For those who have enjoyed Lena Dunham’s work, her triumphant return to television,Too Much, has been highly anticipated. It stars Megan Stalter and Will Sharpe as Jessica and Felix, two loosely self-inserted characters who stand in for Dunham and her husband, Luis Felbar, who co-created the show. Dunham wrote or co-wrote every episode of the season, which follows Stalter’s character, Jessica, as she leaves New York City for London, ready to have the expat adventure of her dreams. Of course, it doesn’t quite work out that way.
The lion’s share of viewers who will be tuning intoToo Muchwill be members of the Dunham fan club who either watchedGirlswhen it was airing or are among the legions of young viewers who have rediscovered it in the 2020s. However,Too Muchcomes from a more evolved Dunham who isn’t attempting to bemoan the growing pains of privileged coming-of-age.Too Muchis a love story, and it never purports to be anything but that. Thoughmany of the ideas inToo Muchsubvert the traditional arc of the romantic comedy,that doesn’t mean it isn’t sentimental.
Too Much Isn’t Afraid To Be A Love Story
The Magic & Romance Of Too Much Has A Self-Aware Edge, But Is Never Truly Cynical
Truthfully, I went intoToo Muchwith an open heart, prepared to like it and feel affirmed that my long-standing enjoyment of Dunham’s writing isn’t misplaced. Despite this, the pilot, “Nonsense & Sensibility,” made me nervous, as it’s by far the weakest episode. However, this is easy to forgive, as the series can’t fully get going and arrive at the meat of the story without the work done in episode one. It’s not unfunny or unforgivable, butthe premiere installment is a means to an end.
It captures our attention as Jessica’s fire gets lit by the final moments. From here, we’ve met the big characters, and the stage has been set for Jessica to spend the series deciding that she’s a person worth loving. Though it’s Jessica and Felix’s story, everyone in the cast is on the hunt for a real connection, bolsteringthe show’s message, which is one that’s funny but not cynical.ThoughToo Muchwonders if we’re all too broken to be loved, its answer is no, and it’s refreshing to believe that, if only for a season of television.
There are a lot of elements inToo Muchthat feel made for me, with magical realism, romance, and references that uplift the story, but that Dunham doesn’t rely too heavily upon. However, the standout of the project is Sharpe. As Felix, he crafts a character handsome and mysterious enough to fall in love with, but as we learn more about him, Sharpe brings every new piece of the character with him into his performance. He’s ultimately just as important to the story as Jessica, and just as messy as the world tells our protagonist she is.
The season’s midpoint does critical work in allowing us to root for Jessica’s happy ending.
Stalter is a great stand-up comic; she’s likable as Jessica, and she has chemistry with Sharpe, butwhen it comes to the big dramatic moments, she isn’t quite there yet.While there should be elements of comedy during Jessica’s lowest moments, I was never completely convinced that she was brought to any point from which she couldn’t come back, or that she was genuinely devastated. However, the series does give time and space for the development of the other characters, ensuring that Stalter is never carrying the weight of the story alone.
Episode 5, “Pink Valentine,” reminds us why Dunham and her writing became the cultural moment that it did. It’s not easy to make the story of the slow decline of a relationship fresh, as most people have both watched and lived this many times over. However, the season’s midpoint does critical work in allowing us to root for Jessica’s happy ending. She’s already lived through the worst part of her life by the time we meet her, so “Pink Valentine” opens the viewer up to give our protagonist the grace she needs in the latter half of the season.
As Zev, Michael Zegen once again proves how good he is at playing the bad boyfriend, recalling his early work inThe Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Some of the things he says to Stalter’s Jessica are so cutting, it will break your heart. However,Too Muchknows that the only way to create a happy ending worth having is to make the pain of heartbreak feel just as potent. AsToo Muchseason 1 hurtles toward its finale,some of Jessica’s problems are solved a little too easily,but the earlier failures and flailings work to make up for this.
Lena Dunham Brings A More Evolved & Mature Perspective To Too Much
The Writer-Creator Has Grown A Lot & Wants The Viewer To Grow With Her
If you don’t like rom-coms and aren’t inclined to root for imperfect female characters, there’s a slim chance you’ll likeToo Much. However, for its target audience, the series will hit home.The viewer can feel Dunham taking the notes and criticisms lodged againstGirls,but all with a grain of salt and the self-confidence that comes with spending years in the spotlight, and not always being liked for it. It’s not the most original story to see a woman decide that what makes her different is what makes her special, but the world often needs reminding of this.
If Jessica is a manifestation of Dunham, then not only is she shedding the way ex-lovers tore her down, but also the way the public has. As Rita Ora so generously reminds us in her guest appearance, the internet forgets, andDunham’s using her fresher start to be a little more hopeful and a little more self-assured,which works well forToo Much. There are a few too many on-the-nose monologues when we can hear Dunham speaking through Stalter to let the audience know how wrong we are to deem women messy, too loud, or too much.
However,Too Muchisn’t claiming that Jessica is perfect or even in the right throughout the show, but that she’s a person who’s looking for someone whose imperfections fit hers.Too Muchmight be a romantic comedy, but it doesn’t rein itself in to fit into the genre’s limitations. It will be interesting to see where the series goes from here, and what insightToo Muchwill have about what comes after the curtains close on the romance plot. For now, audiences should enjoy Dunham’s worthy and hard-won return to the small screen.
