Re: 509 - 3. Justin’s studio/apartment. Also notice that Justin’s art supplies are front and center in his living space. This is much more a studio with a mattress than it is a comfortable home. Contrast this with all of the scenes we’ve seen this season of Justin at the loft. The only indication we’ve had of him working there are Rage sketches and his computer. Where was he painting? And what does it say that he couldn’t or didn’t paint at the loft? Finally, what does this mean in terms of Justin’s desire for a home. Notice how very different his space is from the loft. Did Justin ever really feel “at home” there?
I've quoted this in full because to me this is a central issue and one that, in my view, also contributes to the ending. The studio, small and dirty and shitty as it might seem ito others, is Justin's place. His own space, that he's fully paying for and that he can use exactly as he sees fit: he chooses who gets in and out, he chooses the extent to which it can be dirty, untidy, he chooses what do in it.
The fact that it's filled with art, that whenever we see him in it he's mainly working, shows to me that this is incredibly important to him, that it is, in fact, a liberating and inspiring experience. He is growing as an artist, so he needs the space, but it's also true the other way around: having his own space allows him to grow as artist.
The loft will always be an important place to him. So will Debbie's home, to a lesser degree. But none of those places has ever been truly Justin's home, IMO. The studio is.
About Justin in relation to Jennifer and Tucker: he's being jealous and narrow-minded. His mother is with a younger man and the fact that Justin's gay doesn't make him (like any of the other male gay characters in QaF) automatically any less sciovinistic than heterosexual men. There might also be a degree of heterophobia at work, here: an older man/younger man relationship is ok because - according to gay men -it's an accepted part of gay culture/lifestyle, while older woman/younger man is less so. Which is, of course, complete and utter bullshit.