Lovesick Review: A Winning, Heartwarming Britcom!

Introduction

I stumbled upon Lovesick after finishing up Crashing, the UK based Netflix series by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who is currently heading Killing Eve. Similar to Crashing, which has a frantic yet absorbing outlook to its proceedings plot-wise along with the is-it-or-is-it-not dynamic that faces its lead protagonists, Lovesick works the conventional rom-com angle, albeit using time-jumps and Chlamydia as a starting-off plot premise. It is the most honest depiction of love, relationships and human endearment I’ve seen on screen.

It’s a true blue Britcom, with the lead characters winning over this viewer in a matter of episodes (which are luckily half-hour in length, a trend being picked up by several creators). It’s vivid, entertaining, and resonates well with anyone who has dabbled in the mystic affairs of the heart, or anyone who has one; Lovesick will infuse you with a warm sensation, a tender reminder that love is not quite what you expect, and that timing is a bitch.

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Dylan (Johnny Flynn) has contracted an STD and is now obliged to contact all of his previous sexual partners so they too can check it out. As a result, the narrative takes the viewer on a journey of his sexual history across the timeline of 6 yrs., with time jumps happening from long back to yesterday and back again, with each girl’s name becoming the title of the episode. It gets a little tiresome plot-wise, but the show, rather dwelling on his exploits, makes up for it through its beguiling commentary on relationships of all kinds.

Rationalization

What also emerges from these episodic voyages in time is an understanding of the relationship between Dylan and his compadres, Evie (Antonia Thomas) and Luke (Daniel Ings), with the former being the subject of an ill-timed romance with Dylan through the 3 seasons, and the latter a womanizer who is searching for direction in his life. One of the best things this show has got going for it is the pure, solid and wholesome chemistry between the three, as they wander through the tribulations of life. Evie is not reduced to a sudsy damsel, wallowing and waiting for Dylan to finally see her feelings for him; however, her desperate love for him makes her suffer alone, an accurate reflection of how some people deal with an ill-timed love.

Luke, on the other hand, brazenly plows through women, unbeknownst of his own feelings, eventually grappling with a terrifying notion of not finding love and stability. He is a true friend, used not just for the raunchy banter, but also as someone who’s in it all with you. He has the most gratifying character evolvement on the show, something such side-leads are not usually privileged to in rom-coms. These characters will unknowingly win you over, as they grow and evolve while trying to find true love, stability, and a genuine human connection.

Where the show truly stands out is in its ability for natural, organic progression. Nothing feels coerced and there are no grand gestures, as shown by certain decisions taken by Angus and Jonesy, two peripheral characters which could have been treated to mere empty secondary characters in lesser hands. In the world inhabited by our leads and run by love and loss, these two provide contrasting approaches to romance; one miserably alone who just can’t seem to find happiness; the other who chooses to be surrounded by it. Rarely has the viewer seen such attention been given to such roles.

Conclusion

The show presents a sobering realization to its viewers that love is a messy, confusing affair and not what you’ve seen in a Richard Curtis or a Nora Ephron movie. It comes bearing complications and may take years to realize, but once you have it, it’s best to live in the moment.

Written by Kaushal Munshi