Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Episodes 1-4
SPOILERS AHEAD: When I heard the premise of Tina Fey's new show on Netflix, "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt," I knew I could not miss it. It's about a woman who was held prisoner in an underground bunker in rural Indiana for 15 years by a cult leader who told her and the other women that the rest of humanity had been destroyed in a nuclear apocalypse.
The women are rescued and go to New York City to appear on the Today show. Kimmy decides to stay in New York and make her life there, and we get to watch her adventures as she finds a roommate, gets a job, and tries to navigate a world that is very different from the one she last experienced over a decade ago.
Obviously, I didn't grow up in a bunker (or even a cult, for that matter, although the church of Christ has some cultish tendencies), but I can relate to that feeling of disorientation that occurs when you step outside a restrictive religious group and try to make your way in the world on your own terms. It's both thrilling and terrifying because you've never had the freedom to truly make your own choices before and aren't sure how to do it.
I also relate to Kimmy's desire to keep her identity and origins a secret because she doesn't want people to pity her or think she's a freak. I'm slowly getting over that because I care less now about what other people think, but it is true that people look at you differently when they find out you grew up in not-so-normal circumstances. And yet, in spite of that desire to hide, there is a powerful need to tell one's story. In the third episode, Kimmy goes on a couple of dates with an elderly man with dementia because she realizes she can tell him everything and he won't remember it. It feels good at first to pour out her story to him, but then she realizes that she needs someone who can talk with her and help her work through her lingering trauma.
In the fourth episode, when someone recognizes her as one of the "Indiana Mole Women," she runs to a plastic surgeon and asks for a new face. But she backs out of the surgery when she realizes that it won't help her underlying issues and will just cover up her problems. She instead decides to start owning what happened to her instead of hiding it. I know from experience how liberating it is to openly admit where I came from; it's a huge burden off the psyche. And if other people have a problem with that or think I'm a freak, that's their prerogative. However, I have to say that most people are very kind and sympathetic, even if they can't fully understand the situation.
I'm very excited to watch the rest of the show and see how Kimmy learns to function in her new life. I won't have time to watch all 13 episodes this weekend, but I do plan to blog as I go, so please check back again next week.
The women are rescued and go to New York City to appear on the Today show. Kimmy decides to stay in New York and make her life there, and we get to watch her adventures as she finds a roommate, gets a job, and tries to navigate a world that is very different from the one she last experienced over a decade ago.
Obviously, I didn't grow up in a bunker (or even a cult, for that matter, although the church of Christ has some cultish tendencies), but I can relate to that feeling of disorientation that occurs when you step outside a restrictive religious group and try to make your way in the world on your own terms. It's both thrilling and terrifying because you've never had the freedom to truly make your own choices before and aren't sure how to do it.
I also relate to Kimmy's desire to keep her identity and origins a secret because she doesn't want people to pity her or think she's a freak. I'm slowly getting over that because I care less now about what other people think, but it is true that people look at you differently when they find out you grew up in not-so-normal circumstances. And yet, in spite of that desire to hide, there is a powerful need to tell one's story. In the third episode, Kimmy goes on a couple of dates with an elderly man with dementia because she realizes she can tell him everything and he won't remember it. It feels good at first to pour out her story to him, but then she realizes that she needs someone who can talk with her and help her work through her lingering trauma.
In the fourth episode, when someone recognizes her as one of the "Indiana Mole Women," she runs to a plastic surgeon and asks for a new face. But she backs out of the surgery when she realizes that it won't help her underlying issues and will just cover up her problems. She instead decides to start owning what happened to her instead of hiding it. I know from experience how liberating it is to openly admit where I came from; it's a huge burden off the psyche. And if other people have a problem with that or think I'm a freak, that's their prerogative. However, I have to say that most people are very kind and sympathetic, even if they can't fully understand the situation.
I'm very excited to watch the rest of the show and see how Kimmy learns to function in her new life. I won't have time to watch all 13 episodes this weekend, but I do plan to blog as I go, so please check back again next week.
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