One Mississippi

I've never written a review before, so you'll have to forgive me for keeping this brief.

I was looking for a show to "binge" watch while doing some mundane work on the computer and I kept seeing this popping up on Amazon Prime. I thought, what the heck, I'll give it a whirl. I've never heard of Tig Notaro, but she's captivating on screen. (And I had to google her when the show was over) If you enjoy a show that's a bit more drenched in reality, with a slice of dry humor, you'll love this. Heavy, but not overly so. It's got a perfect balance and the only disappointment was that there was only 6 episodes! I wanted more!! I hope Amazon delivers and gets a season 2 sooner than later!

This is a brilliant TV show. I wish there were more seasons. Tig Notaro is fearless. It's a whole different world (for me at least), these people who are making impactful creative work from difficult life experiences. I feel inspired and that there might be hope for me still.

Tig's dry delivery of truth is what we all need. The character of Kate lights up the screen. The chemistry between them is beautiful. The other characters are seemingly less dimensional at first but over the course of two seasons, everyone is nuanced. The stories and sub-stories woven throughout never stop being compelling.

I suppose this was marketed as a comedy, and there are funny moments, but it's way more complicated at that. I think we need a new category for those shows that straddle the comedy/drama divide. I know there is "dramedy," but that seems reductive. The wry, insightful intelligence of this show doesn't fit into the existing classification system.

Wouldn't it be amazing if shows like this were regular fare on network TV? It shouldn't be hard to find them. I watched this because of the documentary about Tig, which blew me away. (I think you can still see it streaming on that other popular streaming service.)

Anyway, I am a bit speechless. I highly recommend this show.

Brilliant scripts serve and the foundation for this pitch-perfect melancomedy that is the best series released in years. Working from the essential premise of tragedy + time = comedy, but only in expert hands, the production team and actors deliver standard family sitcom clichés in a completely new and "audience respectful" way. It's pure comedy professionalism at its best. A mom dies, a cat gets out, the crazy relatives come over, dating fiascos occur, but none of these tropes unfold with bad laugh tracks, phoned-in-performances, or predictable dialog. Gorgeous pauses of reflection, like setting up a song choice or waiting in a room, become moments in their own right, waiting for the next connection where characters figure out how to get through life together with soft clicks of human empathy. The audience can enjoy the moment without loud or overwrought performances substituting for drama. Laugh internally or externally, it's your choice but you will laugh even if it's just out of recognition. And refreshingly, Tig Notaro embraces her physical self in all forms - scarred, sexual, tired, embarrassed, intertwined and separate - both literally and figuratively. We rarely get to see that from women's roles on screen let along cancer survivors. Bravo, too, to the amazing cast. The real heart of the conflict and soul of this series isn't romantic or health struggles but Tig's evolving ties and confusion relating to her family particularly her step-father who's always called Bill. Jonathan Rothman is unbelievably perfect as Bill delivering the "dad" performance not as a silly or troubled social misfit or OCD outcast as so many shows are doing these days. His quiet tension and reserved paternal love is the perfect balance to Tig's neediness left in the void of her mother's loss, the loss of hugs and rocking in her lap for comfort. You keep hoping both of them could just learn to love the other just as they are ... and then they do, in small ways, even for just a moment, sometimes by asking about tuberculosis. Bonding moments come in strange ways. One Mississippi reminds us to grab them however they come.

I kept seeing the banner ad for this on Amazon Prime but it didn't really appeal to me when I read the synopsis as I lately want to watch things that are uplifting or exciting to take me away from it all but the yellow wallpaper on the show cover image intrigued me as I felt it surely must be a nod to Charlotte Perkins Gilman. It certainly is. I'm so glad I've started watching this series, I've watched two episodes now. It's just beautiful. I find Tig mesmerising. I hadn't heard of her before so after loving the pilot I googled her; One Mississippi is a kind of fictionalised version of her life. It's so delicate and raw and very funny. It is actually uplifting too. The soundtrack is wonderful. If you want to watch something complex, beguiling and different that's life affirming and will make you laugh out loud choose this. Gorgeous.

The show is well done but rather sad, as I like to say"if I want to deal with reality I will go out the door"

But if you like this type of show it is worth watching.

One thing I do get tired of hearing is said by a previous review in that anybody who doesn't like it needs to grow a brain ,how sad we are not allowed in this day and age to have conflicting views without being called stupid by the self righteous.