Why that Full Monty queer moment is more special than you realise
The Full Monty spoilers follow
When The Full Monty movie debuted in 1997, it was a big deal. Not just because it turned out to be about so much more than six working-class blokes taking their kit off but also for another unexpected reason: Guy (Hugo Speer) and Lomper (Steve Huison).
Although the pair stripped amongst the ensemble for the (amused) gaze of local women – their appendages swinging rhythmically to the tune of 'You Can Leave Your Hat On' as a two-fingers-up to the system – Guy and Lomper only had eyes for each other.
Gay representation on screen has come a long way since the '90s, when Guy and Lomper's fumbling sexual antics, set against the backdrop of crippling unemployment, were something of a revelation.
As Huison put it to Digital Spy: "There was a really interesting comment [when we screened it at the BFI]. A chap got up and said that he was really thankful for the film.
"He said that, for him, it was the first time he'd seen a gay relationship representative of northern working-class men. It gave him the confidence in his own sexuality at the time. I thought, 'Just that, on its own, that's quite something.' It's the power of art, the power of film."
That's one of the franchise's strengths – The Full Monty (film and television show) gives voice to marginalised and underrepresented groups.
In some ways, just like their jiggling junk, Guy and Lomper's romance was also two fingers up to the unofficial 'permissible standard of gay' coverage on TV, which was reduced to clandestine kisses and innuendo.
With shows like Euphoria, Heartstopper and First Kill, mainstream media has stepped away from that pitiful trope, and now, The Full Monty the television series goes one step further with their expression of queer love (and we're not talking about Destiny and Tabani's fleeting yet sweet connection).
Lomper is back, with new partner Dennis (Paul Clayton). While it would have been so easy for the married couple to have been backgrounded, their café merely the foundational hub where the gang of ex-strippers and friends meet, that's not The Full Monty's style.
Instead, the show gives the two more: a meaningful storyline complete with a sweeping romantic moment usually reserved for teen shows.
The revival sees the husbands drifting apart, bickering and struggling to remember the last time they really connected.
In a bid to bring some excitement back into their marriage and make Dennis proud of him, Lomper makes a risky investment in a pigeon.
Yes, that's right: a pigeon. He leverages the cafe and empties all their savings into this prized bird whose eggs are supposed to award them a small fortune. All this he does behind Dennis' back, except the golden goose lays nothing but disappointment.
What's worse, Dennis unwittingly shoos the bird away, mistaking it for a common pigeon. Can you blame him?
Eventually, Lomper is caught out, rumbled when the debt collectors come knocking – which puts him at further odds with Dennis.
A mad hunt for the pigeon ensues, eventually leading Lomper to a football field where he puts his life on the line climbing to very precarious heights to retrieve the bird who has finally laid some eggs.
As he shimmies his way along one of the pipes connecting to the speakers, Dennis beckons him down with the sweetest sentiments.
"I don't care about the café," he responds to Lomper's desperation to retrieve the eggs so they don't lose the business. "I don't care about anything, except you. I love ya," he pleads, his declaration a surprise to Lomper.
Dennis' anguished face makes this ridiculous situation Lomper has found himself in even more precious despite the comedic beats.
In any case, it has the opposite effect as Lomper continues his quest and after a dicey near-death slip, manages to nab the eggs, place them in his pocket and climb safely down.
"Is that enough adventure for you?" he yells down from the stands to Dennis, clearly pleased as punch that he's managed a grand romantic gesture for the love of his life.
The whole dramatic ordeal is capped off with them running into each other's arms to the tune of 'Love Really Hurts Without You', and in their embrace smashing an egg.
The silence of their realisation is deafening, but all is not lost. Thankfully they still have a spare and it's joy all around – and not just for the characters.
This moment is truly special because while queerness is growing on screen it's not often that mature couples get these wholesome romantic storylines. Queer love amongst the older generation isn't usually given the same excitement and adventurous treatment as its YA counterparts.
Lomper and Dennis' on-screen relationship may have started out in a rut but it ends on a refreshed, revitalised note, which makes you take heart from the fact that heady love is not just for the youth.
The Full Monty series is streaming now on Disney+, along with the original film which is also available to watch on the streaming service. In the US it's available on Hulu.
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