Lost Boys and Fairies – Season 1 Episode 1 “We’re All Just Children” Recap & Review

We’re All Just Children

Episode 1 of Lost Boys and Fairies begins at the home of Gabriel and his partner Andy. They meet with Jackie, a social worker from an adoption agency, and tell her they’re interested in adopting a child.

Gabriel is interested in adopting a girl but Jackie encourages the guys to keep their options open. During the conversation, Andy invites Jackie to Neverland, a club where Gabriel performs as a drag queen. We then cut to Neverland where Gabriel is singing in front of an adoring crowd, including Andy who is clearly in love with his man.

In the next scene, we are back at the house where Jackie is interrogating them about their home, finances, and respective parents. Gabriel tells her he had a happy childhood until his mother died when he was very young. She died of a brain haemorrhage. He says he doesn’t remember much about what happened on the day she died but the flashbacks suggest this isn’t true.

In another scene with Jackie, Gabriel tells her more about his childhood and how he loved dressing up. We then see a flashback scene of him wearing his mother’s dress and jewellery. His father finds him on the bed in the dress and beats him.

Gabriel tells Jackie that he hasn’t told his dad about the potential adoption. He then tells her about the moment he realized he was gay. In flashbacks, we see him as a teenager grappling with his sexuality and its impact on his religious faith. He has a vision of the devil which suggests he considered his sexuality as being sinful. 

We have more flashbacks of Gabriel’s past, including anonymous sexual encounters and his introduction to Neverland, which is where he met Andy. When Jackie asks him why he wants to adopt, he tells her he thinks he and Andy have a lot to offer as parents.

Gabriel and Andy fill out the adoption form and give it to Jackie the next day. She notices that they have only put down Andy’s mum as their ‘support network.’ Jackie thinks it would improve their case if they put down Gabriel’s dad too. A little while later, Gabriel calls his dad and tells him about the adoption. His dad doesn’t think it’s a good idea. In a flashback scene, Gabriel tells somebody at Neverland that his dad doesn’t think gay people should be parents. 

During the meeting with Jackie, Gabriel flashbacks to a time when he took drugs and he tells her about it (though we don’t hear the conversation). Later, Andy is upset that Gabriel told her about this part of his past as he thinks it might screw up their adoption chances. 

The next day, Jackie tells the guys that the fact they have been honest might work in their favour. She has spoken to Gabriel’s therapist who thinks Gabriel is managing his past problems. Before she leaves, Jackie invites them to an activity day where they can meet the kids who are awaiting adoption.

We cut to a scene of Andy, Gabriel, and Gabriel’s dad. The old man is more open to the couple’s adoption dreams than they expected. There is still a little tension between Gabriel and his dad, however. 

That night, Gabriel and Andy excitedly make love. They then hold each other in their arms and talk about the prospect of parenting. The idea of them being parents makes them laugh. 

The next morning, the guys attend the activity day. Prospective parents are wearing fancy dress costumes, including a lesbian couple who are wearing the same Superman t-shirts as Gabriel and Andy. This annoys both couples. After an initial meeting with the other parents, Gabriel and Andy head into a room to meet the kids.

The first child they speak to is a blind girl called Ezmie. They get on well with her but in a conversation they have afterwards, Andy thinks Gabriel was better at talking to her than he was.

A short while later, they think they’re alone in a room but there’s a boy named Jake hiding under a table and listening to them talk rudely about one of the prospective parents. After introducing himself to the guys, Jake lets them know he heard everything they said, which embarrasses them.

Jackie thinks Gabriel and Andy will be a great fit for Jake and arranges a meeting between them and Jake’s foster carer, who tells them people thought Jake was unadoptable. She disagrees with this and tells the guys Jake needs patience, cuddles and love. 

Later, Gabriel and Andy talk about Jake. Gabriel’s unsure about adopting him because the 7-year-old is of an older age than they wanted and he’s a boy. But they give it more thought and look at his case file. They discover his behaviour can be violent and that he has trust issues. These traits are because of his negative early years experiences with his birth parents. 

Gabriel opens up to the idea of adopting Jake but he doesn’t want to meet his parents as he thinks they’re “monsters.” That night, he tells Andy they should adopt Jake. The episode ends with Jake, sitting in the back of a car, looking happy. 

The Episode Review

The first episode of Lost Boys and Fairies is heartbreaking and funny in equal measure. The flashback scenes of Gabriel’s childhood were particularly sad and so too was the sequence depicting Jake’s troubled upbringing.  They will all have a lot to work through when they eventually start living together but it’s clear that the guys have the potential to be the parents that Jake needs. 

You can be forgiven for having tears in your eyes during this episode, so touching are some of the scenes, including the moment when Andy and Gabriel learn more about Jake’s past. The episode isn’t a total blub fest, however, as it is very humorous too. One imagined scene at the activity day – where the prospective parents kick and punch each other in an effort to get to the kids first – is especially hilarious. 

This opening episode of Lost Boys and Fairies is elevated by great performances and strong writing. Here’s hoping the remaining episodes are as good as this one.