age of marriage equality.