We know what we’ll be binge-watching this weekend… °Å¸Âº
With the B in LGBTQ often acknowledged as the overlooked relation in the acronym of rainbow sexualities, Channel 4’s timely release of Desiree Akhavan’s witty comedy drama, The Bisexual, is more than a little welcome – and we loved it.
Akhavan, who also directed this year's The Miseducation Of Cameron Post, is credited as co-star, executive producer, co-creator, co-writer and director, and has pulled off the deceptively difficult trick of producing a sub-half hour first episode which manages to draw rounded characters with no let up in driving the plot forward.
First episodes frequently fall into the trap of too much characterisation with too little plot, or vice-versa, with often dull, off-putting expositions which serve only to haemorrhage viewers before the second episode.
It helps, of course, that the screenplay is chock full of witty one liners and laugh-out-loud set pieces, delivered by an accomplished ensemble of famous and not so famous names.
Channel 4.
We particularly enjoyed the scene, where one of the characters was attempting to engage in a half-hearted, nothing-better-to-do wank while, on the other side of her bedroom wall, a couple’s lovemaking became increasingly abandoned and vocal as their inevitable climax approached.
Akhavan as Leila, the ever-reliable Maxine Peake as Sadie, and Brian Gleeson as the trying-to-be-cool-around-lesbians, straight, white, cis male Gabe demonstrate an engaging and naturalistic lightness of touch and interact with each other perfectly. We were also completely bowled over by the quite brilliant Saskia Chana as Deniz. (Watch out for her).
So – a great first episode and, in all honesty, if we didn’t have to be somewhere else we could quite easily have binged the whole box set already.
The Bisexual is broadcast on Channel 4 at 10pm every Wednesday, with all episodes available to watch right here. Grab the November issue of DIVA magazine at www.divadirect.info soon, in which DIVA editor Carrie Lyell interviews the cast and crew behind the show.
Only reading DIVA online? You're missing out. For more news, reviews and commentary, check out the latest issue. It's pretty badass, if we do say so ourselves.
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