Finding You (Web Series)

A 10 episode short film series ( I guess a new phrase for web series). This series has its heart at the right place. Acting is overall ok, but I am still struggling to really dissect on what was missing, because something definitely was. And hopefully while I write this article, I would have figured that out. At 10 episodes of about 20 minutes each, the story is a realistic take on modern gay relationship, where our protagonists who seem to be stuck in toxic relationships get a chance to be happy with each other after a chance encounter. Apparently the show started in 2021 and ended almost after 1 year in late 2022 with every episode being released after a gap of 1 month or two (ouch!!). Thank God! I watch dit all at once now, because I can't imagine waiting this long to watch the next episode every single time.

We are introduced to two couples. Shane's boyfriend Ethan loves to party and drink all the time. Has has also been cheating on Shane multiple times and Shane knows about it but is stuck in the relationship because of financial codependency and having gotten a new house together. Then we have Jonathan, who is in relationship with Sam, (who later we are told is bipolar), where Sam doesn't like going out and likes Jonathan having any friends or meeting his family and in fact even sometimes gets abusive to Jonathan. Since Jonathan feels Sam came out for him and was abandoned by his family, he just cannot leave him. Stuck in their respective toxic relationship, Jonathan and Shane meet at a part of a common friend and clearly they have a connection. They decide to keep in touch and even go on a double date much to the dismay of their respective boyfriends. They then decide to meet just two of them talking about how they are stuck and had they not had boyfriends, they would be perfect for one another. Eventually Shane has had enough and decides to breakup with his boyfriend and that night when Jonathan wants to go pick up Shane, his boyfriend pushes him down the stairs which is like final nail in the straw. Jonathan and Shane start a new relationship after their break up but also keep wondering if they are moving too fast. They are both finally in a happy space, until a few months later, Shane's boyfriend Ethan comes back informing that he is HIV positive and guilt tripping Shane into taking care of him, which he does. But he still loves Jonathan who after continuing to secretly meet him, eventually give an ultimatum. Shane sees the point, breaks up and finally Shane and Jonathan are together leading to satisfying finale of Jonathan proposing to Shane.

As I mentioned, the show has a a decent storyline and fine performances, but it takes time to get into it. To be honest, in the first two episodes, I felt that this was a very amateurish attempt and had started to worry thatches was going to be a bad show, but it got me hooked beginning episode 3. The dialogues and interactions between characters were almost real with some scenes being over the top which is understandable. I also initially questioned why Shane and Jonathan would be with their partners when clearly the relationship is toxic, but you would be surprised to know that there are many people who are stuck in similar situations for multiple reasons and the makers do justify here as well. But it takes time and pushing people to their limits to get out of it. The whole thing of Ethan coming back with HIV and Shane being guilted back was a little unbelievable. I mean, someone smart like Shane who took a long time to get out of a relationship, it was odd to see him go right back into that mess fo Ron reason and leaving love of his life Jonathan behind. That part was hard to digest but I do appreciate the effort and the way the makers bring the couple back. 

But despite th story and acting being good, the show just lacks the polish and finesse. The back ground music hardly exists and spoon feeding the audience timelines like even 2-3 minute was very annoying, like '5 minutes later' or '2 hours later' or '2 weeks later'. I mean there are better ways to show transition or show just a few times but this started to get on my nerves after every 5 minutes. Despite good acting, there was also a lack of chemistry between the leads and they felt more like theatre people. They definitely have the talent but somehow the direction of a pro is missing in the show. The story is realistic and something we don't get often to see so applause for the makers to try out something different for our community. A bit of polished production value, more chemistry and less amateurish would have taken this show to another level, (Something that THE OUTS show successfully did many years ago). (6/10)