I think what's breaking Hawk is the conversation he never finished with his son. It started by the lake, when Jackson says he thinks there's something wrong with him. We then find out that Jackson always seems to have known that Hawk was lying, and more importantly it's strongly implied that he knew exactly what his father was lying about. He certainly seemed to know that Tim wasn't just any old friend! And the thing Jackson didn't want to be was like his dad. He's seen his dad living a lie his whole life, seen how that hurts his mother. That poor boy must have been in so much pain, and now Hawk is carrying that pain & guilt, and he can't suave & bullshit his way out of that burden.
Look at it another way. Can't say with certainty whether Jackson knew about Hawk's sexuality, but I think he refers to Tim as "Dad's special friend" because Tim is indeed special to Jackson. Like Hawk, Jackson felt safe to be vulnerable around Tim. That's a big deal for a kid who feels so unsure about himself. Then he never saw Tim again. Lucy's understandable ultimatum to Hawk keeps the one person that understood their son away. Jackson's death may have been inevitable, but in an elseworld instead of Tim getting a postcard saying "Skippy, I need you" it reads "Skippy, Jackson needs you"
Skippy/tim was called a bore, so he decided to prove to everyone he isn’t at the pool. I also think Tim thinks that he can help hawk by first playing into hawks denial mechanisms of drinking/drugs/sex. Tim realizes that if hawk feels “judged” he isn’t gonna talk or work through anything with losing Jackson, so he follows hawks lead to try and get him comfortable before trying to talk again. As for Jackson, the “I think something’s wrong with me” from the last episode had to do with depression. If you notice, his mood changes drastically, he’s acting out, and possibly stealing(they never actually confirm if hawks suspicions about Jackson stealing from the neighbors is correct or not). Also, as a musician, in the 50s and 60s it was common to take drugs to perform and tour, so it makes sense that he does well and gets sober for a while and then relapsed. He is 100% referring to Jackson as the son and brother. They never actually go back to Lucy’s brother. He isn’t in the book.
To be more precise, Hawk can never abandon Tim even if he 'judges' him. Because Tim is Hawk's home. For some reason, there are too many pitiful views towards Tim, and it seems like there are people like you who over-interpret it.
My sentiment(s) exactly! At least Matt Bomer, Jonathan Bailey and Ron Nyswaner were nominated, but it's really shameful that the show itself wasn't. Far and away the best thing I've seen in a long time, top-notch work from all involved.
This episode had me in pieces when I first watched it. I had a headache that lasted for 2 days afterwards. Matt Bomer's acting was absolutely amazing to such an extent that I started rooting for Hawk for the first time! He's outstanding!!!! I love your reviews. Thank you both so much!!!
Same here. We cried a lot during editing. Absolutely incredible on so many levels. Fingers crossed they win their respective Emmy's in September 🙏 Thank you for watching 🫶
Love your reviews and discussion. I loved this show so much. The acting, writing.. everything is amazing. I cried so much. Looking forward to the next one
Guys can’t wait for you to watch Ep 8. Powerful and moving and wud want you to hold the ones you love closer more than ever. Also just want you guys to to know Matt Jonathan and Ron (showrunner and writer) all three secured Emmy nominations on the 17th of July. Three out gay men securing for a 4 decades gay love story is a history right now. Wud love if you cud react to Ep 8 and then Jonathan baileys critics choice award win speech and Jonathan Matt in the view show. There’s a reason why I’m suggesting that. It’s very powerful moving and if a straight person can get moved by it then I can only imagine for the LGBTQIA+ community. It’s available in TH-cam.
You guys are such good reactors. I was going to recommend Milk, but it seems you have seen it. There is also a great documentary called The Times of Harvey Milk (1984) if you want to delve further into his life and influence. But the other thing I really want to recommend to you, if you haven't already seen it, is The Normal Heart (2014). Based on the 1985 play, it deals with the start of the AIDS crisis in New York. It is, of course, very heavy, however, it's very important and very much worth the watch. It also stars Matt Bomer in another great acting performance, along with Mark Ruffalo, Julia Roberts, and several other excellent actors. I would love to see you react to it. ❤❤
Harvey Milk's murder and the ridiculous conviction (Yes, the twinkie defense) did indeed spur riots in SF. My heart breaks for Tim over and over - but this episode (and the next) simply gutted me.
As far as the speculation that the "lost a son and a brother" comment could have been referring to Lucy's brother, I don't think Tim would even know Lucy had a brother.
At the 8:43 timestamp, that was known as ‘The Meat Rack’ back in the day, probably still is. Fire Island is great. Hope you guys can visit one day in the summer to experience it. There are six major vacation destinations in the US for the lgbtq+ community. Puerto Vallarta (Mexico) is also a very popular lgbtq+ destination, and worth visiting. Great reaction videos on this series. Getting ready to watch episode 8.
@@therainbowreels Provincetown (aka Ptown) is great. It is very easy to get to from the Boston airport to Ptown via the ferry. When there, don’t forget to get the ‘Dick Dock’ tee shirt. It’s nice, and the imagery is subtle.
Your wife and daughter already buried a son and brother referred to Jackson. Leonard (Lucy's brother) didn't die. Lucy buried a son and Kimberly buried a brother. That's what Tim meant. Also you might want to go back and stop and read the card that Kimberly finds in that drawer with his business card. It was his condolence card after Jackson's death and the message is beautiful 😭 Not sure what people were expecting from Hawk really. He was clearly misusing drugs and alcohol as self-medication. He had done it for half a year already, probably to the point of addiction. Him and Tim had just talked about Jackson's addiction and how he had better days and then got bad again... And yet everyone expected Hawk to just stop doing drugs after one conversation and night? Very unrealistic expectation when dealing with someone who consumes drugs...
Thank you for clarifying. It wasn't clear to us when we were watching, and we hadn't seen Lucy's brother again either. Good point on Hawks addiction, but he does end up snapping out of it when Tim walks away from him. It does look like Tim is a catalyst for Hawks in so many ways. Thanks for watching 🫶
I know this is probably a bit of an unpopular opinion but Tim drove me nuts in this episode even though I fully understand why he was behaving the way he does. He's a social worker for a gay organisation and has probably counseled a number of men in Hawks situation and I don't think he told them to go back to their families. Especially because to me it feels like Hawk was essentially fishing for permission to leave from the one person he felt could give that to him. But Tim gave up a lot for Hawk's family and didn't want those sacrifices to be in vain just because Hawk can't pull it off anymore.
I also get the feeling that Jackson might have been gay, even though they didn't get into it!!! That's why I think Halk feels such guilt! He's constantly hiding and living "the lie", that he couldn't even allow himself to be "real" with his own son! Especially if he saw queerness in him too!! Sure explains a lot if that's the case!!!🤔
I think what's breaking Hawk is the conversation he never finished with his son. It started by the lake, when Jackson says he thinks there's something wrong with him. We then find out that Jackson always seems to have known that Hawk was lying, and more importantly it's strongly implied that he knew exactly what his father was lying about. He certainly seemed to know that Tim wasn't just any old friend! And the thing Jackson didn't want to be was like his dad. He's seen his dad living a lie his whole life, seen how that hurts his mother. That poor boy must have been in so much pain, and now Hawk is carrying that pain & guilt, and he can't suave & bullshit his way out of that burden.
Very well summarised, and spot on! 👏
This was a heartbreaking episode.
Thank you for watching 🫶
Look at it another way. Can't say with certainty whether Jackson knew about Hawk's sexuality, but I think he refers to Tim as "Dad's special friend" because Tim is indeed special to Jackson. Like Hawk, Jackson felt safe to be vulnerable around Tim. That's a big deal for a kid who feels so unsure about himself. Then he never saw Tim again. Lucy's understandable ultimatum to Hawk keeps the one person that understood their son away. Jackson's death may have been inevitable, but in an elseworld instead of Tim getting a postcard saying "Skippy, I need you" it reads "Skippy, Jackson needs you"
Skippy/tim was called a bore, so he decided to prove to everyone he isn’t at the pool. I also think Tim thinks that he can help hawk by first playing into hawks denial mechanisms of drinking/drugs/sex. Tim realizes that if hawk feels “judged” he isn’t gonna talk or work through anything with losing Jackson, so he follows hawks lead to try and get him comfortable before trying to talk again. As for Jackson, the “I think something’s wrong with me” from the last episode had to do with depression. If you notice, his mood changes drastically, he’s acting out, and possibly stealing(they never actually confirm if hawks suspicions about Jackson stealing from the neighbors is correct or not). Also, as a musician, in the 50s and 60s it was common to take drugs to perform and tour, so it makes sense that he does well and gets sober for a while and then relapsed. He is 100% referring to Jackson as the son and brother. They never actually go back to Lucy’s brother. He isn’t in the book.
Very astute observations, thank you!
Thank you for this breakdown 🫶
To be more precise, Hawk can never abandon Tim even if he 'judges' him. Because Tim is Hawk's home. For some reason, there are too many pitiful views towards Tim, and it seems like there are people like you who over-interpret it.
This episode is absolutely heartbreaking. (Too bad the series as a whole wasn't nominated for a 'limited series' Emmy.)
My sentiment(s) exactly! At least Matt Bomer, Jonathan Bailey and Ron Nyswaner were nominated, but it's really shameful that the show itself wasn't. Far and away the best thing I've seen in a long time, top-notch work from all involved.
Great reaction, I've enjoyed them so far. Get ready for the devasating end.
This episode had me in pieces when I first watched it. I had a headache that lasted for 2 days afterwards. Matt Bomer's acting was absolutely amazing to such an extent that I started rooting for Hawk for the first time! He's outstanding!!!! I love your reviews. Thank you both so much!!!
Same here. We cried a lot during editing. Absolutely incredible on so many levels.
Fingers crossed they win their respective Emmy's in September 🙏
Thank you for watching 🫶
Love your reviews and discussion. I loved this show so much. The acting, writing.. everything is amazing. I cried so much. Looking forward to the next one
We are glad you enjoyed it. This one was particularly heavy.
Thank you for watching 🫶
Guys can’t wait for you to watch Ep 8. Powerful and moving and wud want you to hold the ones you love closer more than ever.
Also just want you guys to to know Matt Jonathan and Ron (showrunner and writer) all three secured Emmy nominations on the 17th of July.
Three out gay men securing for a 4 decades gay love story is a history right now.
Wud love if you cud react to Ep 8 and then Jonathan baileys critics choice award win speech and Jonathan Matt in the view show.
There’s a reason why I’m suggesting that. It’s very powerful moving and if a straight person can get moved by it then I can only imagine for the LGBTQIA+ community.
It’s available in TH-cam.
You guys are such good reactors. I was going to recommend Milk, but it seems you have seen it. There is also a great documentary called The Times of Harvey Milk (1984) if you want to delve further into his life and influence.
But the other thing I really want to recommend to you, if you haven't already seen it, is The Normal Heart (2014). Based on the 1985 play, it deals with the start of the AIDS crisis in New York. It is, of course, very heavy, however, it's very important and very much worth the watch. It also stars Matt Bomer in another great acting performance, along with Mark Ruffalo, Julia Roberts, and several other excellent actors. I would love to see you react to it. ❤❤
Thank you 🫶
"The Normal Heart" is at the top of our list for movies. We'll aim to watch and upload it in late August. 🙌
That's great! Please do give yourselves a break and react to something lighter between now and then.😘😘
Harvey Milk's murder and the ridiculous conviction (Yes, the twinkie defense) did indeed spur riots in SF.
My heart breaks for Tim over and over - but this episode (and the next) simply gutted me.
As far as the speculation that the "lost a son and a brother" comment could have been referring to Lucy's brother, I don't think Tim would even know Lucy had a brother.
At the 8:43 timestamp, that was known as ‘The Meat Rack’ back in the day, probably still is. Fire Island is great. Hope you guys can visit one day in the summer to experience it. There are six major vacation destinations in the US for the lgbtq+ community. Puerto Vallarta (Mexico) is also a very popular lgbtq+ destination, and worth visiting. Great reaction videos on this series. Getting ready to watch episode 8.
Thank you 🫶
Fire Island is on our list, and so is Provincetown 💁♂️
Loved watching this show. It destroyed us though 😭
Thanks for watching 🫶
@@therainbowreels Provincetown (aka Ptown) is great. It is very easy to get to from the Boston airport to Ptown via the ferry. When there, don’t forget to get the ‘Dick Dock’ tee shirt. It’s nice, and the imagery is subtle.
Waiting for Episode 8 reaction
Your wife and daughter already buried a son and brother referred to Jackson. Leonard (Lucy's brother) didn't die. Lucy buried a son and Kimberly buried a brother. That's what Tim meant.
Also you might want to go back and stop and read the card that Kimberly finds in that drawer with his business card. It was his condolence card after Jackson's death and the message is beautiful 😭
Not sure what people were expecting from Hawk really. He was clearly misusing drugs and alcohol as self-medication. He had done it for half a year already, probably to the point of addiction. Him and Tim had just talked about Jackson's addiction and how he had better days and then got bad again... And yet everyone expected Hawk to just stop doing drugs after one conversation and night? Very unrealistic expectation when dealing with someone who consumes drugs...
Thank you for clarifying. It wasn't clear to us when we were watching, and we hadn't seen Lucy's brother again either.
Good point on Hawks addiction, but he does end up snapping out of it when Tim walks away from him. It does look like Tim is a catalyst for Hawks in so many ways.
Thanks for watching 🫶
This full episode was a torture 😭
Agreed 😭
Thanks for watching 🫶
I fear for the next episode and their reaction... I'm not sure I can even watch it or give any comment😭
We need to be strong! Not sure if we can, but we'll find out. We'll record it later today 🙈
I know this is probably a bit of an unpopular opinion but Tim drove me nuts in this episode even though I fully understand why he was behaving the way he does. He's a social worker for a gay organisation and has probably counseled a number of men in Hawks situation and I don't think he told them to go back to their families. Especially because to me it feels like Hawk was essentially fishing for permission to leave from the one person he felt could give that to him. But Tim gave up a lot for Hawk's family and didn't want those sacrifices to be in vain just because Hawk can't pull it off anymore.
I also get the feeling that Jackson might have been gay, even though they didn't get into it!!! That's why I think Halk feels such guilt! He's constantly hiding and living "the lie", that he couldn't even allow himself to be "real" with his own son! Especially if he saw queerness in him too!! Sure explains a lot if that's the case!!!🤔
Totally agree, and absolutely heartbreaking just thinking about it. 😢
Thank you for watching 🫶
❤
Heartbreaking😭🥹
Ep 8?
Coming next Wednesday. We are recording it today 😀
@@therainbowreels can't waitttttt 😍
🫶