This review contains spoilers, click expand to view.
Very funny- I laughed aloud a LOT. At the same time, this show is socially behind and encourages too many harmful stereotypes to count. I will focus on these grating aspects of the show because many comments have adequately highlighted the aspects that make the show so clever and refreshing.
Evie: The cautious and quirky Evie willingly abandons more of her identity and morals in every episode. Every lesson she learns from Xavier is celebrated (usually more than 1 per episode) while Xavier doesn't change at all. When Evie wants to be monogamous, he does not, so she conforms to his lifestyle. When he doesn't like the idea of her being with guys and says he wants monogamy, she changes right back even though she stated genuinely that she wanted to play the field for awhile since she had never done so before. The story is told as if Evie and Xavier make compromises that benefit them both, but really Evie is the only one who sacrifices anything in every scenario. She's extremely likable but at the same time the writers allowed her to fit several harmful female stereotypes, which just romanticizes and reinforces these 1950-ish attitudes. To name a few, Evie CONSTANTLY apologizes, she was taught and also values the idea of not interrupting or not drawing attention to herself, she's a cautious and quiet good girl; she's the perfect invisible, stay-out-of-the-way, non-threatening women that we modern-day women try so hard to unlearn to be. I guess this makes the writers geniuses because I LOVE Evie despite being the obvious feminist that I am. That's what scares me. What message does this send to younger women who have not yet parsed out their own identity from who society wants them to be? Last thing about Evie: every time she creates positive change in her life (e.g. interrupting people and taking leadership roles at work), she self-reportedly does so because of Xavier, not for herself. Xavier gets all of the credit for the behaviors that she chooses to change and when he's not there, she no longer benefits from these changes (e.g. she no longer enjoys doing things on her list like walking on stilts). He knows more than she does about what's best for her, he's always right, AND her happiness depends on him. I could go on and on, but there are more characters to discuss!
I find Diedra's character to be really funny, but again, they could do away with the harmful stereotypes! The only successful women in leadership roles (Fern and Diedra) are cut-throat. They have no friends and can be your worst enemy if you cross them. Sooo, women in the workplace can only be evil b*tches OR weak and ineffective staff members who aren't taken seriously? Is this really 2017?
Xavier: this character needs the most work. As a girl is sitting in his lap in a hot tub, he says "she's just different than other girls" in reference to EVIE. I can't imagine a guy saying that to me as I was in the process of hooking-up with him...but he wouldn't have said it to me, I'm an object. He doesn't speak to me or my friend when I talk. He just talks to another man (who he just met but already has more authority) about this other chick while I'm making out with his neck. Of course, the girls trying to hook-up with him take no offense because the world only has 2 categories of women: girlfriend quality and hook-up quality and the hot-tub chicks are aware of and happy with their hook-up-quality-status. He has the balls to say that he's practicing "ethical non-monogamy" when he's trying to explain why Evie walked in on him with another women he used to sleep with (ethical non-monogamy means that all parties are informed and have consented BEFORE emotional or physical things happen with another person.). Evie doesn't consent and he still hooks up with Tuesday, but he's a hero because he didn't go all the way with her. He explains that his theory on the world ending is part of his identity just like religious beliefs or sexual orientations...People CHOOSE to believe or follow religions and theories, they don't choose to be gay.. Ay yi yi....etc. etc. etc. In summary, this character is ignorant as f, but he's beloved by literally everyone on the show, even Evie's ex-boyfriend....reinforcing yet another stereotype that we should not be okay with- white privileged men who get away with everything because, well, ya know...they're white men.
As irritating and offensive as narratives are, I can genuinely say that I enjoy the show...that's what makes it so dangerous. It's like watching a racist movie that takes place in modern times, but that is so good that people shrug aside the racist innuendos. (Side bar- the one social thing I will commend them on is that their cast is more racially diverse than many shows.) This show has amazingly high ratings on Rotten Tomatoes and Google Reviews and I wonder if everyone likes it despite its faults like me, or if they just accept these stereotypes...By the comments I've read, I'm guessing the latter :-(.… Expand
No TomorrowYour Score0 out of 10User Score
