'Please Like Me' is stunningly bright with so many sad characters

The third post in a row (something that is happening after years) and after writing about the Rose family it had to be this Australian series which had given me quite a company when I was really looking for it a few months back. There is one more similarity between 'Please Like Me' and the Canadian series 'Schitt's Creek' beside the fact that one of the protagonists is queer; the creator is also the protagonist here. Josh Thomas has done a really commendable job of exploring everything from mental health to abortion to relationship and still managed to hold on to the fact that it is a comedy series by using the whole psychological thing to its advantage.

The most flawed character has to be the protagonist, the very blunt Josh played by Josh Thomas, and there are moments where I felt he is nothing but an idiot. Still, the show somehow managed to tie up everything and give meaning to life beyond the binaries. Josh is a person who continuously feels insecure about his looks, his body and prefers having sex only after switching off the lights. However, that does not mean that anyone coming into his life can take him for granted or set the rules for him, this is very refreshing; a person lonely, gloomy but not vulnerable. The way Josh's character develops from the first season, he can clearly be tagged as ungrateful, confused, rude and mean but then by the end of four seasons somehow everything makes sense. A guy who had a girlfriend to kissing a guy for the first time to realising his sexuality and finally being very comfortable with it, the series is a journey to relish, and this show does it just right by not making it too hard or too simple.

The most endearing relationship of this show is the one that Josh shares with his mother, Rose played by Debra Lawrence. And, by endearing, I do not for once mean it made me very comfortable throughout, there are moments where I felt miserable but the very unseen toughness that these two characters share as the bond is something I rooted for throughout. From Rose being a tough, brash, unpredictable to Rose being vulnerable and needy, the show and Debra do everything right in building this character. Mental health has been dealt with utmost sincerity where it has not become a comic relief which is very tough to do if the creator is not sensible enough.

Another very adorable part of this show is the friendship that is shown among these three individuals who also happen to be roommates, Josh, Tom (Thomas Ward) and Claire (Caitlin Stasey). From messing up to goofing up secrets to coming out, everything works for these three. All the three characters are genuine and each one giving the others a fierce competition in the confused department. All these mess-ups about their choices in life make up for many of the entertaining episodes.

Josh's father Alan played by David Roberts and his girlfriend Mae played bt Renee Lim are a couple which made me think more than once that why are they together. However, in one episode where Alan gets angry but ultimately forgives and gets back to Mae after coming to know of an incident where Mae cheated on him once says it all. Again, there is no melodrama involved in this whole thing, and life is such, second chances are necessary, and if you love someone, hundreds of opportunities will also never feel melodramatic ever. 

The writeup is absolutely incomplete without mentioning the three men in Josh's life who shaped him up. From the first season where he met Geoffrey (Wade Briggs) to the last season when he met him again, Josh is a changed human. The series seems to have completed a full circle from Josh being the careless being without any income and living on his father's money to a Josh who earned money, saved money, planned, sold their old house where his mother lived and got an apartment of his own. The stint with Arnold (Keegan Joyce) gave me very mixed feelings throughout but it made me very full because it believed in one simple fact, two similar human beings can also often not be compatible, and that is fine. The short stint with Patrick (Charles Cottier) on whom Josh had a crush was fulfilling given that for once Josh got a taste of his own medicine and taking a cue from the awkward confrontation he changed a bit in his approach.

The series is a rare creation because it is both dark, very sensible yet not really compromising on the fun part. There is a conversation among Hannah (Hannah Gadsby), Rose and Josh where they were playing some confrontation game about their first sex experience in the psychiatric hospital. That scene is a gem, and there are quite a few like that. Hannah suddenly confronted that she was raped and that was her first experience of sex. Everything suddenly became gloomy, and Josh expressed that he was sorry for his mother, forcing her to confront. However, Hannah's reaction was something like "it's okay, I was not saying anything because I was eyeing to have the chocolates", this scene to be this good needs real compassionate creator and this show has just that. 

The show ended in a way where I kept craving for at least one successful relationship for Josh. But, it is okay because that was the point of the show, and everyone in life does not really end up with one successful relationship. People who do can feel lucky, and this show will surely do one thing right, and that is appreciating the love and care that we have in our lives and sometimes goofing up is fine. The final thing that works is the fact that the show is very personal and that reflects in the writeup throughout because life is unpredictable, unimaginable, harsh and full of unexpected turmoils where we just expect people to like us the way we are.