After finishing a Netflix series, I am always left with a sense of emptiness, as if a chapter in my life is ending. Luckily, I can usually find a new show after sampling a couple different series. A few months ago, I ran into this conundrum, of not knowing what to watch on Netflix. I tried revisiting some of my old favorites, trying some new shows and even considered switching to movies, but nothing satisfied my interest. And then I struck gold. Coming up as one of the featured shows for me on Netflix, “Lovesick” caught my eye and held my interest.
With a setting in Scotland, the characters’ accents were just part of their charm. The show starts as Dylan (Johnny Flynn) is diagnosed with chlamydia and has to share this news with all of his previous partners. Going through his list of people, each story is presented to viewers, many of which leave Dylan confused as to what went wrong in the relationship. As he goes through this process of meeting up with and calling all his exes, he is struggling with a crush on a close friend, that seems to keep coming back up. To complicate matters more, this friend is currently engaged and has written him off as nothing more than a friend (or so he thinks).
As the series continues, the consequences of Dylan’s mission to inform his partners plays out along with an even larger theme: friendship. The friendship Dylan shares with Luke (Daniel Ings) and Evie (Antonia Thomas) is a key component of the show that makes it much more relatable. Luke and Evie met in college and Luke introduced Evie to Dylan, creating an intense friendship by doing so. They share an apartment and are always there for each other through good and bad times. As Luke realizes how lonely he is, Dylan simultaneously realizes how hard it is to have a successful relationship and it is their friendship that gets them through. For anyone who has had a powerful friendship, the interactions between these three will hit close to home.
As the show continues, various friends of the group are brought in. The first episode is a flashback to Angus’s (Joshua McGuire) wedding, which the audience, along with the characters, can accurately predict will not last long. With his marriage ending, Angus has a larger presence at the house Evie, Dylan and Luke share, until he eventually moves in. The four don’t live together long as the show’s events have various people moving out to live with their significant others.
If this show has one negative, it would be the number of episodes. With only six episodes in the first season, and eight in the second and third, the series is relatively short. To make matters worse, the episodes are all less than 30 minutes, making “Lovesick” a very binge-able show.
At times this show can be predictable, but the predictions never play out quite how you would expect. There is always a twist thrown in that keeps the audience on their toes, wondering what will happen to the gang next. From break-ups to class reunions to camping trips, they explore adulthood together, while trying to maneuver the world of dating.
If you are looking for an upbeat, funny show to fill that void left by a previous series, “Lovesick” might be the show for you. Just don’t get too attached, because just when you are hooked, the 22 episodes will be coming to an end.