TV Review: TV Review: Q-Force Is Hilariously And Proudly Queer
To think, there was a time when calling yourself “Queer & Proud” would have been seen as a death sentence. Of course, in some places, it still is, but if we are getting programs like, Q-Force, it means that progressive developments have been made. If Archer and The Birdcage
decided to do a cartoon together, Q-Force would aptly oblige to be out on Netflix August 27.
Naturally, with the dominance of Archer in spy-cartoons, comparisons are abound, of which Q-Force shares the show’s birthed wit from hyper self-awareness at its own ridiculousness, but, like The Birdcage, finds heart in sweet characters that bulldoze queer stereotypes by simply showing being queer means being love….being ambitious…. being smart…. Being HUMAN, despite anyone who thinks otherwise. This is the core premise as Sean Hayes voices Q-Force leader Steve “Mary” Maryweather: a proud gay man who comes out in front of his graduating, spy-school classmates and ends up sidelined from any potential gigs. He goes from excelling student to waiting in a WeHo dive bar, for a call that will never come, with a group of queer misfits whom are happier, than him, to “side-pieced.” Determined to attain the glory he could have, he riles them up and they successfully prove they are actually good. HAPPY ENDING!!!!
Written and created by an LGBTQ+ staff, including my beloved Pen15’s Gabe Liedman, what I found most intriguing about Q-Force was its use of heart and humor to “take back” stereotypes and ask viewers whether they are not only quick to judge but quicker to dehumanize. Yet, it is not only “queer” stereo-typing. Through the hetero Rick Buck (David Harbour) the show tries to build a Bond Vs Bond dynamics between him and Steve; both using their bodies and failed attempts to be suavely unemotional as hilarious pokes into what defines a “strong, hetero MANLY MAN!” It is a core dynamic that I wish, for season 2, to be built more and centered because, frankly, it is the secondary characters that make Q-Force as force to reckon with.
In some ways, it is no surprise that it is the minor characters that make a major impact. After all, who wouldn’t rather be Anita over Maria in West Side Story, and I love Morty more than I love Rick. Everyone hates that guy! Thus, as Rick and Steve stale like bread in their bravado competition, the fiercely confident drag queen Twink (Matt Rogers), Patti Harrison’s steady Stat hacks her way with spiked wit, and Wanda Sykes’ Deb is like Don in F9: all about family and fixing cars. Even Gary Cole’s homophobic Director Dirk Chunley and Laurie Metcalf’s mentoring V, seemingly, leave a more lasting impression than our co-leads, who can have some serious laughs but never dominate the series. Whether or not that is a good thing is up viewers, but, in the end, Q-Force is a team worth watching and should be renewed for Season 2.
