History Series / FellowTravelers

* ArtisticLicenseHistory: Hawk's exoneration by the M Unit. On the show, Hawk is allowed to keep his job because he fools the lie detector, and the M Unit investigators cannot conclusively prove that he's gay. This suggests that, in-universe, there is some standard of proof that the M Unit had to meet in order to fire someone. The real-life M Unit would almost certainly have fired Hawk whether or not they could prove a damn thing; there was no standard of proof that they actually had to meet in order to fire someone, and the M Unit was not in the business of exonerating people who'd been reported for homosexuality.

* ArtisticLicenseHistory: Hawk's exoneration by the M Unit. Hawk is allowed to keep his job because he fools the lie detector, and the M Unit investigators cannot conclusively prove that he's gay. This suggests that, in-universe, there is some standard of proof that the M Unit had to meet in order to fire someone. The real-life M Unit would almost certainly have fired Hawk whether or not they could prove a damn thing; there was no standard of proof that they actually had to meet in order to fire someone, and the M Unit was not in the business of exonerating people who'd been reported for homosexuality.

* DownerEnding: Caroline's story. She loses both her job and her relationship with Mary after a colleague (who had also sexually harassed her) reported her to the M Unit. By 1957 she is a housewife in Ohio, and her heterosexual marriage is presumably even more suffocating and restrictive the Hawk's given that women in the 1950s were [[DoubleStandard absolutely NOT]] afforded the same license as men to "meet their needs" through extramarital affairs.

* DownerEnding: Caroline's story. She loses both her job and her relationship with Mary after a colleague (who had also sexually harassed her) reported her to the M Unit. By 1957 she is a housewife in Ohio, and her heterosexual marriage is presumably even more suffocating and restrictive the Hawk's given that women in the 1950s were [[DoubleStandard absolutely '''not''']] afforded the same license as men to "meet their needs" through extramarital affairs.

* DownerEnding: Caroline's story. She loses both her job and her relationship with Mary after a colleague (who had also sexually harassed her) reported her to the M Unit. By 1957 she is a housewife in Ohio, and her heterosexual marriage is presumably even more suffocating and restrictive the Hawk's given that women in the 1950s were [[DoubleStandard absolutely ''not'']] afforded the same license as men to "meet their needs" through extramarital affairs.

* EarnYourHappyEnding: [[spoiler:Marcus and Frankie's]] relationship arc. Not incidentally, there is a leitmotif titled [[spoiler:"Frankie and Marcus"]] on the soundtrack, which begins in a minor key with a very uncertain and somewhat melancholy tune, but then transitions to a major key, and becomes much more tender and optimistic.

* BookBurning: Senator Smith is disturbed that librarians across Western Europe are burning books about communism (or at least contain communist leanings) only seven years after the end of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII.

* AllTakeAndNoGive: Hawk is the Taker and Tim is the Giver in their romance; the [[UnequalPairing power imbalance]] stems from their LoverAndBeloved dynamic. Tim desires to be in a committed relationship with Hawk despite the grave legal and social difficulties LGBT+ people face during the homophobic 1950s, but Hawk continually insists that their romance must remain casual. Hawk plans to marry Lucy to be his [[TheBeard beard]], and the mere idea of this is extremely upsetting to Tim. During a Christmastime tryst, Tim gives Hawk a brand new tie as a Christmas gift, yet Hawk hadn't thought of getting anything for his boyfriend even though he did purchase a stunning silver bracelet set with emeralds for Lucy. (Although Tim is thrilled by the expensive -- but pre-owned -- monogrammed cufflinks etched with Hawk's initials that the latter hands to him after rummaging through his closet, it doesn't change the fact that Hawk didn't consider buying a Christmas present for Tim.) Hawk doesn't offer emotional support to Tim when the latter needs it, even though Hawk expects Tim to comfort him when he's in distress. Tim often expresses his love for Hawk, but the latter never says "I love you" in return.
** [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] at the end of their relationship in 1986, when Hawk lets Tim go at the latter's request. Even though Hawk desperately wants to stay with Tim, he finally puts Tim's needs over his own desires. Also, Hawk is not angry or unhappy when he learns that Tim slightly deceived him, and is planning to use the gala invite that Hawk wrangled for them to stage a direct action with Marcus, Frankie, Jerome, and others. Even Hawk's decision not to say "I love you" in that moment was for Tim's sake. Tim let Hawk know that he'd found peace and had no regrets about their relationship, and asks Hawk to make letting go of their relationship easy for him, so Hawk's decision to '''not''' verbally affirm his love for Tim in that moment was ultimately a loving and selfless gesture. (And he does affirm his love for Tim in another way, by kissing him in public for the first time before they part ways.)
** [[PlayingWithATrope Played with]] in episode 6. While it does go against Tim's wishes, Hawk's desperation to keep Tim out of prison is understandable and not entirely selfish.
** Lucy and Hawk's marriage as well. Like many fifties housewives, Lucy sacrifices her own feelings, dignity, and self-respect in order to make her husband as comfortable as possible.

* TheBeard: Many gays and lesbians maintain straight relationships to cover themselves, including marriages. Hawk marries Lucy Smith to make her his (unwitting) beard (though she learns soon enough).
** Caroline, Mary's ex, moves back to Ohio and gets married. Presumably her husband is also an unwitting beard.

* SuspiciouslyAproposMusic: At the benefit gala in "Make It Easy", the house band sings a cover of "I Can Dream About You " by Dan Hartman. The [[TitleDrop title line of the song]] ("I can dream about you if I can't hold you tonight") features prominently in the sound mix while Tim and Hawk look adoringly at each other, hinting [[spoiler:that the previous night when Hawk slept in Tim's hospital bed would be the last time they slept in the same bed together, since Tim ends their relationship later that night.]]

* EarnYourHappyEnding: [[spoiler:Marcus and Frankie's]] relationship arc. Not incidentally, there is a leitmotif titled [[spoiler:"Frankie and Marcus"]] on the soundtrack, which begins in a minor key with a very uncertain and somewhat melancholy tune, but then transitions to a major key, and becomes much more tender and optimistic.

** Caroline, Mary's ex, moves back to Ohio and gets married.

* SuspiciouslyAproposMusic: At the benefit gala in "Make It Easy", the house band sings a cover of "I Can Dream About You " by Dan Hartman. The [[TitleDrop title line of the song]] ("I can dream about you if I can't hold you tonight") features prominently in the sound mix while Tim and Hawk look adoringly at each other, hinting [[spoiler:that the previous night when Hawk slept in Tim's hospital bed would be the last time they slept in the same bed together, since they decide later that night to end their relationship.]]

* {{Foil}}: Hawk and Marcus are this for one another. They are both conventionally handsome and [[StraightGay normatively masculine]] [[ClosetGay closeted gay men]] in The50s; both are also UsefulNotes/WorldWarII combat veterans. They were also FriendsWithBenefits at some point in the past; one of the reasons this arrangement didn't last is that they are too similar to be compatible in bed. There are, however, a few key differences between them as well. As a Black man in the mid-to-late twentieth century, Marcus experiences professional barriers and discrimination that Hawk, as a straight-passing white man, has never had to contend with. Additionally, Hawk chooses to marry a woman and stay in the closet, relegating his relationship with Tim to an extramarital affair. By contrast, Marcus eventually starts living his life as an openly gay man, and in 1986 is cohabitating with his gender-nonconforming lover Frankie and their surrogate son Jerome.
-->'''Hawk''': You're prettier when you smile.\\

** Hawk and Mary also serve as foils for each other. Both betray their lovers to the M unit in order to protect their own careers; both experience shame and regret about this decision. However, Mary ultimately accomplishes her professional goals and becomes a congresswoman; Hawk fails to achieve his professional goals, and never actually goes to Italy for his foreign posting.

* FreezeFrameBonus: In the fourth episode, eagled-eyed viewers will notice that [[https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpreview.redd.it%2Ffellow-travelers-episode-4-discussion-post-v0-m0crijwkfy0c1.jpeg%3Fwidth%3D1936%26format%3Dpjpg%26auto%3Dwebp%26s%3D11aeef8731218f4bd7c5bf9b25ed76482ae791c2 Hawk wears the tie that Tim gave to him as a Christmas present]] during his lie detector test and the Christmas party he attends later.

* KarmaHoudiniWarranty: For several decades, Hawk experiences no negative consequences for his mistreatment of Tim and Lucy (and Eddie, and Leonard, and Craig). In fact, he lives extremely comfortably for thirty years largely thanks to Lucy's inheritance and sleeps with men (including Tim) on the side while Lucy looks the other way. [[spoiler:But Hawk's actions finally catch up with him in 1986, when Lucy and Tim both end their relationships with him for good. By 1987, Hawk is divorced, mourning Tim's death, and has permanently given up on his dream of moving to Italy. It is strongly implied that apart from his relationship with his daughter, Hawk is completely alone in the world.]]