By Kylie McHugh and Michelle Freeland
Kylie – Hi, my name is Kylie!
Michelle– And I’m Michelle!
Kylie– For this issue, we decided to talk about comfort shows, both sad and happy. When Michelle and I first met in our first semester, we realized that we had watched so many of the same shows. We were able to laugh about shows like New Girl and Gilmore Girls and cry about shows like Fleabag and Normal People.
Michelle: One of the first conversations Kylie and I ever had was about Fleabag and we were able to bond over the way we felt so much comfort from a somewhat painful show. Fleabag follows the story of Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who plays Fleabag, as she goes through grief, self-destruction, and finding herself, as well as finding love.
Fleabag is a show that has stuck with me since the first time I watched it. From helping me start to understand the complexities of love and relationships to being something more meaningful when I visited London. I felt that I had been transported into the show when studying in London with FYSAE, from having staring contests with foxes, to sitting on benches in Dartmouth park, and strolling the Tate Modern. Something I hold dearly from the show itself is when the Priest and Fleabag say, “I love you” and, “it’ll pass.”
My best friend and I have discussed for months now about getting “it’ll pass” tattooed on our hands, not only as an ode to the show but to ourselves and the way we face life. I will always hold London in my heart, along with the good and the bad that life has to offer, with every challenge and every step I know that “it’ll pass”.
Kylie: Fleabag was one of the first characters that, to me, showed a normal human being and showed how it’s okay to make mistakes and be flawed. Another show that I feel showed this idea is Normal People, starring Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar Jones. Based on the book of the same name written by Sally Rooney, Normal People follows the story of Connell and Marianne as they go from high school to college and rely on each other for love and support. Their relationship, in general, is heartbreaking. They go through a lot of misunderstandings and can never quite find the right timing.
I watched this show for the first time in my senior year of high school. In December of that year, I lost a friend in my grade. It was sudden and heartbreaking, and I did a lot of diving into media to cope and distract. About a week after her passing, I decided to turn on an episode of Normal People. It just so happens that in that very episode, Connell loses a friend. I had never had art imitate my life so literally. Connell then goes to therapy and expresses guilt towards his friend’s death. After my friend passed, I felt so much guilt, and seeing Connell say the same thing was so comforting. While it has its moments, Normal People is by no means an upbeat show or even one that probably most find comforting, but for a young girl who felt like Marianne in high school and Connell in college, the show brings so much comfort to the painful parts of my life.
Michelle: It’s a strange thing to feel comfort from a show that has such a dark topic matter, but I think one thing that both of these shows do to give that comfort is have a clean ending. They both show the characters finding a solid ground or some sort of agreement. That last scene with Fleabag and the priest where she says “I love you” and he says “It’ll pass.” I’m sure if you haven’t seen the show this seems like a weird moment but it’s a chance to see growth from Fleabag. She doesn’t fight back which seems like something she would do. There’s like a silent agreement between the two of them in which their entire love story or lack thereof flashes before the audience’s eye.
Kylie: I totally agree. Those final lines can break your heart but also give such a peaceful way to leave. Watching Connell say, “I’ll go,” and Marianne says, “And I’ll stay, and we’ll be okay” is so sad and makes me cry every time, and yet you feel a bit of joy because the two of them are content and have plans for their future, even though it won’t be together.
Michelle: There’s something beautifully unique in a writer’s gift to wrap up a show, the entire show’s legacy almost rides on the last episode and whether it will provide comfort or distress. New Girl comes to mind when thinking about fulfilling endings. We see the main characters and their kids in the future playing a version of “True American” and embracing life’s changes. New Girl is a hard show for some people to like as they find the characters too “adorkable”, a term used to market the show in early years, while I find it the perfect balance of ridiculousness and comfort. When having a bad day, I run to the T.V. to turn on New Girl to erase the pain or embarrassment knowing that the characters within the show will do something 10 times more embarrassing than I ever will. Not only do we as audiences find comfort in the friendly dynamic but we also thrive off of something that feels real but can easily become extremely satire at any given moment, taking away the harsh realities of the day.
Kylie: Yeah, and I think something about shows like New Girl and Friends, which in my circles are some of the most popular comfort shows, is that they show younger generations that there is so much waiting for us in our futures. In the first episode of Friends, Rachel is 24. Throughout the show, she completely reinvents herself and finds joy through doing so. It’s so easy to think that, as college students, these are the last four years of our lives before we just work our lives away, but shows like these help you realize that we have so much time.
Michelle: I think also part of why these shows bring so much comfort is because they still show these characters as human beings. Like how we see Nick Miller go through grieving his dad, Monica changing jobs, Jess getting cheated on, and more and more. They are just human beings who have this group to rely on and by watching we feel like we are a part of the group. We know and see that not only will there be trials and tribulations in life but also that we can triumph over them the same way our favorite characters do.
Kylie: That’s why I think I like Gilmore Girls so much. A central part of the story is Stars Hollow, the town they live in. Since a lot of the episodes have town meetings, you start to feel like you are a part of the town. I watched Gilmore Girls for the first time in 7th grade, and I remember it made me so excited for high school. Sure, there’s a lot that’s not realistic and my high school years were nothing like Rory’s but it was nice to have that thought.
Michelle: I totally agree with that, my high school life could be bland but to come home and experience Rory’s made up for it in a way. I think that’s what watching these shows can do for us ultimately. They offer an escape. Whether it is a show intentionally depressing or sad, or a sitcom filled with a loveable cast, we can use these series not only to escape but also to feel.
