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| Scene from Dollface |
Welcome to a new column called Channel Surfing, in which I sporadically look at current TV shows and talk about them. These are not ones that I care to write weekly recaps for and are instead reflections either on the episode, the series, or particular moments. This will hopefully help to share personal opinions as well as discover entertainment on the outer pantheon that I feel is well worth checking out, or in some cases, shows that are weird enough to talk about, but should never be seen.
The idea of human interaction in the 21st century has become, to say the least, complicated. Instead of meeting in person, a lot of people meet through apps and social media, where their public profiles are constantly being judged by strangers in attempts to be accepted. It's easy to get lost in these archetypes and finding our true selves within that can be difficult. That is the gist of Hulu's latest comedy series Dollface, which finds someone trying to piece together their life following a break-up. Among their stated achievements was having two cats, both named after Entourage characters. Jules (Kat Dennings) has wound up with Turtle, which is a comical name but is given weight by the idea of how pointless the name is to her. She clearly went along with it to please him, and in the process sets her on the track to being a "guy's girl."
The series fits in the familiar prism of the FX series Man Seeking Woman, which was also about the struggles of 21st-century relationships. However, this one has a more feminine perspective and features a different kind of struggle. The first episode centers around the idea of trying to break free of being a guy's girl, or someone who most appeals to the man in her life. She has abandoned her female relationships in the belief that she'd be forever happy with a guy. The first episode plans to reflect on how female friendships are informed by this decision, using heightened moments to reflect how they form squads, and - in more important news - why they have to go to the bathroom together. Every character in the central four reflects different types of women in Jules' life and they all seek to bring out a deeper understanding of female friendship.
It definitely helps to have Dennings in the lead role. Over the past 15 years, she has become a master of the snarky wit, bringing it to every project from her indie hits like Charlie Bartlett to large comedies like The 40-Year-Old Virgin. She has a comedic gift for cutting people down while maintaining a sense of decency. In Dollface's first episode, she manages to reflect a tough outer core and this deeper desire to be accepted, that her past few years hadn't changed her into some monster. It starts with her boarding a bus driven by a crazy old cat lady. The catch is that she has a cat head and is driving around recently dumped women. If that doesn't say anything about the series to come, nothing does. As much as it exists in some form of honesty, it's about how Dennings observes the confusing standards that women are placed into.
That may end up being the charm of the show. There are countless moments that exist to subvert the romantic comedy series tropes, such as Madison (Brenda Strong) creating an artistic statement by making naked men into the furniture so that it could reflect the reverse-objectification of women. It's ridiculous, and one of many moments that capture the show's desire to reflect changing egos in the 21st century. They exist largely in the real world, but there's a few breaks with the reality that capture something inspired. Maybe by the end of the series, there will be a great few set pieces that recontextualize how female friendships are seen, and how not having a boyfriend should be seen as a good thing. For now, there's enough wit in decisions like having Izzy (Esther Povitsky) call herself Allison to be liked and has lived her entire adult life as a lie. One can only hope that it grows from there.
Dollface is a show that has a deeper sense of purpose to its comedy. In between its fantasy sequences is some deeper truth about how we see women in modern society. It's how they struggle to be accepted and break free of their status of being under men. Dennings brings a delightful approach to the performance and makes this an engrossing show that's likely to grow as time goes on. For now, it manages to capture the strange dynamics of women, such as squads, that are both put on them by society and themselves. Maybe in time, it will be a show that could redefine many long-held archetypes. For now, it's just a really entertaining show.
The series fits in the familiar prism of the FX series Man Seeking Woman, which was also about the struggles of 21st-century relationships. However, this one has a more feminine perspective and features a different kind of struggle. The first episode centers around the idea of trying to break free of being a guy's girl, or someone who most appeals to the man in her life. She has abandoned her female relationships in the belief that she'd be forever happy with a guy. The first episode plans to reflect on how female friendships are informed by this decision, using heightened moments to reflect how they form squads, and - in more important news - why they have to go to the bathroom together. Every character in the central four reflects different types of women in Jules' life and they all seek to bring out a deeper understanding of female friendship.
It definitely helps to have Dennings in the lead role. Over the past 15 years, she has become a master of the snarky wit, bringing it to every project from her indie hits like Charlie Bartlett to large comedies like The 40-Year-Old Virgin. She has a comedic gift for cutting people down while maintaining a sense of decency. In Dollface's first episode, she manages to reflect a tough outer core and this deeper desire to be accepted, that her past few years hadn't changed her into some monster. It starts with her boarding a bus driven by a crazy old cat lady. The catch is that she has a cat head and is driving around recently dumped women. If that doesn't say anything about the series to come, nothing does. As much as it exists in some form of honesty, it's about how Dennings observes the confusing standards that women are placed into.
That may end up being the charm of the show. There are countless moments that exist to subvert the romantic comedy series tropes, such as Madison (Brenda Strong) creating an artistic statement by making naked men into the furniture so that it could reflect the reverse-objectification of women. It's ridiculous, and one of many moments that capture the show's desire to reflect changing egos in the 21st century. They exist largely in the real world, but there's a few breaks with the reality that capture something inspired. Maybe by the end of the series, there will be a great few set pieces that recontextualize how female friendships are seen, and how not having a boyfriend should be seen as a good thing. For now, there's enough wit in decisions like having Izzy (Esther Povitsky) call herself Allison to be liked and has lived her entire adult life as a lie. One can only hope that it grows from there.
Dollface is a show that has a deeper sense of purpose to its comedy. In between its fantasy sequences is some deeper truth about how we see women in modern society. It's how they struggle to be accepted and break free of their status of being under men. Dennings brings a delightful approach to the performance and makes this an engrossing show that's likely to grow as time goes on. For now, it manages to capture the strange dynamics of women, such as squads, that are both put on them by society and themselves. Maybe in time, it will be a show that could redefine many long-held archetypes. For now, it's just a really entertaining show.
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