Aaron Sorkin’s Annoying Tics Are Actually Good in. Dietland, which premiered Monday on AMC, finds creator Marti Noxon at her most comfortable: spinning unconventional stories about complicated, rage-filled women. And it's probably the only show to do so that also includes hallucinations of sexy tigers. A review of ‘Dietland’, a refreshingly odd indictment of the fashion industry, abusive men, and … well, a bunch of other things. It’s clearly against anything that makes women feel badly about their bodies and themselves, whether it’s misguided wellness plans, publications that push impractical, idealized images of beauty, or toxic individuals themselves.
This Article is related to: Television and tagged AMC, Dietland, TV Reviews. What I do know for sure is that I’m interested in seeing how the rest of the season plays out. At this point in Dietland — I have only seen the first three episodes, out of ten total this season — I’m also not quite sure what the show is trying to tell us.
Not that the new series, based on Sarai Walker's novel, isn't good. [4] Plum’s personal struggles and her relationship with Kitty, who could not be more condescending to the woman who makes her sound intelligent in print, provides more than enough fodder for a TV show. ET on AMC. Everything to Know About Julianna Margulies’s, Demi Lovato and Fiancé Max Ehrich Split After 2 Months Ending Their Quar Romance, For the Love of God, Do Not Listen to Tory Lanez’s New Album, Joe Rogan Is Already a Headache for Spotify, Lars Ulrich on Metallica’s Most Underrated and What Makes a Great Drummer. In Aaron Sorkin’s Vision of Election Night, Everyone ‘Does the Right Thing’, Miranda July Returns with What Might Be Her Best Film Yet, Chris Rock Tried Really Hard to Make a Cardi B Comedy Show Happen, “There are these people who are spewing hatred, but it’s wrapped in this cute, smart, almost punk type of thing.”, Why ‘Donna Martin Graduates’ Is the Essential, Travis Scott Wants You to Watch His New Music Video ‘Franchise’ in IMAX Theaters, Featuring Young Thug and M.I.A., the video premieres before. All rights reserved. Nash lives every beat of Plum’s life. Perhaps unavoidably, given its title and source material, Dietland still examines Plum mostly through the lens of her weight, but it does so unflinchingly, unafraid to bare her stomach, show the disdain with which doctors regard her, or portray her crippling insecurities. But it can be overwhelming, as well. It’s a personal take on Plum’s quest to lose weight and a social activism piece about fat-shaming and cultural misogyny. Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! This lack of trust in Plum is so ironic it hurts; one of the character’s main issues is a lack of faith in herself — in her beauty, inside and out. When she’s being shut down by her passive aggressive boss, you feel her frustration — but also her pained acceptance — because Nash is able to bring herself inward at the drop of a sentence. The speeches, the grandstanding, the quips — they totally work in the context of this Netflix courtroom drama. On paper, as a character, Plum may be defined a bit too much by her weight, but Nash’s portrayal makes her multidimensional. There’s the daughter of phony dietitians who sponsors Plum’s ambitious writing projects as a form of “reparation” for what her mother and father did to her. Noxon, who developed the series for television and directed the pilot, is trying to create an overall experience here, trying everything she can think of to put the audience in Plum’s shoes. In supporting roles, Robin Weigert (as Verena, the anti-fad-diet proponent who counsels Plum), and Tamara Tunie (as Julia, the boss of the Daisy Chain beauty closet) effectively project the air of sensible, supportive women, so much so that you’re not sure that you can actually trust them. Some shows can get at the multi-dimensional ways in which fat people interact with the world (like the U.K.'s My Mad Fat Diary), but mostly they fall decidedly flat. There are so few examples of plus-size people on TV, and they're usually confined to fat jokes (Mike and Molly) or schmaltzy inspiration for thin people (This Is Us). With so many important causes to explore, it should come as no surprise a handful individual moments hit home, especially when Nash is allowed to say her piece in character, in the moment, rather than reiterate Plum’s position via all-knowing but impersonal narration.
© 2020 Vox Media, LLC. It's the kind of show that's worth a little discomfort.
The series feels like the assembled parts of three different shows in a mash-up of genres you don't usually see. It's just rather intense. Copyright © 2020 Penske Business Media, LLC. Unfortunately, not every quarantine romance can stand the test of time. Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.