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Humour by Rehana Munir: Five current dramas about privilege that hit the spot
Sharp and glittering as diamonds, they fix an unerring eye on the good life. How many have you watched?
“Nothing succeeds like excess”—that Wildean epigram—could well be the motto of our post-lockdown era lives. And OTT platforms are our instant portal to OTT lifestyles. The bling-encrusted, Bellini-soaked, reality-averse lives of celebs and their coterie are rich material for Instaland. But if you want all the perks of voyeuristic viewing, along with unsettling insights into human nature, here are five superbly crafted shows that have been renewed for at least one more season.
The White Lotus
The morning after finishing S01 of this unsettling show set in an ultra-luxurious Hawaiian resort from which the title is borrowed, I book myself into a spa for a massage. This is a damning confession, considering (almost) anyone who can afford a massage on this show is a self-obsessed, materialistic narcissist. The truly unsettling part is—we all know such monsters, if we don’t actually resemble them ourselves. A dark comedy that boasts some of the most beautiful natural imagery and indigenous music, it calls out the entitlement and class oppression that prevail in polite society even as wokeness trends. But oh, those breakfast buffets with all the tropical fruit! First season streaming on Disney Hotstar.
Succession
Shakespeare would be proud, for this is King Lear meets Hamlet meets a dozen other rich, timeless themes that play out through complex plotlines. High on energy, low on patience and blind to morals, its ruthless characters are chillingly entertaining. Hard-nosed and foul-mouthed media mogul Logan and his four dysfunctional children make up the succession story. But it is Logan’s especially tormented son, Kendall, who holds much of our attention with his To Be Or Not To Be vulnerability. Cousin Greg, the bumbling country cousin’s descent into the ways of the family, and the formerly servile Tom’s ascendancy over his glacial wife Siobhan, make up the other big story tracks. Darkly delicious, it sees privilege as a twisted superpower that erodes the basic human impulse to connect with others without any hidden agenda. Three seasons streaming on Disney Hotstar.
The Crown
In the days after the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the streaming numbers for The Crown went through the roof (of Westminster Abbey). Suddenly, everyone missed the queen who was, until then, both ubiquitous and invisible; monarchy has a bloody history, especially for us in the former colonies, but in that moment, everyone reached for the dramatisation of a privileged life famously dedicated to duty. My own discomfort with royalty, and the injustices it continues to evoke, did not stop me from watching four seasons of this exquisite show. The next season will bring the millennial royals into view. I’m bringing out the scones and the tea. Four seasons out on Netflix.
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
This show’s comedienne heroine is someone who was born into privilege but had to earn it all over again when her husband leaves her for another woman, and she’s left to fend for herself and their kids. Yes, she has a pretty wardrobe and the support of her parents and in laws, but it’s a tough climb for Midge, finding her way in a distinctly male domain in 60s New York. Her masculine-presenting manager, Susie Myerson, with her slummy living quarters, traumatic family history and hidden sexuality, offers a sharp contrast to Midge’s disarming princess-fallen-on-hard-times vibe. The two make for an entertaining odd couple in showbiz, with plenty of fast-talking, double-crossing and tequila-quaffing thrown into the mix. Four seasons streaming on Prime Video.
The Gilded Age
If you’ve watched Downton Abbey, then this is a worthy successor, also created by Julian Fellowes, but set in late 19th century New York. It follows the fortunes of a railroad tycoon, a self-made man who’s hustled his way up, and his ambitious wife, as they try to wine and dine their way into polite society. Their glittering palace of a Manhattan house is a veritable monument to the “American dream” (long before the term was coined), designed to bedazzle the uppity neighbours into accepting them into their hallowed circle. As a viewer, you’re alternately disgusted by the opulence of the Russells and softened by their very human need for acceptance. But disappointment is so much easier to bear from under a silk quilt on a four-post bed. First season streaming on Disney Hotstar..
From HT Brunch, October 8, 2022
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