A couple weeks ago, I discussed the first five episodes of “Love,” the new Judd Apatow series blowing up on Netflix. Generally, I loved the first five episodes.
In these first few episodes, the show sets up complex and interesting characters and a somewhat predictable plotline. Straight edge boy meets wild girl, he becomes obsessively in love with her, and she rejects him. But this predictable plotline does not continue in the tail end of the show.
The writers purposefully set up an unsurprising storyline, which starting in episode five, jumbles viewers’ ideas of what is supposed to happen; in episodes six through 10 especially, the plotline became less linear and more interesting.
In the jump between the first half of the series and the second, Apatow and directors Paul Rust and Lesley Arfin transition from slapstick, uncomfortable, and forced humor to hilarity found in our our everyday lives. The characters themselves change in front of viewers’ eyes.
While Gus (Paul Rust) originally starts out appearing weak and pushed around, episode six marks a shift in confidence for him. After receiving a kiss from Mickey (Gillian Jacobs) at the end of episode five, “The Date,” he feels like a million bucks, and it appears in an ugly conviction within his outer persona.
He becomes controlling, his pretentiousness shows; the sides of him that Mickey had once found refreshing and appealing begin to dissipate. As seen in episode seven, “Magic,” Gus takes Mickey on a date to the Magic Castle despite her disdain for magic. He cares little about her and her requests, and is so obsessed with his own likes that he no longer has his eyes on the prize: Mickey.
Meanwhile, Mickey’s mental state continues to be tried as she struggles with what she wants in herself and in a male counterpart. In episode six, Andy Dick makes an appearance as himself and gives Mickey ecstasy, taking Mickey on a wild ride around the Los Angeles subway system. Her recklessness that night, though, is left behind as she tells Andy to go home and not come back to her house.
The messiness I just described is overly dramatized in so many ways. And this is what we want from comedy in a way, is it not? We go to improv shows to watch people make fools of themselves; we watch “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” to laugh at a man who, although decently attractive, has never been with a woman in his entire life. We turn on “Knocked Up” to get an inside look at the dramatized potential messiness that could be real in many of our own lives.
But shows rarely have the capability to do the same: It is highly unusual that a show will take a singular messy event and expand on it. And at times this feels dragged out and boring, which I think is the fear when doing a show like this.
But it is highly impressive that Apatow, Rust, and Arfin are able to take two highly dysfunctional people and give you a glimpse into their potential highly dysfunctional lives together in what feels like real time. Unlike a two hour improv show or movie, there are 10 hours worth of information viewers receive about the lives of these people, and although there is distinct humor in each episode, there are also moments of depression and sadness endured by the characters.
This style of “dramedy” is becoming more and more popular. It’s not far off in some ways from “Parks and Recreation,” “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” or “Louie” in that the writers deliberately poke fun at difficult real-life situations that just completely mess with people.
But where “Love,” the dramedy, differs is in the incredible character arc that occurs over the course of the series. Perhaps this is attributed to the ability of the writers to do the same thing in only two hours with a film; although this seems calculated and precise.
When we first meet Mickey, she has no self-respect and has no idea how to handle her vices. When we first meet Gus he too lacks respect for himself, but he instead possesses too much control over his life, and seems to need a release. But when we meet these people at the end of the show, it seems they’ve found mutual respect in one another and they’re working toward balancing control in their lives.
Although this show may not be for everyone, as it is not wholly funny or wholly dramatic, it pioneers a new type of comedy that feels much more relatable to the generation just slightly older than myself. This is the group of people graduating college, entering the monotonous workforce, living in not-so-great conditions until they’re 35, and then settling down because it feels like you should.
“Love” points out that pattern, and throws that into disarray. It generalizes an entire age and illuminates that these realities, although not always easily, can be changed. And after dealing with all this messiness and discomfort, and wishy-washiness of one’s own identity, does love still prevail?
That is one question you’ll have to answer for yourself as you watch the end of “Love.”
The verdict: Curl up with some popcorn, laugh, and cry through 10 hours of pure gold dramedy.
Reach Special Sections Editor Rebecca Gross at arts@dailyuw.com. Twitter: @becsgross
