IT'S A SIN Episode 5 UNPACKED Review Show with Phil Marriott & Sean Vickers

[@theresasmith8543]

The part where Ritchie's mum said "he died yesterday" was a genuine shock moment. The quiet afterwards...so powerful.

[@darrenhook3367]

Well that last episode Destroyed Me I'm in Tears 😭😭 I didnt realise Jill's Mum is the Real Life Jill

[@scottsaunders5087]

The most powerful words in all 5 episodes “dying with shame” sums it all up. Amazing script

[@MePeterNicholls]

I kept watching Ritchies sister. I wonder what went on where we didn’t see. There’s a sense of what might have been happening when you see she’s gone to tell Rosco and Ash the news.

[@theresasmith8543]

I wanted them to take her back to the Pink Palace with them.

[@lindsayiddon4008]

Agreed! I expect it's something that would have been explored if they had ended up with 8 episodes rather than 5.

[@taedopalleb1373]

I just watched the last episode with my sis and father. When the mom said "he died yesterday" no one believed her. We all thought she was lying to keep Jill away. But then obviously... My sister was so angry at the Mom. She kept saying "fuck you" over and over.... This show man....

[@gclout011]

Having came out in 1980, at 18, and moving to Boston from Cape Cod, I feel this was telling my story of my friends and loved ones. Thank you for giving me a rollercoaster of emotions in a most wonderful way. I will never forget how this time made me grow up fast and face things that have made me who I am today.

[@BoysOnFilm]

Thanks for sharing your comment, Gregory. Hope things are good with you.

[@colinbell1019]

Overall this episode is hardest to watch, but not because of what happens to Richie, but the treatment of his friends, which can be seen as a reflection on the wider community, by Valerie, in her miseducation of Richie's situation. Many people today still don't understand how to manage and treat someone with HIV / AIDS - "Are you Clean?" as an example. We have come far, but there is still work to do to get over the stigma of this disease and the Fear & Shame associated with it, and the Education that's needed still today. As you both said, the Community has come together over this, and like a Dysfunctional Family, we band together when we need to. I have not been so emotionally touched by a TV Series in a long time, but it has also been emotional to hear from straight friends who have been educated by this, for the better.

[@CashelOConnolly]

Not in your worst nightmares can you imagine how we were treated Did you know two young men die of AIDS each week in Britain today? It’s not gone away

[@georginalewis837]

Wasn't that bench scene from the photos that Gloria's family burnt after he died?! Well done on your reviews of this, loved it :)

[@BoysOnFilm]

Thank you for such wonderful feedback about our Unpacked web series! We are thrilled that so many of you are enjoying it, and we making plans for another series, unpacking another top television series SOON! Have you missed any of our other It's A Sin reviews? Don't panic! You can watch them here ☞ bit.ly/3qEEKRe 🏳️‍🌈

[@Vanitasmortedigital]

This episode was so powerful and so emotional and everyone's performance was so astounding and the misic chosen was so perfect. But I love how it had moments of light too, like Ash and Richie finally saying that they loved each-other, and Roscoe's dad asking for forgiveness and reaching out to him. The scene with the christmas dinner at the pink palace had me in tears,it was like a kind of last supper,laugther and tears.Valeries caling Jill a monster was gut erenching, but then later Valerie realises she was the monster. The confrontation with the other Mum in the hospital was so chilling,but also something Valerie needed to hear.I love that Richie's agent gave them the moey to go and see Richie too say goodbye,that showed her compassion,it was her way of showing she did actually care about him, but without saying the words.I'm so glad the real life Jill was in this last episode, it lent a real emotonal weight to the episode.I got really angry about how Valerie told Jill Richie had died the afternoon before,but sadly That was something I saw a lot when I was a 'Buddy',for some mothers the shock was just to great so denial kicked in as a kind of coping mechanism,but despite that,their was a glimmer of genuine love for Richie from Valerie.But this episode also shows how treatment was changing, AZT was being being used in combination with other drugs which would later become combination therapy,when AZT was stopped totally as a form of treatment.The ending was so perfect, showing Richie reciting a speech to all of his friends from the pink palace and taking a bow,it was the right way to finish the episode.it reminded me of the last scene in the film "Longtime Companion" when the two main characters are on the beach talking about all the people they have lost to Aids, and a crowd of all them appears and runs onto the beach and surrounds the two main charcters again.I love how Jill went to sit with that Guy Marcus, so he wasn't alone and he gives a small smile and you can tell how much Jill being there means to him at that moment. I did that myself at the time, went to sit with guys that had no-one,I never wanted anyone to die alone like so many did.I think the fact it was just five episodes in the end was right because it gave each episode such a deep resonnance and gave you a sense of being in the moment as you watched them,but it also showed how things began to change around A.ids/H.I.V as more became known about it,just the fact Richie lived for as long as he did showed how treatments were starting to become more effective.THis series will stay with me for a long time for sure,it's been both sad and happy to revist that time in my life,It was so close to home for me on so many levels,but it's reminded me of some of the astounding people I met back then and the guys that I cared for as a 'buddy'.It's been amazing too to be part of the live chat in each of these unpacked episodes too and to haer other people's takes on each episode and to hear from others who also lived through that time,and to have dialougues with people in the comments sections too.I am sad for all the friends I lost in this time,but also so thankful I was part of it too,it's definitley had a lasting legacy for me and became part of what made me who I am today,looking at that time through this series made me see I was part of living history as was everyone else,but at the time it felt like being on the front line it really did. Thank you Phil and Sean for these brilliant unpacked sessions,they have been so amazing to be part of and I've learntrnt a lot from listening to others and from reading people's comments,it's somehow added to the exeperience of watching each episode,and thank you to the people I've 'spoken' too in the comments/replies sections of each episode too,it's been so good to have that with each of you.Take care everyone and stay safe. xxx

[@JohnTarbet71]

Watched every episode twice now and each time I’m in bits watching the last episode 😭 Thank You everyone involved in making It’s A Sin it’s excellent

[@seawyatt]

Same here. I can't stop watching and thinking about this amazing series. I really don't have words for how it makes me feel.

[@CT-wf6ry]

I know the other mom in the hospital wasn’t kind about the way she spoke to Valerie but I was happy about it. The Tozers were so rude to Jill, to the hospital staff and all those who were caring for Ritchie. Even from Episode 1 when they asked Jill her heritage, made comments about squeaking floorboards, accused Jill of seducing Ritchie when he changed majors. They were so strangely preoccupied with sex that they would make such inappropriate comments (and assumed everyone was just out to seduce and corrupt Golden Boy Ritchie) yet couldn’t say, “I love you” how bizarre. In my imagination they had a shotgun wedding.

[@markhankinson3151]

Interesting observation about their reason for getting married, the old expression was to say "They had to marry", i.e they were expected to because she was pregnant outside marriage in a time when that wasn't socially acceptable, it was seen as a result of "illicit" sex and in the 1980's the prejudice was that HIV/AIDS was also the result of so-called illicit sex.

[@sharleckie9296]

I have really enjoyed your Unpacked Series. Such an amazing series It's a Sin. Heartbroken both times I have watched it. "He died yesterday" . Jill summed it up when she said Ritchie was beautifully gay

[@BoysOnFilm]

Thank you Shar. I think I've watched every episode 4 times now and it never loses its power.

[@promenteryrobbins]

So grateful for all those in the making of It’s a Sin.

[@laurenmaddison7268]

I almost wish I never watched it, it’s affected me so much and can’t stop thinking about it, such a strong message, they have done an amazing job to make it so strong in my mind and all I think about, what a show, so amazing and makes you think of the generation of people who were lost, just makes you think, so amazing ♥️

[@denniskillin9853]

I wish that there was space for the truth about those who worked so hard to change things but because they were not young and pretty they have been forgot even though they were affected on so many different ways. Lack of media coverage made life so hard when we did campaign ing around aids/hiv . It is a shame that depictions of gay people focuses on youth and beauty those who are young but not beautiful must struggle to come out.

[@shine01120]

I was expecting them to make Ritchie's death more visual and poignant, like seeing him say his last goodbyes or taking his final breath, I'm glad they didn't but that's what I felt the episode was building up to. For me episode 3 is the most hearbreaking and left me feeling numb for days afterwards.

[@BoysOnFilm]

I think they did a great job of wrapping everything up.

[@donna5580]

Through episode 1 and 2 I get the idea that Ritchie's sister Lucy was the only one in his family that knew he was gay and was waiting for him to come out to his parents. It's a sin was one of the most powerful series ever made and I will miss it too!

[@BoysOnFilm]

You're so right. It was almost like she was annoyed or frustrated that he wasn't telling his family. But she could have been so much more supportive and sympathetic.

[@pgbear]

Thanks Phil and Sean for another brilliant analysis. I'm going to be controversial here and say that episode 5 was not nearly as powerful as episode 3. I didn't care much for the character of Ritchie, if I'm honest. Two scenes really stood out for me. The scene with Ruth Sheen playing the mother of another dying young man. Her brutal take down of Ritchie's Mum was hard to watch and seemed unnecessarily mean, but Ruth Sheen is such a great actor that she made it so powerful and real. The best scene for me in the episode and indeed the whole series, was a short scene near the end when Jill goes to visit a dying man on the ward who was totally alone. There was more emotional power in this one short scene involving a character we didn't even know, then all the scenes of characters crying over Ritchie. The whole show really revolves around the character of Jill and she was really well played by Lydia West. The character I cared about the most was the character of Colin, who is played to perfection by Calum Scott Howells. After his character dies, it almost felt the show had nowhere to go. Thanks again for your brilliant discussions, Phil and Sean. My opinion of the final episode may change over time, as this was only my initial reaction to it.

[@christopherstephenson4531]

I agree with you totally. I lived thought this in real life, having been diagnosed in 1986 and the scenes with Colin in hospital really brought it all back: the hours sitting next to your partner watching him waste away, the loneliness because you couldn't talk about it to anyone, and knowing that this could be you in a short while, putting on a brave face when inside you were scared stiff. Colin was just an ordinary guy, not showy, not camp, not an activist - just like thousands of others, like me and many friends who didn't make it. To me he was the unsung hero of the show. Having put everything that happened then to the back of my mind for 30-odd years, episode 3 really shook me up. Like you said, after that, the remaining episodes, though brilliant, did not have the same emotional impact as from the evolution of the storyline it was obvious what was going to happen.

[@CT-wf6ry]

I completely agree.

[@Neenie_W]

I expected Pet Shop Boys Being Boring to end it

[@Dan-nd7gx]

I’m still sobbing 😭

[@raedjibrail]

How can you unpack an episode without spoilers? And why would anyone watch this without having watched the show?! Please include a spoiler notification at the beginning and let’s discuss what we’ve just seen.

[@newwavepop]

when i watched episode one i enjoyed it but honestly i was a little disappointed because i thought it was a little goofier than i was hoping it would be i wanted something a little more series. when i watched episode two i was really drawn in it had gotten much better fairly quick. episode three was a gut punch and i wasnt expecting that and it broke my heart. episode four i think i was still a little numb from episode three and i sort of sat through it partially in a daze, i didnt think i had any more to give, i didnt think i had any more sorrow left in me. but then episode five left me completely devastated and in tears,, again. it felt like a real loss, like the loss of someone you actually knew. im sure we can all find shades of people we have really lost in the characters of the show, and it hurt so bad, but it hurt in the right way. what a great little series. i am glad these stories were told and i feel a better person for having gone through them. i am a straight white conservative man, i beg you all not to buy into the culture wars that we are monsters, or that all people on any side are just all the same with no dimensions or humanity.

[@williamsnyder5616]

Here's a view from America. I've watched the series four times. I'll watch it again and again because you learn something new every time. First off, I see a similarity to the 1988 American film, "Longtime Companion." When we move to the "big city," we develop our own gay family. The scene becomes very warm and very intimate. As in the '88 film, "It's a Sin" gives us a projection of an alternative family who, all of a sudden, faces a tragic reality. One by one, many die before their time. And, there's one scene at the end of "It's a Sin," which seems like something "Longtime Companion" was telling us about. We get a flashback of Ritchie showing off his acting chops when a seagull upstages him. In the '88 flick, the AIDS survivors are on the beach, hoping they'll see the day when there is no disease. Then, they notice their fallen friends alive and hugging them once again in a fantasy scene. Recently, I watched the film again on KZbin and it tore me up. The same thing happened with the flashback of Ritchie because those of us who lived in the '80s still agonize every night over our friends who have been gone for three decades. Back in the Age of Reagan and Thatcher (double aargh), I was an editor for a gay weekly in San Francisco and one of my duties was to edit a way-too-long Obituary Page every week, so I can attest to the fact that Russell T Davies has done a brilliant job of reflecting that sometimes exciting, but too often tragic decade. You two guys did an equally brilliant job of explaining the plots and the sub-plots. I particularly liked your emphasis on the soundtrack. Whether it was Sylvester or Erasure, thst music still dances in this 73-year-old head.

[@BoysOnFilm]

Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts, William - and hello from across the pond! It's a powerful series, for sure.

[@jackdavies7937]

Isn't it roscoes uncle not his dad in the hospital?

[@rockyrae3455]

It was his dad.

[@lornai7171]

You're both great😍

[@BoysOnFilm]

Thank you so much! Hope you can watch some of our other content. How did you discover us?

[@lornai7171]

I'm an It's A Sin fangirl. Will check the other videos out. Thanks 🐱

[@BoysOnFilm]

@@lornai7171 Thank you! Hope you enjoy x

[@sholagrant5445]

Masterpiece

[@markbaker2826]

Wonderfull !!!!!

[@b.m.t.h.3961]

Brilliant show but disagree with Val getting blamed for everything. She was very wrong to stop Ritchie's friends from seeing him at the end but I don't think he came from a loveless home, actually Ritchie came across as quite pampered and cared for despite his parents being homophobic. Secondly, in what way did his mother cause him to sleep with other people knowing he has aids? He was an adult, living far from home, that was his choice, not hers. Lastly, why is the mother totally to blame for the dysfunctional home? Where is / was the father? Why is the woman to blame?

[@cpnlsn88]

I think that RTD is helpfully unpicking some stereotypes whereby mothers are seen as supportive and fathers as homophobic or finding it harder to come to terms. The failure is, in a way, collective. Ritchie didn't tell his parents he was gay or had AIDS when he should but the family unit and upbringing produced a boy who for whatever reason couldn't. The contrast here is with other families. Colin's mother intuitively knew and prepared the path to his coming out; the consequence was a seamlessness between her and Colin's friends who helped and supported each other. In Roscoe's case there is a different contrast whereby there is open acknowledgment but rejection and later some kind of acceptance as Roscoe and his father reconcile. In mitigation to Ritchie's parents' defence they had to come to terms with him being gay, having AIDS and being close to dying in the same moment which is not easy but brings us back to the same question, what was it about that household that produced someone unable to be more open? And of course that can be asked of a lot of households along with an open question of whether it is better to be a different way. And of course preventing your friends from seeing you before you die is pretty horrific on any way of looking at things. Here again Colin and his mother is a contrast as his mother - as also Jill's mother and father get included into the friendship group. The picture presented is a contrast between a world where friends and family are integrated or sharply separated. Somehow I can't imagine Val opening up to Ritchie's friends.

[@b.m.t.h.3961]

@@cpnlsn88 . Yes, I think I understand what you are saying. Thank you.

[@cpnlsn88]

@@b.m.t.h.3961 Another way of thinking about it is that I think there are circles of thought that you start with something and then circle back to something else. The thought arises maybe Ritchie needed to be supported to be gay and Val might have been prepared to give him more support. Who would play this role? Schools? S28 was designed expressly to prevent this. The government? They were busy enacting s28 and catering to the tabloid press. The Church? They just said It's a sin.....

[@jesskhan09]

Richie was the favourite child. He was pampered & loved unconditionally by his mother. I feel the mother was overwhelmed with all the information regarding her son. It felt like she wanted to take him away and wrap him up so no one can hurt him.

[@ticklee71]

@@cpnlsn88 'what was it about that household that produced someone unable to be more open' I thought the hints were when she says ritchie's grandad was 'a horrible man', also her description of what she thinks men are like. Russel has said elsewhere that there was a history of abuse that he wasn't able to go into as there weren't enough episodes.

[@CashelOConnolly]

My link keeps getting took down by KZbin. Go to my channel and watch a guy who’s talking about having full blown A.I.D.S My channel is Radical Rainbow

[@mjc5509]

WONDERFUL POIGNANT PERFORMANCE FROM RUTH SHEEN PLAYING A MOTHER IN EPISODE 5

[@BoysOnFilm]

Absolutely agree, Michael. Love her!

[@sarahparsons5355]

Thank you so much keep your safe and well well done good night bye bye hugs 🌈⚧🏳️‍🌈⚧🌈

[@BoysOnFilm]

Thank you Sarah x