Get in, losers, we're going to group grief therapy! If you're looking for an excuse to have a wine night and indulge in alarmingly dark humor, this is the thing to keep you going. Dead to Me centers around Jen, played by Christina Applegate, who has been recently widowed and seems to be handling it well, but is barely keeping it together in private. She eventually goes to group grief therapy where she meets Judy, played by Linda Cardellini. To say they face their grief in different ways is an understatement. Judy tries to see the positivity in her life while Jen is currently stuck in the anger and resentment phase, which makes her struggle coming to terms with her husband's tragic death. They eventually become best friends and supportive in helping the other try to achieve some closure, but it slowly becomes apparent there are some dark secrets behind Jen's husband's death and Judy is not as she seems. As a lifelong feminist and advocate for strong female friendships, I was here for this show from the get-go. The fact Jen and Judy leaned on each other to find friendship in such a dark time in their lives was really beautiful to see. Especially since by personality alone, they shouldn't have even been able to connect. By the end of the first episode, you're really intrigued by the plot twist that makes you immediately hit 'play next episode.' However, this show is not without its faults. Jen clearly has a lot of feelings concerning her husband's death and the majority of the time, she's angry. Not just a passing feeling, a full-on blazing fire ready to lash out to burn everything to ash kind of anger. You later learn why she's so angry - having a rocky marriage can leave mixed feelings when the relationship ends so abruptly and tragically. Yet, I couldn't help but ask why Jen was so adamant on her crusade to find out her husband's killers. It was frustrating to see a woman do that much for a man who, during his living life, was indifferent and terrible to her, but we learn Jen isn't perfect either. I'm sure her time as Nancy Drew to solve the mystery was in some way to control her grief, start to maintain some normalcy for her and her family, and also to find closure. The humor in this show is incredibly dark because it does center mainly around death and grief. It's somehow a good mixture of fascinating, alarming, and kinda uncomfy to watch unfold as the series progresses further. It may not suit everyone's needs, but that's okay.
Be like Jen and make any night wine night.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Popcorn BowlThis is the place where I watch TV shows and then tell you what I think. Archives
December 2020
Categories
All
|