Easy

An easy going anthology that's about the everyday lives of people in Chicago, and how they navigate relationships or the role sex (or lack thereof) plays in their lives.

I wouldn't call it particularly engaging, but I also don't know that it's meant to be. There's something comforting about the normalcy found in the diversity of situations. It's also just really nice background watching while I'm working.

The comparisons to High Maintenance are obvious so comparing them, I feel like this show could do a better job of showcasing Chicago. Chicago seems to be experiencing a bit of a renaissance lately in the arts and media, and I was hoping to see some of that here. When you watch High Maintenance you can almost smell the city, you can feel it breathe through you. I'm only a season in but I haven't really felt that yet.

If like me and many other viewers you thought the first season fell just short of being a compelling show, here's some good news. Season 2 brings better stories and acting, while keeping the same style and great cast as the previous episodes. I'm impressed by Joe Swanberg's growth as a TV director and his capacity as a screenwriter to come up with conflicts that are consistently relatable and thought provoking. If you hated the first season though, you're probably better ignoring this one.

Its not a show that will end up with awards and all that, but its quite enjoyable and pretty perfect for a Sunday chill on the couch. Either alone or with your boyfriend/girlfriend. If you're single you may be glad you are after watching this. If you watch it with your bf/gf you may end up having a discussion about...well, you'll see...

Each episode is 30 minutes and (more or less) has a story of its own. Mostly about dating, love, sex and relationship struggles - in other words, everyday life stuff. The acting is good enough and the stories are to the point and short enough so it never gets boring or too cliché.

If you're a fan of Togetherness, you may like this one.

I usually get bored at the TV series format. A short script made long to fit one, hopefully two seasons when there probably wasn't enough material for the 90 minutes of a feature film. With easy things are different. I get back to the old series where the theme was bounding the episodes together and not the same cast chasing their own tail waiting for the season finale to shout "Gotcha!" The episodes are independent here.

The acting is also surprisingly natural. Usually the TV series get the ones who failed in movies. That combined with the diluted story and everything is fine if you go take the water out of the fridge as not much has changed. And in Easy things are beyond screen natural and almost like watching the people at the next table in a restaurant at lunch.

This is about snapshots. There aren't true stories in. Finally the snapshots are about today. As even movies seem to have a board of old white men who want to resonate with the story, meaning action set for "now" is happening more like 20 years ago. Easy is about today: phone apps and all.

Contact me with Questions, Comments or Suggestions ryitfork @ bitmail.ch

I think this show is... if anything, real. The characters are genuine and dynamic - BUT! WAIT!!! They're TOO 'normal' or 'average' or dare I say "boring".... welllllll most people are a little boring. This doesn't make them any less interesting to watch, because boring doesn't mean they don't have something to say. You need to watch it for the interactions, authentic dialogue in a variety of settings and awkward situations. Such is life.

Some have said it's "boring" or "unwatchable" and there should be more "excitement" which I don't fully understand.... What do you expect from a show that focuses on relationships and the concept that "love isn't *easy*" to involve? Paternity tests? Violent murders? Dragons? There's tons of that already. This is something new: it's looking into complex relationships in a really simple and relatable way.

Also, by complex relationships I mean: feminists becoming hookers, open marriages, the-one-that-got-away appearing on the doorstep of the apartment you share with your partner, happy couples seeking a third on Tinder, affluent neighbours coming together to become Big Brother, and lots and lots and LOTS of sex) - I mean these don't sound like boring storylines to me but hey. I like it, so I'm biased.

I think it's easy to watch and it's not afraid to broach taboo subjects, like say - 'gang-bang fantasies', and maybe some don't like to see what's behind the curtain.

For someone like me who likes slow books and films that don't have you on the edge of your seat, desperate to reach the "big fight scene" - but have you there to watch, to enjoy, to think, to question.