Saturday, June 6, 2020

What I’m Watching: High Fidelity


High Fidelity: Season 1, Episode 8 “Ballad of the Lonesome Loser” (B+)

I didn’t expect that we’d have a whole episode devoted to a character other than Rob, but kudos to this show for embracing its breaking of the fourth wall and not limiting that ability to its main protagonist. We haven’t seen all that much of Simon on his own to this point, and I like that Rob isn’t the only one with an obsessive list of heartbreaks. His just all happen to be the same person, Benjamin Young, who he kept giving chances to in a way that’s all too similar to Rob and the way that she allows herself to be entranced over and over by the many lovers in her life. Benjamin really was pretty charming, and it’s hard to hold Simon accountable for the time he wasted on someone who was never going to commit in the right way and always managed to attract all of his attention anyway. I’m glad that we did get to see Rob when she came with him to the doctor and put on a glove as if she was going to examine him before the doctor told him about his chlamydia, and it turns out she works just fine as a supporting character not wallowing in her own sob story. After we saw Benjamin continually disappoint Simon, it was affirming to see him opt not to give it another shot with him but instead go after his new crush. I liked this focus on Simon and wouldn’t mind a similar spotlight being given to Cherise, Clyde, or even Mac.

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