International Series to Watch
Updated December 2022
Disclaimer: none of these shows are Black narratives. They happen to be shows I’m watching at the moment and appeal to my cultural curiosity and wanderlust which have been stifled due to the pandemic. Rest assured I will be publishing more posts about Black narratives but I realized I don’t want to limit myself when it comes to entertainment. There are still non-Black-led quality series to watch. I do want to keep the focus of the blog Black stories and for that reason I will keep the name, but I will occasionally write about other types of television and film as well.
The Split
This British drama series follows several divorce attorneys working in London. The main character is Hannah Defoe who is married with three children. Her mother, Ruth, and sister, Nina, are also divorce lawyers working at a family-owned firm. Hannah’s husband is a barrister and occasionally works with her. The whole series examines marriage, highlighting infidelity and grappling with the feeling of having married the wrong person.
I think it's interesting as I am not married to question whether or not a marriage without some sort of infidelity, whether intimate, financial, etc. is possible. Marriage (in the Western world) is a socioeconomic institution and seeing it in practice, with human emotions involved, is intriguing.
I read a quote on Facebook years ago about marriage being a commitment to continue working on your relationship. It's not going to be perfect or easy all the time. That doesn't mean you should stay in a toxic and/or abusive marriage but it does mean that you should understand that it won't always be a walk in the park.
Hannah, the protagonist, is much too emotional for my liking – which surprises me as she holds a very logic-based job – but I enjoy seeing the dynamic between Hannah, her mother and sisters. I can definitely relate to having sisterly bonds and a strong female presence in the family.
The Millennium Bridge is a focal point in the series and according to Google, it was nicknamed the “Wobbly Bridge” by Londoners due to its initially haphazard structure; I wonder if that serves as a parallel to all the shaky marriages and relationships displayed on the show.
My only gripe with the show is that it has plenty of auxiliary, undeveloped Black (and Asian) characters who are all in interracial marriages and relationships. It’s a trend in white-led and Shonda Rhimes-produced media. It’s a feeble attempt to appear anti-racist but it is indirectly racist because Black characters deserve to be developed and Black couples deserve representation, too. Mass tokenism is a backhanded compliment.
While there’s nothing wrong with interracial relationships, there’s something to be said about showing them alongside white couples and not showing any Black couples. It seems like subliminal messaging that Black people can’t be and shouldn’t want to be together, which is disturbing. It’s also not true across the board but it’s apparent that mainstream media wants to ingrain the idea in viewers. Whatever we repeatedly see we get used to and start to project as our reality.
UPDATE: The producers must have read my post because in the third and final season of the show, a Black couple was finally featured.
On another note, I visited London during a short layover; I do aim to go back and maybe (strong maybe) live there at some point. The bad weather and casual racism (which is more insidious than in the U.S.) are deterrents for living but I would like to explore the city. There's just something so fascinating about British culture and London itself is a melting pot with lots of African and West Indian influence, which attracts me to the locale.
The Split premiered in April 2018 and seasons one, two and three are now available to stream in the U.S. on Hulu and Amazon Prime Video. The third and final season premiered (in the U.K.) in April 2022.
An Astrological Guide for Broken Hearts
This Italian Netflix show follows a lovelorn young woman, Alice, who works in television production. She is still mourning an ex two years after their split. Her best friend, Paola, encourages her to move on romantically and to also review her career trajectory. After a chance encounter with a flamboyant actor, Alice pitches a dating show based on astrological compatibility while also looking to the stars to inform her own love life.
I am into astrology but I think that matching humans by their sun signs alone isn't necessarily prudent. It's a layered science and unless you match birth charts up using synastry, it's not a sure deal; even then I'd allow room for error as humans are very complex. Compatibility between two people goes much deeper than sun signs.
I am truly enamored by the protagonist because she reminds me of myself; Alice is a Libra like me and she's also petite, understated yet ambitious, works in television and wears glasses.
The series takes place in Torino, Italy (Turin in English) which makes me curious to explore lesser-known cities as well as the more famous regions of the country.
The first season premiered in October 2021 and the second in March 2022. At the time of this posting, there has been no word on whether or not a third season will be produced.
STANDING UP
UPDATE: I gave up on Emily in Paris after watching the first two episodes of season three. For three entire seasons there has not been one Black woman on the show. The show features two gay Black men and a biracial straight man but NO Black women! In Paris, in 2022. Disgraceful. The show also got extremely cheesy. The season three storyline and dialogue are just too basic and slightly confusing for my liking; there's no real flow anymore. So as a Black woman, I've personally cancelled Emily in Paris.
For a Parisian alternative that actually takes Black people into account, I would suggest the hilarious Standing Up (French title: Drôle), which I review in this podcast episode. Season one of Standing Up is available to stream on Netflix.
Do you watch any of these series? What do you like or dislike about them? Comment down below.