Is it just sex or have they found their perfect kind of weird?
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Hollywood loves a romance. That’s probably why You’re The Worst on FX has received such awful reviews from critics over the last few weeks. The reviews were so bad that a skeptic like me had to see the show for myself. No surprise, I think the critics have it all wrong. FX has once again messed around with convention to create a new and unique show. Look at It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, which takes all the traditional friends hanging-out sitcoms and turns them inside out. Now FX is taking a stab at romantic comedy with You’re The Worst. This is no average show where the couple meets, fall in love, and live happily ever after. Instead, two of the most messed up people, to ever go to a wedding, fight their urge to love one another. Could they just possibly be perfect for each other?
“We are all a little weird and Life’s a little weird, and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it Love.” – Dr. Seuss
The premiere follows washed-up author, Jimmy Shive, and publicist, Gretchen Cutler through their chance meeting at a wedding and the unorthodox one-night-stand that follows. Jimmy, played by Chris Geere (After Earth), spends the entire night showing all of his worst traits. He’s cranky, hooked on his ex, and has weird fetishes that would send any regular girl running for the door. Gretchen, played by Aya Cash (The Newsroom), opens up her Pandora’s box of quirks to Jimmy through their first night and even insists on spending the night. Jimmy can’t help but be miserable at the disruption to his life and dismayed to have to reveal his sleep apnea machine. The next day doesn’t go any better when Gretchen insists that someone has to give her a ride to work, while she’s eating Jimmy’s breakfast. She even returns later and steals Jimmy’s car. Through all of this, the shows writer, Stephen Falk is subtly showing us a love story. These two are the worst of humans. They aren’t the best of friends. They aren’t the characters you’ll fall in love with because of the good person inside. Instead Jimmy and Gretchen are drawn to each other because they have found their perfect kind of weird that matches their own. They don’t know why yet and they are sure that their relationship is doomed to fail, but they can’t help being attracted to each other. This show made me say: “Ew!” and “Oh no!” more times that it made me laugh. You may tune in for the crass humor and the raunchy sex scenes, but you’ll stay to see the dissection of Jimmy and Gretchen’s “honest relationship”.