‘Easy’: A Netflix series that took my breath away ❤
Movies. This was my answer to all the problems in the world. I think, it was due to the lack of immediate company combined with my desperation to watch a movie that released on a Friday 5 years ago that tempted to watch movie alone in a theatre in Bangalore’s Forum PVR. Very soon, that place became my confidant like how people mention Marine Drive every now and then. Watching movies alone became addictive. It somehow brought me closer to myself. I could just be alone with the thoughts instead of just jumping into arguments, discussions right after the movie. If I were to pick only one experience which I terribly missed in pandemic more than anything, it is this experience of watching movies in a dark hall with strangers around going through somewhat the same emotions. Post pandemic, Netflix became my safe place and therapist who controlled my anxiety with all the BBT and Friends episodes. The more desperate or pumped up I was to watch a movie, the more I prefer it alone with no distractions around. When I complete, I have this weird behaviour of going back mentally to the state I was when I started this series/movie and how at that moment , I feel so empty when that series/movies which I feel in love with ends. I had this feeling during Normal people, everytime I go through One Day, Drive to Survive and many more. Recently, I came across this series ‘ Easy’ without any recommendation but the pure joy of discovery at Netflix. I felt like pouring my heart out here with all the thoughts rambling inside my head. It is not review, analysis or anything technical. It’s just my feelings and how happy I am that such extraordinary creators are out there. Sometimes I feel, we all need that Dairy to write down the million thoughts after we listen to an amazing song, a brilliant piece of writing, spoken poetry, shayari, painting, literally any creation or art out there. It just sort of gives us the validation which the people around us miss out on. Watching Easy was exactly that.
Easy is a anthology series with some 15 odd different storylines and the cute crossovers or connections among the different characters all happening in the city of Chicago. I don’t why I am in complete awe with this format of anthology and short stories. There is just so much message and meaning conveyed in that short span of time. Easy made me feel like I was introduced to all of these worlds within one series itself. It gave such a slice of life and fly in the wall feeling that scenes and story lines will stay forever in my heart. Worlds ranged from an open marriage couple, to Brothers who get into the business breweries with each having their own set of motives from their job, to a lesbian feminist couple who embraces and dares to question their hypocrisy and feminist point of view, to one of my ever favorite story of a 38 year old single women who just finds someone compatible when least expected and finds solace in babysitting and to side hustlers with side jobs of stand-up comedy and prostitution. Oh man, I am sure, these one line descriptions itself intrigues you to watch the series and explore the themes. I don’t know why I felt like putting or imaging myself in those situations and just think about how would I react to it.
Every story triggered a insecurity or question which I encountered with friends and family in me. The 38 year old single woman’s struggle of finding love reminded me of my 27 year old single life of the inner strength and struggle to put myself out there often and give up in between and this story gave me the reality check of how it happens not when you want it but when you need it the most. Having interacted with lot of self proclaimed feminists, I have rarely come across a women who doesn’t wax or shave and is brave enough to embrace the true self which they tend to preach about and this particular protagonist in the series didn’t wax her legs and was so comfortable in her own skin. Side hustling episode explored how a feminist blogger by the day was a prostitute by night. This is how the writer of this incredible stories ‘Joe Swanberg’ kept pushing the envelope every now and then. There was this beautiful episode of how for one night after 2 years of post break up, a couple meets up for one night and have a very ‘Befor-ish’ walk and talk conversations through the city of Chicago. It is something which always intrigued me. The jitters in the stomach as you experience it, the inner calmness when you realise the other person also hasn’t progressed much and the idea of just one night makes you confront your insecurities and reveal somethings which once you were too afraid to say it out loud. I can just go and go about each and every story like this but I guess, you got the jist and my immense love for Joe’s writing and incredible acting out by the actors. The characters are inched in my mind.
Ahhh, I don’t know if it’s just me who go through this euphoric happiness when the content piece you discovered gives that immense joy or something to look forward in your daily routine. Most of the time when this happens with me, I just take a binge break and lower my expectations because I know such beautiful things comes once in a while. Isn’t that what life is exactly. Often we tend to be in such a hurry in finishing off experiences and jumping from one thing to another, we forget to pause, reflect, write, talk or just let it out in some form out there. It makes you feel lucky and value these experiences. Lowering the expectations before we go back into the grind or search of another binge in the name of ‘something to look forward to’ or ‘continue living’ is really important. How else will we cherish another such unexpected discoveries and experiences.
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