'Modern Love' | TV Series Review

Modern Love is a romantic TV series that produces an anthology of different love stories set in New York city. Each episode delves into different types of love from romantic and sexual and platonic and familial. It was released in October 2019 exclusively to Amazon Prime and consisted of 8 episodes all around 30 minutes.

After a quick Google...

I found that the show is based on a weekly column published in the New York Times which has now become a book and podcast, as well as this new TV show. Just from quickly reading this I can tell that I’ll need to look a bit deeper into the podcasts and the books as I’m definitely intrigued.

My initial thoughts...

Were fairly curious; I’d seen the trailer every now and then going around on YouTube and Facebook; mainly featuring the story the stars Anne Hathaway. Other than that I didn’t pay it much attention during the initial marketing run. However, this weekend rolled around and I decided to check out the show when I realised it was on Amazon Prime. I watched the first half in one go on Saturday and really took to it, the stories were super sweet and fairly emotional; I then finished the series by Sunday and enjoyed the second half as well.

Standout episodes...

• "When the Doorman is Your Main Man" – Cristin Milioti as the peppy Maggie was absolutely lovely to watch. I’ve seen the actress in a number of things this year and always found her so likeable and quirky, something which she seems to bring to all her characters; and it stands out particularly well in this episode. Watching her deal with life and figure out how to get her respective partners past the hard to please doorman was awkward but to the point of hilarity rather than awkwardness.
• "When Cupid is a Prying Journalist" – Honestly, this episode consisted of my favourite couple; and they weren’t even a couple in any romantic way. The way they had set up Julie and Joshua telling each other their romantic stories was so sweet and endearing to watch unfold. It was definitely Julie’s story that I found the most heart-warming and heart-breaking to watch it gave a very different twist on how relationships could’ve been missed out on or develop. The only disappointment for me was the ending – without spoiling the whole episode, it just didn’t feel like a good fit for how Joshua’s story should’ve ended.
• "Take Me as I Am Whoever I Am" – Yet another stand out performance from Anne Hathaway, I can see why they used her as the main face for the show, it was a great way of getting people to watch with a recognisable star. Then came the episode, good lord did I cry – her performance as a woman dealing with bipolar disorder was just stunning. There were moments of true understanding how people with this mental illness struggle in certain aspects of their life.
• "At the Hospital an Interlude of Clarity" – This was my favourite episode of the series it was just such an adorable first date episode. Watching Yasmine and Rob going through all the awkward first times of every relationship in the space of one night was such an interesting and entertaining direction for the episode to go. What I enjoyed was that neither character was perfect; Rob struggles with anxiety and holds it against other people, while Yasmine can be self-centred. The ending may have been ambiguous, which is the only annoyance for me, I just want to find out what happens to the couple after the hospital visit.

Could've been better episodes...

• "Rallying to Keep the Game Alive" – Ok, so this one wasn’t one of my favourite episodes but it also wasn’t the worst for me. Its standout moment was definitely the comedy duo of Tina Fey and John Slattery; it was really entertaining watching these two take swipes at each other on the tennis court.
• "So He Looked Like Dad" – Yeah this one was just a massive flop for me. The whole concept of the relationship was just so uncomfortable for me. I felt like the confusion between the two wasn’t unexpected at all – of course Peter was going to assume she liked him; the fact she flipped out as she did just annoyed me.
• "Hers Was a World of One" – A fairly ambitious story I think to put on the screen and for me it was the most heart warming. Olivia Cooke as Karla a feisty woman who lives on the streets was lovely to watch. It also really holds the mirror up to how we treat those who do live on the street – the fact that this was used to teach and develops Andrew Scott’s character was something really special to watch.
• "The Race Grows Sweeter Nears Its Final Lap" – The final episode that brings into focus the problems that older people face when finding a new relationship later in life. Although we saw only a brief glimpse of Margot and Kenji’s relationship it was still all the more heartbreaking watching Margot dealing with the loss of her husband. It also brought a good rounded conclusion to some of the previous stories – it did feel a little clunky going by all these characters again but it was sweet to see them all again.

In the end...

I really enjoyed this show; from its ups and downs to the blossoming relationships and heart-breaking farewells. It has opened me up to such interesting stories that I’m going to be exploring more in their podcast and (if I can find it) through the book. I’ve also noticed that Amazon have approved it for a second season, whether they’re continuing the current stories or bringing new stories to life I’m still excited to see what they bring next.