‘Tuca & Bertie’ Tells a Wild but Relatable Story About Adulthood
When my friend first introduced me to this show, he sold it as something that I would like but also one of the silliest shows he’d seen. When I began watching, I saw that he was right; there are anthropomorphic animals, larger than life plots, and cartoon boobs everywhere. However, I became quickly hooked because beneath the goofy and lighthearted aspects of Tuca & Bertie, there is a smart and relatable show about 30-year-old women navigating life.
The story follows Tuca (Tiffany Hiddish), a free-spirited and impulsive toucan living in an apartment building with her best friend Bertie (Ali Wong), a well-organized and anxious songbird who has just moved in with her boyfriend Speckle (Steven Yeun). Bertie works in an office but dreams of becoming a full-time baker, while Tuca does odd jobs and makes connections wherever she goes. They balance each other well, going through the tough, joyous, and just plain weird moments in their lives together.
On the surface Tuca & Bertie is playful and carefree, but really it’s an accessible way to address the harder parts of growing up. There are plenty of funny, wild, and unrealistic bits, like Tuca’s ability to eat anything, a cake that comes alive, giant bugs that only want to have sex, and air travel across the city by Rent-A-Hawk. These balance the more serious topics that the show discusses, like alcoholism, sexual abuse, manipulative family members, power abuse in the workplace, sexism, and resolving conflict within friendships and relationships.
One of the coolest things about this series is that it normalizes the female body and sexuality through humor. These things aren’t made into a big deal, and are instead so commonplace that they’re addressed in a lighthearted way, like Bertie’s talking breast or the online sex worker game where Tuca earns extra cash. There are plenty of crude jokes and random fart noises, things that have historically been socially acceptable for men to engage in and for women to avoid, so I appreciate a show that recognizes women can like these things too.
Above all, Tuca & Bertie conveys the timeless message that none of us know what we’re doing. We’re trying our best and learning, and that’s okay. This show reminds us that although life has its ups and downs, we can get through it with humor, a little confidence, and the help of our loved ones.
What do you think of Tuca & Bertie? Let me know in the comments!
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Originally published on our WordPress website on November 24, 2020.
