A Flat & Falling Flat
I’ve missed Matthew Weiner. Mad Men was a big part of the 2010’s for me. The trials and tribulations of Don Draper helped me to realize what I wanted out of my life. Every day was a day to try and emulate how amazing Joan looked. I felt The Romanoffs was a way of getting back to those times. Having a show that talked about every day life through the lens of extraordinary characters.
I have been spoiled by Prime and Netflix over the past year in that I didn’t know they would only be releasing an episode a week. It may actually be a good thing because what Weiner has given us are eight stand alone films that share a hereditary name. That’s how I’m looking at this show — they’re eight movies and I get one each week.
I don’t know if they released two the first week or if I missed a week, but I’ve seen the first two so far:
The Flat
I told my mother as soon as this episode started that she was the title character. A woman that outlives her entire family and is left with a nephew and his whore-wife that just has eyes on the aunt’s Parisian apartment. Once her new live-in came to stay with her, I felt that things would be different. She finally had someone in her life that was actually trying to take care of her, for the sake of taking care of her and not to gain anything.
She’s somewhat racist. Quick to judge. Has a temper. Though she represents an older generation that we don’t necessarily think like, but we have one thing in common. We want to feel safe in our homes to act like assholes when we want to and there will always be someone there to love us. She wasn’t standing at a podium asking mass groups to believe or forcing her way into the Supreme Court, she was chain-smoking inside her own apartment and voicing opinions about her own experiences over the course of seven decades.
I can sit all day and talk to older people. I find them interesting and they move at my pace. Which means we sit and enjoy our day and move when we’re hungry. I would have enjoyed Anna’s company as well.
The good people won at the end of this episode and it was allowed a happy ending. I like that the first episode followed this format. It was a fun French episode with a lot of real estate porn, so definitely a good time.
Falling Flat
Isn’t Corey Stoll hot? I’m a sucker for height and when you add broad shoulders to it I’m almost on the floor. Geez, if you aren’t just a dumb jock, but can actually hold a conversation on top of this just take all of my money. So, yeah, Stoll meets approval, but his character in this episode.
We meet a married couple in a counselling session and we know they can’t make it. There’s an energy that people that don’t care for each other give off and if you’re a married couple giving off even an ounce of this, it’s kaputz. They try to make it work for who knows what reason, but they try.
He soon finds himself in jury duty falling for one of the other jurors and she takes a cruise alone. The cruise was to mend them and it doubles as the Romanov reunion at sea. I think it would have felt awkward going to one of these events without my spouse, but whatever.
Neither character is exciting and you’re just happy that they both go their separate ways in the end. What did I take away from this segment of The Romanoffs? Corey Stoll doesn’t really have rhythm, but still cute.
The Romanoffs
I’ve bought a ticket for this train ride. I believe in it and I want to know where it goes. I’m sad that I have to wait a week between episodes, but it also gives me something to look forward to.
