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The DL Chronicles & Returns (TV Show)

By Golu
The DL Chronicles is a gay-themed television series focusing on the stories of men who live secret lives, whats known as down-low or DL. It tells the stories of men of color who by consequence and by choice, live sexually duplicitous and secret lifestyles. More than just closeted, they do not identify as Gay or Bi-sexual and refuse to be associated with the Gay lifestyle or community. The opening season featured 4 episodes and the series then returned with one more episode. Not only sexy and provocative, it offers a socially-conscious insight into the lines between sexuality and perceived socially acceptable behavior within communities of color. It provides an unapologetic view of intimacy between men and explores these scintillating stories with honesty and integrity.

Each episode begins with Chadwick William, an aspiring journalist as he pursues research while authoring a book about men who have sex with men. The different episodes are:

WES: Wes is an upwardly real-estate banker, who is in this sexless marriage and soon finds himself overwhelmed by the demands of his marriage, career, and closeted attraction to men. When Wes' sexy but ambivalent brother-in-law Trent stops in for an unexpected stay, he is faced with temptation and ultimately falls for the forbidden fruit.

ROBERT: A closeted talent agent falls for a much younger health food store manager, Austin. They fall in love at first sight primarily because Austin wanted to take it slow. What Robert fails to share is that he has a daughter Rhonda who doesn't know her father's real identity. But the truth is finally discovered by his daughter, whig leads to some harsh words spoken between the two men. With honest and touching words, Robert finally wins Austin back.

BOO: Boo is an ex-convict, an oversexed young man who likes to get it on with anything and everything that he can get his hands on. His girlfriend Kesha is fed up with Boo's cheating and kicks him to the curb. His mother tells him it's time to settle down, but Boo is unfazed and continues having unprotected sex with multiple partners. When shocking news of one os his mates having AIDS, who is slept with rattles Boo, he is forced to reconsider his reckless life on the DL.

MARK: Mark and Dante are a loving couple, who have been living on the DL because Mark is not out yet. Unexpetced arrival of Mark's cousin jolts their personal lives. When Dante reluctantly agrees to play the part of Mark's "roommate" for their new houseguest, a chain of humorous events unfolds, including that the cousin is gay and Mark eventually comes to realize the ridiculous nature of living on the DL in their own home.

The series returned with another episode 4 years later. I think personally think that the makers show immense growth as directors. The amateurish direction that bothered me to a certain extent in the first 4 episodes was nowhere to be seen in this new episode. It was done with honesty, maturity and a better craft.

THOMAS: Thomas is a paralyzed firefighter. His caretaker Stefan, is there to assist and teach Thomas on how to be independent and self reliant. Lastly, there’s Columbus, Thomas’ former co-worker and best friend. Stefan tries to bring some zest back to Thomas' life which he succeeds in but Thomas in turn feels attraction for Stefan. Stefan leaves and this gives Columbus courage to tell and show his real feelings for Thomas.

As I mentioned there is a visible growth in the film-makers and I personally would be really looking forward to more of their work. As part of this series, I also saw The Chadwick Journals, a quick 20 minutes series which shows why did Chadwick start writing these journals and his interviews with black men. All these episodes are worth watching. I would have given this series average rating but the Thomas episode is done brilliantly. (6.5/10)
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