Episode 204
�It�s Pride Weekend,� Emmett happily declares as he
struts down Liberty Avenue with the rest of the gang.
Justin talks about how excited he is. It�s his first Pride.
Mikey asks if he�s sure he�s feeling up for it and Brian
answers that Justin is definitely �up� for it.
They go into the diner which Debbie has decorated.
Emmett mentions a drag queen friend of his--Godiva--
and Justin asks who she is. Emmett says that she was
the first friend he made when he moved to Pittsburgh.
He was alone at Woody�s when she came up and asked
him to dance. She�s in a hospice now, dying of AIDS and
Emmett is afraid this will be her last Pride. He�s going to
make sure it�s a good one.
It�s revealed that Michael has never been to a Pride before.
He�s so closeted it�s sad. Debbie and Brian guilt him into
agreeing to march with her and her P-FLAG group. Debbie
is thrilled.
Lindz and Mel are making out in Mel�s office when a
surprise arrives for Mel--Her ex-girlfriend Leda is in
town. Lindz is not over-joyed by the news.
Brian is meeting with a new client whose brand of wine coolers
seriously needs to start selling before he loses his company. If
Brian can come up with a good campaign for him, Brian will get
a $50K bonus. Brian says to forgo any sales pitch on his part and
just hire him before the company gets sold out. He�s hired on the
spot.
Brian�s assistant Cynthia talks with him as they leave the
meeting and she mentions how good Brian is at his job, just
too bad he�s wasting his talent on a jerk like Clayton Poole.
Brian has to know who he is. Brian does. He�s a total
homophobe who�s always donating his money to any anti-gay
cause or movement. Now, he�s going to donate 50 grand to
Brian. He�ll use it to pay off his loft.
Leda and Mel tell Lindsay some of their wild tales. Leda is
surprised to learn that Mel and Lindz are getting married.
Michael and Tracy talk at the Big Q about the upcoming parades.
Tracy reveals that she and some of the other co-workers are going
to watch the parades and Michael is upset over the news. No one
at work, besides Tracy, knows he is gay, but they will if they see
him marching with Debbie.
Mel and Leda check out Mel�s old bike. Leda wants Mel
to ride with her and the other �Dykes on Bikes� in the parade.
But Lindsay is listening and says that she and Mel are marching
for the Gay Marriage Initiative.
At Babylon, Emmett is dancing and having a wonderful time.
Ted is waving a little flag and doing an awful job of trying to
come on to different guys. Brian and Mikey are at the bar and
Brian is trying his new client�s drinks. They�re awful. No one
would drink this crap, he declares. Just then Emmett comes over
and tries one. He likes it! Brian reckons that there is no
accounting for taste.
Ted can�t get any guy interested in him and says that he should
have just stayed at home, watched porn, and jerked off. Mikey
points out a guy that he says is cruising Ted. The guy is very
hot and definitely checking out Ted. Ted is so surprised that he
chocks on a peanut and Mikey has to save him. Brian drawls
some advice--When you have nuts in your mouth, suck, don�t
chew. The hunk--whose name is Troy--comes over and picks
up Ted. They leave together. Pride is a magical time it would
seem! Mikey and Emmett go off to dance together and Brian
admires one of the go-go dancers, who is giving him an idea for
his new ad campaign.
Uncle Vic shows up then in search of Emmett. He sadly relates
that Godiva has just died. Emmett is stunned and crushed by the
news.
Back at Ted�s, he and Troy are having sex. Mercifully, the scene
is short. Ted thinks it was wonderful, Tory doesn�t seem too
impressed. Ted wants to see Troy again.
Brian is at his loft with the dancer from Babylon, taking photos
of him to use for his new ad campaign for Poole drinks. He�s
working on the computer when Dancer wants to give him a
blow job. Brian, of course, doesn�t say no.
At the Gay And Lesbian Center, Justin is helping make posters
for the Pride Parade. He is having to use one hand to support
the other as he paints. Vic compliments him on his drawing,
saying he is doing great. Justin says that Brian has been helping
him with his exercises and Michael snidely replies that he can
just imagine the type of �help� Brian offers. It�s probably
�squeeze tighter, pull harder�. Justin responds by painting Mikey
a pink mustache above his top lip. Everyone thinks it�s funny but
Michael. Vic reminisces about his first Pride and how few people
were there. How times have changed.
Debbie and Jennifer show off the P-FLAG banner they�ve
made. Debbie shows off her new shirt that says �I�m So Proud
Of My Gay Son�. Justin pleads with Jennifer not to get one.
Mikey breaks Debbie�s heart then by telling her that he�s not
going to march with her after all. He and Debbie argue. Deb is
hurt and asks Justin if he is going to march still. Justin is. This
kid�s got far, far more guts than spineless, weak, sniveling little
Mikey.
Back at Brian�s, Lindz is complaining about Leda, but Brian
pegs her right when he says she is really jealous. Leda is
everything she was legended to be. Lindz is jealous. Brian
gives her a hard time about it and she tickles him on the couch.
His go-go dancer comes out of the bathroom where he was getting
dressed. Brian pays him for his modeling services and he leaves.
Lindz turns the tables then and rags Brian about having to �pay
for it� in his old age. Brian tells her that the guy is actually the
model on the Poole Drinks now. He�s remarketed the drink from
�Poole Side� to �Poole Boy� using the hottie that just left as a
model for the label. Lindz recognizes the drink and reminds that
the owner of the company is a homophobic bigot. She is very
disappointed that Brian would work for the man.
Justin accompanies Emmett to the hospice to gather Godiva�s
things. Em is sadly packing up his friend�s belongings as he
talks about how he planned on making this a special Pride for
Godiva. Em was going to push her wheelchair in the parade
and they were going to dress her up beautifully. Em had picked
out the perfect dress her, which Em is gathering to take home.
Pride won�t be the same without Godiva. Justin suggests that she
can still attend the parade, sort of. Emmett could dress in drag,
wearing the outfit they had planned for Godiva. Em declares that
he could never fill her shoes, literally since he�s holding up one of
her high heels. He asks for a few minutes alone in the room to say
good-bye.
Justin leaves the room and is walking through the hospice when
he encounters none other than Chris Hobbs who is mopping the
floors. Justin is stunned, flashing back to the night Hobbs bashed
him. Hobbs sees Justin. Justin wants to know what Hobbs is doing
there and Hobbs snarls that he�s doing his court ordered community
service. Why is Justin there, he wants to know. Does Justin have
AIDS? Justin says no and Hobbs declares that he will someday.
All fags do. He makes a slight lunging motion at Justin with the mop
in hand and Justin jumps back in fright. Hobbs is such an asshole!
Mel has her bike out and suggests to Lindsay that they ride with
Dykes On Bikes together instead of marching for the Gay Marriage
Initiative. Lindz hates the idea. They disagree on it. Mel rides off.
At Woody�s, Brian�s newly marketed �Poole Boy� drinks are
successful. Troy is there, too, and Ted boasts to Brian about
how great his night with Troy was. Emmett is having a miserable
time, unable to think about anything but Godiva. He and Uncle Vic
are talking and Em can�t believe how all the guys in the bar are
partying and drinking. They don�t even care that Godiva is dead.
Vic asks why the young studs should care about some old dried up
Queen who died of AIDS. Emmett can�t believe Vic just said that,
to which Vic replies that he has the right to say it. *HE* is an old
Queen himself, who has AIDS.
Brian encourages Ted to go over and talk to Troy. (Ok, Brian
being nice and encouraging towards Ted? What is Brian up to?)
Ted approaches Troy who isn�t interested in talking with him. Ted
suggests they go to the parade together and Troy tells Ted that he
isn�t interested in seeing him again. What they did was his annual
�Pity Fuck�. Every year, Troy finds some loser and gives the guy
himself for a night. It�s Troy�s way of �giving back to the
community�. (Gee, do we love ourselves much, Troy?) Ted was
this year�s lucky �Pity Fuck�. Ted is humiliated.
Michael takes a drunk Brian home. Brian has a �Poole Boy� drink
in hand and is bragging about how good the market sample was going.
Sometimes he amazes himself even. Mikey tells him to be quiet before
he wakes Justin up. Mikey asks how Brian can work for such a creep
like Clayton Poole anyhow. Justin joins them then and announces that
he saw Hobbs. Brian sobers up immediately and asks if Justin had
another nightmare. Justin says no, he saw the real Chris Hobbs and
explains that Hobbs is doing his community service at the hospice.
Mikey can�t believe it. Brian asks if Hobbs did anything. Justin says
that Hobbs said he hopes Justin dies of AIDS. Mikey curses Hobbs.
Brian goes to a visibly upset Justin then and hugs him, whispering in his
ear for him to go to bed. He needs some rest since they have a big day
tomorrow. Justin replies that he isn�t going and Brian asks if he�s really
going to miss his first Pride? Justin inquires what he has to be proud of?
The fact that he got bashed and didn�t die? Brian wants him to go to
Pride. Mikey butts in that Brian shouldn�t pressure Justin to go if he
doesn�t want to. Brian tells Mikey to mind his own business. Mikey
snaps back and asks Brian what he has to be proud of? The fact that he
saved the company of a homophobic prick? Brian counters by reminding
that Mikey shouldn�t be proud of himself either because he�s too �piss in
his pants scared� to even march with his own mother! Mikey curses Brian
this time and storms out. Justin, still upset over seeing Hobbs, sits down
alone on the bed.
Lindz is decorating Gus� stroller with rainbow balloons. Leda wants
Lindsay to know that Mel is acting on her own thoughts, not things that
Leda has suggested. Hasn�t Lindz ever let lose and been a little wild
before? Lindsay really hasn�t. Leda suggests she try it sometime.
At Emmett and Michael�s apartment, they are spending Pride Day
playing Scrabble with Ted! Mikey is too chicken to go to the
parade because someone from work might recognize him. Ted is
still bummed about the Troy deal. Emmett just isn�t in the mood
since Godiva�s passing. They talk and get the idea of how Mikey
can go and march with Debbie without anyone recognizing him.
They�ll dress him up as Godiva!
Brian�s client meets him at Woody�s and is in an up-roar. First,
it is a �gay bar� and Brian is marketing his drinks to �fags�. Brian
snarls that the money of gay people is just as green as that of anyone
else. Poole starts to realize then just how good the �Poole Boy�
drinks are now selling. Poole realizes that this is the only chance
he has to save his company and grudgingly agrees to it. But Brian
wants something else from him. He thinks Poole should help his
company�s image by making a contribution back to the community.
Say, maybe, donate some money to the Gay Marriage Initiative that
is so important to Lindsay. Poole looks like he would rather eat
dirt, but nods that he will do it.
The Pride Parades!! Brian and Justin are setting on the doorsteps
of Woody�s--I think it�s Woody�s anyhow--watching the parades go
by. Justin isn�t overly impressed with it and Brian asks if he really
thought he would find �pride� at the parade. Justin asks what they�re
doing there then? It wasn�t like he wanted to come to begin with.
Brian tells him that they�re there so that the Chris Hobbs of the world
don�t win. He suggests that Justin go march with his mother. Justin
leaves to join his mother.
Brian and Ted talk and Brian reveals that he knew all along about
Troy and his �Pity Fuck�. He didn�t warn Ted because Ted was
being such a dork with his lame pick up lines. Next time, Brian
suggests, Ted should tell a man he likes that he is going to rip off the
guy�s pants and make him sit on his 9 inch dick. Ted stammers that he
doesn�t have nine inches. Brian says that if Ted is any good in bed, it
won�t matter. Brian spots a guy he likes then and is about to approach
him when Lindsay runs up and hands him Gus. She declares that Brian
is baby-sitting for her for the rest of the day. Brian takes his son, saying
that Lindsay owes him one.
Dykes On Bikes roar up then and Lindsay rushes out to meet Melanie.
They kiss, make-up, Lindz hopes on the bikes and rides with Mel in the
parade.
Jennifer, Debbie, and Justin are marching with the PFLAG group.
Jen can�t get over how many people are at the parades. She and
Justin have a nice moment where they talk about how they�re
proud of each other. Enter Michael in drag. Ok, I have to say
it, he looks better as a woman than as a man! LOL!!! He walks
up beside Debbie, who doesn�t recognize him at first. But once
she does, she is thrilled he�s marching with her.
The employees of the Big Q are gathered together, watching the
parade when Michael strolls over to them. Tracy recognizes him
but the men don�t. Mikey lays a big kiss on the lips of his jerk boss
Andrew, calling him �loverboy�. Tracy can�t believe he just did it.
Mikey rejoins Debbie.
Later at Woody�s, Ted is practicing the pick-up line that Brian
told him when Emmett and Michael (no longer in drag, by the way)
over-hear him. They laugh and can�t believe he�d ever take Brian�s
advice. Ted starts to repeat the line when a cute guy walks by and
over-hears it and thinks Ted said it to him. He asks what Ted just
said and Ted declares it was nothing. This guy is a cutie and
reminds he a lot of Ted, actually. Kind of shy and sweet. He and
Ted start to talk.
At the bar, Brian watches in disgust as a few guys are drinking and
carrying on like they�re at a frat party. He grumbles that he will be
glad when Pride Day is over so they can go back to being �ashamed�.
Justin laughs that Brian is just in a bad mood because he had to baby-
sit Gus all day and no one hit on him. Brian assures Justin that plenty
of people hit on him. Unfortunately, they were all lesbians who just
wanted his sperm so they could have a kid like Gus. A couple of
guys are checking out Brian and Justin declares that he has a chance
to get hit on by some guys now. Justin kisses Brian on the shoulder
and says he�s going home. He�ll leave Brian to his �wicked ways�.
Justin tells Brian to find some stud and ask him to dance. Justin leaves
then and Brian doesn�t look too happy. Brian glances back towards the
guys that were cruising him before. One is definitely interested.
Justin walks out of Woody�s and down the street. The parties are
still going on and he watches some of the celebrators. Suddenly, a
hand rests on his shoulder and he turns in surprise to see that Brian
has followed him outside. �Hey, Stud,� Brian declares. �Wanna
dance?� Justin thinks Brian is just goofing off, but Brian is serious.
�I promise you won�t forget this one,� he vows as he takes Justin�s
hands and leads him onto the street. They slow dance to �Chiquita�,
smiling, laughing, staring into one another�s eyes, and kissing. There�s
no words for it--It�s just a beautiful scene!
Emmett is watching them with a smile when a Drag Queen meant
to remind us of Godiva approaches him and asks for a dance. Em
says he�d love to dance. Ted is also dancing with the cutie from
the bar and they seem to be hitting it off very well. Mikey is standing
alone on the sidewalk. A new song comes on and Brian grabs Mikey�s
arm and pulls him into the crowd to dance with them. The episode
ends with all the boys dancing in the streets together. Very nice.