I did not buy that Justin would go to Ben and Michael to stay when he split up with Brian. He had never had that much contact like this- he had gone to Debbie's or Mel and Linds in the past. Justin and Michael only really tolerated each other throughout the series and Justin knew Michael's feelings for Brian had not completely gone away. There are so many little references all the way through to Michael still having feelings. His spurt of anger was for himself rather than Justin, though he may have had some feelings for a fellow Brian-reject.
Great points! My guess is that Michael was already feeling raw and betrayed by Brian's actions after he and Ben moved to the suburbs and started becoming (in his mind) Stepford Fags. Brian's behavior at the dinner party was horrible, and I'm sure it embarrassed Michael a lot. He was always one to sweep Brian's bad behavior under the rug, but he couldn't let himself do it this time. So it's possible that letting Justin stay with him and Ben after the breakup was a subtle slap in the face to Brian for his extreme and out-in-the-open contempt for the lifestyle Mikey had chosen.
I'm also guessing that Ben may have had something to do with Justin staying with them. Ben had a 'saving people thing', and was a very kind person. It could be that he was just being kind. They did have a larger place by this time, and the extra room (I can't remember if Hunter had already left by this time; it's been a while since I saw these S5 episodes).
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dergil27
11 years ago
Never thought of Jusin staying with Michael and Ben as a subtle bit of spite by Michael. It's possible, but since this show doesn't do subtle, I have some doubts. Always figured that Justin stayed with the couple because they had the room, and they had been spending a lot more time together due to "Rage" and the anti-prop 14 work.
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