Queer Eye (2018-Present)

I may have been late coming to this reboot, but once I got started, I didn’t waste any time.  I got caught up on all three seasons of this Netflix reality series over the last month, and I’m completely in love with it.  While I enjoyed the original show that aired on Bravo in the early 2000s, the remake is definite must-see TV for me.

As with the original series, each episode of Queer Eye features the “Fab Five” spending a week making over a new “hero” who needs help getting their life in order.  Bobby (design,) Karamo (culture,) Tan (clothing,) Antoni (food & wine,) and Jonathan (grooming) descend like a quippy, affectionate whirlwind on their heroes – mostly straight men, although the show occasionally branches out – bringing their expertise and care to add a little more confidence, order, and style to people’s lives.

What immediately stands out to me is the level of compassion and positivity the new Fab Five brings to every episode.  It’s obvious that they genuinely care about the people they’re helping and want to build them up rather them shame them for their current habits (yes, the initial walkthrough of the hero’s home is still filled with jokes about their out-of-control clutter or hopeless wardrobe, but it’s gentle teasing, not scorn or judgment.)  Throughout the entire makeover process, the Fab Five is encouraging their hero du jour, with an emphasis on their work highlighting good qualities the hero already possesses or showing them that tasks they’ve shied away from are within their abilities.

They really focus on the external makeovers as a way to help kickstart inner change, which I think is neat.  Whether it’s increased confidence from dressing better, a more stable sense of calm from a nicely-organized living space, or expressing care for their family by cooking for them, the Fab Five works to affect people’s lives positively in ways that extend beyond their respective skill sets.  Karamo does a lot of the heavy lifting in this area, tugging at the threads that have made the heroes reluctant to put themselves out there or fueled the defeatist attitude they’ve developed about maintaining a nice appearance or a clean home, but all of them contribute to this more holistic assistance.  Whether it’s Jonathan framing grooming as self-care rather than vanity, Tan probing into the heroes’ feelings about their bodies, or Antoni showing how cooking together can be a bonding activity with their kids, everyone plays a role in bringing about the show’s frequent tear-jerk moments.

Additionally, I like that, while each member of the Fab Five has certain preferences and puts their foot down on particular things, their goal is always to help the hero reach a more “elevated” version of themselves instead of straight-up remaking them in the Fab Five’s image.  Tan encourages the hero to try on everything he picks out for them but emphasizes that he won’t push it if the hero “isn’t feeling” a particular look.  Bobby finds ways to incorporated elements that are important to the hero (deeply-personal family memories, artwork that reflects their hobbies, taxidermied hunting trophies – whatever) into his finished designs.  Antoni sometimes turns to a hero’s mother to learn a beloved family recipe so the hero can learn to make it as well.

While the original series was based in New York, the new one has traveled to different locations (the Atlanta area in seasons 1 and 2, the Kansas City area in season 3,) which helps facilitate a number of valuable conversations on the show.  The Fab Five often use their personal experiences to connect with the heroes anyway – with depression, with fatherhood, with family expectations, with homelessness – but putting them in red-state and rural settings specifically creates opportunities to bring the Fab Five in contact with plenty of people who’ve likely had limited contact with folks like them.  Whether it’s Karamo (who’s Black) having a long discussion about policing with a white cop, Bobby talking to conservative Christians about his experience being rejected by his religious family, or just Jonathan showing up in a French braid or heels, people are having their horizons and understandings expanded beyond a properly-fitting suit or cooking simple-but delicious meals with fresh ingredients.

I love each of the Fab Five members pretty darn wholeheartedly.  Jonathan is my favorite – he’s so unapologetically himself, he gets completely in the zone when he’s doing someone’s hair, and it’s obvious that he’s overflowing with affection that he expresses in hugs and skincare tips – but all of them are wonderful.  I like how Tan wants all the heroes to feel good about themselves when they look in the mirror and shows them how to dress for the body they have.  Bobby doesn’t always get a ton of time with the heroes, since he’s busy remodeling a house in three or four days, but his design transformations are consistently incredible, both stylistically and on a personal level for the heroes.  Many of the heroes have little cooking experience, so I appreciate the gentle way Antoni eases them into it and doesn’t overwhelm them.  And while the show sometimes struggles to effectively externalize the work Karamo does, it’s clear that his efforts to tap into the heroes’ mental and emotional needs are vital to the entire process.

Warnings

Language, light sexual references, drinking, and thematic elements.