Based on the popular New York Times column, a book, a subsequent popular podcast and now, in its 17th year, a television show of the same name, ‘Modern Love’ is about relationships, feelings, betrayals and revelations.
Created by John Carney who is famous for films like ‘Once’, ‘Sing Street’ and ‘Begin Again’, the Amazon series takes inspiration from the column in adapting different yet real love stories about real people.
Modern Love’s first season made its way into our hearts with powerful performances by Anne Hathaway, Dev Patel, Tina Fey, Christina Milotti, Andrew Scott and Andy Garcia. From a developing friendship between a doorman and a tenant of his building to finding love a second time in the twilight years, season one managed to strike the right chords leaving us grinning from ear-to-ear.
Amazon recently came up with the second season, introducing eight new fables of love. This time the creators have better stories to narrate with fresh faces that take over most of the stories. The 35-minute episodes and eight chapters in total of ‘Modern Love’, season two is more diverse and adventurous than the first run.
Starting with ‘On a Serpentine Road, With the Top Down’, ‘Modern Love’ proves why the first season was a hit. The episode narrates how, after losing her husband Michael (Tom Burke), Stephanie Curran (Minnie Driver) gets attached to her late husband’s vintage car which, 30 years later, she has to sell. Goodbyes are difficult and Driver brilliantly depicts the emotion.
‘The Night Girl Finds a Day Boy’ is about two people who are poles apart and somehow they still work. Jordan (Gbenga Akinnagbe) is a school teacher and has a day job but Zoe (Zoë Chao) suffers from a delayed sleep phase syndrome; so she sleeps during the day and lives her best life at night. Though it’s hard for them to get along, the episode is all about the sacrifices we make for our loved ones.
Comes ‘Strangers on a (Dublin) Train’ featuring Kit Harington opposite Lucy Boynton. The episode offers everything one would want from a modern-day love story. Two strangers Michael (Harington) and Paula (Boynton) meet on a train from Galway to Dublin in March 2020 and soon connect. While Michael is a tech guy, Paula is a student of medieval history. On departure, they decide to go old school without exchanging numbers but only a promise to meet again in two weeks at the station. As luck would have it, the pandemic shuts down the whole world, leaving the viewers thinking about the fate of the two. This was a completely different territory for Harington, popular for ‘Game of Thrones’, yet he plays an Irish bloke to perfection.
Then there is ‘A Life Plan for Two, Followed by One’, which is relatable to us in some ways as falling for one’s best friend is nothing new. Lil (Dominique Fishback) falls in love with her best friend Vince (Isaac Powell) in school and the uncomfortable situation lasts right through to adulthood. Fishback shows incredible restraint in her performance. Her face tells you everything.
But it’s ‘Second Embrace, With Hearts and Eyes Open’ that strikes a note with the audience as people love to see stories about finding love, second chances and forgiveness. The episode showcases Elizabeth Cannon (Sophie Okonedo) and Van (Tobias Menzies) who might get back together after being divorced for years. Though there’s still a spark left between these two, one might question why on earth did they give up on their chemistry in the first place.
While well-known actors dominate season one of the Emmy nominated show, the second season introduces fresh faces like Lucy Boynton, Gbenga Akinnagbe, Zoë Chao, Dominique Fishback, Tobias Menzies, Sophie Okonedo, Garrett Hedlund and Miranda Richardson. Many may question why the cast is average but this time the creators’ main focus was on the quality of the stories.
The three episodes where John Carney takes over as writer/ director, ‘Modern Love’ takes a romantic turn as the command shifts to safer hands. No disrespect to the other writer/directors but one can’t deny the fact that Carney is a mastermind.
In times of the coronavirus pandemic, the series serves as an antidote for many. And since all episodes are stand-alone stories, one can easily watch an episode after a tiring day at work and find solace in these heartwarming stories. Season two of ‘Modern Love’ is worth a watch. Give it a try. Just don’t get into comparing the two seasons for you will lose the excitement of the journey.
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