Letter to the director: Love on Netflix
Dear Judd Apatow, Lesley Arfin and Paul Rust,
It's okay to fuck up, make mistakes and live through them– thanks for showing and not telling me that. I know it sounds like something you would find on Pinterest in a cute font on a pastel colored background that someone (maybe me) would use as a screensaver to get through a rough patch. Perhaps even circulate the message among their friends. The point is thanks you guys for showing it through Gus, through Mickey, through Syd, through Shaun and a whole selection of oddball characters who are not flawless. Yet they all make it work. Sometimes they win and other time they lose but they come through. It answers that question we all had watching Forrest Gump: how does someone so confused, slow or in-adept make it through life? This is how, in fact, reality check everyone is confused, slow and in-adept. I mean if not then we would have solved climate change problems by now.
Watching their lives all laid out, together, living in the Love universe is comforting. I don't mean to, who am I kidding, I do take comfort in knowing everyone fucks up. It makes me feel better about myself. It gives me the will to keep going in spite of the fear of failure. It's true, no one gives you a manual or orientation to adulthood. It is literally everyone's first time doing what they do. By going around looking for advice on how to back out of the mess is how we all get through.
While Gus and Mickey don't have the answers, it feels cathartic to watch their stories unfold, twirl and sometimes get wound up. The strangest part is having an expectation that they would fuck up more extremely or make a decision so perfect it will be unreal. We have nothing but other rom-coms to blame for these expectation. On the other hand, Love fails to meet either and offers a meta-commentary on how television sets unrealistic expectations for people to follow. To watch a show that doesn't get a happy or unhappy ending is confusing and brings a level of surprise to it. Each episode ends on what feels like a cliff hanger because its so relatable. It's as if you sat down with Option A, B and C, had a huge debate about which option to choose and then list pros and cons for Options B and C and then decide to go with Option A. What a concept?
Thanks!
Cheers
via GIPHY this is my favorite friendship dynamic on the show!
It's okay to fuck up, make mistakes and live through them– thanks for showing and not telling me that. I know it sounds like something you would find on Pinterest in a cute font on a pastel colored background that someone (maybe me) would use as a screensaver to get through a rough patch. Perhaps even circulate the message among their friends. The point is thanks you guys for showing it through Gus, through Mickey, through Syd, through Shaun and a whole selection of oddball characters who are not flawless. Yet they all make it work. Sometimes they win and other time they lose but they come through. It answers that question we all had watching Forrest Gump: how does someone so confused, slow or in-adept make it through life? This is how, in fact, reality check everyone is confused, slow and in-adept. I mean if not then we would have solved climate change problems by now.
Watching their lives all laid out, together, living in the Love universe is comforting. I don't mean to, who am I kidding, I do take comfort in knowing everyone fucks up. It makes me feel better about myself. It gives me the will to keep going in spite of the fear of failure. It's true, no one gives you a manual or orientation to adulthood. It is literally everyone's first time doing what they do. By going around looking for advice on how to back out of the mess is how we all get through.
While Gus and Mickey don't have the answers, it feels cathartic to watch their stories unfold, twirl and sometimes get wound up. The strangest part is having an expectation that they would fuck up more extremely or make a decision so perfect it will be unreal. We have nothing but other rom-coms to blame for these expectation. On the other hand, Love fails to meet either and offers a meta-commentary on how television sets unrealistic expectations for people to follow. To watch a show that doesn't get a happy or unhappy ending is confusing and brings a level of surprise to it. Each episode ends on what feels like a cliff hanger because its so relatable. It's as if you sat down with Option A, B and C, had a huge debate about which option to choose and then list pros and cons for Options B and C and then decide to go with Option A. What a concept?
Thanks!
Cheers
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