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Whatever This Is (Web Series)

By Golu
Expectations always make a huge difference. Whoever is into watching gay shows or something has probably seen "The Outs" and know what a fantastic show that is. Now when the makers come up with another web series, the expectations are bound to be sky rocket. I had huge expectations form this show as well. Were my expectations met? Probably not, but was the show good? I would say "Hell! yeah". Its so very different from 'The Outs'. If that was about gay couples, this show focuses more on trails and tribulations of young adults trying to make it big in NYC. It paints a broader picture of a group of young creatives trying to make ends meet and working disappointing jobs in what seems like an unending road to emotional and creative fulfillment.

The story is primarily about 3 roommates: Lisa, her boyfriend Sam and their gay friend Ari. They all live hard lives. Lisa is struggling to live the a state of poverty she's uncomfortable with but still appears as a kind person. Sam and Ari work on low paying video production his with their horrible boss Oscar as PA, just so that they can all pay the rent. They have a jar of cash at home, so that one day they can realize their dream of making and doing something on their own. Lisa, unemployed in summer because she is a teacher, happens to find a job as a caretaker with a lesbian couple, who I still believe had some ulterior motive because they hire her as a cook, even though she has no idea on how to cook. The 6 part series follows the lives of these 3 characters and a few more that make the part of the entire gang and primarily asks you how long are you expected to do work that you hate, for pennies, until it becomes something that you love that pays the rent?

As I said before, the show is very different from 'The Outs'. It had very natural acting while somehow I miss that here. The characters are real but it feels they have a theatrical style of acting which doesn't really fit into this kind of web series, specially Ari. The interactions between the room mates does seem very natural. Sure the show has its share of quirky comments and one liners that will make you laugh and giggle but overall the show is more thought-provoking while trying to be entertaining at the same time. I wish the characters were well developed. It would be nice to know some back stories about all the three characters and others. Why is Oscar the way he is? Clearly Lisa can do better, why is she putting up with all this? Why are the lesbians going out of their way to help Lisa. More on Ari and his romantic love interest. The director make short appearance in one episode and I instantly remembered how much I liked him in 'The Outs'. Despite all the above so called flaws, the show is still pretty darn good. I mean, there is so much crap out there in movies, in TV and on the internet; I really feel that a maker like Adam Goldman is definitely trying to defy the norms by thinking out of the box and bringing the viewers what they can relate to and connect to.

I will strongly recommend this show. Unlike me , try and watch the show in its individually and try not to compare with the maker's debut show and I bet that you will indeed like the show. (7/10)
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