The Other Two is Funny, Gay and Horny

Brooke Dubek is on a mission: “I have seen one dick in four years. This summer…I’m gonna see 50 dicks.” Adamant in the face of a colleague’s disgust (“Ewww!”), she doubles down: “No…it’s empowering.” (Get it, Brooke!)

Welcome to The Other Two, the smart and sarcastic Comedy Central series that airs the ninth of its 10 first-season episodes tonight. Like Brooke, it’s a gay man’s best friend—snarky yet sincere, heartwarming yet horny. Like all of us, it’s in constant search of cock…but also love, acceptance and happiness.

That’s no surprise, given that the show’s creators are former Saturday Night Live head writers Chris Kelly (a gay) and Sarah Schneider (a gay BFF). As the New York Times recently noted, it is staffed predominantly by female or gay writers: “Sexuality is a big part of our show and the stories we wanted to tell, so it was important that we had other gay writers to help draw from their real experiences,” Kelly told NYT writer Trish Bendix.

Brooke—played by the hysterical Heléne Yorke—is a former professional dancer turned temporary NYC apartment squatter and wannabe famous person. She likes the word “retarded” too much; cusses easily and often; and envisions herself a social justice warrior (“People on Twitter always tell me I’m a classic white feminist”).

Fellow twentysomething brother Cary (Drew Tarver) is a waiter/aspiring actor/homosexual. He can’t break away from bit commercial spots (he had to go back for another read as the “Man at Party Who Smells Fart” when the casting agents wanted him to come across “a tad less colorful”) or thankless parts in community theater (like the titular role in the play While John Slept).

Photo credits: Comedy Central/Jon Pack

The siblings’ self-loathing sinks to new levels when their 13-year-old brother Chase (Case Walker) hits it big after his song “I Wanna Marry U at Recess” catches fire on social media. Re-named Chase Dreams, his fame skyrockets—leaving his older siblings scrambling to catch some of his fairy dust (“Cary, we must live every day like it’s the last day Chase is famous”).

It all adds up to a scathing look at the absurdity of fame (Chase is Auto-Tuned to within an inch of his life, and forced to shill products in oddly placed endorsements) and the ludicrous social media culture that surrounds it.

That aspect is brilliantly skewered in Episode 7, when Cary is desperate to land a role in the latest Ryan Murphy series (a three-episode arc as “a gas station attendant who gets his ass eaten”). The only problem? To even be considered for the role, he needs at least 50,000 Instagram followers.

He stumbles his way into four Instagays (like a good porno, their names are a mix-and-match of Colby, Cameron, Dallas and Drake), and sees an opportunity if he can just get tagged on one of their posts. Cary’s failed attempts move from the pool to a hike (in animal onesies, natch) to a house of God:

Cameron: “Do you want to wear a red Speedo, or hold your balls?”
Cary: “Uh…I guess since we’re in a church…red Speedo?”

Frank discussions and jokes about gay life and sex are sprinkled throughout each episode. It’s so much a part of the show’s DNA that it never feels forced or gimmicky; it’s a natural extension of these characters’ lives. The Other Two has embraced the community—while still skewering aspects of it. (Case in point, Chase’s follow-up song “My Brother’s Gay”: “My brother’s brave, my brother’s wise; my brother doesn’t like girls, he likes guys!”)

In addition to his career, Cary’s love life is also stalling. But that doesn’t stop him from lusting after fist-bumping roommate Matt (handsome and furry-chested Andrew Ridings), a man so deep in denial about his own sexuality that he unwittingly tortures Cary to staggering degrees. Whether walking around shirtless in his mesh basketball shorts and Adidas sliders (so bro!); planting a drunk kiss on his roomie (“I gotta piss so hard!”); or jacking off in front of him (“Sure you can’t stay and hang?”), Matt has Cary’s balls so blue they cry.

Brooke’s love life isn’t any better, as her “Summer of Cocks” tour is mostly a disappointment. She’s also followed around by her lunkhead ex Lance (played by scene-stealing and hot-as-fuck Josh Segarra). When Cary gets a gig as a shirtless bartender on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen (spoiler alert: it doesn’t go well), he needs to get “jacked fast” with a quick gym pump—and runs into Lance (sadly, with his shirt on) in the locker room. He offers Cary a pep talk: “You’re sexy as fuck, dude! Do a little spin for me bro! You’re thin, but you’re tight. Now if you shave those little butt tufts, I think you’ll be good to go.” (Note to Comedy Central: MORE LANCE!)

Sadly, no gym sex breaks out, but if that’s your thing…

Also in the family’s orbit is mom Pat (Molly Shannon), who always has an encouraging word for her kids (“Aww, look at your little nipples! You’re so cute!”); Streeter (Ken Marino), Chase’s creepy new manager (“I just wanted to get his little body jacked up for the Kid’s Choice Awards”); and publicist Shuli (Wanda Sykes), who has to manage some very fickle gay fans (she’s also creepy: “We’re trying to get his pecs to pop. We did sweet, we did gay, now he’s a fuck boy!”).

Photo credits: Comedy Central/Jon Pack

There’s also Curtis (Brandon Scott Jones, Rebel Wilson’s gay bestie in Isn’t It Romantic) as Cary’s fellow waiter/wannabe actor. The two waiters take local theater classes together (“Listen class, to win awards…you must do gay sex scenes. But how do we know if you’re gay if there’s no shame on your face?”), and also have to deal with their boss at the restaurant—who really, really wants the gays to know that he’s cool with them:

Boss: “I saw another gay film today! It had way more sex than Brokeback Mountain, but I think I liked it better! It was called Cody Rides Tristan!”
Cary: “I think that was a porn, Vishad.”

(Hmm, sounds like Sean Cody or Next Door Studios to me…)

You can tell that the writers and actors have all actually lived these experiences, lending credibility and emotion to the proceedings (which aren’t as exaggerated as they might seem). They all inject a heartfelt dose of honesty to the material, which manages to soften up in surprising spots to balance out the funny (the scenes with Brooke and Lance at the end of Episode 8 are…gasp…actually very touching).

The shows also gives us plenty of opportunity to bond over—and sympathize with—the struggles we face, like when Cary plans ahead for a date:

Cary: “I spent like literally all day preparing…”
Brooke: “Your butt?
Cary: “Yeah. I haven’t eaten in 12 hours. I’m fucking starving.”

The resultant standoff Cary and his date later face over who should eat a slice of pizza pretty much sums up the relatable brilliance of this gem of a series (been there, Cary!). Here’s hoping Comedy Central renews it soon. In the meantime, binge season 1 and let us know what you think!

Photo credits: Comedy Central/Jon Pack