The spectrum of love and sexuality is a broad and complicated one. Even in the midst of a ‘vanilla’ relationship, the nuances of everyday interaction can be mulled over infinity. Easy is a comedy/drama anthology that plays out like half-hour short stories. And it covers all sorts of sexcapades for its rotating cast.
The anthology nature of the show means that you can mostly jump right into any episode and enjoy the self-contained story. There are a few recurring cast members, such as married couple Kyle (Michael Chernus) and Andi (Elizabeth Reaser). They are trying to save their sexless marriage and have agreed to try an open relationship. As season 3 opens, both are going on dates and yet both are still getting irritated with each other and have couples therapy sessions.
The dialogue in Easy is conversational, teetering at the point of excessively normal. Be prepared to be part of long and realistic conversations where rambling points are made and counterpoints debated. This does give the show a relatable vibe amongst all the sexual shenanigans. But there were times when I found myself looking at my watch as the 10th minute of a scene rolled by. Most likely large chunks are improvised because it’s hard to believe that such talks can be scripted that way.
Although the show is an anthology there are characters that cross over from time to time. This gives Easy a nice sense of shared space. And for those characters who don’t significantly return, the amount of characterisation packed into a short half hour episode is entertaining. I felt particularly sorry for the home security salesman who is just keen to establish a connection. His desire to do well at work gets him a gig tailing a potentially cheating husband. He ends up a little bewildered as an infiltrator at a BDSM house party trying to catch someone in the act.
The show may contain lots of sex and nudity. But the matter of fact nature means that this doesn’t ever come across as exploitative or sleazy. Really, your enjoyment will centre on how engaged you are with a particular story. If you don't find yourself getting on with some characters, there is nothing stopping you from skipping the episode entirely.
Easy is a show that takes modern dating and love and then explores how people would cope with certain situations. Sure there may not be people who make real pacts to accept every date request for a month, but when Annie (Kate Micucci) gives it a try, it’s fun to watch it play out. There is enough occasional humour to ensure that things don’t get too wrapped up in arty sexuality.
If you can endure very talky moments where people root around to verbalise their feelings, then Easy is well worth a watch.
Words by Michael Record
