I try to avoid watching long form t.v. — by “long form” I mean any drama whose continuing story spans one, two, three, or more seasons (like Lost or Game of Thrones), vs. “episodic” shows, which contain a (largely) standalone story within each episode (like Law & Order or ER).

Long form shows have become very popular in recent years, as streaming services look to increase their hours viewed stats.

The problem is, it’s very hard for writers to offer an effective story arc if they don’t know how long their show will run. And even if they know how they want everything to pan out, with so many episodes to write, there’s gonna be some filler. So, you end up with endless and unending (ok, those are the same) plot. Complicated, often pointless (IMHO) plot.

So I avoid them, in general.

It’s summertime (where I live, anyway), so the ‘perfect’ time to watch a frothy, fluffy romance – like Netflix’s A Perfect Pairing, which is well-qualified as summertime viewing:

• It’s about wine and wineries (and sheep!)
• It stars a former Nickelodeon child actor, Victoria Justice – What is it about former child actors and light romance?
• It’s a Netflix Original – I would say most Netflix romances fall squarely into the ‘light’ category

Before I begin my critique, let me just clarify that I am in fact talking about the Netflix film, A Perfect Pairing, and not the Hallmark romance of the same name that also came out this year. Wouldn’t want anyone to be confused.

Have you ever watched a romantic movie and at the end, when one character declares their love to the other, instead of swooning, you cringed and covered your eyes?

I have. Just the other day.

The movie? The Proposal.

Yes, the Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds film, circa 2009.

Actually, I first saw it years ago, and had vaguely negative feelings about it. But, I think that first viewing was on a plane or something, and I didn’t give it my full attention. So I thought I’d give it another shot.

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I am a huge fan of Sally Thorne’s The Hating Game – the book, that is.

It’s one of the best romances I’ve ever read, mostly because it manages to sustain romantic tension from beginning to end – an extremely rare feat, in my experience. 

The movie, on the other hand…

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I’ve read that Netflix’s Single all the Way is the first gay holiday romance movie. (On Netflix? In the world?? I’m not sure.) Whatever, this is yet another example of Netflix choosing not to push the envelope.

The movie is tepid. There’s nothing here to offend, because there’s basically nothing here at all.

The gays deserve better than this.

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