'Modern Love' anthology beautifully portrays all shades of love, longing, and companionship
Spoilers ahead for 'Modern Love' Episode 1 and 8.
Amazon's 'Modern Love', an 8-episode anthology portrays different kinds of love in modern times - from ones that are meant to last a lifetime to ones that start at the end of their lifetime. There is love that is flimsy, but in the wake of warm companionship, the slights of such a relationship are forgotten. There is love that endures betrayal, but after broken hearts find time to heal. There is love that has stayed the same for years and in the absence of spark and interest reaches out for help, and in doing so, gets a second chance. Then, the most beautiful of all is when love is found and lost, but the beauty of it still remains intact within the hearts of the ones that held the love close. To watch these stories unfold one after another is a blessing, especially when the world is ridden with negativity. 'Modern Love' is like a ball of light that is made to make you feel better on a rather gray day. The show is inspired by the New York Times column of the same name which is now in its 15th year.
If you ask one about any of the flaws in the show, I wouldn't know because I was too riveted with how well the truth of these tales was translated on screen by the writer-director John Carney. For instance, my favorite episode is the one based on the column tilted 'The Race Grows Sweeter Near Its Final Lap' by Eve Pell. The beauty of finding love when you know you don't have too much time left to live. The fun in falling in love the young way, but at an age where you have been to too many funerals of your friends, survived heartbreak, loss and bad decisions are enlightening. There is more acceptance when it comes to flaws, there is understanding and above all, in Margot's (Jane Alexander) case, there is love. What affected me the most was to realize from the beginning that this love story began from a loss.
It was Margot's husband Kenji's funeral, and she recalls their love story hours before she has to give the eulogy. The more beautiful their love story, the more my heart broke because I couldn't imagine having to face a loss such as this. But towards the end, from the moment when Margot walked out of the funeral and chose to take a walk back home, my broken heart began to heal a little bit. You see this love story was about how resilient love can be and how it was important to accept that what Margot and Kenji had was something that Margot should feel lucky about. On the way, she begins running, something that she had for years done with Kenji and by doing so she realizes how life can move on as she cherishes the memories of the one that she loved.
'Modern Love' pulls you in deep enough for you to experience the pain and pleasures of lives that are being led by these people because you know these stories are real. In fact, to read the actual column after having watched each episode is so fulfilling. For instance, this phrase, "Young love, even for old people, can be surprisingly bountiful", now begins to hold a new meaning because of the column.
Another beautiful episode was the first one titled, 'When the Doorman Is Your Main Man' after the actual column. The episode portrays the relationship between a woman Maggie (Cristin Milioti) who lives in one of the upper east side buildings and her doorman Guzmin (Laurentiu Possa). Guzmin is protective of Maggie and is always looking out for her. So every time Maggie meets a new romantic interest, Guzmin is wary and even disapproves of the men that she meets. Once, however, Maggie meets someone that she is confident to bring home which, as Guzmin predicted, doesn't last long. They are all flimsy, but now, Maggie is pregnant from one such flimsy relationship that Guzmin had always wanted to protect her from.
To watch Maggie struggle with a decision as big as this becomes easier because of her comforting friendship with the doorman is endearing. No, this is not romance but purely friendship that is absolutely supportive. Be it when Maggie gives birth to her daughter, or when she finds an opportunity away from New York that would take her and her daughter away from Guzmin, he is supportive of her decisions. Which is why it is absolutely fantastic to watch Maggie return to New York after a few years and introduce Guzmin to the man that she is now in love with. And guess what? He approves! The only thing that Guzmin had ever looked for was a true sign in Maggie's eyes of how happy the man that she was in love with made her feel. The scene where Maggie introduces Daniel (Brandon Victor Dixon) to Guzmin, I held my breath just as she did to see how he would react.
These are just two of the gems from the show and there are 6 more beautiful tales in between that explore love of different kinds and I feel that it is an experience that you must choose for yourself!
All episodes of 'Modern Love' premiered on October 18 on Amazon Prime Video.