The Midlife

I had to include an image from the 1984 flick Breakin’, just because.

While some bask on beaches sipping fruity drinks with umbrellas, my Spring Break proved less sandy, more blandy (to others, not me). My daughter and I staycated (with Dad home for a few days, too). And you know what they say? What happens on staycation usually involves lots of TV watching for Mommy.

Let me preface this by saying that I realize people poo-poo too much screen time for kids. And while I mostly agree, in my defense, I enjoyed a beautiful childhood reading books in my basement and binge-watching the likes of TV classics such as The Brady Bunch, Family Ties, and Gimme A Break. Could I have benefited from joining a Girl Scouts Troop earning some sort of wildnerness badge wherein I could learn about identifying all the types of tree barks? Sure. But not if it was going to interfere with the season finale of Mork & Mindy. #priorities

To be fair, we did other things over Spring Break, but I did want to report back on two TV series worth a watch and for very different reasons.

The first is North of North on Netflix. I loved this comedy, with some dramatic elements. Originially, a Canadian series, it follows the Inuk community, centering around Siaja. She’s a young mother trying to reinent herself in her busy-body town and amid fractures in her marriage. The setting is a small town called Ice Cove, in the Arctic, and it made me longing for my long johns and snowmobile. I binged it in two days. It’s like a milder Sex and the City meets Gilmore Girls with a sprinkling of The Office. Every character is endearing, and the writing and music are perfectly matched. Fingers crossed there is a season two.

The second is a complete polar opposite and older limited series Baby Reindeer. And before you come for me, I will admit, I don’t watch things based on hype or timeliness, necessarily. I discriminate based on pure mood and whimsy. All this to say that, I do realize this came out last year. I’m so 2000 and late.

Baby Reindeer is based on the true story of its male star (Richard Gadd), who wrote the award-winning play it is based on. Gadd plays Donny Dunn, a struggling comedian whose life is never the same after meeting Martha (played exquisitely by actress Jessica Gunning), a love-starved stalker who forces Donny to unpack deep trauma and sexual abuse.

Baby Reindeer swept award season last year, and the awards were much deserved. The seven-episode series is raw and gritty. And while the show deals heavily with facing trauma and abuse (drug and sexual), viewers may find connection with its commentary on human feelings of inadequacy, gender identity and sexual exploration, loneliness, and social class. Baby Reindeer is as riveting as it is complex and sometimes hard to watch. At the same time, I could not turn away. A bingeable series it is not, but definitely a masterful work of social significance.

Lastly, while not during Spring Break, I binged the final season of You and want to process the finale before sharing feedback. I look forward to sharing more next week.

Until then, Happy Sunday to All!