We Will Survive! (S05E13)

In the wake of the Babylon bombing, support for the antigay Proposition 14 has slipped in the polls. Seeking to capitalize on this, the Committee for Human Rights, which is fighting against the initiative, asks Michael, as a victim of the bombing, to be its spokesman. As a homeowner with a family, Michael presents a more acceptable image of gay people to the heterosexual mainstream than the drag queens and leather daddies it sees at the annual gay pride celebrations, according to Congresswoman Edelstein (recurring guest star Eve Crawford). Michael agrees to represent the committee and is given a script to follow. But at the news conference, after the congresswoman banishes garishly dressed Debbie, Emmett and transsexual Kiki (recurring guest star Greg Campbell) to the back of the hall so that they will not be seen on camera, Michael goes off script and delivers a moving speech about the importance of diversity. When Brian abstains from having sex with the sexy stripper at his stag party, Justin knows something is wrong. Later, Brian says he wants to cuddle, a term Justin has never heard him utter. Justin tells Brian that, as the wedding day, gets closer and closer, the Brian he knew gets further away. Realizing that Justin must go to New York to pursue his career as an artist, Brian tells him, "I don't want to live with someone who sacrificed their life and called it love". At the wedding rehearsal dinner, Brian and Justin announce that their wedding will not take place. As Melanie and Lindsay pack up their belongings, memories of their house - both happy and sad - overwhelm them, but ultimately, they say good-bye to the gang and head for Toronto with Gus and Jenny Rebecca. Ben and Michael ask Hunter to become their legally adopted son, and he accepts. When Ted's newfound love, Tad, turns out to be an overly possessive, jealous maniac, Ted breaks up with him. Ted and Emmett go to the ski resort where Ted was supposed to share a romantic weekend with Tad. There, Ted encounters former boyfriend Blake (recurring guest star Dean Armstrong), and Emmett is surprised to find Calvin Culpepper (guest star Tate Taylor), someone he had a crush on in high school. It turns out to be a romantic weekend after all. After Justin leaves for New York, Brian returns to the loft. Michael shows up there so that Brian will not be all alone. They talk about the old days and the first time they ever went to Babylon. Michael has come to a new appreciation of Babylon - what it meant to both of them, how it shaped who they are. He tells Brian: "Some things aren't meant to change". In the final scene, Babylon has been rebuilt. It's open for business and is packed with patrons, all dancing--with Brian at the center - to the "thumpa thumpa" rhythm that is the heartbeat of gay life. (Warner Bros. UK)