WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for Fellow Travelers Episode 2.
Fellow Travelers episode 2 continues to follow the hidden love affair between Hawk (Matt Bomer) and Tim (Jonathan Bailey) during the Lavender Scare era of 1950s America. The Showtime series, based on the 2007 novel of the same name, places both Hawk and Tim in positions of the United States Federal Government in support of political initiatives to crack down on so-called “deviant” activities within their ranks including communism and homosexuality. Fellow Travelers paints an accurately paranoid and terrifying landscape of one of the darkest periods of the 20th century spearheaded by Senator Joseph McCarthy.
Fellow Travelers episode 1 introduced Hawk and Tim’s seemingly inevitable relationship and the natural chemistry that formed between them after meeting in 1952. The series thoughtfully jumps back and forth in time to depict an ailing Tim living in 1980s San Francisco who has since become estranged and bitter towards Hawk for reasons that have yet to be made clear. It is known that Hawk ends up following the traditional route of marrying Senator Smith’s daughter Lucy and eventually having children, while Tim’s fate becomes dire. Fellow Travelers episode 2 “Bulletproof” explores more of the events that brought Tim and Hawk together before they ultimately break apart.
8 The U.S. State Department Increases Efforts To Report & Identify “Deviant” Activity
Fellow Travelers episode 2 opens with an increased emphasis from the United States State Department to identify and report any suspected “subversives” in American society. This includes any people rumored to be associated with the Communist party or engaged in homosexual activity. Hawk is present at the State Department meeting in Fellow Travelers that introduces the new system of summons that will be issued to any suspected “deviants” and is forced to fake a smile to protect his own interests. Hawk is incredibly skilled as masking his true passions, which ends up helping Tim’s coworker later in the episode.
7 Poet Langston Hughes Testifies In Front Of Joseph McCarthy’s Subcommittee
Acclaimed poet Langston Hughes testifies before the Subcommittee of Investigations as led by Senator Joseph McCarthy and Roy Cohn in Fellow Travelers episode 2. Based on the real life occurrence in 1953, Hughes was suspected of holding communist views and beliefs as evidenced by some of his writings which appear to express sentiments and criticisms against capitalism. Marcus is outraged by the interrogation of Hughes, seeing the writer as a significant voice for black people and evidently not the enemy that Cohn, McCarthy, and their Subcommittee is making him out to be.
6 Marcus Loses Press Access After Challenging Roy Cohn & David Schine
Following the unjust interrogation of Hughes by Cohn, McCarthy, and David Schine, Marcus steps outside his typically rational and professional demeanor to challenge Cohn and Schine who appear to be hiding behind their positions of power. Cohn and Shine dismiss Marcus’s advancement, in which he questions why they were not drafted in the Korean War as two able-bodied and competent men. Cohn brushes Marcus off in person but later stripped him of his access to the Subcommittee Investigations after insulting the newspaper he works for which also implied some racial discriminatory elements behind the decision as well.
5 Tim Attends A Party Hosted By His Coworker Mary & Her Girlfriend Caroline
Waiting for Hawk to return his calls, Tim finds himself becoming involved more in the personal life of his coworker Mary Johnson who invites Tim over to her apartment for a party. Tim hesitates initially, knowing the risk that the invitation might bring, but is eventually convinced to attend the party especially due to Hawk’s negligence of him. Tim finds out that the guests at Mary’s party all appear to be queer, including Mary’s girlfriends Caroline. Tim is able to loosen up and enjoy the party in time, playing charades, drinking with guests, and ultimately forgetting about the danger of his attendance.
4 Caroline Receives A Summons From The State Department After Being Reported
Mary’s girlfriend Caroline, who also works in government, receives a summons from the State Department notifying her that she will be investigated for suspected homosexual activity. Although neither Caroline or Mary were specifically detected, Caroline claims that a bitter man reported her after she repeatedly turned down his advance to go out on a date with him. The light blue envelope that Caroline received had the potential to destroy both the careers of Caroline and Mary by placing them on a federal black list. Mary tells Tim about the letter, who then tells Hawk hoping that he can so something to prevent Caroline from getting exposed.
3 Hawk’s Dying Father Expects An Apology For Having To “Endure” A Homosexual Son
The most powerful moment in Fellow Travelers episode 2 finds Hawk returning to his family home to face his dying father for the first time in years. Hawk appears to come from a very traditional American family whose stringent values have created a sharp divide in their collective relationship. While his mother is happy to see him and appears more supportive, Hawk’s father disapproves of his son and wrote him out of his will for being gay. In the brief but poignant scene, Hawk’s father recalls walking in on Hawk and Kenny when they were teenagers. Hawk’s dad feels like he deserves an apology, but Hawk proves he will never apologize for being himself.
2 Mary Betrays Caroline Using Tim’s Fabricated Letter That Hawk Helped Him Write
Based on Hawk’s swift advice, Tim writes a fabricated letter to Mary that makes it seem like the two of them were in love. Tim offers this to Mary as a way to save her own skin in the investigation on Caroline, but going forward with it would mean that Mary would have to throw Caroline under the bus. Tim doesn’t initially believe that Mary would ever do such a thing to Caroline, claiming that they love each other too much for Mary to rat Caroline out. Hawk predicts that Mary will do just that and he proves to be right. Mary hands over Tim’s fake love letter to the investigators and ruins Caroline’s career along with their secret relationship.
1 Marcus Gives Draft Dodging Evidence On David Schine To Bobby Kennedy
Determined to get revenge on Cohn and Schine for stripping him of his press access, Marcus is able to acquire evidence against Schine indicating that he dodge the draft in the Korean War claiming to be listed as 4F. In military terms, 4F indicates that a personal is unfit for duty due to physical or psychological reasons, which doesn’t appear to add up in the case of David Schine. Tim, who works in McCarthy’s office and sees Schine frequently, informs Marcus that Schine doesn’t have any physical ailments and has an active lifestyle, implying that Schine shouldn’t be classified as 4F. Marcus shares this information with Bobby Kennedy in Fellow Travelers, who has the resources to expose Schine.
