What to Binge Next
In case you don’t feel like investing in the banality of popular content here is something tasteful and refreshing
Casual (Amazon Prime)
The pilot episode of Casual starts with two siblings, Valerie and Alex, taking a jibe at wannabe mourners at their father’s imaginary funeral and this is exactly how one can define their relationship. The extraordinary bond between the siblings is basically the result of two things; collective hate for their parents and lack of real friends. Recently divorced sister, Valerie decides to stay with her self-sabotaging brother, Alex, and their home might be one of the most confusing ones in the world. Well, for starters, Valerie clearly sees Alex as the man in her life, even though she tries very hard not to, and Alex starts to feel responsible for a family even when he is not supposed to.
Their individual baggage complicates this very strange dynamic, and it is mostly the result of their troubled childhood. It is ironic how Valerie being a therapist herself has absolutely no control over her own life. She makes impulsive decisions and is mostly seen apologizing to everyone around. Her character is possibly the most honest representation of an independent woman who is constantly made feel guilty for making choices of her own. Casual, while depicting the complexities of unorthodox modern relationships shows a divorcee finding comfort in one-night stands and unchartered territories, it also normalizes the closeness between two adult siblings. Well, not in a creepy way.
Feel Good (Netflix)
The series is quite literally explained in its title but you cannot presume it to be an all-rosy-and-happy one. It can be seen as Mae Martin’s memoir in which she plays herself. Mae being a Canadian comedian shows us her complicated post-addict life with the help of a wry narrative. Her issues are not about her former inclination to drugs but what she replaces drugs with. Some people, including Mae Martin, think it’s masochistic for a lesbian to fall for a straight girl and that’s what she ends up doing. To our surprise, Mae and her straight girlfriend, George, look adorable together. Things almost look like a fairy tale until George becomes careless and Mae starts obsessing over her.
What makes the already playful series much more interesting is Lisa Kudrow’s role as Mae’s mother. And no, you won't miss Phoebe. There comes a time when constant portrayal of Mae’s obsession gets a bit much to sit through and the detached nature of the characters at some instances seems difficult to understand but on a whole, Feel Good makes for a decent binge-worthy series.
From the August 2020 issue of FHM India.
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