![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
At many times in my life, I have wondered why I like romantic comedy/drama so much. I know they are bullshit fantasies of what relationships are like – and that nothing I’ll see in them will touch very close to reality. Yet they are so pleasing to watch...you curl up with your favorite comfort food and you dig in.
Sometimes I take that line of thought farther and wonder: if a film or TV show stepped past the "they kissed and lived happily ever after" moment, what would that mean? You know - past that moment that ends all those silly romcoms and Austen adaptations? The couple has become a couple, they kiss, they hug...so NOW WHAT? And what of 5 years from now...10 years from now?
HBO's new show TELL ME YOU LOVE ME, which began last night, is trying to provide some answers to this question.
I was able to get my hands on some advance clips to show you, but I'm having embed problems, I'll see if I can put some up later today. Maureen Ryan and The New Yorker have run some very well written reviews which can fill you in on the plot. The show is created and run by a woman, Cynthia Mort, which I consider worth noting.
I’ve just watched the first episode, and it’s an intriguing concept with lots of promise. Right now the married and sexless couple is the most fascinating for me. The youngest couple, who are engaged and therefore the only unmarrieds, is also hitting close to home with their intense negotitations of monogamy and commitment.
What I see so far is a lot of small lies that build up into big issues. People are lying to each other, and lying to their therapist. I assume over time more and more truth will be revealed.
Also notable for me, is the way the show works to separate Love from Sex, and to investigate all the levels of desire and commitment.
Fascinating stuff in and of itself...Adding the soft-core-porn-level sex scenes gives it a shot of added reality that is almost unnerving. This is NOT pornography, by any means. But the things that are revealed during sex are just as important to this show as anything we see or hear elsewhere. This show wants you to watch people having very intimate, private sexual moments – but NOT to turn you on.
Check this out. Highly recommended…let’s see where it goes.
Sometimes I take that line of thought farther and wonder: if a film or TV show stepped past the "they kissed and lived happily ever after" moment, what would that mean? You know - past that moment that ends all those silly romcoms and Austen adaptations? The couple has become a couple, they kiss, they hug...so NOW WHAT? And what of 5 years from now...10 years from now?
HBO's new show TELL ME YOU LOVE ME, which began last night, is trying to provide some answers to this question.
I was able to get my hands on some advance clips to show you, but I'm having embed problems, I'll see if I can put some up later today. Maureen Ryan and The New Yorker have run some very well written reviews which can fill you in on the plot. The show is created and run by a woman, Cynthia Mort, which I consider worth noting.
I’ve just watched the first episode, and it’s an intriguing concept with lots of promise. Right now the married and sexless couple is the most fascinating for me. The youngest couple, who are engaged and therefore the only unmarrieds, is also hitting close to home with their intense negotitations of monogamy and commitment.
What I see so far is a lot of small lies that build up into big issues. People are lying to each other, and lying to their therapist. I assume over time more and more truth will be revealed.
Also notable for me, is the way the show works to separate Love from Sex, and to investigate all the levels of desire and commitment.
Fascinating stuff in and of itself...Adding the soft-core-porn-level sex scenes gives it a shot of added reality that is almost unnerving. This is NOT pornography, by any means. But the things that are revealed during sex are just as important to this show as anything we see or hear elsewhere. This show wants you to watch people having very intimate, private sexual moments – but NOT to turn you on.
Check this out. Highly recommended…let’s see where it goes.
