The Curse

this is my favorite show i’ve ever seen and one of the best portrayals of how people navigate social-media-driven trends that blur the line between the internet and real life. have you ever cringed when someone brings up a social justice issue, only to pivot to themselves to show off how much they’re doing, with a fake sense of humility and allyship? that’s what this show captures. more specifically, it’s about how privileged people try to avoid scrutiny in a post everyone-is-reading-james-baldwin america, sidestepping accountability with performative “good deeds” that only the privileged can afford (like only buying organic food, building eco-homes, or being a ‘nice’ landlord). the show focuses on a pair of extremely wealthy people who begin to feel like marginalized outliers in their community because of their class, race, and sexuality. (they are straight, rich white people actively gentrifying a POC neighborhood.) this obsession consumes them, altering every aspect of their daily lives. their desperate need to be seen as likable “good guys” leads to a comedic, meta series where their actions lack genuine compassion for the community they’re gentrifying but would make for great tweets and PR. this show is strikingly real. it reflects what’s happening every day. look around your universities, co-ops, your landlords, and your local EREWHON. greed runs deep, but the desire to be seen as a ‘good person’ runs deeper. combine the two, and you have the essence of this show. these characters are real; you’ve met them, and so have i. but that’s okay because you can find comfort in laughing at them!!! emma stone delivers an incredible performance as a woman desperate for approval, filled with shame about her origins, solely because of how others perceive them, yet she secretly loves her status and privilege, and would never give it up. this is by far her best performance of 2023 (sorry, poor things) and her character has remarkable depth. she’s also an idiot. nathan fielder is an idiot— he plays it brilliantly. benny safdie portrays a tortured soul— and an idiot. give that man his keys. you will cringe so hard at this show. you will see, for the first time, the awkward changes in how people interact post-covid. you may need to pause and collect yourself multiple times. you will feel confused at moments. but enjoy the ride. enjoy the cringe. the cringe is real. it will only intensify as the wealth divide grows in the u.s. and we move deeper into a social-media-centered society :3