Fleishman in in Trouble

I watched Fleishman in in Trouble on Hulu. Each episode is around an hour long. There are eight episodes in the first season. I would be surprised if this show came back for a 2nd season. Not saying it is bad. I think the story has been told and I don't see a need to continue it. 

This is a tough show. I can't say that it was an enjoyable experience, but I was enthralled by it. It was heartbreaking. Some parts hit really close to home. It is about a group of people the same age as me. It introduces this idea that even if everything has gone well in your life and you find yourself in a good spot, it doesn't change the fact that you chose a path and now your options are limited. You can't help but look back and think "what if". 

When things are going well in life it is easy to avoid thinking about the possibilities of all the other lives that you didn't pursue. But when things start to fall apart in life, it is hard not to question every decision you have ever made. Fleishman is in Trouble gives us a perspective into both scenarios. 

The other theme that really stuck out to me with Fleishman is in Trouble is how much power other people have to hurt us. As soon as we open up and get close to someone, we give them so much power. Even if they don't mean to, the little things they do can rip us apart. Relationships fall apart a little bit at a time... and then all at once.

I loved how the first 70% of this show focuses on Toby's story, but then completely turns everything on it's head by telling Rachel's story. Perspective is everything. It was heartbreaking when Toby was presented with the pain that Rachel was going through and he showed no compassion. I didn't know what to make of that. I don't know what will happen when they talk again. I am not giving either one of them enough credit to believe they are going to do the right thing. 

Overall Fleishman is in Trouble is well constructed and thought-provoking. It was never "fun" to watch. Most of the time I could only do one episode at a time and then needed to move onto something else to lighten things up a bit. 

As a 40 year-old married man I found it compelling. I probably identified most with our narrator, the Lizzy Caplan character. Her search for meaning in life was familiar. Her realization that she got what she wanted and she still wasn't satisfied was haunting. 

Shrinking Season 1

I think there is a real possibility that you haven’t ever heard of the show Shrinking on Apple TV+. It flew under my radar for a while. The gap between episodes in Ted Lasso Season 4 gave me the motivation to give this show a try.

In a lot of ways Shrinking works for the same reasons that Ted Lasso works. Lasso is better in nearly every way, but they have the same vibe. Shrinking is more of a drama than a comedy. It is actually pretty heavy material with quite a bit of levity thrown in. I don’t think I would ever laugh out loud during Shrinking, but that is fine with me.

We are given likable characters that are struggling with life and just wearing their problems on their sleeves. That is a fun place to spend time. Nothing needs to happen to transcend the tv drama/comedy genre. It was a good show that I enjoyed watching and blew through the first season in no time.

At first I didn’t know what to think about Harrison Ford. I liked his character and overall he played it well. There were some rough moments, especially at the beginning. Sometimes it didn’t feel like he fit. I think it got better, or more likely I just got used to it.

In general the show started out shaky for me. The tone right out of the gate felt a lot different than what the show eventually got to. At some point they just made up excuses for these people to be together all of the time for no good reason and it settled into a groove.

The overall situation of the show is incredibly sad, and seeing father and daughter navigate their relationship is heartbreaking. I don’t think the girl smiles at her dad until the final episode of the season. They threw us that little bone right at the end.

My favorite part might have been the neighbor, Derek. It was Jefferson Darcy playing the exact same character he did in Married With Children. That was an excellent touch.

BEEF on Netflix

BEEF is really good, but definitely not perfect. It fits into a genre of show/movie where something small happens and then continues to spin out of control until we reach ridiculous levels. It succeeds in spite of that escalation to absurdity. 

The plot is about two people who cross paths in a road rage incident. Both individuals are under stress anyway, and this event seems to be the breaking point in their lives. They decide they hate one another and dedicate a portion of their lives to making each other miserable. They don't realize how similar they really are. 

The show explores a lot of territory as we see more of these characters' lives. 

We have a hard-working wife who feels completely disconnected from her husband. Their family's financial security depends on her success, and she has put a ton of pressure on herself. There is interesting business, friendship, and mother-in-law dynamics she is dealing with also. 

We have a sibling relationship that is so interesting and heart-breaking. A character who is willing to work hard and earn everything he has, but who can't avoid the temptation to take shortcuts even though he knows they will be his undoing. 

Both of the main characters are extremely interesting. Their stories are cautionary tales and a reflection of how relationships can become defective over time. Things continually degrade and we are unable to identify or fix the root causes. 

At its best, BEEF is exploring those relationship dynamics. While I loved the cousin character, the chaos he brings to the plot did not work for me. I thought some of the spectacle that comes toward the end distracted from what the show was actually about. 

Overall I would highly recommend BEEF, but it won't be for everybody. The acting is phenomenal & the stories are for the most part interesting. The show manages to be funny and completely depressing most of the way through. I'd like to watch the series again at some point. The feelings it inspires and makes you sit in seem worth revisiting.