Jump to the good stuff: The Story | Some Thoughts | The Final Verdict
The Story:
Fellow Travelers is an eight-part miniseries that opens in Washington, DC in 1986, when Hawkins “Hawk” Fuller (Matt Bomer) is visited by Marcus Gaines (Jelani Alladin) to give him a gift from Tim “Skippy” Laughlin (Jonathan Bailey). Marcus arrives unannounced during a party to celebrate Hawk’s new job post in Milan, where he will be moving with his wife, Lucy (Allison Williams).
Hawk asks Marcus how Tim is doing and is told that Tim’s settling his life and doesn’t want to hear from him. Marcus hands Hawk a box, tells him that he has a beautiful family and that he hopes it was worth it, then leaves. Hawk opens the box and pulls out a Washington, DC paperweight.
The story then cuts to DC in 1952, when Hawk and Tim met during a celebration for Senator Joseph McCarthy (Chris Bauer). Tim is employed by McCarthy while Hawk works with Senator Wesley Smith (Linus Roache), who is an opponent of McCarthyism.
Both Tim and Hawk are products of their time, and opposite sides of the spectrum of life in the closet. Both men work for the government, so being exposed as homosexuals would ruin their careers. Tim is young and naive; his biggest struggle is being gay and Christian. Hawk is a war hero, which allows him to maintain his bachelor status without having his lifestyle questioned. Hawk is also an all-around seasoned player who will go to any length to keep his sexuality hidden.
After their initial meeting, Tim and Hawk get together a few more times. The meetings soon become sexual, and they get to know more about each other. It doesn’t take long for them to become romantically entangled.
Meanwhile, Marcus, a black reporter, is kicked out of the McCarthy hearings for daring to ask questions. Marcus is upset by the inequality people of color face and being forced into the closet by both races for being homosexual.
Marcus and Hawk, who know each other from political events that Marcus has covered, often run into each other at a local gay bar. It’s there that Marcus meets Frankie Hines (Noah J. Ricketts), a drag queen who refuses to hide in the closet. The two become romantically involved, although Marcus will not be seen with Frankie in public.
From here Fellow Travelers becomes a story about dysfunctional relationships, political intrigue, and drama.
Some Thoughts:
Both Bomer and Bailey are up for the task and have a chemistry that heats up the screen. It’s easy to understand the emotional attachment between Tim, a man who lives by his principles, and Hawk, who is emotionally unavailable because he lives in fear of discovery.
With newspaper reporter Marcus, Fellow Travelers introduces what it means to be black and gay in the 1950s. While this part of the film is interesting, it isn’t as detailed as the Tim and Hawk plotline. Because of that, it often feels like an afterthought.
The first five episodes are the best. These are the McCarthy era portions that establish character and motivation. The final three episodes, which deal with the 1960s through the 1980s, are rushed and give the drama a soap opera feel. The scenes of the White Night riots look like they were ripped out of a 1980s daytime soap opera. This is due mostly to the lack of buildup.
By the time the final three episodes roll around, Tim and Hawk’s relationship feels a bit long in the tooth. The storyline with Marcus is paired down to a romance between him and Frankie that mimics the Hawk and Tim story. The only interesting portions are between Hawk’s wife, Lucy (Allison Williams), and Tim.
While the acting overall is decent, Rickets as Frankie isn’t believable. Also, Hawk’s Fire Island friends acting is so bad overall that the scenes with them feel like a high school play. As Lucy, Williams is decent, although there are times when she can’t quite reach the emotional depth necessary to give the story the dramatic tension it needs.
The Final Verdict:
Fellow Travelers would have been better if it had been split into two seasons. While the first half of the series works, the second part is rushed and feels a bit hollow.