Then they tried not to cry while they talked about the show.
KRISTEN:When Netflix announced it was bringing backQueer Eye, Ill admit my eyes rolled.Anotherreboot?
Well Darren, I stand before you completely and gratefully humbled, becauseboywas I wrong.
Credit: Netflix
DARREN:Im hesitant to attribute medicinal qualities to any TV show.
(Great TV doesnt need to be good for you.)
But I do think watching the originalQueer Eyemade me a better person.
I was a straight guy from suburbia, andQueer Eye for a Straight Guywas a channel-surfing revelation.
and Simon Cowell-ish full-frontal critique (Were Throwing Out All Your Awful Clothes!)
But I was struck by how the series could cheerfully celebrateandcomplicate the orientation identities in the title.
The Fab Five were openly gay aspirational figures.
But theres a common theme of closing themselves off, from the world and (maybe) themselves.
The new Fab Five dont just teach these guys about floral prints and avocados.
They hug them towards self-acceptancewhich I think is also whatThe Leftoverswas about?
They were so open with me, concludes Tom,And I was open with them.
I cried happy tears!
Were there moments in the opening episodes that stuck out to you as especially moving or surprising, Kristen?
And how do you think the new crew stacks up to the original Fab Five?
Learning that Bobby is married, Tom asks, Are you the husband or the wife?
Theres a beat of awkward tension, and then Jonathan jumps in with a cheery, Lets unpack that!
does not a guru make.
Who are your favorites, Darren?
I love how fashion guru Tan toes the line between cheerleading and truthbombing.
And designer Bobby is the new crews stealth ninja.
Karamos got the toughest job, because culture is less tangible than hipster haircuts and bespoke suits.
But Karamos also at the center of the most intriguing sequence in the first few episodes.
On the way to meet Cory, the Fab Five gets pulled over.
Karamo is driving, and the white cop/black driver tension is treated seriouslyuntil its a gag.
The cop is actually Corys friend; this whole incident was a planned moment.
Its a lame stunt, I think, but also a prologue.
My quibbles are minor.
I love the fizzy, lighthearted spirit but hope it doesnt start to feel synthetic.
(Lets not soundtrackeveryImportant Conversation with Important Conversation musical cues, producers.)
Are there any elements in the reboot that didnt work for you, Kristen?
KRISTEN:Completely agree with your quibbles.
But honestly, everything else about the newQueer Eyeis working for me.
DARREN:At the end of the Cory episode, some special guests arrive for the Spy Cam segment.
Its a crew of Corys NASCAR-loving pals, who do their own Talladega-style makeover on the Fab Five.
Together they watch Corys progress.
Onscreen, Cory shows his mom a gift from the Fab Five.
(Those shirts arent just collecting dust in the closet anymore!)
You feel that personal history has been honoredandevolved.
Also, we canalwaysuse more avocado.
