Review: ‘The Curse’ Episode 3
The third episode of The Curse, Questa Lane, is not as eventful as its previous two episodes. Not that’s a bad thing; after how uncomfortably funny the pilot was, and how candid the series was in exploring the characters’ inner lives and minds in its follow-up, there isn’t as much to reveal in this episode.
There are some cringe-inducing hijinks, like when the always-awkward Asher chases down two young children, wagging a $100 bill at them. The joke has already written itself, so luckily, The Curse shows restraint to not beat us over the head with how badly this moment will be interpreted by any nearby spectators.
The confusion is cleared up when he explains to the police officer called on him that he was merely entering a property that was already his. As for the two girls, they’re the sisters that Asher handed $100 dollars in the pilot, before grabbing it back and being cursed by one of them.
With both Asher and Whitney feeling like fate brought them to this juncture, where they’ve just snapped up the property this family have been squatting in, they take it upon themselves to show just how philanthropic and charitable they are.
Again, these are well-mentioning acts from people who do genuinely care about others’ suffering, but there’s something painful about the way they insert themselves into this family’s life. Even when they’re doing good work by offering to help out around the house and replace anything that’s broken, it’s as if they’re treating them like a project.
But these are not subjects in their documentary series, they’re people trying to live their day to day lives. The couple are learning the hard way that you can’t just remake a person’s life at the drop of a hat. For example, one of their businesses closes down once their documentary series stops filming, so the resident they hired to work there is again out of a job.
Whitney and Asher try to rectify this by offering him work as a security guard for the business. Now this resident, Fernando, is working the night shift from 8p.m. to 4a.m., hours he graciously offers as his shift since that’s when the business is likely to be vandalised. He’s taken it upon himself to work undesirable hours for an insignificant, temporary job given to him out of pity that serves no real purpose, when what he had always wanted was steady and reliable work to look after his sick mother.
This struggle goes unnoticed by the characters, but the series is smart enough to remind us of just how much Fernando has been served a raw deal, ending the episode with him arriving at the building late at night, toting a gun, preparing to stand or sit listlessly for hours, achieving nothing.
The Curse could easily exaggerate Asher and Whitney’s bad qualities: almost any other comedy series would. Instead, the series is intelligent enough to give the characters good intentions (at times), as well as introspection (also not a consistent quality), as Whitney questions whether or not her and Asher are good people.
The episode is also largely concerned with how humour translates through social media platforms, which again makes the show’s commentary on filmed philanthropy so prescient, when that is also a popular trend on social media.
The problem with content creators who film videos in their daily lives is that the process of making these videos is as humourless as a situation can get. Whitney and Asher experience a humourous moment together as they struggle to get Whitney’s jumper off. When they recreate the moment at Whitney’s request, it hurts to watch how manufactured their interactions are, as they give each other pointers after every take.
What makes scenarios like this funny is that you don’t anticipate laughing at something so commonplace, and the fact that you’re experiencing them with someone you can feel at ease with. They are the antithesis of the kinds of moments that should be reproduced for content.
The fact that the viewer can already see the wheels turning in Whitney’s head about recreating the scenario for social media just as she’s finished laughing presents a concerning future for the couple, especially after this failed fiasco leads to a heated argument between them.
The main strength of Questa Lane is its uncomfortable examination of how some people willingly squeeze and wring their lives for content.
