As an avid reader and viewer of historical romances, I have certain ideas of how the spicy scenes will play out on television. But Fellow Travelers blew my expectations out of the water.
Showtime’s new historical romance centers on the relationship between Hawkins “Hawk” Fuller (Matt Bomer) and Tim Laughlin (Jonathan Bailey). The two first met in Washington, D.C. during the 1950s. Both worked in politics during a time when communists and queer people were perceived as enemy number one. As two gay men in hiding, the duo faced difficult challenges in navigating their identity and love lives. When Hawk and Tim meet, there is plenty of coded language and knowing glances used to make sure no one else figures out their relationship.
An unexpected seduction
We are only one episode into the series and it is already quite steamy. When Tim and Hawk first see each other at a political shindig, sparks are already flying. In their second meeting, the two sit on a park bench talking about nothing of importance. Tim said he had to leave to go to church, and Hawk replied that he’d be imagining Tim praying on his knees. Sure, it isn’t overtly sexual, but between the two of them, it ratchets up the tension perfectly.
Cut to their first intimate encounter. Tim is the sweet one who treasures love as much as he does physical intimacy. On the other hand, Hawk is looking for fun and that is about it. Of course, they are drawn to each other. Instead of just a standard seduction like I was expecting, Hawk plays things differently. He tells Tim to take off Hawk’s socks and pants. Then he says they need to be folded neatly. Hawk also calls Tim “his boy,” much to Tim’s delight. The subtle dominant/submissive vibes just made the entire scene scorch.
In a later scene, Tim wants Hawk to take him to a party. Hawk is reluctant since they cannot give anyone any idea that they might be fooling around with each other. Using Hawk’s own game against him, Tim pouts that Hawk’s “boy” wants to go to the party. Tim mouths Hawk’s toes to show how enthusiastic he is about attending this party. I won’t go into detail, but whoever wrote the dialogue for this scene is wonderful. The chemistry between Bomer and Bailey is absolutely electric, adding so much feeling to the naughty words. We need more of this, please!
Fellow Travelers is available for streaming on Paramount+ and Showtime.
(featured image: Showtime)
