Inspired by the true events told by modern people in The New York Times’ column “Modern Love”, Amazon Prime Original dropped the television series on October 17. The show is packed with a star-studded cast such as Anne Hathaway, Dev Patel, and Tina Fey to name a few. Each individual has their own unique story to tell in an episode. Each episode showcases a story about love. Keep in mind, love does not have a real definition — love has countless meanings and interpretations made by people and experience.
Modern Love features eight episodes lasting each thirty minutes long. Each story has its own plot, characters, and life lessons shared among the individuals.
This is love at its absolute best. And it's beautiful… sometimes. #ModernLove premieres Oct 18th only on @primevideo. pic.twitter.com/tBvF6bq3PU
— Modern Love (@modernlovetv) September 12, 2019
“When the Doorman Is Your Main Man” — 9/10
Image via Twitter
The opening episode of Modern Love truly caught the attention of many viewers. The story follows a young woman named Maggie who has daily conversations with her doorman, Guzmin. Their connection is a platonic friendship. Guzmin informs Maggie about his opinions on her lovers. Mostly his opinions are negative and never seem true to Maggie until her relationships fail. Yet, Guzmin does it to protect Maggie from harsh emotions.
Guzmin helps Maggie through her highs and lows. He does not judge in any way and will be there to catch her when she falls. The relationship is hard not to love. It’s simple and lighthearted to want a relationship like Maggie and Guzmin’s. It’s unbelievable to think the story is not really fictional when an emotion like that is beyond to happen. Read Maggie’s story on The New York Times.
“When Cupid Is a Prying Journalist” — 9/10
Image via IMDb
The tales of two intertwine for the second episode of Modern Love. An interview brings together Joshua, the creator and CEO of a dating app, and a prying journalist named Julie. Off-the-record, Joshua tells an impactful love story about his ex-girlfriend to Julie that leaves Julie nostalgic for her own memories with a distant lover. Despite both stories having lasting similarities, Joshua and Julie’s moments together influenced each other for the greater good.
The episode shows strong attention to detail when showing the story. It’s imaginative without watching the episode. [what does this mean?] Along with the acting from both actors. So much emotion is shown between three stories, and love is shown to have so many meanings that will leave viewers wondering if it’s a positive or negative impact. Read Julie’s real story on The New York Times.
“Take Me as I Am, Whoever I Am” — 10/10
Image via Twitter
The journey of Lexi is so real and breathtaking. Lexi has lived her life through her long periods of highs and lows. Her relationships with people have been affected by her bipolar disorder. Although, her bipolar disorder is something Lexi has not fully accepted, despite a heavy feeling crushing her soul. Lexi emphasizes her long, intense journey with the disorder which opens the viewer’s eyes to the closed doors that they have not seen. Lexi begins to open up to a fellow friend that defines the meaning of friendship and mainly self-love.
Anne Hathaway delivers a solid performance. Hathaway’s emotion and sentiment can be felt in the viewer’s body. It’s supposed to make you uncomfortable with the feeling since it’s not distinguished entirely. It’s raw and real. The episode gives hope and guidance for others to reach out. Read Lexi’s story in the The New York Times.
“Rallying to Keep the Game Alive” —7/10
Image via Twitter
Communication is key for the marriage of Sarah and Dennis, but it is blindsided by the grudges they hold against each other. The fourth episode of Modern Love questions if love is willing to die after many long years of a relationship. Most relationships do not want to know the outcome of the question, but Sarah and Dennis are willing to challenge it in therapy. Their emotions towards each other are the bickering most people hear from their parents. After constant activities together, Sarah and Dennis show their real emotion towards each other. They began to heal as the elephant is no longer in the room.
The story of Sarah and Dennis is the real side of marriage where only the couples and close individuals such as children know the feeling of a physical barrier. Couples do not want everyone to know about their problems, but it’s better to talk about it than keep on fighting about it. The episode comes into realization with my own experiences from the sidelines. It hit hard, but it’s something most people do not have a say of. Read Sarah’s story on The New York Times.
“At the Hospital, an Interlude of Clarity” — 6/10
Image via Twitter
A date gone miserably wrong is the highlight of the episode. Yasmine and Rob’s midnight shenanigans landed them in a hospital when Rob accidentally stabbed himself with a broken wine glass. Their night continues with the surgical procedures waiting to happen. Loyalty is tested and completed when they both stay for each other.
This story is the least interesting of all. It’s nice and all, but no real surprise was introduced. Despite the episode being adjusted for “show-business” purposes, it was not thrilling. Read Rob’s story on The New York Times.
“So He Looked Like Dad. It Was Just Dinner, Right?” — 5/10
Image via Twitter
It’s not what you’re thinking, but it’s exactly what you are thinking. The seventh episode of Modern Love takes “daddy issues” to a whole other level. Maddy begins to fantasize about a potential father figure after her roommate’s father truly becomes the father of the year. So, Maddy looked around for a father who turned out to be Peter, her boss. Maddy navigated her story, her story of trying to convince the stranger to be her father. Though, Peter misinterpreted a father-daughter relationship to a boss-employee relationship. Whatever this relationship was, they parted their ways.
I was truly confused and disgusted when I started watching the episode. I wanted to back out and not watch it, but you cannot deny the curiosity of how they left off. Yet, it was uncomfortable to watch. The story felt like a minor-adult relationship because of the age difference: though it was not. Read Maddy’s story on The New York Times.
“The Race Grows Sweeter Near Its Final Lap” — 8/10
Image via Twitter
A sweet old story with a twist was introduced for the last episode of Modern Love. Margot and Kenji met while running for a marathon. Each individual had previous relationships whose spouses died. At an old age, Margot and Kenji proved you can still be loyal to your passed loved ones, but still fall in love like it was for the first time. The ending had all the characters from each episode to feature their life before, current or after their love story was told.
The last episode was a great ending. It’s a bit ironic starting the series with a birth and ending with a tragedy, but that’s how life is. Margot and Kenji lived their final moments to the maximum which shows love has no age or limit. Read Margot’s story on The New York Times.
Modern Love is complicated, drastic, and everlasting. It’s a newfound form of love that interprets meanings from decades ago using current elements. There’s no real definition, but people make the belief and set limitations for themselves. The Amazon Prime Original gives a glimpse of people’s real love life. It can be relatable or disparate to others. The stories may seem imaginative, but it’s crazy to think it’s real. That’s what love does. Watch Modern Love on Amazon Prime. Listen to The New York Times podcast on Modern Love.
Featured Image via Twitter.
