Fellow Travelers Episode 1: FellowFellow Travelers is a queer thriller romance drama based on the novel of the same name written by Thomas Mallon. The miniseries was created by Ron Nyswaner. He adapted the novel into a TV series. The show has a total of 8 episodes and it’s going to stream weekly on Showtime.
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The first episode’s story takes place in the present and the past. It’s set between 1986 and 1952. Hawkins Fuller was an ex-military worker in the US Government. He meets Tim Laughlin at a post-election party. They didn’t talk much, but they started liking each other. Hawkins was queer, and in 1952, the USA government used to remove queer people, sometimes sending them to jail.
Some government workers who were queer went to a place called The Chicken Hut. The Chicken Hut was very famous among queer people in Washington DC, where they meet and socialize with other queers. Hawkins also goes there; one day, he meets a guy there. The guy wanted Hawkins to talk to him, but Hawkins doesn’t want to be attached to them as he only goes there for fun. So, he leaves the place after s3x.
Hawkins meets Tim again at a park. Hawkins asks what Tim was doing at the party, as he never saw him. Tim replied that he worked with them for a campaign, and now he is looking for a job. Tim asks Hawkins to let him know if he got any job. Joseph R. McCarthy used to be the U.S senator at the time, and queer people didn’t like him because of his harsh rules towards them. Hawkins and his party members make a plan to spy on McCarthy, as he was also harming their people. McCarthy’s office needed a junior assistant writer, so Hawkins gives the news to Tim.
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Tim got the job, and Tim then went to Hawkins’ office and asked his secretary to give him his book, and at night Hawkins goes to Tim’s place. Tim already knew that he got the job at McCarthy because Hawkins wants him to spy there. They had s3x that night. Tim asks Hawkins if he heard rumors of Hawkins being engaged to Senator Wesley Smith’s daughter, Lucy Smith. Tim says it’s rumors and nothing else; then Tim asks Hawkins about his first lover. Tim got very angry by it, as he doesn’t want to answer it.
At a party, Tim talks with George Bauers. George was one of the friends of Tim, George asks Tim to help him as McCarthy’s people followed him and caught him going to The Chicken Hut. George has a family, so McCarthy’s people blackmail him, they ask him to name any Communist or Queer people in the government. Tim tells George to name any government officer with low-level security clearance.
George doesn’t remember any name of those queer people. Tim tells him to stay low; he will help him very soon. When going to the office, Tim meets that guy from The Chicken Hut. His name was Eddie Kofler. Eddie asks Hawkins if he remembered him. Hawkins says he doesn’t know him and he was in the government office for a meeting. Hawkins went to his office and called George and gave him Eddie’s name.
Tim and Hawkins go to a party; Hawkins went there with Lucy, while Tim went alone. Tim meets Marcus Hooks in that place. Marcus Hooks is also queer, and Hawkins is a good friend of his. Marcus tells Tim that he and Hawkins have the same rules in queer relationships as they don’t get attached to anyone. The three go to a gay bar. Tim asks Hawkins if he is going to marry Lucy Smith. Hawkins tells him that there is no future in their relationship; it was just for fun. Tim said he is a coward who doesn’t accept himself and left the place.
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McCarthy issues the Executive Order where they will fire gay people from their government. George tells Hawkins that Eddie is in jail, and he is feeling very ashamed due to it. Hawkins tells him to spend time with his family, and everything will go back to normal. Hawkins then tells Tim about his first lover, Kenny, a student in his high school who had a crush on him and created a paperweight stone for Hawkins. Hawkins still had that paperweight stone and he also used it.
Some students started bullying him for being like girls, so Hawkins deserted him. Hawkins later joined the military, and Kenny also joined the military to be with him. But Kenny was posted in a different place than Hawkins. Kenny died in the Battle of Luzon. The lovers reunite. In Hawkins’ office, one of the secretaries checks the book given by Tim and finds out Hawkins being gay.
In the present, in 1986, Hawkins is living with Lucy, and they have kids. The 1980s were famous in American history for AIDS. It used to happen to gay people. Marcus meets Hawkins to deliver his paperweight stone, which he gave to Tim. Tim has AIDS, and he may have very little time.
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Hawkins asks Marcus if he has AIDS, and Marcus replies, “No.” Hawkins doesn’t have AIDS, and he is being careful about it. Hawkins goes to San Francisco to meet Tim; he calls Tim from a restaurant’s STD and asks him if he can come to his home. He said that he will be in that restaurant for some time if he wants to give his address, he could. Tim cuts the call, and Hawkins waits there for some time, and then Tim calls him.