Hulu hits a homerun with new series
By: Meghan Hudson, Arts & Life Editor
Meghan Hudson/The Towerlight
Hey all you Hulu-havers! This week we’re gonna talk about a new show that was recently added to the platform: “Dollface.”
“Dollface” stars, Kat Dennings from “2 Broke Girls,” Shay Mitchell from “Pretty Little Liars,” and Brenda Song from, yes, “The Suite Life and Zack and Cody.” It’s a comedy web-television series that centers the life of Jules Wiley, who gets dumped by her long-term boyfriend in the first minute of the first episode. Don’t worry! This isn’t a spoiler! The real story lies in what is to follow.
Jules has spent so long devoting all of her time to her relationship, that she didn’t realize that all of her friendships had in turn, slipped away. She must now learn how to be friends with other women again.
If you’ve ever been through a breakup, every episode may surprise you with how relatable they are. The writers truly did an excellent job of finding some of the most obscure, yet relatable issues that come from going through a breakup as a woman. Especially when you find yourself trying to resocialize, and not really knowing what you’re doing. Those awkward, tense, and cringe-worthy moments seem to be perfectly encapsulated into this series.
Furthermore, while the episodes seem to cover some fairly predictable issues that come from exiting a long-term relationship, such as running into your ex, navigating online dating and several tests of friendships, Jordan Weiss and the rest of the writers did an excellent job in making the comedic elements of each episode the true centerpiece, with conflicts serving as a basic framework to push you through the series. For example, in Episode 3, “Mystery Brunette,” the gang all go to an exclusive magic-themed party hosted by a famous celebrity. While the episode’s conflict surrounds the issue of fixing a work related mistake, the comedy that comes from being at an exclusive magic-themed party keeps the episode interesting and unpredictable.
One recurring character is Cat Lady, played by Beth Grant. In the show, Cat Lady is a lady whose face is an actual cat face. This unreal looking character serves as the voice of guidance for Jules, helping her make decisions as she navigates single life. Cat Lady is pretty frickin funny, too. She helps Jules make decisions via game shows, road trips and other dream state situations that only Jules can see. It reminds me of cartoon Lizzie from “Lizzie McGuire,” not appearing in scenes so much, serving as a voice of reason when conflicts arise.
This first season of “Dollface” released on Nov. 15 on Hulu exclusively, and is only 10 episodes long. Plus, every episode is only about half an hour long, some even being shy of that. Because of how short the series is, it’s super easy to binge within a couple days or so. It only took me about four days, and that was with having a super busy schedule. It’s one of those shows that I could throw on while cooking dinner or doing some easy homework, just to keep the mood light, and that didn’t require too much attention.
Overall, I really enjoyed watching this series. I hope this show inspires other writers to create similar shows for more communities of people who aren’t just heteronormative and/or cisgendered individuals as well. I felt so validated watching this show and realizing that my own feelings and experiences weren’t so weird and embarrassing, and I’d love for everyone to be able to watch a show like this and feel this way as well.
5/5.
