Directed by: Nathan Fielder, David & Nathan Zellner
Distributed by: Showtime
Written by Alexander Reams
The candy-coated exterior of “Flipanthropy,” an HGTV remodel show led by Whitney (Emma Stone) and Asher Siegel (Nathan Fielder, also co-creator, executive producer, and director of a majority of the episodes) is ludicrously crafted by the brilliant writing of Fielder and co-creator Benny Safdie. It’s clear that this is a space that Fielder likes, and he brings in Emma Stone and Benny Safdie to play in his world, the combination leads to a show that goes beyond my own limits of understanding with television, its absurdism and approach to its subject matter make for an uncomfortable 10-hour experience that breaks each of its three leads to their rawest selves.
Whitney and Asher’s marriage is a brilliant satire on what marriage has become to society, and the constant jabs that Whitney delivers to Asher to maintain the control she is addicted to is painfully realistic to how these HGTV marriages seem. Throughout their whack-a-mole of problems that arise, from a bad interview, to being “cursed” (and then Asher lies about getting it lifted), and all of this is compounded when the couple lose their first pregnancy. This leads to a further deterioration in their relationship and Whitney furthering her own spiral by conspiring with Dougie (Benny Safide), Asher’s friend, and the producer of their show. They make Asher the fool of the show, but it’s simultaneously hard to feel bad for him, at first, as he is as clueless as can be. Fielder’s arc is the most tragic of the three, and it eventually gets to a point where it’s hard to see and you just want it to stop.
When it finally does, the thought of peace and quiet is never an option, Fielder and Safdie have set this slightly-askew world up to be one of never getting exactly what you want. The curse is so-called “lifted” and Whitney is finally pregnant, the show is doing great, so what could go wrong? Safdie and Fielder could go any way they wanted, and had options set up because of Asher’s previous misdoings at the gaming commission, but instead Fielder is blasted into space in horrific fashion, it’s truly terrifying to watch Stone and Fielder try to deal with the ultimate absurd problem, and the knots in the viewers stomach that Fielder develops over the final hour of the show is brilliant surreal filmmaking, the likes of which could only be compared to early David Lynch, and for that- the show is great. But it takes far too long, or maybe this writer isn’t fully on the wavelength that Safdie and Fielder were on, to get where the show is going. It’s a show that’s doing something, even if I’m not sure entirely what.
“The Curse” Trailer
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