On this chapter of The Queerest Things I Watched Last Week, Gentleman Jack and Maia Rindell (AKA Amy and Kirsten) work to solve a murder case on board a nuclear submarine on Vigil and The Sex Lives of College Girls is way better than it sounds.
Last week my post was about a depressing week in wlw television. Today I bring you two binge-watches I absolutely loved.
- The Sex Lives of College Girls – Season 1 [Streaming]
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When I saw the title of this series I thought it was a trashy reality show (not that there’s anything wrong with that), and I didn’t pay attention. Then folks started pinging us to let us know the show had queer characters so I gave it a try. It is not a salacious HBO softcore porn of yesteryear, it’s a very entertaining comedy/drama from Mindy Kaling (Never Have I Ever) and Justin Noble (Brooklyn Nine-Nine).
It follows 4 college roommates after they arrive at the fictitious prestigious Vermont school, Essex College. The four girls experience the typical ups and downs of navigating their relationships with each other and their newfound sexual freedom.
One of the roommates is Leighton, a rich legacy student from NYC who is like a closeted Blair Warner. Her love life is made up of one-time hookups with women she finds on dating apps.
No one knows she is gay (besides the women she has sex with) and she does NOT want to come out.
Of course, her public image and secret gay life are stressful to maintain and she acts out.
The campus police catch her and she is sentenced to 100 community service hours at the Essex College Women’s Center. We can all imagine how gay Blair Warner will fit in at Essex’s feminist center. Upon her arrival she manages to offend everyone then tries to talk her way out of putting in her full hours with the volunteer coordinator, Alicia.
I’m sure you all can see where this is going.
Snobby closeted Leighton has an enemies-to-girlfriends journey with super out queer feminist activist Alicia. It’s as entertaining as it sounds.
If you’re looking for a fun binge I recommend giving it a try!
- Vigil – Season 1 [Streaming]
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When Vigil aired on the BBC months ago, my Twitter timeline was flooded with pics of Rose Leslie and Suranne Jones being girlfriends. I knew I had to see it. Recently, I saw it was dropping on Peacock and I was psyched. My wife and I binged it in two days and it was better than I could have imagined!
After a crew member is found dead onboard the nuclear submarine Vigil, Detective Chief Inspector Amy Silva (Suranne Jones) is sent to Vigil for 3 days to investigate. Meanwhile, her ex-girlfriend Detective Sergeant Kirsten Longacre (Rose Leslie) investigates the case on land. Kirsten is only able to send Amy coded messages that look like they were made with a dot matrix printer from the 90s.
While Amy is doing her job on Vigil, we learn her backstory via flashbacks. As she further reveals the truth going on under the sea, Amy and Kristen’s relationship history is revealed to the audience as well.
Y’all the show is SO GOOD.
The investigation takes many twists and turns. The fact that she’s doing it while stuck on a submarine is stressful in a good-for-TV way. Also, it’s super suspenseful. I found myself unconsciously gripping my wife’s hand during many scenes.
Amy and Kirsten’s relationship arc is organically played out in parallel to the investigation.
Suranne Jones does a good job portraying a shy closet-y detective much unlike her role in Gentleman Jack where she’s banging every lady she meets in the 1830s.
This is the kind of TV I want!
A really good main plot, high production values and an organically woven in satisfying queer story. More of this, please!
If you like suspenseful police procedurals RUN over to Peacock and watch this now! You won’t regret it.
This week: It’s about time I chime in on And Just Like That… I’ll do it eventually.
