In the Flesh

I am totally, utterly in love. I am in love with In the Flesh. In the Flesh is an amazing tv-series with, so far, two seasons produced by BBC three. The first series had three episodes and the second six. To make a long story short, as we say in Sweden, there has been a rising The Rising. In the rising in 2009 lots of people rose from their graves and had some kind of zombie-like behaviour where they ate other peoples brains. But science found a way to medicate the zombies so they would work functually as normal human beings more or less. So now they just look a bit more zombie-like and they can't eat. But they usually wear make up.

Luke Newberry as Kieren Walker. With make up.

The lead part, Kieren Walker (Luke Newberry), has just come home to his family in the first episode of season 1 and they all struggle with the adaptation. Well, to make it short, as said, we get to know him, his parents, little sister, zombie-friend Amy Dyer and also his best friend Rick who he has had some kind of love story with. Yes that's right, gay zombies that is. What's not to like about that?

Amy Dyer, Kieren Walker and Simon Monroe.

In season two there is a lot of talking about a second Rising. And in season 2 Simon also enters. Simon is also a PDS, and that is the nicer word for zombies. It means Partially Deceased Syndrom, and that's the medical term for zombienism. Simon Monroe is some kind of revolutionary PDS that is melancholic and a little bit grumpy. Simon Monroe is played by no one else but Emmett J. Scanlan, the same Emmett J. Scanlan who played Brendan Brady in Hollyoaks. And I can't imagine anyone more suitable for that part. And in season 2 also this happens:

Emmett J. Scanlan as Simon Monroe and Luke Newberry as Kieren Walker.

Amazing! And what I really appreciate with this series is that there is no big deal that Kieren kisses men. It was just natural for Kieren and Rick to love each other (exept for Ricks homophobic dad). And there is no big deal that Kieren and Simon falls for each other and no comments when Kieren presents him for his parents. Just pure love and attraction, no big statements and awkward coming out moments.

But I can assure you, there wouldn't have to be male kissing for me to fall in love with this series. It is just amazing! It is thrilling, smart, beautiful and witty. I love the scenary, footage, music, the actors everything! Especially the actors. And especially Luke Newberry as Kieren Walker. He is just so brilliant! And him and Emmett Scanlan together... And Emily Bevan, who plays Amy Dyer... There is some kind of magic in this series that I can't just explain. Watch it! And I really have my hopes up for a third season! They left us with a huge cliffhanger!

Kiss me

When you are feeling a bit morning after, the morning after, and you just happen to stumble over a really cute fanvid of you favourite gay couple, the morning after gets just a little bit better. Or even a lot better! This is a new favourite and I have just fallen in love with Fer and David again. I think I have to rewatch the storyline. Again.

Tom and Ulli

As told before Christian and Oliver, Chrolli, is not the first same sex couple in the German soap opera Verbotene Liebe. They are not even the second, or the third. In fact, Verbotene Liebe have had lots and lots of same sex couples through the series, both male and female. For me, Chrolli are a favourite couple, alongside Tom and Ulli.

Ulli and Tom.

In 1999 the character Ulrich "Ulli" Prozeski (Andreas Stenscke) met Tom Seifert (Kay Böger) and he didn't like him. He really despised him until Tom, who of course was the really really nice gay guy saved him from a bit of kerfuffel and the became good friends. Ulli has a bit of a problem with Tom being gay of course, like any aother closeted gay guy. But in the end they end up snogging a couple of times before a little bit of a denial and then they end up as a couple in New Years Eve. And there are sparks! The snogging in front of the fire place really deserves and Oscar in my oppinion. Thore Schölermann and Jo Weil have gotten a lot of praise for their natural and passionate kissing as Christian and Oliver, but in my opinion Andreas Stenscke and Kay Böger are doing their job as good as the Chrolli actors. I can watch the episode with the fire place at New Years Eve over and over again.

Kay Böger as Tom and Andreas Stenscke as Ulli.

Unfortunately the love story is good but short. in 2000 Ulli moves to München and leaves Tom with a broken heart. The break up is really heart wrecking in the train station where Tom breaks up with Ulli just as he boards the train. So the broken heart ought to be mutual. Tom then has a hard time to commit again before he meets Olli. Thats right, it's the same Olivers Sabel that Christian marries later in the series.

Tom and Olli.

But in my opinion, and I can have an opinion because it's my blog, Tom and Olli is not a couple with sparks. I never really liked them together. No real passion and I can feel that Tom never really got over Ulli. The proof of that we got when Ulli came back to Düsseldorff for a couple of weeks and Tom cheats on Olli in a hotel room. And really Tom, Ulli and Olli? Couldn't yoy meet a guy with a little bit less similar name?

Andreas Stenscke and Kay Böger together with Dominic Saleh-Zaki who plays Andi.

Well, yet another time Ullis heart is broken and he has to return to München empty handed. Tom later breaks up with Olli who ends up heart broken (lots of broken hearts in this storyline. Ulli even leaves a heartbroken girlfriend when he first got together with Tom) and eventually both Tom and Olli leaves Düsseldorff and the series. But the storyline doesn't end there because some years later, in 2005 when Verbotene Liebe have it's 10 years anniversary Tom and Ulli reaccures in a couple of short scenes where we learn that the couple was reunited and both lived in München together. Yay! Another happy ending!

To watch the whole Tom and Ulli and Tom and Olli storyline, visit the youtube channel of mimi1985d. And she has more good stuff! Just saying.

More Olli spoilers

Ok, some time ago I spoiled that Christian and Oliver, Chrolli that is, would get a second divorce and maybe part once and for all. Now that particular scenes passed by and I have some new spoilers that I've read on Gaydaytime and other places in the cyberspace. I kind of stopped following Verbotene Liebe after Christians short comeback this autumn, but I will be catching up some time. VL is actually a quite fun soap with lots of nice characters. But for now spoilers from forums will do. If I have it right this is what happens:

Oliver (Jo Weil) has a room mate called Sascha (Sascha Pederiva) that he gets a crush on, but he also has a one night stand with some random guy. He tells Christian who tells him to go to London emediately, which results in Chrollis second divorce. Olli and Sascha flirts a bit and at some point kisses and when Sascha watches Olli with another guy, another one night stand, it starts something in him that leeds to that Olli and Sascha has sex. But Sascha tells Olli it was only an experiment (sounds familiar? Yes just what Christian tells Olli back in the days) and that he is not gay but Olli still crushes in Sascha.

That's what I know right now. I think it's quite boring to do the exact thing again, Olli falls for straight guy, the have sex but straight guy claims it to be an experiment and bla bla. The story repeats. I hope the writers will do something good of it and not just an Olli/straight guy thing again. If I could decide I would bring Christian back but unfortunately I can't decide. Or if the writers would want to spice it up a bit why not pair up Olli with a woman? Olli is actually stated as bisexual in the beginning of the Olli storyline.

Anyways, there is actually some kind of storyline between Olli and Sascha and I will therefor give you a sneak peak of how it looks. I borrowed the picture from the Gaydaytime user Chrollianne, and it is a lovely picture. I will give the Olli and Sascha storyline a chance.

Sascha Pederiva as Sascha and Jo Weil as Oliver Sabel.

Torka aldrig tårar utan handskar

Or Don't even wipe tears without gloves, as it is called in English is the most amazing swedish series with gay characters ever! The series, from 2012, is based on the book of three with the same name written by the lovely Jonas Gardell. And as it is stated in both the books and the series, what is told in this stories has happened, even though it is re-written. 

The story is about gay men in Stockholm in the 80's. It is about love, AIDS and death. The story revolves around Rasmus and Benjamin, two guys in their twenties who meet, fall in love and gets to see AIDS from close. I don't want to spoil anything for you if you haven't seen the series or read the books, but there will be tears. I really think no one could see the series or read the books without shedding any tears.

Adam Pålsson as Rasmus and Adam Lundgren as Benjamin.

The actors, Adam Pålsson as Rasmus and Adam Lundgren as Benjamin, are really believable as the characters, as are all the other cast. The story is very beautiful and awful, and you get to see and learn something, that at least I who were born in the 80's, never had a clue about.

Both the series and the books have won lot's of prizes. And it's not just for us Swedes to watch or read. The series of three hour-long episodes is to bee found on DVD with english subtitles. And it has already been shown on the BBC. The books are at the moment translated to Finnish and Norwegian, and the first book also to Danish and Polish. There are some clips on youtube, and if you want to see a sample, watch this UK trailer:

Really, there are no excuses to not watch it, it really is amazing! In every way! Go and by the DVD or whatever you can do to come across it! Torka aldrig tårar utan handskar is in my opinion a reason to get a Noble Prize. Jonas Gardell FTW!

Before Deniz

I you've watched the DeRo storyline from Alles was zählt you know that Roman had a big love before Deniz, that is Marc, Romans boyfriend from when he was in his twenties. The story tells us that Marc wanted Roman to out himself and drove him to it, but Roman was not ready for it and broke the relationship. All of this was before the beginning of the series. But we don't like Marc because he came back and Roman cheated on Deniz with Marc and that was the cause of Deniz and Romans second break up. We don't like to think about that. But after that, in the series, there was another boyfriend.

Andrew Wellington and Roman Wild.

And that was the choreographer Andrew Wellington, an american with a funny accent. Andrew was played by the german/american singer and actor Dennis Rodney Durant and stayed for about 25 episodes in the very beginning of AWZ. And know I've stumbled over the storyline in the amazing cyberspace! But I'm not that impressed. Andrew really has a very funny accent and I don't really see a spark between him and Roman. But it is amazing to se the younger and not outed version of Roman anyway. I really like that character, and Dennis Grabosch that plays the part of Roman Wild. So it still is a delight to watch! And a bit retro. I like retro gays.