Network: Amazon Prime
I nearly gave this a hard pass just from the title. I am admittedly a realist and cynical, especially towards romantic love (don’t ask). But I hit the play button none-the-less and I am so glad I did. This show was nothing like I expected. Of course, there was the arbitrary boy-meets-girl story, but it was done so sweetly that I was actually smiling by the end of it.
These stories are not run of the mill love stories. It’s not just about romantic love. They are about learning to love yourself, learning to be loved by others, the love between friends, so many different kinds.
I have to say, my favorite was the story with Anne Hathaway. I’m not really drawn to her as a person but as an actress, she was phenomenal in her story. It was the brutal but realistic telling of trying to be loved for who you are when you have a mental illness and even YOU don’t know who you are. It was heart-breaking and beautiful, and it made me cry ugly tears. However, it doesn’t leave you in the depths of despair because there is hope in real friendships. There is a way to break through to the surface from underneath the weight of mental illness, it just takes people loving you and you believing you are worth fighting for. There is no cure, as she points out, but there is hope.
My least favorite, I have to say, was the one about the girl with daddy issues. That one was just weird, and I felt like it didn’t really fit. But that is just my opinion.
Overall, I thought the show was great. Even though parts of it were heart-wrenching, there was so much about it to lift your spirits and make you believe in love again.
The Council decrees: Definitely watch it!
