This morning I was checking my streaming services for new tv shows with gay content, and found
The Sister on Hulu: "Almost a decade into married life, Nathan is rocked to the core when Bob, an unwelcome face from the past, turns up on his doorstep." Sounds like Bob is an old boyfriend. I'll give it a try.
Scene 1: New Year's Eve. In his terrible apartment, a guy is watching the news, and planning to off himself with pills and booze. Watching the news often has that effect on people. There's a story about a girl named Elise, who vanished three years ago. A heartfelt plea from her family for anyone who knows anything to contact them. This shocks the guy, and he gives up the plan. He must know where Elise is.
Scene 2: Seven years later. The guy -- he must be Nathan -- has settled down to an extremely wealthy lifestyle, when there's a knock on the door: the leering, stringly-haired, sopping-wet Bob (Bertie Carvel, according to Mr. Man).
"No, you can't be here! We agreed!" But Bob has news: they're digging up the woods for a new housing development.
He looks much older than Nathan, but the actors are only four years apart.
At that moment, Nathan's wife comes home. He tells her that Bob is an old mate who dropped by because he was distraught over girl problems, and was just leaving. Then he goes into the bathroom and hyperventilates and throws up. There's a flashback of Nathan running through the woods.
Scene 3: In the morning, the wife thinks he's sick, and offers to pop by the chemist, but Nathan says he's fine, he just needs to stay home and rest. When she leaves, he researches the new housiing development: Newbeck Green, controversial because it will destroy some virgin woods. He calls Ex Buddy Bob, who tells him that they have to move fast, and asks if "it" has come yet." Nathan doesn't know what he means.
Bulge close-up! Even in a heteronormative project, you can always find something to look at.
He goes down to check the mail, and there it is: a CD-ROM that says "destroy after playing."
Turns out that Nathan is played by Russell Tovey (butt left), who is gay in real life and has played gay characters about 100 times. I wonder if Nathan is gay, too, in a lavender marriage. That's why he and his wife haven't kissed. Or else Russell's contract states that he won't have to kiss any icky girls. I'd insist on it.
Scene 4: That night Nathan drives out to the woods, and flashes back to hanging out with the missing girl there.
Then he plays the CD-Rom; It's an indistinct voice, something like a woman saying "Nathan, I'm not dead." This must be one of those EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomenon) recordings you can make of ghosts in haunted houses. My favorites are "You don't belong here" and "It's just me."
Scene 5: Flashback to seven years ago. Nathan waits in his car outside Charles Collier Sales & Letting (rentals), watching Holly, who will be his wife.
Then he goes to his office and looks at her photo on his computer and a post-it with her work number on it.
He calls, hangs up, calls back, and asks for her.
Left: The gaydar-tinging Sam Henderson plays the receptionist. I tried looking for nude photos, but no matter how many key words of "men only," 'no ladies," "absolutely no women," Google always gave me ladies.
When Holly answers, Nathan claims that he is interested in renting a house, but he can't tell her the basics, like the location and number of bedrooms. What's with the deception? Did you see her someplace and decide to stalk her instead of starting a conversation? She invites him to come in for a consultation tomorrow.
Back in the present: Holly wakes Nathan up: he fell asleep in front of the tv (watching the news, of course). They discuss whether he is feeling better, and then her job, which now apparently involves building houses, not just renting them. Nathan tries to get some intel about the new housing development "near your mum's house." Wait -- is Holly the sister of the missing girl? Did Nathan see her on the newscast seven years ago, figure that she was the Girl of His Dreams, and start stalking? Or does he feel guilty for vanishing her sister?
He has a date with Bob, sick or not, so he leaves.
More after the break
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