{"id":3023,"date":"2026-04-15T21:26:27","date_gmt":"2026-04-15T21:26:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/williamjcobb.com\/blog\/?p=3023"},"modified":"2026-04-15T22:07:46","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T22:07:46","slug":"review-of-dtf-st-louis-sad-coda-to-great-character","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/williamjcobb.com\/blog\/index.php\/2026\/04\/15\/review-of-dtf-st-louis-sad-coda-to-great-character\/","title":{"rendered":"The Finale of “DTF St. Louis”: Sad Coda to Great Character"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

So the NY Times<\/em> had a piece about the end of DTF St. Louis<\/em> about which I\u2019ll quibble: The writer was disappointed, it seems, that Floyd and Clark did not become lovers, implying that their \u201ctoxic masculinity\u201d (groan) is what keeps them back from happiness and sexual fulfillment. Here\u2019s the quote: \u201cFloyd is reduced to the self-hating, gay-coded character whose sexual exploration concludes with death. And Clark is the male character who grew too close to his friend in a way that threatened his heterosexuality, so he ultimately finds his life upended as well.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s so wrongheaded. It misses all the joy and charm and pathos of the series. Yes, Floyd and Clark love each other. When Jason Bateman (as Clark) insists he didn\u2019t kill Floyd his justification is a confession: \u201cI loved Floyd.\u201d The detectives investigating the case are surprised by this, somewhat, but it\u2019s only the beginning of Clark\u2019s confessions that ultimately resolve the murder mystery and the sadness of Floyd\u2019s unfortunate death. At the end it\u2019s clear Clark loved Floyd but didn\u2019t want to have sex with him. That seems perfectly reasonable. It\u2019s also touching: In the final scene at the pool house Clark tries to alleviate Floyd\u2019s crushing depression and lack of self-esteem by sexual overtures that fall flat. It seems real<\/em> to me. And as far as the \u201ccharm\u201d of the series, most of it involves the tragic-yet-lovable Floyd Smernitch, played by David Harbour. He\u2019s a good guy who cares about others. Admittedly, sometimes too much. At the end we finally learn what caused Floyd\u2019s \u201ccrooked dick.\u201d And it\u2019s heartbreaking. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s what I find most fascinating and admirable about\u00a0DTF<\/em>: The writers\/director cleverly frame the season as a murder mystery, when it isn\u2019t. It tricks the viewer into watching the story, paying attention to all the clues, only to be surprised at the end when all is not what it seems. But the mystery forces you to pay attention to all the subtle interactions between Carol, Floyd, and Clark. All three of them are \u201clost\u201d in some way: Carol squirming under crushing debt and disappointment, Floyd suffocating under his weight-gain and idealistic decisions, and Clark ultimately voiceless as a victim of his own peculiar loneliness. The final image conveys Clark\u2019s anguish: He\u2019s sitting on the child\u2019s swing where he would sometimes sit and talk to Floyd, only he\u2019s all alone and bereft. He loved his friend, who is now gone forever. Clark has a successful career and family life, but what good is it when you’re friendless? Much is being written now about American males lack of close friends. That argument often seems rather academic and abstract. The story of Clark and Floyd makes it real.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Here\u2019s what I find most fascinating and admirable about\u00a0DTF: The writers\/director cleverly frame the season as a murder mystery, when it isn\u2019t. Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3025,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[348,349,388,346,258,1],"tags":[414,86],"class_list":["post-3023","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-david-harbour","category-hbo-series","category-hbos-dtf-st-louis","category-jason-bateman","category-prestige-tv","category-uncategorized","tag-dtf-st-louis-2","tag-film"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t