Need to take a load off?

You could drown yourself in cheap booze and legal marijuana (much like the entire population of Brooklyn or Portland, OR of where I hail from), OR you could binge on all three seasons of Netflix’sLovesick. Yep, you won’t have to think about the realities of race, class, or gender on this total la-la land rom-com series…just like I did! (Don’t judge, at least I don’t have a hangover).

Yep, I watched all three seasons and loved them all. Why? Because I was completely emotionally and intellectually numb while I indulged. Isn’t that why we watch TV anyways? Seriously, Lovesick brings us to a land where men are enticingly flawed, yet always forgivable, and women are amused by their silly little shortcomings. Did I mention that they are British? So if you fancy an English accent (WHO DOESN’T FANCY ENGLISH ACCENTS, I DON’T CARE IF IT’S CLICHE), you also get that little bonus.

What’s this show about? Nothing. Literally nothing. Ok it’s about relationships, finding love, wanting to be in love, etc… What is this show not about? Anything else. No one is shown working…ever…at anything…not a job, not towards a degree… in fact, I have watched this show and have no idea how anybody pays their bills. Sound familiar? No, not every show on TV, ok maybe most shows, but it really reminds me of Friends, except with docu-style cinematography. I love that word, cinematography…. It’s big and makes me sound smart and makes up for my lack of intellectual pursuits like watching Lovesick. See what I did there? Ok, so why did I watch this show?

Clearly it’s not unenjoyable and clearly I got something out of it… I’m just not sure I feel good about what I got out of it…kind of like my last trip to Costco. I enjoyed watching the show because of the characters. There is Evie who is adorable, lovable, feminine, but not “too” feminine (yes, I know I can’t say that and I know feminists across the globe just gave me a virtual smack. Don’t worry, I will smack myself for you all) and is a “guys girl” kind of girl. That means she only has white male friends, male roommates, and is basically always shown with men, unless they want to show her uncomfortable. If they want Evie’s character to be uncomfortable, they put her in a scene with a woman…any woman. Her sister, her friend’s girlfriends, wives, etc… any woman will do the trick. Hmmm I think I am getting to something. I’m not sure what the feminist G-ds would say, but can you be a strong woman without any women in your life? Don’t answer. Instead, just ask, ‘What does her character say about gender?’ See how I got out of that?

Then there are the two main male characters Dylan and Luke, and for the sake of affirmative action, I will make them share their own paragraph. Luke plays whatever you might call the opposite of a “Straight-Man” (not with respect to sexuality)… the comic relief I suppose, though he has his own “serious” issues (like ill-fitting shirts and dead girlfriends). Dylan and Evie’s love for each other at opposite and inconvenient times, makes up about 70% of the show’s plot. The rest of the plot is made up of less significant characters who are also often dealing with relationship woes that are tragic, funny, and usually unrealistic.

So what’s my point? (My editor didn’t say I really needed one…but fine, I will try). My point is that this show is entertaining. It’s filled with funny one-liners, it depicts friendship in a fairly interesting and intimate way, and it might help some of you 20- and 30-year-olds through some casual break-ups that don’t include the division of property or furniture. It won’t help you understand interracial relationships of any kind, friendships or romantic. It won’t help anyone know what it’s like to be the only woman of color in a social scene, or what it takes to pay for a flat in “the West End of Glasgow.” But maybe that is ok? Maybe that’s just what you want after a long day at the home office (let’s be honest…most of us are working from home right?). Now get out of your home-office sweats and put on your EVENING SWEATS and watch some Lovesick.

Rachel

By Rachel Hall, Rachel has a Masters in Cultural Gender Studies, is a writer, a personal coach, and even though she is very very fun (just ask her three year old daughter) due to her academic inclinations, always the pooper at the party. She works with all kinds of people to improve their ability to work with all kinds of people. She can often be found hiding from her two children in her laundry room. More about her on her website.

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